Issue 31 示范

tesolchina_RAUID：3675555

issue 31/63

Society should make efforts to save endangered species only if the potential extinction of those species is the result of human activities.

Write a response in which you discuss your views on the policy and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider the possible consequences of implementing the policy and explain how these consequences shape your position.


Since the industrialisation of human society, a great number of animal and plant species have been threatened by the human activities such as logging, construction of dams and manufacturing.  Some efforts have been made to preserve the endangered species around the world but given the limited resources some argue that we should focus on those species that may become extinct as a result of human activities and let it go for species that will not survive due to the changes of natural environment.  In my opinion, this proposed criterion cannot be practically used to decide on what species we should focus our preservation efforts.  Therefore, we should use advanced genetic technology to build a gene bank for all endangered species and devote more resources to saving those species that carry practical or scientific value.  

It is difficult to apply the proposed criterion for selectively saving endangered species in practice.  If this criterion were adopted as part of the policy, the government agencies and the scientists would have a hard time to decide whether or not the potential extinction of certain species is due to human activities or not.  As we all know, the excessive generation of greenhouse gas such as carbon dioxide has led to global climate changes which has impact the livelihood of all living organisms on earth.  So broadly speaking extinction of any species is in one way or another related to human activities.  It may take a whole team of biologist, anthropologists, mathematicians, geologists to work out the extent to which the potential extinction of a given species results from human activities.  It would be more reasonable to use the resources directly to save the endangered species instead of engaging in some complex factor analyses.  

Moreover, another reason against the proposed policy is that new technologies have made it possible for scientists to build a gene bank to preserve all the endangered species in a rather inexpensive way.  Specifically, efforts have been made to collect the genes of the endangered species and store the genes in freezing conditions.  For endangered plant species, the seeds of the species can be dried and freezed at a temperature typical of winter and may be thawed and regrown when necessary.  For animal species, the preservation efforts involve storing sperms and eggs in zoological freezers.  With the further development of genetic technologies, it is anticipated that the costs of building gene banks will decline over time.  Therefore, there is no need to select some endangered species for preservation and give up others.  

Finally, the proposed policy fails to take into account the potential value of the different species for humanity.  Some species have great potential to produce substance with important pharmaceutical value and should be preserved with great efforts.  Other species may lead to further insights about the biology of certain plant or animal groups and help us solve important problems in biology and other scientific fields.  Such species should also be saved.  The species with great value may not meet with the criterion set out in the proposed policy and implementing the policy may lead to the extinction of the valuable species.  

In conclusion, it is unfortunate that human society has flourished in the expense of the livelihood of many other animal and plant species.  Since the impact of human activities on the environment is profound and global, it is not feasible to distinguish species near extinction due to human activities from those near natural extinction.  We may build a large and inclusive gene bank to preserve all endangered species.  Meanwhile, efforts should be focused on those species with greater practical or scientific value rather than those species whose extinction were caused by human activities.  

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