THE CARRYING-CAPACITY OF PLANET EARTH
DAILY NEWS HIGHLIGHTS THE PROBLEM OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND CONTINUES TO FOCUS ON THE CONSUMPTION OF FOSSIL FUELS AS THE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM. THE TRUTH IS THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS THE RESULT OF TWO MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES; POPULATION EXPANSION AND DEFORESTATION. OUR OCEANS AND LANDS ARE DIVIDED INTO UNIQUE ECOSYSTEMS, WHICH ARE BEING DESTROYED BY HUMANITY’S INCREASING DEMANDS FOR NATURAL RESOURCES AND MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES THAT FOCUS ON EXTRACTION AND UTILIZATION OF RESOURCES.
FOR THE PAST CENTURY, SCIENCE HAS BEEN STUDYING THE LIMITATIONS OF INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE NON-HUMAN SPECIES THAT LIVE WITHIN THE ECOSYSTEMS. WE HAVE OBSERVED THE DEVASTATING RESULTS OF OVER-POPULATION BY INDIVIDUAL SPECIES. DISEASE, PESTILENCE, STARVATION AND DEATH OCCUR IN AN EFFORT TO BRING THE POPULATION IN BALANCE WITH THEIR SURROUNDINGS. SCIENCE IS FINALLY BEGINNING TO RECOGNIZE THESE SAME OUTCOMES WILL RESULT AS THE HUMAN SPECIES NEARS THE CARRYING-CAPACITY OF PLANET EARTH. IN FACT, SOME SUGGEST WE ALREADY REQUIRE 1.75 PLANETS TO SUSTAIN OUR CURRENT POPULATION AND LIFE STYLE. EDWARD O. WILSON, A HARVARD SOCIOBIOLOGIST, ESTIMATES THE REMAINING ARABLE LAND COULD SUPPORT ABOUT 10 BILLION VEGETARIANS. IN OTHER WORDS, WE SHOULD NOT CONTINUE TO CLEAR AND SET A SIDE LANDS TO GRAZE LIVESTOCK AN BUILD URBAN CENTERS, AS IT WILL NEED TO BE CONVERTED TO GROWING CROPS FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION, THEREBY REQUIRING A CONVERSION TO MEAT FREE DIETS. THIS ASSUMES THE ONLY LIMITING FACTOR FOR FUTURE POPULATION LEVELS IS FOOD SUPPLY. THE PROBLEM IS OBVIOUSLY FAR MORE COMPLEX. PROJECTING THE HUMAN CARRYING-CAPACITY OF EARTH REQUIRES COMPARING CURRENT INDIVIDUAL CONSUMPTION OF RESOURCES, ENERGY, MATERIALS PLUS ATMOSPHERIC, LAND AND SEA POLLUTION, AND THEN COMPARING THE RESULTS TO FUTURE POPULATION ESTIMATES. EARTH’S LIMITATIONS EXTENDS FAR BEYOND THE AVAILABILITY OF FOOD AND ENERGY RESOURCES.
PURIFIED DRINKING WATER, OCEAN TEMPERATURES AND LEVELS, LEVELS OF CO2 AND OXYGEN IN THE ATMOSPHERE, SOIL EROSION AND NUTRIENT LEVELS, WASTE DISPOSAL AND CLIMATE CHANGE ARE NECESSARY CONSIDERATIONS IN DETERMINING EARTH’S CARRYING-CAPACITY.
THE SURFACE AREA OF EARTH IS 126 BILLION ACRES, OF WHICH 89 BILLION ACRES ARE WATER COVERED, AND 37 BILLION ARE LAND. WE HAVE ALREADY CONVERTED ALMOST THREE QUARTERS OF OUR LAND BASE TO OCCUPATION BY HUMAN SETTLEMENT AND AGRICULTURAL USE. THESE LANDS HAVE BEEN CLEARED AND ARE VOID OF THE NATURAL ELEMENTS THAT SUSTAIN LIFE. THERE ARE NO NEW LANDS TO DISCOVER, ONLY THE REMAINING NATURAL HABITATS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN MANIPULATED AND CONVERTED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF HUMANITY. DESTROY THE REMAINING NATURAL WORLD AND YOU DESTROY LIFE!
