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October 31st, 2024

10/31/2024

TREE COVER AND CLIMATE CHANGE

THE CHANGING CLIMATIC CONDITIONS SHOULD BE A PRIORITY CONCERN TODAY, FOR OUR WORLDWIDE CITIZENS! RECENT REPORTS CONFIRM THAT THE SUMMER OF 2023 HAS BEEN THE WARMEST SUMMER MONTHS SINCE WE BEGAN RECORDING TEMPERATURES. MAJOR EFFORTS HAVE BEEN UNDERTAKEN TO FIND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES TO REDUCE THE RELEASE OF GREENHOUSE GASES INTO OUR ATMOSPHERE. THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE PROGRAMS FOCUS ON THE REDUCTION OF FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION TO REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS. MANY NEW POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS, SUCH AS SOLAR AND WIND GENERATING FIELDS, HAVE BEEN QUITE CONTROVERSIAL, DUE TO THE OBTRUSIVE APPEARANCE OF THE STRUCTURES AND LOSS OF USE OF THE LAND. DEVELOPMENT PERMITS HAVE BEEN DENIED IN NUMEROUS CASES AS A RESULT OF LOCAL PRESSURE. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS FINANCIALLY SUPPORTED MANY OF THESE ALTERNATIVE ENERGY PROJECTS, IN AN EFFORT TO REDUCE THE CHANGING CLIMATIC CONDITIONS. WE NEED TO CONTINUE OUR SUPPORT FOR THESE FORWARD-THINKING PROJECTS, BUT MUST ASK, ARE THERE OTHER WAYS OF INFLUENCING CLIMATE CHANGE?
THE ANSWER IS A RESOUNDING YES! SCIENCE REPORTS THAT DEFORESTATION HAS AS MUCH OF AN EFFECT ON CLIMATE CHANGES AS DOES THE CONSUMPTION OF FOSSIL FUELS. MOST OF US ARE AWARE THAT TREES ARE ONE OF THE MAJOR STOREHOUSE OF CARBON DIOXIDE. PLANTS ABSORB CARBON FROM THE ATMOSPHERE, MIX IT WITH WATER AND MINERALS TO FORM A SUGAR SUBSTANCE THAT FEEDS THE TREE OR PLANT. THE TREE TAKES IN A LITTLE OVER ONE POUND OF CARBON DIOXIDE TO PRODUCE A POUND OF WOOD FIBER AND DISCHARGES CLOSE TO ONE AND A HALF POUNDS OF OXYGEN BACK INTO THE ATMOSPHERE. THE PROCESS IS KNOWN AS PHOTOSYNTHESIS. THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST EFFICIENT MEANS OF REDUCING THE ATMOSPHERIC LEVEL OF CARBON DIOXIDE. TREES BEING ONE OF THE MAJOR STORE HOUSES OF CARBON DIOXIDE AND ARE VITAL TO FUTURE LIFE ON EARTH. WHILE THIS PROCESS IS AT WORK, ANOTHER PROCESS IS OCCURRING, KNOWN AS TRANSPIRATION. THE TREE ABSORBS LARGE QUANTITIES OF WATER THROUGH IT’S ROOTS AND LEAVES, BUT ONLY USES THREE PERCENT OF THE WATER IT TAKES IN AND RELEASES THE REMAINDER INTO THE ATMOSPHERE TO FORM CLOUDS AND RAINFALL. WITH ONLY 26% OF OUR ORIGINAL FOREST COVERED LANDS REMAINING, THESE TWO PROCESSES HAVE LOST A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF THEIR EFFECTIVENESS. THESE PROCESSES DO AFFECT CLIMATE CONDITIONS BY SUPPLING THE REQUIRED OXYGEN AND MOISTURE FOR VEGETATION GROWTH ON EARTH, WHICH DOES PROVIDE A DEGREE OF COOLING TO SURFACE TEMPERATURES. SHADE PROVIDED BY TREES COOLS THE SURFACE OF OUR PLANET, AND ALSO SLOWS THE EVAPOTRANSPIRATION PROCESS OF OUR VALUABLE SURFACE WATER SOURCES.
