Now I don’t mean ECO in the “economical” kind of way. I mean ECO in the “ecological” kind of way. As humans, we tend to record history through the sociological lens. Wars, politics, disease, famine, drought, floods, you name it, are all recorded throughout history using a more anthropocentric approach. All of these aforementioned things are caused and dictated by humans and our interactions with other humans. For better or worse, this changes the way we look at science. Statistics show that the majority of Americans are scientifically illiterate – and that’s even including people with higher degrees (such as Masters and PhD’s). How do we get people to start paying attention to and caring about science? Well, Professor Wood, author of the book “Tambora” attempts to look at history not through the anthropological lens, but through the ecological lens.

The objective behind changing the approach to viewing current events and history is to (as Professor Wood does throughout his book) proportionally combine the value of nature with the value of humans. It is paramount that we as humans accept our position as stewards of the earth. We must create a more fundamental moral concern for nature.

For decades the 1815 eruption of Tambora in Indonesia  was not widely understood. Mostly due to the lack of technology and media during this time, many people in the Northern hemisphere did not even know this eruption happened. For years following this eruption caused famine, wars, droughts, floods, etc. Nobody understood what was causing these problems until a century later, when scientists and historians began to expose the science behind nuclear energy, and, in turn, testing volcanic energy and the significance behind their eruptions. This is a prime example of nature’s influence on our lives and our histories.

The current outbreak of the Zika virus could be tied up in one of these anthropological-ecological sequences. What could be causing the epidemic? Most likely something to do with climate change. We can’t know for certain but time will tell. Most importantly, it is paramount for human beings to come to terms with the fact that these epidemics and world issues CAN and PROBABLY are caused by climate change. Whether due to human influences or nature’s course of action.

Finally, we must stop living in such an egocentric world. There is more to this life and the world than one’s self. We can even better our OWN lives by choosing to live to a higher moral standard and becoming stewards towards our environment. It can only help. If humans keep refusing to take this outlook on our future, our future will be quite short. Everything is tied together in the web of life. Let’s all take the g out of ego and make it eco. Not only for the betterment of mankind, society, and health but also for the betterment of our moral standards and nature. For without nature, there will be no mankind.