THE WORLD POPULATION IS NEAR 8 BILLION PEOPLE AND EXPANDING BY 75 TO 80 MILLION PEOPLE ANNUALLY. EFFORTS TO DETERMINE EARTH’S CARRYING-CAPACITY, INDICATES THE LIMIT IS BETWEEN 9 AND 10 BILLION PEOPLE, WHICH WE WILL REACH WITHIN THE NEXT 25 TO 30 YEARS.
THE FACTS ARE OBVIOUS, YET THE WILLINGNESS TO ACT SEEMS OUT OF REACH! WE ARE FACED WITH THE FACT THAT OUR HUMAN ECOSYSTEM, EARTH, HAS A LIMITED LAND BASE AND AN EXPANDING WORLDWIDE POPULATION. CURRENT HUMAN DEMANDS HAVE TAKEN US CLOSE TO THE ABILITY OF EARTH TO PROVIDE THE ENERGY AND MATERIALS REQUIRED FOR CONTINUED OUR SPECIES EXISTENCE. OUR POLITICAL FOCUS REMAINS ON THE ELIMINATION OF FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION, DEFINITELY PART OF THE PROBLEM. OF EQUAL IMPORTANCE, HOWEVER, IS WORLDWIDE DEFORESTATION, WHICH IS OCCURRING AT THE RATE OF 22 SOCCER FIELDS EVERY MINUTE WORLDWIDE. WE HAVE ALREADY DEFORESTED ALMOST THREE QUARTERS OUR ORIGINAL FOREST COVERED LANDS. ONLY 26% OF OUR LAND BASE REMAINS IN A FORESTED STATE. REDUCING THE RATE OF DEFORESTATION WITH AN EXPANDING WORLDWIDE POPULATION MAY NOT BE REALISTIC. OUR SEA’S HAVE RISEN 9 INCHES SINCE 1880, DUE TO THE INCREASING WATER TEMPERATURES. OUR LEVELS OF CO2 IN THE ATMOSPHERE CONTAINS THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF CO2 THAT HAS EXISTED IN THE PAST 800,000 YEARS. WE CAN OBSERVE POLLUTION CLOUDS OVER MOST OF OUR PEOPLE CONCENTRATED URBAN AREAS. OUR RIVERS ARE DYING FROM STREAM SILTATION AND WASTE POLLUTION AND SAFE DRINKING WATER DOES NOT EXIST IN MANY WORLD LOCATIONS. WE RECEIVE DAILY SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF SEA AND LAND ECOSYSTEMS THAT ARE COLLAPSING AND FAILING. THIS IS JUST A BEGINNING LIST OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE HUMANS ARE CAUSING.
THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY TELLS US TO HANG ON, HOPE IS POSSIBLE! WE CAN CREATE AN ARTIFICIAL ECOSYSTEM WITHIN A BUBBLE, WHICH WILL SUSTAIN HUMAN LIFE. WITH GENETIC ENGINEERING WE CAN PROVIDE THE VOLUME OF NUTRIENTS REQUIRED TO SUSTAIN THE HUMAN BODY, EVEN THOUGH SOME OF THE CHANGES ARE REDUCING THE DIGESTIBILITY OF THE PRODUCT. WE CAN DESIGN A LIGHT-WEIGHT SPACE SUIT TO PROTECT YOU FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS AND ALLOW YOU TO BREATH. WE MAY EVEN FIND ANOTHER PLANET WHICH CAN SUSTAIN HUMAN LIFE IN A COCOON-LIKE ARTIFICIAL DOOM. IS THIS THE DESIRED FUTURE YOU WANT TO PASS ON TO OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS?
I WANT TO PASS ON A FAR DIFFERENT FUTURE. ONE THAT ALLOWS FUTURE GENERATIONS TO EXPERIENCE THE BEAUTY AND MAGIC OF THE NATURAL WORLD. WHERE MILLIONS OF SPECIES LIVE AND SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER. WHERE FREEDOM ALLOWS US TO EXPERIENCE THE GRANDEUR OF CREATION AND THE SPIRITUALITY OF BELONGING.
IF A BETTER VISION IS TO BE REALIZED, MAJOR CHANGES MUST OCCUR IN LIFE STYLES AND THE WAY WE MANAGE THE REMAINING NATURAL WORLD. WE MUST BEGIN IMMEDIATELY TO EDUCATE OUR YOUTH IN THE ECOLOGICAL CONCEPTS REQUIRED FOR SUSTAINABLE LIFE. OUR ALIENATION FROM NATURE AND THE LAND MUST BE REVERSED, SO WE CAN FIND HOLISTIC SOLUTIONS THAT SUPPORT THE MILLIONS OF LIVING SPECIES ON OUR PLANET. IN OTHER WORDS, WE HAVE TO FOCUS ON MAINTAINING THE VIABILITY OF THE ECOSYSTEMS THAT MAKE-UP OUR NATURAL WORLD. HIGHER ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS MUST FOCUS ON OUR GRADUATES HAVING A SOUND ECOLOGICAL BASE SO THEY CAN PROVIDE THE LEADERSHIP TO IMPLEMENT THE NECESSARY CHANGES.
