Hobbies And Interests
Toxics
The release of toxic substances into the natural environment is an ongoing point of contention between industry and its opponents. While many industries characterize themselves as "green," this self-characterization is sometimes misleading when taken on by industries that continue to despoil the natural environment. The production of pesticides, herbicides, plastics and fossil fuels can cause tremendous damage to the natural world when spills, fires or other disaster occur. What is often forgotten is that these industries cause some level of damage even when things are going as planned. While some political activists seek to regulate these industries and minimize their damage, others seek a deeper analysis that questions their very existence.
Forests
Logging practices have historically been a venue for heated political debate, particularly in the rainforests of Central and South America and the old growth forests of the American and Canadian West. Clearcutting, a practice that removes every tree within a cut area, has been opposed for decades by political activists through tactics ranging from legislation to timber sale appeals to non-violent civil disobedience to sabotage. While logging can be undertaken sustainably through selective cutting of trees, many timber companies respond to economic pressure by seeking short term profit through clearcutting rather than long term sustainability.
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the presence of many different species within a particular ecosystem that interact in tremendously complex ways to maintain the stability of that ecosystem. When human activities disrupt biodiversity, they threaten habitats and endangered species. Environmental politics surrounding the issue of biodiversity include battles over the listing of particular species as endangered, the extent of human industrial activities in or near protected areas and disagreements about the extent of impact that is caused by a dam, a mine or a clearcut. While some people value biodiversity over all else as a primary value, others are willing to sacrifice it for economic gain.
Deep Ecology
Deep ecology is a form of environmental politics that moves beyond the anthropocentric nature of many environmental groups. While many environmental movements promote the conservation of nature for the benefit of humanity, deep ecology believes that wild nature has the right to exist for its own sake, and that it should be preserved regardless of whether it is useful or beneficial to human beings. Deep ecology has been frequently condemned as misanthropic by people who believe that humanity is fundamentally different and more important than other life forms. Whether deep ecology is courageous or misguided depends largely on individual opinion regarding the proper place of humanity within the larger web of life.