Ecology of Eden Ch. 28 "Decoupling"

Ch. 28 concept:

In chapter two of The Ecology of Eden there is an idea called “decoupling.” Eisenburg argues, “This would involve concentrating human population in cities, and using the most advanced technologies to minimize the impact of their needs and wants on nature" (Eisenburg, 1999, p. 379).

In the remainder of this post, I will share my opinion on the idea of decoupling, in contrast with Eisenburg’s perspective. Eisenburg writes that there are some positive concepts that fall under decoupling. One of the positive concepts he mentions is that decouplers recognize that cities have a purpose and place. I agree with this statement. I believe that nature and cities both have their place within this world. We need nature, but we also need the cities. The cities are what run the business world in our society. This may be in relation to economics, politics and cultural trends. The nature is necessary because of the resources that we use from it (This can be abused). Also, nature is a place to escape the fast paced environment that we live in. Nature helps us clear our mind and think in a way that we were not able to previously. Eisenburg continues by arguing that not everyone desires to live the same distance from creation and sometimes they forget how to live and interact within nature (p. 380). The idea of decoupling sounds more dangerous than rewarding. Decoupling does not make room for those who desire to be in the middle ground between the city and the wilderness. Today, a vast majority of people do not live in the big cities like New York and Los Angeles, nor do they live in the heart of the wilderness. The majority of people desire to live with a happy medium. The idea of decoupling does help to reduce the reliance on nature. This could be a good thing, but in my opinion it could still be dangerous. God told us that humans have dominion over the earth, to fill it and subdue it. We see this command in Genesis 1:28. This command allows us to rely on nature to some extent. It is here for us to use, just not to abuse.