WHAT I AM SUGGESTING IS, WE MUST DEVELOP MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES THAT ASSIST EXISTING ECOSYSTEMS TO MAINTAIN OR ENHANCE THEIR ORIGINAL DIVERSITY, VIABILITY AND FUNCTIONING, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY ARE SEA OR LAND COMMUNITIES. WITH 82% OF OUR WORLD POPULATION NOW URBAN DWELLERS AND REMOVED FROM THEIR CONNECTION TO THE LAND; IT WILL BE A CHALLENGE. IT MUST START WITH OUR YOUTH AND NEW CURRICULUMS IN THE CLASS ROOM.
OUR NEXT CHALLENGE WILL BE TO DEVELOP LIFE STYLE STRATEGIES THAT SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE CONSUMPTION LEVELS. THIS WILL REQUIRE MEASURING WELLNESS RATHER THAN MONETARY SUCCESS. CONVERTING FROM CONSUMPTION TO WELLNESS WILL REQUIRE STRONG LEADERSHIP AND PUBLIC COMMITMENT. MUCH OF THE LEADERSHIP WILL HAVE TO BE PROVIDED BY OUR RELIGIOUS AND ACADEMIC COMMUNITIES. WE MUST DEVELOP A NEW APPRECIATION FOR CREATION, CONNECTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS.
TOP PRIORITY MUST BE TO CHANGE OLD MANAGEMENT GOALS FOR OUR REMAINING NATURAL WORLD. THIS MEANS IDENTIFYING THE INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS (COMMUNITIES) AND THEIR COMPLEX COMPONENTS MUST BECOME ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR SCIENTISTS AND LAND MANAGERS. DEVELOPING MANAGEMENT PRESCRIPTIONS FOR THE INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITIES IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY OF ENCOURAGING NATURAL DIVERSITY. CLEAR-CUTTING MUST BECOME THE EXCEPTION RATHER THAN THE RULE, AND NATURAL REGENERATION OF INDIGENOUS SPECIES MUST TAKE PRIORITY. OVER-UTILIZATION AND EXTERMINATION OF SPECIES WITHIN THE ECOSYSTEM MUST BE CONTROLLED. IN SOME CASES, IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO RE-INTRODUCE PREVIOUSLY LOST SPECIES, TO RETURN THE REQUIRED BALANCE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. I USE THE WORDS COMMUNITY AND ECOSYSTEM INTERCHANGEABLY AS THEY BOTH REFER TO A DIVERSE FUNCTIONING SUB-UNIT OF THE NATURAL WORLD. DURING MY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE SCIENCE OF FORESTRY, I OBSERVED A VERY DIFFERENT PROCESS. FOREST MANAGEMENT ACTIONS WERE NORMALLY DESIGNED BY LOCAL TECHNICIANS MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE OF LOCAL RESOURCE CONDITIONS RATHER THAN PROFESSIONAL RESOURCE MANAGERS. NEVER DID I OBSERVE PRESCRIPTIONS THAT RECOGNIZED AND TREATED THE INDIVIDUAL UNIQUE COMMUNITIES. TREATMENTS WERE BASED UPON THE NEED TO MEET ASSIGNED TARGETS RATHER THAN ECOSYSTEM HEALTH AND DIVERSITY. I HAVE SEEN LITTLE EFFORT TO RE-FOCUS AND ADJUST MANAGEMENT ACTIONS AWAY FROM WHAT WE CAN TAKE FROM THE FORESTS, EVEN TODAY.
THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES SEEM CONTENT TO RELY ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY TO PROVIDE FOR THE FUTURE. WE ARE CONVINCED IF WE CAN ELIMINATE FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION BY FINDING GREEN ENERGY ALTERNATIVES, OUR FUTURE WILL BE POSITIVE. IT WILL PROVIDE LIMITED IMPROVEMENT, BUT THE PROBLEM IS MUCH LARGER! A COMPREHENSIVE WORLDWIDE PLAN WITH NEW MANAGEMENT GOALS IS ESSENTIAL.