DURING LEAF-ON PERIODS TREES PROVIDE SIGNIFICANTLY COOLER TEMPERATURES BY SHADING THE EARTH FROM THE DIRECT HEAT ENERGY FROM THE SUN. OBVIOUSLY, HAVING DESTROYED SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF OUR FOREST COVERED ACREAGE, THE COOLING EFFECT OF TREE SHADE HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED. DEFORESTATION HAS A MORE DEVASTATING EFFECT BY ALLOWING THE ABSORPTION OF EVEN LARGER AMOUNTS OF THE SUN’S ENERGY, AND RAISING SURFACE TEMPERATURES SIGNIFICANTLY. RELYING ON CLEAR-CUTTING, AS THE PREFERRED SILVICULTURAL TREATMENT TO MAXIMIZE WOOD FIBER PRODUCTION PER ACRE, INCREASES SURFACE TEMPERATURES AS HIGHER LEVELS OF SOLAR ENERGY IS ABSORBED. WE ARE JUST BEGINNING TO RECOGNIZE THE IMPACT FORESTS HAVE ON WHAT IS CALLED, ALBEDO. ALBEDO IS A METHOD OF MEASURING THE AMOUNT OF SOLAR ENERGY THE EARTH’S SURFACE ABSORBS FROM THE ATMOSPHERE. CLEARED LAND HAS A RATING OF ZERO AND ABSORBS ALMOST 100 % OF THE ENERGY, THUS WARMING THE SURFACE MORE. A RATING OF .5 MEANS THE SURFACE IS REFLECTING 50% OF THE ENERGY BACK INTO THE ATMOSPHERE. THE TYPE OF SPECIES AND THE DENSITY OF THE TREES EFFECTS THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY BEING ABSORBED BY THE LAND SURFACE, AND AFFECTS CLIMATE CONDITIONS. HOW OUR FOREST ECOSYSTEMS ARE MANAGED CAN ACTUALLY INFLUENCE EARTH’S SURFACE TEMPERATURES. ONCE AGAIN, AS OUR FORESTED ACREAGE SHRINKS, SURFACE TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO RISE.
LARGE AREAS OF FOREST COVERED LAND PROVIDE A ROUGH SURFACE WHICH EFFECTS WIND VELOCITY AND DIRECTION. ALTHOUGH, HIGH VELOCITY WINDS, SUCH AS TORNADOES AND HURRICANES CAN DEVASTATE LARGE TRACKS OF FOREST COVER, TREE COVER DOES REDUCE WIND VELOCITY AND THE SEVERITY OF STORMS. LOWERING WIND SPEEDS DOES SLOW THE EVAPOTRANSPIRATION RATE OF SURFACE MOISTURE, HELPING TO DECREASE THE EFFECTS OF MORE SEVERE STORMS.
WITH THE WARMING OF TEMPERATURES ON OUR PLANET, THE TREE LINE IS ACTUALLY EXPANDING IN OUR NORTHERN BOREAL FORESTS DUE TO THE RAISING TEMPERATURES WE ARE EXPERIENCING. THIS CREATES ANOTHER PROBLEM WHICH IS RESULTING IN CLIMATE CHANGE. AS THE TEMPERATURES WARM, THE ARTIC PERMAFROST MELTS CAUSING THE TREE LINE TO MOVE NORTH. THIS IS CAUSING MAJOR CHANGES IN THESE FAR NORTH ECOSYSTEMS. THE PERMAFROST CONTAINS VERY HIGH LEVELS OF STORED CARBON DIOXIDE, AND AS IT MELTS THE CARBON DIOXIDE IS RELEASED INTO THE ATMOSPHERE CAUSING SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN ATMOSPHERIC LEVELS OF GREEN HOUSE GASES. IF ALL OF OUR PERMAFROST WERE TO MELT, THE CARBON DIOXIDE LEVELS IN OUR ATMOSPHERE WOULD FAR EXCEED WHAT HUMAN BEINGS COULD TOLERATE.
