Environmentalists use the metaphor of the earth as a "spaceship" in trying to
persuade countries, industries and people to stop wasting and polluting our natural
resources. Since we all share life on this planet, they argue, no single person or
institution has the right to destroy, waste, or use more than a fair share of its
resources.
But does everyone on earth have an equal right to an equal share of its resources?
The spaceship metaphor can be dangerous when used by misguided idealists to
justify suicidal policies for sharing our resources through uncontrolled immigration
and foreign aid. In their enthusiastic but unrealistic generosity, they confuse the
ethics of a spaceship with those of a lifeboat.
A true spaceship would have to be under the control of a captain, since no ship
could possibly survive if its course were determined by committee. Spaceship Earth
certainly has no captain; the United Nations is merely a toothless tiger, with little
power to enforce any policy upon its bickering members.
If we divide the world crudely into rich nations and poor nations, two thirds of them
are desperately poor, and only one third comparatively rich, with the United States
the wealthiest of all. Metaphorically each rich nation can be seen as a lifeboat full of
comparatively rich people. In the ocean outside each lifeboat swim the poor of the
world, who would like to get in, or at least to share some of the wealth. What
should the lifeboat passengers do?
First, we must recognize the limited capacity of any lifeboat. For example, a
nation's land has a limited capacity to support a population and as the current
energy crisis has shown us, in some ways we have already exceeded the carrying
capacity of our land.
Which of the following best states the central argument of this passage?
A.There are too few resources on Earth for everyone to have an equal share.
B.Earth should be viewed as a lifeboat and each nation a spaceship.
C.All resources on Earth should be split evenly among the wealthiest nations. D.Businesses should stop wasting natural resources.