CONTROLLING POPULATION EXPANSION IS DIFFICULT, IF EVEN POSSIBLE. STOPPING DEFORESTATION WHEN WORLD POPULATION DEMANDS ARE DESTINE TO INCREASE, IS QUESTIONABLE. NEW MANAGEMENT GOALS THAT IMPROVE FOREST HEALTH, DIVERSITY AND ORIGINALITY, OFFERS HOPE. THE FOCUS MUST BE ON THE CONDITION OF THE NATURAL WORLD, NOT THE DEMANDS OF THE PEOPLE. EVEN OUR ADVANCED INTELLIGENCE AND ITS ABILITY TO INVENT AND DEVELOP TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED MATERIALS AND ITEMS, CAN NOT PRODUCE THE LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS REQUIRED FOR LIFE ON EARTH. WE ARE EVEN WORKING ON REPLACING HUMANS WITH MACHINE CALLED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENT. THINK OF THE EMOTIONAL IMPLICATIONS ON THE HUMAN PSYCHE WHEN WE CAN DO AWAY WITH THE NEED FOR HUMAN WORKERS.
MY HOPE RESTS ON HISTORICAL EVIDENCE THAT HUMANS CAN CHANGE AND ADAPT, BUT TO DATE HUMANITY’S THRUST FOR RESOURCES AND ENERGY FROM EARTH AND THE NATURAL WORLD HAS ONLY ACCELERATED THE DESTRUCTION OF THE REQUIRED LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS FROM NATURE! I REMAIN OPTIMISTIC EVEN THOUGH EFFORTS TO REACH PEOPLE IN POSITIONS THAT COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE, HAS MOSTLY FAILED. I UNDERSTAND PEOPLE ARE MOST COMFORTABLE WITH ESTABLISHED ROUTINES, BUT NO ONE SHOULD BE COMFORTABLE WITH FUTURE PREDICTIONS! WE NEED EACH OTHER AND WE ARE FAR MORE SIMILAR THAN WE ARE DIFFERENT. WE MAY BE BROTHERS AND SISTERS AFTER ALL. TIME WILL TELL!
DAILY NEWS HIGHLIGHTS THE PROBLEM OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND CONTINUES TO FOCUS ON THE CONSUMPTION OF FOSSIL FUELS AS THE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM. THE TRUTH IS THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS THE RESULT OF TWO MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES; POPULATION EXPANSION AND DEFORESTATION. OUR OCEANS AND LANDS ARE DIVIDED INTO UNIQUE ECOSYSTEMS, WHICH ARE BEING DESTROYED BY HUMANITY’S INCREASING DEMANDS FOR NATURAL RESOURCES AND MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES THAT FOCUS ON EXTRACTION AND UTILIZATION OF RESOURCES.
FOR THE PAST CENTURY, SCIENCE HAS BEEN STUDYING THE LIMITATIONS OF INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE NON-HUMAN SPECIES THAT LIVE WITHIN THE ECOSYSTEMS. WE HAVE OBSERVED THE DEVASTATING RESULTS OF OVER-POPULATION BY INDIVIDUAL SPECIES. DISEASE, PESTILENCE, STARVATION AND DEATH OCCUR IN AN EFFORT TO BRING THE POPULATION IN BALANCE WITH THEIR SURROUNDINGS. SCIENCE IS FINALLY BEGINNING TO RECOGNIZE THESE SAME OUTCOMES WILL RESULT AS THE HUMAN SPECIES NEARS THE CARRYING-CAPACITY OF PLANET EARTH. IN FACT, SOME SUGGEST WE ALREADY REQUIRE 1.75 PLANETS TO SUSTAIN OUR CURRENT POPULATION AND LIFE STYLE. EDWARD O. WILSON, A HARVARD SOCIOBIOLOGIST, ESTIMATES THE REMAINING ARABLE LAND COULD SUPPORT ABOUT 10 BILLION VEGETARIANS. IN OTHER WORDS, WE SHOULD NOT CONTINUE TO CLEAR AND SET A SIDE LANDS TO GRAZE LIVESTOCK AN BUILD URBAN CENTERS, AS IT WILL NEED TO BE CONVERTED TO GROWING CROPS FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION, THEREBY REQUIRING A CONVERSION TO MEAT FREE DIETS. THIS ASSUMES THE ONLY LIMITING FACTOR FOR FUTURE POPULATION LEVELS IS FOOD SUPPLY. THE PROBLEM IS OBVIOUSLY FAR MORE COMPLEX. PROJECTING THE HUMAN CARRYING-CAPACITY OF EARTH REQUIRES COMPARING CURRENT INDIVIDUAL CONSUMPTION OF RESOURCES, ENERGY, MATERIALS PLUS ATMOSPHERIC, LAND AND SEA POLLUTION, AND THEN COMPARING THE RESULTS TO FUTURE POPULATION ESTIMATES. EARTH’S LIMITATIONS EXTENDS FAR BEYOND THE AVAILABILITY OF FOOD AND ENERGY RESOURCES.