THE TRUTH IS, FOREST COVER DOES EFFECT CLIMATE CHANGE AS MUCH AS THE CONSUMPTION OF FOSSIL FUELS. WE HAVE 194 COUNTRIES FOCUSED ON TRYING TO SOLVE THE CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUE BY REDUCING CARBON EMISSIONS INTO THE ATMOSPHERE. MOST PROGRAMS ARE FOCUSED ON REDUCING CARBON EMISSIONS BY FINDING ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES THUS, THE CONSUMPTION OF FOSSIL FUELS HAS BEEN GETTING THE VAST MAJORITY OF ATTENTION. EQUAL ATTENTION SHOULD BE FOCUSED THE MANAGEMENT OF OUR REMAINING FORESTED LANDS! CURRENT MANAGEMENT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOCUS ON THE PRODUCTION OF GOODS AND SERVICES FROM THE FORESTS, AND DEMAND CHANGING TO A FOCUS ON THE HEALTH AND DIVERSITY OF THE FOREST ECOSYSTEMS.
THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT CLIMATIC CONDITIONS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTED BY TREE COVER AND HOW THESE TREE COVERED AREAS ARE MANAGED. IT SHOULD BE OBVIOUS THAT THE CURRENT PREFERRED EVEN-AGED MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, TO INCREASE WOOD FIBER PRODUCTION, ARE NOT THE BEST OPTION FOR SLOWING CLIMATE CHANGE. DEFORESTATION IS EVEN MORE DEVASTATING ON CLIMATE CONDITIONS. AS THE WORLDS POPULATION CONTINUES ITS CURRENT RATE OF EXPANSION, THE DEMAND FOR LAND CLEARING WILL EXPAND. THE UNITED NATION’S ESTIMATES THAT WE ARE DEFORESTING 10 MILLION HECTARES OF FOREST LANDS EVERY YEAR. WITH ONLY A LITTLE OVER ONE QUARTER OF OUR ORIGINAL FORESTED LANDS REMAINING, WE MUST FOCUS ON QUALITY MANAGEMENT OF WHAT REMAINS, AND ATTEMPT TO REDUCE DEFORESTATION TO MINIMAL LEVELS.
YES, FOREST COVERED LANDS DO IMPACT CLIMATE CONDITIONS AS MUCH AS THE CONSUMPTION OF FOSSIL FUELS! WE MUST CHANGE OUR MANAGEMENT GOALS FOR THE REMAINING FORESTED AREAS, AND IT DOES NOT REQUIRE LEGISLATIVE ACTION. THE FOCUS NEEDS TO BE ON OUR PUBLIC FORESTED LANDS AND IT ONLY REQUIRES EXECUTIVE ORDERS OR LEADERSHIP DIRECTION. CLIMATE CONDITIONS ARE CHANGING AND WE CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PROPER FOREST MANAGEMENT GOALS ARE ESSENTIAL AND MUST FOCUS ON A SUSTAINABLE FLOW OF LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS THAT ARE PROVIDED BY HEALTHY AND DIVERSE FORESTS ECOSYSTEMS. WE CAN IMPROVE OUR FUTURE DESTINY! LIVING IN BALANCE WITH THE NATURAL WORLD AND REALIZING WE ARE BUT ONE PART OF NATURE, MUST BE OUR GOAL! FUTURE GENERATIONS ARE DEPENDING UPON THE ACTIONS WE TAKE TODAY!

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CAN WE CONTROL POPULATION EXPANSION?

10/17/2024

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                                                  CONTROLLING POPULATION GROWTH

THE UNITED NATION’S INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE HAS CONCLUDED THAT WORLD POPULATION EXPANSION AND ECONOMIC (CONSUMPTION) GROWTH ARE THE TWO MAIN CAUSES OF GLOBAL WARMING! THE WORLD POPULATION NOW STANDS AT JUST OVER EIGHT BILLION PEOPLE AND IS CONTINUING TO EXPAND BY SEVENTY-FIVE MILLION ANNUALLY. THE CENSUS BUREAU ESTIMATES WE WILL BE CLOSE TO TEN BILLION BY 2050, AND ALMOST ELEVEN BILLION BY THE END OF THE CENTURY. THE MAJOR QUESTION FACING MANKIND IS, WHAT IS THE CARRYING-CAPACITY OF PLANET EARTH?
