We should continue to mobilise against the destruction of the world's great habitats, and its terrifying implications. But the most persuasive argument we can make is to show we mean it, by restoring our own lost wonders.
Interpretation
We must actively protect and restore nature to demonstrate our commitment to preserving the environment.
The quote emphasizes the importance of taking action against environmental degradation by not only raising awareness about the loss of natural habitats but also by participating in restoration efforts ourselves. George Monbiot suggests that the most compelling argument for preservation is for people to actively engage in restoring the wonders of nature that have been lost, showing a genuine commitment to the cause through tangible actions.
In practice
This quote would be perfect for a speech at an environmental conference.
The notions that nature exists to serve us; that its value consists of the instrumental benefits we can extract; that this value can be measured in cash terms; and that what can't be measured does not matter, have proved lethal to the rest of life on Earth.
I believe that anyone who wants to stand in a national election should receive a course of psychotherapy. Completing the course should be a qualification for office. This wouldn't change the behaviour of psychopaths, but it might prevent some people who exercise power from imposing their own deep wounds on others.
I became an environmentalist because I love the living world, but I spend much of my life thinking about electricity, industrial processes and civil engineering.
Places that have become agricultural deserts, trashed by giant corporations, could be reforested, drawing carbon dioxide from the air on a vast scale. The ecosystems of land and sea could recover, not just in pockets but across great tracts of the planet.
Never underestimate the power of intrinsic values. They inspire every struggle for a better world.
Why is it so easy to save the banks - but so hard to save the biosphere?
... the ecological problem of our times demands a radical reevaluation of how we see the entire world; it demands a different interpretation of matter and the world, a new attitude of humankind toward nature, and a new understanding of how we acquire and make use of our material goods.
I worry that more and more kids my age are growing up without experiencing the outdoors, which means that fewer will care about the natural world.
Nature is indifferent to our love, but never unfaithful.
We feel the beauty of nature because we are part of nature and because we know that however much in our separate domains we abstract from the unity of Nature, this unity remains. Although we may deal with particulars, we return finally to the whole pattern woven out of these.
Environmental justice [means that] no community should be saddled with more environmental burdens and less environmental benefits than any other.
When you have seen one ant, one bird, one tree, you have not seen them all.
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