PURIFIED DRINKING WATER, OCEAN TEMPERATURES AND LEVELS, LEVELS OF CO2 AND OXYGEN IN THE ATMOSPHERE, SOIL EROSION AND NUTRIENT LEVELS, WASTE DISPOSAL AND CLIMATE CHANGE ARE NECESSARY CONSIDERATIONS IN DETERMINING EARTH’S CARRYING-CAPACITY.
THE SURFACE AREA OF EARTH IS 126 BILLION ACRES, OF WHICH 89 BILLION ACRES ARE WATER COVERED, AND 37 BILLION ARE LAND. WE HAVE ALREADY CONVERTED ALMOST THREE QUARTERS OF OUR LAND BASE TO OCCUPATION BY HUMAN SETTLEMENT AND AGRICULTURAL USE. THESE LANDS HAVE BEEN CLEARED AND ARE VOID OF THE NATURAL ELEMENTS THAT SUSTAIN LIFE. THERE ARE NO NEW LANDS TO DISCOVER, ONLY THE REMAINING NATURAL HABITATS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN MANIPULATED AND CONVERTED TO MEET THE NEEDS OF HUMANITY. DESTROY THE REMAINING NATURAL WORLD AND YOU DESTROY LIFE!
THE WORLD POPULATION IS NEAR 8 BILLION PEOPLE AND EXPANDING BY 75 TO 80 MILLION PEOPLE ANNUALLY. EFFORTS TO DETERMINE EARTH’S CARRYING-CAPACITY, INDICATES THE LIMIT IS BETWEEN 9 AND 10 BILLION PEOPLE, WHICH WE WILL REACH WITHIN THE NEXT 25 TO 30 YEARS.
THE FACTS ARE OBVIOUS, YET THE WILLINGNESS TO ACT SEEMS OUT OF REACH! WE ARE FACED WITH THE FACT THAT OUR HUMAN ECOSYSTEM, EARTH, HAS A LIMITED LAND BASE AND AN EXPANDING WORLDWIDE POPULATION. CURRENT HUMAN DEMANDS HAVE TAKEN US CLOSE TO THE ABILITY OF EARTH TO PROVIDE THE ENERGY AND MATERIALS REQUIRED FOR CONTINUED OUR SPECIES EXISTENCE. OUR POLITICAL FOCUS REMAINS ON THE ELIMINATION OF FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION, DEFINITELY PART OF THE PROBLEM. OF EQUAL IMPORTANCE, HOWEVER, IS WORLDWIDE DEFORESTATION, WHICH IS OCCURRING AT THE RATE OF 22 SOCCER FIELDS EVERY MINUTE WORLDWIDE. WE HAVE ALREADY DEFORESTED ALMOST THREE QUARTERS OUR ORIGINAL FOREST COVERED LANDS. ONLY 26% OF OUR LAND BASE REMAINS IN A FORESTED STATE. REDUCING THE RATE OF DEFORESTATION WITH AN EXPANDING WORLDWIDE POPULATION MAY NOT BE REALISTIC. OUR SEA’S HAVE RISEN 9 INCHES SINCE 1880, DUE TO THE INCREASING WATER TEMPERATURES. OUR LEVELS OF CO2 IN THE ATMOSPHERE CONTAINS THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF CO2 THAT HAS EXISTED IN THE PAST 800,000 YEARS. WE CAN OBSERVE POLLUTION CLOUDS OVER MOST OF OUR PEOPLE CONCENTRATED URBAN AREAS. OUR RIVERS ARE DYING FROM STREAM SILTATION AND WASTE POLLUTION AND SAFE DRINKING WATER DOES NOT EXIST IN MANY WORLD LOCATIONS. WE RECEIVE DAILY SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF SEA AND LAND ECOSYSTEMS THAT ARE COLLAPSING AND FAILING. THIS IS JUST A BEGINNING LIST OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE HUMANS ARE CAUSING.
THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY TELLS US TO HANG ON, HOPE IS POSSIBLE! WE CAN CREATE AN ARTIFICIAL ECOSYSTEM WITHIN A BUBBLE, WHICH WILL SUSTAIN HUMAN LIFE. WITH GENETIC ENGINEERING WE CAN PROVIDE THE VOLUME OF NUTRIENTS REQUIRED TO SUSTAIN THE HUMAN BODY, EVEN THOUGH SOME OF THE CHANGES ARE REDUCING THE DIGESTIBILITY OF THE PRODUCT. WE CAN DESIGN A LIGHT-WEIGHT SPACE SUIT TO PROTECT YOU FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS AND ALLOW YOU TO BREATH. WE MAY EVEN FIND ANOTHER PLANET WHICH CAN SUSTAIN HUMAN LIFE IN A COCOON-LIKE ARTIFICIAL DOOM. IS THIS THE DESIRED FUTURE YOU WANT TO PASS ON TO OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS?
I WANT TO PASS ON A FAR DIFFERENT FUTURE. ONE THAT ALLOWS FUTURE GENERATIONS TO EXPERIENCE THE BEAUTY AND MAGIC OF THE NATURAL WORLD. WHERE MILLIONS OF SPECIES LIVE AND SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER. WHERE FREEDOM ALLOWS US TO EXPERIENCE THE GRANDEUR OF CREATION AND THE SPIRITUALITY OF BELONGING.
IF A BETTER VISION IS TO BE REALIZED, MAJOR CHANGES MUST OCCUR IN LIFE STYLES AND THE WAY WE MANAGE THE REMAINING NATURAL WORLD. WE MUST BEGIN IMMEDIATELY TO EDUCATE OUR YOUTH IN THE ECOLOGICAL CONCEPTS REQUIRED FOR SUSTAINABLE LIFE. OUR ALIENATION FROM NATURE AND THE LAND MUST BE REVERSED, SO WE CAN FIND HOLISTIC SOLUTIONS THAT SUPPORT THE MILLIONS OF LIVING SPECIES ON OUR PLANET. IN OTHER WORDS, WE HAVE TO FOCUS ON MAINTAINING THE VIABILITY OF THE ECOSYSTEMS THAT MAKE-UP OUR NATURAL WORLD. HIGHER ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS MUST FOCUS ON OUR GRADUATES HAVING A SOUND ECOLOGICAL BASE SO THEY CAN PROVIDE THE LEADERSHIP TO IMPLEMENT THE NECESSARY CHANGES.
WHAT I AM SUGGESTING IS, WE MUST DEVELOP MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES THAT ASSIST EXISTING ECOSYSTEMS TO MAINTAIN OR ENHANCE THEIR ORIGINAL DIVERSITY, VIABILITY AND FUNCTIONING, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY ARE SEA OR LAND COMMUNITIES. WITH 82% OF OUR WORLD POPULATION NOW URBAN DWELLERS AND REMOVED FROM THEIR CONNECTION TO THE LAND; IT WILL BE A CHALLENGE. IT MUST START WITH OUR YOUTH AND NEW CURRICULUMS IN THE CLASS ROOM.
OUR NEXT CHALLENGE WILL BE TO DEVELOP LIFE STYLE STRATEGIES THAT SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE CONSUMPTION LEVELS. THIS WILL REQUIRE MEASURING WELLNESS RATHER THAN MONETARY SUCCESS. CONVERTING FROM CONSUMPTION TO WELLNESS WILL REQUIRE STRONG LEADERSHIP AND PUBLIC COMMITMENT. MUCH OF THE LEADERSHIP WILL HAVE TO BE PROVIDED BY OUR RELIGIOUS AND ACADEMIC COMMUNITIES. WE MUST DEVELOP A NEW APPRECIATION FOR CREATION, CONNECTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS.
