Today is Earth Day and we are ever
more closer to extinction, us and every living thing on it, from
human activity and any headway we were making has come to a
screeching halt in this country as our current government cares
nothing for the health of the planet, promotes fossil fuels over
renewables and in fact throws road blocks up to renewable energy all
so his rich buddies in the fossil fuel industry can get richer. Not
satisfied with stifling renewable energy sources, Trump has rescinded
EPA standards for clean air and water giving industry the go ahead to
dump their toxic waste in our air and waterways and removed this
country from the Paris Climate Accords. If ever a species deserved to
go extinct, it's us. Unfortunately, we're taking everything else with
us. We are currently in the midst of the 6th planetary
mass extinction and it's driven by humans. Our oceans are dying from
overfishing and pollution, our soil and fresh water is poisoned with
insecticides and herbicides, our insect populations that comprise the
underpinnings of a healthy planet are decimated, our food is
frankenfood more chemical than natural ingredients or genetically
manipulated joining bits from disparate species, our weather is
getting more and more extreme while we crack the bones of the earth. I wish I could be optimistic but I fear we are past the
point of no return and while some countries are committed and acting
to eliminate fossil fuels and waste, most are unwilling or unable to
institute the immediate and drastic changes that would be necessary
to save us from ourselves, to save everything from ourselves. Woe be
to us and well deserved.
Love the Mother. She's the only one we
have. Treat her as if your life depends on it because it does.
Past Earth Day posts (yes, been a while since I did an Earth Day post):
2015 - our separation from the natural world is making us sick
2014 - god forbid we should alter our behavior
2013 - our food is poison and we wonder where all these health problems come from
2012 - we seem to have forgotten that we are not separate from nature
2011 - the plastic challenge
2010 - we are drowning in trash
NIcely done and depressingly honest.
ReplyDeleteEllen, you are an articulate and passionate advocate this planet which I cannot help but think of as our mother. I go through my days thinking about all of this endlessly, trying to make every decision count for the best and yet, I fail so thoroughly so often.
ReplyDeleteI despair.
I agree- Woe be to us and well deserved.
Sad that most of natures problems are man made
ReplyDeleteWe move constantly east and south, dragging the drought and pushing down water zones.
ReplyDeleteAre we the last generation to live a full life? My biggest fear is for my children and grandchildren and that their future is jeopardy.
ReplyDeleteTrump really is a caricature of an anti-environmentalist. If it's evil and destructive, he wants it. I suspect changes will be forced upon us at some point before EVERYTHING dies, but it's not going to be pretty.
ReplyDeleteI can remember the first Earth Day. It was a joyous celebration. Now? It's more of a dire warning of our imminent demise - along with all of the glorious flora and fauna we're taking down with us. Soon it will be just cockroaches. Both the two and many-legged varieties.
ReplyDeleteI am with you AND I am also angry enough to see the point and purpose of rebellion. I am not ready to sit back, relieve myself of any moral obligation sighing of how too late it all is. Environmental collapse is not driven by a mysterious force that renders all of us passiv and distant.
ReplyDeletenor I. I will continue to do what I can, have always done, to nurture the earth and vote for those who see and believe.
DeleteThe young people I know seem to get it. They are our hope.
ReplyDelete