The idea of a having a society which is able to live in a non-damaging and non-intrusive way with its environment and natural settings has always fascinated me. There are many examples of tribes and people who have done this successfully throughout history. The Native American Indian for example is often used as example of a people who lived as one with nature. Or are they?
Take for example the Dire Wolf, a now extinct species of wolf which was much larger than the wolves we know today. It was commonly found in North America until approximately 10,000 years ago. One view as to why these large predators became extinct was the introduction of man through migration to North America. The theory being that man saw this wolf a its main competitor for food and systematically hunted it to extinction.
Canis Dirus-Dire Wolf
Now take for example the Buffalo, it is often assumed that these animals were revered by the Native American however there is evidence of incredible waste by the hunters of these great beasts shown by one of their more successful hunting techniques, as described by the Crow Indians; “driving buffalo over embankments”. Where large numbers and often entire herds of buffalo would be driven over cliffs etc and then slaughtered. Often ten times more animals than they would eat in a year!
This seems very contradictory to the idea of American Indians being at one with nature does it not? If the Native American is a direct descendant of the migrating humans who caused the extinction of the dire-wolf, where are the lessons they learned?
My point is not to try to undermine the beliefs that these people have or that they do not live a life in harmony with nature but to simply point out that things are not always as black and white as people often like to think. Or even different shades of grey for that matter, but many different shades of many different colours!
Was the Native Americans belief in living as one with Nature a direct result of the mistakes made by their ancestors? And is it possible that had they remained the top predator of buffalo without discovery by North and South America European powers, would they eventually have found better ways of hunting the buffalo?
It is an interesting concept that can be transcribed to society today. It is now commonly accepted that the burning of fossil fuels is detrimental to the environment, however we still do it. There is a shift towards more environmentally friendly vehicles, international agreements regarding CO2 emissions, and countries such as China investing massively in renewable energy sources. Yet we still burn enormous quantities of fossil fuel and release CO2 into our atmosphere to meet our energy demands. In what way are we different to the Native Americans driving buffalo off a cliff? It is the quickest means to our ends after all!
It is incredibly worthwhile to strive to develop our societies in more Environmentally responsible ways it is important that a quick fix approach is not adapted or for people to assume that our problems can be fixed overnight. Just like the Native Americans we will have to engage in a learning curve.
People often talk about Wind power as the way forward for Ireland to export energy and to curb our reliance on foreign oil and fuel imports. But the argument is often lopsided and not properly researched. Airtricity is an example of how successful this can be in Ireland. But too often people lean on this one example.
From an Irish perspective I feel there needs to be a greater investment into properly structured research in this area. When a proper study is completed, of the combined power generation which Ireland could possibly create through not only wind, but also tidal, solar and hydroelectric power then we can move forward. Only then can this be presented to the public in an understandable and entirely accurate manner.
We have seen the response of Irish people towards the buying of cars with the new tax systems put in place regarding lower CO2 emissions. Also through the growing popularity of geothermal heating systems and rain water harvesting systems for homes. As it stands our capacity for the generation of renewable power has not been properly quantified or properly communicated to the public and what it could mean for them.
The Eco-babble needs to stop and once it does then we can truly start to take a step towards an environmentally sustainable society where Ireland could possibly be world leaders in renewable power generation, management and export. The Irish public is not stupid. It may take a “What’s in it for me?” attitude during these stressful economic times, but if it make sense they will buy into it. There needs to be research and a plan put together by experts in the field, not just hearsay and conjecture from Environmental activists, or the “Not in my back yard approach!” from the ordinary person.
Its time to stop herding the buffalo off the cliff and try building a well thought out, strong and sturdy pen to herd them into, maybe then we can keep some for future use.
trevorcoffey85 