TOP PRIORITY MUST BE TO CHANGE OLD MANAGEMENT GOALS FOR OUR REMAINING NATURAL WORLD. THIS MEANS IDENTIFYING THE INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS (COMMUNITIES) AND THEIR COMPLEX COMPONENTS MUST BECOME ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR SCIENTISTS AND LAND MANAGERS. DEVELOPING MANAGEMENT PRESCRIPTIONS FOR THE INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITIES IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY OF ENCOURAGING NATURAL DIVERSITY. CLEAR-CUTTING MUST BECOME THE EXCEPTION RATHER THAN THE RULE, AND NATURAL REGENERATION OF INDIGENOUS SPECIES MUST TAKE PRIORITY. OVER-UTILIZATION AND EXTERMINATION OF SPECIES WITHIN THE ECOSYSTEM MUST BE CONTROLLED. IN SOME CASES, IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO RE-INTRODUCE PREVIOUSLY LOST SPECIES, TO RETURN THE REQUIRED BALANCE WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. I USE THE WORDS COMMUNITY AND ECOSYSTEM INTERCHANGEABLY AS THEY BOTH REFER TO A DIVERSE FUNCTIONING SUB-UNIT OF THE NATURAL WORLD. DURING MY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE SCIENCE OF FORESTRY, I OBSERVED A VERY DIFFERENT PROCESS. FOREST MANAGEMENT ACTIONS WERE NORMALLY DESIGNED BY LOCAL TECHNICIANS MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE OF LOCAL RESOURCE CONDITIONS RATHER THAN PROFESSIONAL RESOURCE MANAGERS. NEVER DID I OBSERVE PRESCRIPTIONS THAT RECOGNIZED AND TREATED THE INDIVIDUAL UNIQUE COMMUNITIES. TREATMENTS WERE BASED UPON THE NEED TO MEET ASSIGNED TARGETS RATHER THAN ECOSYSTEM HEALTH AND DIVERSITY. I HAVE SEEN LITTLE EFFORT TO RE-FOCUS AND ADJUST MANAGEMENT ACTIONS AWAY FROM WHAT WE CAN TAKE FROM THE FORESTS, EVEN TODAY.
THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES SEEM CONTENT TO RELY ON ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY TO PROVIDE FOR THE FUTURE. WE ARE CONVINCED IF WE CAN ELIMINATE FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION BY FINDING GREEN ENERGY ALTERNATIVES, OUR FUTURE WILL BE POSITIVE. IT WILL PROVIDE LIMITED IMPROVEMENT, BUT THE PROBLEM IS MUCH LARGER! A COMPREHENSIVE WORLDWIDE PLAN WITH NEW MANAGEMENT GOALS IS ESSENTIAL.
CONTROLLING POPULATION EXPANSION IS DIFFICULT, IF EVEN POSSIBLE. STOPPING DEFORESTATION WHEN WORLD POPULATION DEMANDS ARE DESTINE TO INCREASE, IS QUESTIONABLE. NEW MANAGEMENT GOALS THAT IMPROVE FOREST HEALTH, DIVERSITY AND ORIGINALITY, OFFERS HOPE. THE FOCUS MUST BE ON THE CONDITION OF THE NATURAL WORLD, NOT THE DEMANDS OF THE PEOPLE. EVEN OUR ADVANCED INTELLIGENCE AND ITS ABILITY TO INVENT AND DEVELOP TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED MATERIALS AND ITEMS, CAN NOT PRODUCE THE LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS REQUIRED FOR LIFE ON EARTH. WE ARE EVEN WORKING ON REPLACING HUMANS WITH MACHINE CALLED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENT. THINK OF THE EMOTIONAL IMPLICATIONS ON THE HUMAN PSYCHE WHEN WE CAN DO AWAY WITH THE NEED FOR HUMAN WORKERS.
MY HOPE RESTS ON HISTORICAL EVIDENCE THAT HUMANS CAN CHANGE AND ADAPT, BUT TO DATE HUMANITY’S THRUST FOR RESOURCES AND ENERGY FROM EARTH AND THE NATURAL WORLD HAS ONLY ACCELERATED THE DESTRUCTION OF THE REQUIRED LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS FROM NATURE! I REMAIN OPTIMISTIC EVEN THOUGH EFFORTS TO REACH PEOPLE IN POSITIONS THAT COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE, HAS MOSTLY FAILED. I UNDERSTAND PEOPLE ARE MOST COMFORTABLE WITH ESTABLISHED ROUTINES, BUT NO ONE SHOULD BE COMFORTABLE WITH FUTURE PREDICTIONS! WE NEED EACH OTHER AND WE ARE FAR MORE SIMILAR THAN WE ARE DIFFERENT. WE MAY BE BROTHERS AND SISTERS AFTER ALL. TIME WILL TELL!