CARRYING-CAPACITY IS DEFINED AS THE ABILITY OF THE ECOSYSTEM TO PROVIDE THE REQUIRED RESOURCES AND ENERGY TO SUSTAIN THE BALANCE NECESSARY TO SUPPORT THE WIDE VARIETY OF SPECIES LIVING WITHIN THE ECOSYSTEM. WE HAVE BEEN STUDYING THE CONCEPT OF CARRYING-CAPACITY FOR A NUMBER OF NON-HUMAN SPECIES FOR DECADES, AT THE EXPENSE OF HUMANITY.
POPULATION GROWTH RATES, SINCE THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, HAVE BEEN EXPANDING AT AN ALARMING NUMBER. IN 1804 THE WORLD POPULATION WAS ONE BILLION PEOPLE, AND HAS EXPANDED TO SLIGHTLY OVER EIGHT BILLION PEOPLE TODAY. ALTHOUGH LITTLE HAS BEEN DONE TO DEFINE EARTH’S HUMAN CARRYING-CAPACITY. ONE STUDY IN 2007, SUGGESTS THAT A WORLD POPULATION OF TEN BILLION PEOPLE WILL STRESS THE EARTH’S ABILITY TO PROVIDE FOOD, ENERGY AND RESOURCE REQUIRED TO SUSTAIN LIFE.
WHEN COUNTRIES BECOME MORE AFFLUENT AND DEVELOPED, THEY TEND TO EXPERIENCE A SLOWING IN BIRTH RATES. CURRENT PREDICTIONS SUGGEST THE GLOBAL FERTILITY RATE, WHICH IS NOW 2.5 CHILDREN PER FEMALE, WILL FALL TO 1.8 CHILDREN PER FEMALE BY THE END OF THIS CENTURY. THIS IS A POSITIVE EFFECT; HOWEVER, LIFE EXPECTANCY WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE WITH IMPROVED MEDICAL PROCEDURES, THEREBY INCREASING OVERALL POPULATION NUMBERS. AT THE CURRENT TIME THE FASTEST GROWING POPULATION GROUP IS THE NINETY-PLUS AGE GROUP. THERE ARE SCIENTIFIC EFFORTS WORKING ON METHODS TO EXTENDING QUALITY OF LIFE AS SOME PROJECTIONS SUGGEST WE CAN EXPECT WOMEN’S LIFE EXPECTANCY TO REACH 125 YEARS IN THE NOT TO DISTANT FUTURE. BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONE THERAPY IS A RAPIDLY EXPANDING PROCEDURE IN THE FIELD OF AGE-MANAGEMENT. THE PROJECTED POPULATION ESTIMATES, BY THE CENSUS BUREAU, CONSIDERS THESE POSITIVE EFFECTS, BUT STILL PREDICTS ELEVEN BILLION BY 2100. THE UNITED NATION’S STATE;” A POPULATION INCREASE OF THIS SCALE WILL CREATE MAJOR INCREASES IN POLLUTION, REQUIRE A DOUBLING OF GLOBAL FOOD PRODUCTION UNDER DIFFICULT CONDITIONS (INCLUDING CLIMATE DISRUPTION), AND RESULT IN MORE PEOPLE SUFFERING DURING CONFLICTS AND FAMINES”. THIS MEANS WE WILL STRESS THE CARRYING-CAPACITY OF EARTH BY THE END OF THE CENTURY.
