Comments on: As Economy Falters, Everglades May Lose Out

By: Ju Young Lee

Ju Young Lee — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 11:40:06 +0000

Ecology conservation used to be associated more with moralistic reasons; “though costly, it is something we should do.” However, a lot of studies nowadays have proven that ecology conservation actually result in economical profit in long term. Every ecosystem, including everglades about which I learned so much through this post, has a crucial role and enormous value that we cannot artificially emulate. Though there should be more in-depth studies to fully understand and estimate the value of ecosystem, it is apparently time to shift our paradigm from “ecology vs. economy” to “ecology = economy.”

By: Dan Stellar

Dan Stellar — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 21:52:53 +0000

Like many Everglades supporters, I was thrilled and surprised to learn about the U.S. Sugar buyout back in June, and I have been saddened by recent events that have put the deal in jeopardy. As this post points out, destruction of the Everglades is a price we just can’t afford to pay. I would also point out that we are being presented with a false choice, between economic well-being on the one hand, and ecological well-being on the other. This framing of the issue, by local politicians and business interests, ignores both the tremendous “ecosystem-services” value of the Everglades as well as creative long-term solutions that might benefit the region, and focuses only on hot-button issues such as potential job losses. True restoration and protection of the Everglades will require a deep shift in the way the value of the place is calculated. In these troubled economic times, it’s incumbent on all of us who support the environment not to fall into the “economy vs ecology” trap.

By: Sterling Roop

Sterling Roop — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 23:09:29 +0000

Our nation continues to attempt to put our finger in the dike, instead of rebuilding the dike(pun intended). If we as a country continue to focus on the short-term and quick fixes instead of long-term investments and solutions our economy will continue to decline and we will continue to destroy our environment. The “Change” we need is a paradigm shift in the way we approach problems. The issues facing the Everglades and the about face on dealing with them are unfortunately another example of our shortsightedness.