Sustainable Environment: Kimmerer Argument on "Business as Usual"

Sustainable Environment
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Kimmerer argues that "business as usual" cannot continue if individuals want life to continue giving. She believes that humans have become so disconnected from the natural world that they no longer see the consequences of their actions. People extract resources without thinking of the future and pollute without regard for the damage caused. Thus, they must change their way of living and doing business if they want to protect the planet and its resources. One example of this action is the way individuals harvest timber. They clear-cut forests without replanting or harvesting only the most valuable trees, leaving the forest floor bare. This event destroys habitats and disrupts ecosystems. It also leaves the soil vulnerable to erosion and the forest unable to regenerate. In addition, clear-cutting releases large carbon dioxide amounts into the atmosphere, causing climate change. This discussion analyses Kimmerer's arguments and compares them to Ghosh's book.
Kimmerer's arguments center around the idea that humans need to learn from nature to create a more sustainable relationship with the earth. She uses the example of the strawberry to illustrate how people can acquire knowledge based on how plants grow and reproduce to make a more efficient way of growing strawberries. Ghosh's book focuses on humans working with nature, rather than against it, to ensure a better future. He gives the example of how the Indian state of West Bengal has worked with the natural flooding cycle of the Ganges River to create a more efficient...