THE PROBLEM, HOWEVER, IS CONSIDERABLY MORE COMPLEX! MOST OF THE STUDIES AND REPORTS TO DATE, FOCUS ON THE ABILITY OF EARTH TO PROVIDE FOOD, RESOURCES AND ENERGY. I FIND LITTLE EVIDENCE OF CONSIDERATION OF THE ADVERSE IMPACTS INCREASING POPULATION WILL HAVE ON THE NATURAL WORLD AND INDIVIDUAL ECOSYSTEMS. IN 2014 THE PEW RESEARCH CENTER REPORTED THAT EIGHTY TWO PERCENT OF AMERICAN SCIENTISTS REGARD THE GROWING WORLD POPULATION TO BE A PROBLEM AS, “THERE WON’T BE ENOUGH FOOD AND RESOURCES”. THE GLOBAL CHALLENGES FOUNDATION, IN A SURVEY THE SAME YEAR, FOUND “POPULATION INCREASE TO BE AN ACTUAL OR POTENTIAL FUTURE THREAT TO MANKIND”. MASSIMO LIVI BOCEI OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORENCE STATES, “POPULATION….. HAS BECOME IRRELEVANT FOR THE SUSTAINABILITY OF DEVELOPMENT, NOT WITH STANDING THE EVIDENCE TO THE CONTRARY”. UNFORTUNATELY, MANY SCIENTISTS AND WORLD LEADERS SUGGEST TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING WILL PROVIDE INNOVATIONS REQUIRED TO SUSTAIN FUTURE LIFE. WITHOUT MANAGEMENT IMPROVEMENTS IN THE NATURAL WORLD, THIS EXPECTATION IS UNREALISTIC!
THE LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE COMPLEXITY OF THIS ISSUE MUST BECOME A SERIOUS CONSIDERATION IN OUR DISCUSSIONS. THE PREDICTED POPULATION INCREASES WILL HAVE DEVASTATING ADVERSE IMPACTS ON THE NATURAL WORLD, RESULTING IN MAJOR CHALLENGES TO THE SUSTENANCE OF LIFE. THINK ABOUT THE DETRIMENTAL IMPACTS OF INCREASED POLLUTION IN OUR ATMOSPHERE, WATER SOURCES AND CLIMATE. WHAT ABOUT THE CONTINUED IMPACT OF DEFORESTATION ON OUR REMAINING FOREST COVERED LANDS, AS WE ARE FORCED TO CLEAR MORE LANDS FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES. THE BALANCE OF THE ECOSYSTEMS HUMANS DEPEND UPON HAVE ALREADY BEEN DEVASTATED AND WILL CONTINUE TO DECLINE. A RECENT STUDY FROM SPAIN, SUGGESTS ONLY 3 PER CENT OF OUR WORLDWIDE ECOSYSTEMS ARE IN BALANCE AND FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. WE HAVE ALREADY DEFORESTED THREE QUARTERS OF OUR ORIGINAL TREE COVERED LANDS, THE CARBON DIOXIDE LEVEL IN OUR ATMOSPHERE IS THE HIGHEST IN THE PAST 800,000 YEARS AND OUR RIVERS, LAKES AND OCEANS ARE BEING POLLUTED DAILY. WE CONTINUE TO DISPOSE OF MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF WASTE AND TOXIC MATERIALS INTO OUR OCEANS, ALONG WITH THE CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS THAT WASH INTO THE LAKES, RIVERS AND SEAS DAILY.
THE UNITED NATIONS HAS SEVENTEEN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS DESIGNED TO, “END POVERTY, PROTECT THE PLANET, AND ENSURE PROSPERITY FOR ALL”. THEY JUST ADDED THE EIGHTEENTH, “DAMPEN POPULATION GROWTH”. IT SOUNDS EASY, BUT ATTEMPTS TO CONTROL FERTILITY RATES HAVE HAD LITTLE SUCCESS. THE TWO COUNTRIES WITH THE LARGEST POPULATIONS, INDIA AND CHINA, HAVE MADE ATTEMPTS WITH LITTLE IF ANY SUCCESS. FROM 1979 TO 2015, CHINA LIMITED COUPLES TO ONE CHILD. SINCE 2021, THEY HAVE GONE TO A LIMIT OF THREE CHILDREN. OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE TRIED TO INCREASE FERTILITY RATES WITH LITTLE SUCCESS. RUSSIA ENCOURAGED LARGER FAMILIES TO REBUILD THE LOSS OF POPULATION FOLLOWING WORLD WAR I AND II. SOME COUNTRIES HAVE EVEN ATTEMPTED TO DICTATE STERILIZATION TO DAMPEN BIRTH RATES. GOVERNMENT EFFORTS TO CONTROL FERTILITY HAVE FAILED PRIMARILY DUE TO OBJECTIONS TO LOSE OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND AUTOCRATIC CONTROL OF FAMILY PLANNING. FINDING ACCEPTABLE POPULATION PLANNING STRATEGIES WILL BE DIFFICULT, IF EVEN POSSIBLE.
