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“The Lost Mountain” by Eric Reece

The field of popular-science literature is different from other genres due to incredible relevance of discussed issues and problems. “The Lost Mountain” by Eric Reece did not became the exception from the general rule. Multifaceted literature work involves various effects of humankind’s abuses in the name of economic prosperity. Writer analyzed “mountaintop removal” practice, adopted by coal mining corporations, from the point of its multiply harmful effects. Thereby, the entire concept of environment exploitation, which is censured by author, contains several interrelated issues. Let’s get the main ideas of read work.

“The Lost Mountain” introduces readers the coal mining community, which is featured in some specific way. There is the talk about all habitants and workers of Appalachia coal mining area. The writer tells us about people who are significantly dependent on appropriate industry, and used to suffer from its influence daily at the same time. In this order, restricted economic options for population are stressed as the kind of factor forcing to accept oppressive reality. Being clear with this point, readers are able to learn about huge harm, which is generated by financially profitable “mountaintop removal” mining approach. Let’s put some quote to support previous claim: “All across eastern Kentucky and Southern Western Virginia, mudslides have swept through homes and destroyed the property of people who cannot get flood insurance.

In addition, the enormous amount of erosion caused by the fills has clogged streams and rivers, greatly reducing their storage capacity. The result is seven “one hundred years” floods during last three years. These floods roared down the mountainsides and killed fourteen people”. However, the problem of flooding is not the only for people living in coal mining area. This community also has to accept regular lethal accidents at manufacturing and significant spoil of surrounding area. On more point stands aside from above mentioned list, as it can be considered as the problem under author’s attention ”“ the cruel violation of ecosystem. Obviously, the flooding can be attributed to this item in some way. However, the main thought is devoted to massive deforestation. Drawing the interconnections between growing market indexes and coal mining industry expansion, Eric Reece generates the conclusion, which is useful to get the main idea of blamed ecosystem violation: “There will be more dangerous floods and more mercury in the water, more damaged wells and more dangerous coal trucks, more carbon in the air and fewer trees to sequester it”.
Talking about the ways to justify environment cruel practice of mountaintop removal, the writer did not found any moral bases. The only ground is legal permission and economic profits. Not accidently, one of book’s chapters is called “Before The Law”. The blind adherence the lobbied law, fictional “benefits for all” and proclaimed “poverty struggle” shows coal mining industry to people as something mandatory, something beneficial for people. However, the moral side is not involved with this approach. Seemingly, the next quote will be exponential: “A saturated hollow fill could quickly become a mudslide. As the environment lawyer Tom Fritz Gerald told me, the fills could give way far into future, long after five years bonding period, meaning that the coal company responsible for the slide could not be held financially liable”.

The last point to pay attention to from read text is the concept of sustainable community. In this order, writer introduced his ideas and thoughts about changes, which should be carried out on environment, economic and social levels. It is interesting that telling us about “sustainable community” Eric Reece addresses both theoretical and practical parts. For example, this writer supports some area’s economy transformations, moving to secondary industries of furniture and cabinetmaking, which will make inhabitants free from absentee coal moguls. In addition, Eric Reece substantiates relevance of reforesting strategy, which can be simply implemented with the help of bulldozers leaving the soil un compacted. These are the practical issues of coin’s side. As for theoretical one, author draws interconnections between American depression and the growth of environmental abuses. Eric Reece follows the idea that person and nature are inseparable from each other. Consequently, we are all highly dependent on environment we live in. Trying to convince the readers, Reece reminded numerous thinkers who were tolerant to his idea: Spinoza, Hopkins, Wilson, Darwin etc. As the result, readers are able to get the next idea to think about: “We no longer see ourselves as part of a greater whole, a world so vast and mysterious that it deserves our reverence alongside our scientific probing”.

To sum up, “The lost mountain” is the kind of literature work intended to light out the hidden problems of modern society. The example of certain area is the push to take some global rethinking about core values and priors. It’s on the knees of the gods, whether the initiatives of Eric Reece will be widely supported. However, the book is already valuable with its ability of deep rethinking provoking. Hopefully, messages contained in “The lost mountain” will be widely received at the nearest future.

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