THE UNITED STATES IS CURRENTLY DEEPLY INVOLVED IN A DEBATE OVER WOMEN’S HEALTH RIGHTS, WITH THE MAJORITY OF CITIZENS OBJECTING TO POLITICIANS AND COURTS DICTATING CONTROL OVER ACCESS TO ABORTIONS. I SUSPECT THIS WILL BE A LOSING ISSUE FOR THOSE PUSHING THE CONTROLS. OVER-POPULATION IS A SOCIAL, MORAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE THAT DEMANDS CAREFUL CONSIDERATION. IF WE EXPECT TO MAKE ANY PROGRESS; WE MUST FOCUS ON EDUCATION, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, REDUCTION OF POVERTY AND PROPER MANAGEMENT OF OUR REMAINING NATURAL WORLD. MANKIND CANNOT SURVIVE WITH THE LOSS OF OUR NATURAL WORLD! MANAGEMENT GOALS FOR OUR LAND AND SEA ECOSYSTEMS MUST FOCUS ON MAINTAINING AND ENHANCING THESE SYSTEMS SO THEY REMAIN IN BALANCE AND CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THE LIFE-SUSTAINING ELEMENTS REQUIRED FOR FUTURE LIFE. WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE; HOWEVER, WAITING REDUCES OUR CHANCE OF SUCCESS! MAJOR CHANGES ARE REQUIRED IF WE HOPE TO LEAVE A DESIRABLE FUTURE FOR THE NEXT GENERATIONS. LEADERSHIP WILL NOT PROVIDE THE DIRECTION AND SOLUTIONS; IT IS UP TO YOU AND ME. GREED AND INDIVIDUALISM MUST BE REPLACED BY A TEAM EFFORT. WE HAVE DONE IT IN THE PAST AND WE CAN DO IT AGAIN!

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EXTENT OF DIVERSITY

10/17/2024

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THE EXTENT OF DIVERSITY IS THE MEASURE OF PERFECTION!

WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY AND WHY DOES IT MATTER TO HUMANITY? WE ARE FACING A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM WITH THE EXTINCTION OF BOTH ANIMAL AND PLANT SPECIES. SCIENCE ESTIMATES THAT WE LOSE 3 TO 6 THOUSAND SPECIES ANNUALLY. SPECIES EXTINCTION UPSETS THE ECOSYSTEM THEY OCCUPY CAUSING THE SYSTEM TO FALL OUT OF BALANCE AND UNABLE TO FUNCTION PROPERLY. ON THE POSITIVE SIDE, WE ARE DISCOVERING 3 TO 4 THOUSAND NEW SPECIES EACH YEAR AND SCIENCE SUGGESTS, WE HAVE ONLY DISCOVERED SLIGHTLY LESS THEN 20% OF THE TOTAL SPECIES ON EARTH.
A RECENT STUDY IN SPAIN, CONCLUDED THAT ONLY 3% OF EARTH’S ECOSYSTEMS, TODAY, ARE IN BALANCE AND FULLY FUNCTIONAL. THE DIVERSITY OF SPECIES KEEP THE GLOBAL ECOSYSTEMS IN BALANCE, AND PROVIDE THE NATURAL ELEMENTS THAT HUMANS REQUIRE TO SUSTAIN LIFE ON EARTH. ECOSYSTEM BALANCE REQUIRES DIVERSITY, AND SUSTAINS ALL OF LIFE ON EARTH. THE MAJORITY OF PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES COULD NOT SURVIVE WITHOUT THE NATURAL ELEMENTS PROVIDED BY THE TREE COVERED LANDS ON EARTH. THE UNITED NATIONS (UN) DESCRIBES DIVERSITY AS, “THE DIVERSITY WITHIN SPECIES, BETWEEN SPECIES AND OF ECOSYSTEMS. IT INCLUDES PLANTS, ANIMALS, BACTERIA, AND FUNGI”. THE IMPACT OF THE HUMAN SPECIES UPON THE NATURAL WORLD HAS RESULTED IN A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN THE NATURAL WORLD SIZE AND ITS ABILITY TO PROVIDE THE LIFE SUPPORTING ELEMENTS ONLY AVAILABLE FROM NATURE. 80% OF ALL LIVING ORGANISMS REQUIRE FORESTS AND TREES FOR SUSTENANCE. MORE THAN ONE BILLION PEOPLE RELY ON FORESTS FOR THEIR LIVELIHOOD. TODAY, ONLY 27% OF OUR ORIGINAL FORESTED LANDS REMAIN TREE COVERED, AND HARVESTING TECHNIQUES AND REGENERATION EFFORTS ARE DESTROYING BIODIVERSITY AT AN ALARMING RATE. ECOSYSTEMS CANNOT FUNCTION WITHOUT BIODIVERSITY!
THE UN HAS A GOAL OF “A WORLD LIVING IN HARMONY WITH NATURE BY 2050”. MUCH WILL HAVE TO CHANGE, IF WE ARE TO MAKE THE SIGNIFICANT ADJUSTMENTS TO REACH THIS GOAL. AS THE WORLD POPULATION EXPANDS, THE DESTRUCTIVE IMPACTS OF MANKIND INCREASE. THE U.S. CENSUS BUREAU PREDICTS THE WORLD POPULATION WILL EXPAND TO 10 BILLION PEOPLE BY 2050. THIS POPULATION LEVEL, WILL STRESS THE CARRYING-CAPACITY OF PLANET EARTH. WE MUST EXPECT THAT AS THE WORLD POPULATION EXPANDS, WE WILL CONTINUE TO UPSET ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION BY CONTAMINATING OUR WATER AND LAND SYSTEMS, DEFORESTING MORE NATURAL FOREST LANDS, ACCELERATING CLIMATE CHANGE AND POLLUTING OUR ATMOSPHERE. THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT WE HAVE A CRISIS WHICH MUST BE CORRECTED FOR THE SUSTENANCE OF LIFE, INCLUDING THE HUMAN SPECIES!
THE WAY WE USE THE LAND AND SEA IS THE LARGEST CAUSE OF BIODIVERSITY LOSS. IN THE LAST 30 YEARS, WE HAVE DEFORESTED 420 MILLION HECTARES OF FORESTED LANDS, PRIMARILY TO CONVERT THESE LANDS TO AGRICULTURAL USE. OUR GREENHOUSE GAS LEVELS, IN THE ATMOSPHERE, ARE AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL IN THE PAST EIGHT HUNDRED THOUSAND YEARS. THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SALT MARSHES AND MANGROVE SWAMPS, ALONG WITH THE MELTING OF THE ARTIC PERMAFROST, IS ADDING LARGE AMOUNTS OF CARBON TO THE ATMOSPHERE. THE INTRODUCTION OF ALIEN SPECIES TO ENVIRONMENTS OUTSIDE THEIR NATURAL HABITATS, IS CAUSING THE DECLINE AND EXTINCTION OF NATIVE SPECIES AND DEGRADING ECOSYSTEMS. SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT THESE HUMAN ACTIVITIES WILL RESULT IN THE DECLINE OR EXTINCTION OF ONE MILLION PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES OVER THE NEXT 50 YEARS. THIS WOULD BE THE LARGEST LOSS OF LIFE SINCE THE DINOSAURS. THE SKYROCKETING LEVELS OF POLLUTION, THE DESTRUCTION OF NATURAL HABITATS AND THE LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY ARE RESULTING IN SERIOUS NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON NUMEROUS AREAS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. THE NATURAL WORLD CANNOT FUNCTION WITHOUT DIVERSITY. THE EXTENT OF DIVERSITY IS TRULY THE MEASURE OF PERFECTION!
IN 2022, THE UNITED NATIONS ADOPTED A LANDMARK AGREEMENT TO GUIDE GLOBAL ACTION ON NATURE THROUGH 2030. 196 COUNTRIES SIGNED THE AGREEMENT WHICH ADDRESSED LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY, RESTORATION OF ECOSYSTEMS AND PROTECTION OF INDIGENOUS RIGHTS. THE AGREEMENT COMMITS THE NATIONS TO REVERSE THE LOSS OF THE NATURAL WORLD BY 30%, AND PROTECT AND RECOVER 30% OF THE DEGRADED ECOSYSTEMS BY 2030. WE HAVE ONLY SIX YEARS LEFT TO ACCOMPLISH THIS GOAL AND LITTLE PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE TO DATE. SETTING REALISTIC GOALS AND ESTABLISHING MEANINGFUL PLANS OF ACTION ARE ESSENTIAL, BUT ACCOMPLISHMENTS DEMANDS ACTION BY THE PEOPLE! IT IS LITERALLY UP TO YOU AND ME TO ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITY AND TAKE ACTION. IT WILL NECESSITATE CHANGES IN OUR LIFE STYLES AND ADJUSTMENTS IN OUR WILLINGNESS TO CHANGE OUR HABITS SO FUTURE GENERATIONS CAN SHARE IN THE GOOD LIFE ON EARTH! I FIND A GREAT DEAL OF WRITTEN MATERIAL ABOUT THE ISSUE AND OBSERVE POLITICAL PRESSURE FROM ONE PARTY TO CONSTRAIN THE RELEASE OF GREEN HOUSE GASES INTO OUR ATMOSPHERE, BUT THE ISSUES IS LARGER THAN JUST FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION. THE MANAGEMENT OF OUR REMAINING FOREST COVERED LANDS NEEDS A NEW FOCUS ON ECOSYSTEM HEALTH AND THE ENHANCEMENT OF BIODIVERSITY. OUR EDUCATION SYSTEMS NEED TO HELP OUR YOUTH UNDERSTAND THE NATURAL RELATIONSHIPS LIFE REQUIRES. OUR RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS NEED TO HIGHLIGHT THE COMPLEXITY AND NECESSITY OF THE NATURAL WORLD TO SUSTAIN LIFE. CREATION MUST BE UNDERSTOOD IN DETAIL, SO WE CAN BEGIN TO APPRECIATE THE DAMAGE HUMANITY HAS CAUSED. CORPORATE AMERICA MUST SUPPORT INITIATIVES TO CLEAN UP AND PROTECT OUR NATURAL WORLD. IF WE LOSE OUR LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS ONLY NATURE CAN PROVIDE, CONSUMPTION WILL SHRINK AND BUSINESS PROFITS WILL DIE. HAVE WE PROCRASTINATED TO LONG, IS THERE SUFFICIENT TIME TO MAKE THE NECESSARY CHANGES? ONLY TIME WILL TELL! THE GREEDY PRACTICES OF OUR PAST AND THE INABILITY TO SHARE, IS ACCELERATING THE DEMISE OF LIFE ON EARTH! IN ACTION WILL RESULT IN PAINFUL DEVESTATING RESULTS. IT IS TIME TO JOIN HANDS AND TAKE A GIANT STEP FORWARD! SPREAD THE FACTS, HELP ORGANIZE YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND SUPPORT KNOWLEDGEABLE POLITIAN’S AND MANAGEMENT LEADERS’. BE THE SPARK THAT HELPS LIGHTS THE EIGHT AND FINAL FIRE OF THE ANCIENT ANISHINAABE FIRE PROPHECIES. ITS OUR COMMITMENT TO FUTURE GENERATIONS!

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