We have settled into our winter location and are having great weather compared to conditions in Michigan. I have decided to do a second edition of my book, Trees of Life - Our Forests in Peril. I have been doing a lot of reading and feel the need to expand on what the future will be like, if we continue our quest for wealth and fluency. In searching for more detailed facts about the condition of our natural world, I find that several people have attempted to alert us to the concerns of human impacts on our environment, with little success. Ecology has been a recognized science for the past 150 years and prior to that time it was call Natural History. In fact, our indigenous people have well understood the need to live in balance with Mother Earth for centuries. Our western society however, has never appreciated the fact that we are but a small part of the natural world and that our quest to take the resources from the earth has limitations.
Our institutions are focused on the individual and tend to neglect creation. Even our religious institutions focus on redemption at the expense of creation. Somehow we must find ways to change our current attitudes!
It is our responsibility to care for the Earth and the "gift of life". There is no doubt in my mind, that the most important environmental issue, we face worldwide, is population expansion. In only 35 years our world population will exceed 10 billion people. The changes that will be required need our attention today.
This issue is followed closely by the problem of deforestation. Efforts are underway to find ways of maximizing productivity of our limited land base, so as to feed the masses. These efforts include genetically manipulating plants to force larger production, formulating chemical fertilizers to produce more volume per acre and deforesting acres to provide increased acreage for crops. These efforts do not come without problems. For example, genetic alterations are proving in some cases to alter the grain or fruit to the point it is no longer digestible by the human body, as with wheat. Deforestation will result in shortages of pure water for human consumption, climatic changes, loss of carbon dioxide storage, loss of oxygen production and loss of productive top soil.
Some how we have to come together and change our ways and our future. We have a responsibility to future generations and that responsibility requires stewardship of our natural environment. I encourage you to consider ideas that might awaken people to search for new ideas of how we can live in balance with the life sustaining natural world. Together we can make a difference!
Re-doing parts of my book, are to try to amplify the importance of caring for our natural surroundings and hopefully, generating support from others to join in the effort. Observations tell us " What we do to Earth, we do to ourselves"!
Our institutions are focused on the individual and tend to neglect creation. Even our religious institutions focus on redemption at the expense of creation. Somehow we must find ways to change our current attitudes!
It is our responsibility to care for the Earth and the "gift of life". There is no doubt in my mind, that the most important environmental issue, we face worldwide, is population expansion. In only 35 years our world population will exceed 10 billion people. The changes that will be required need our attention today.
This issue is followed closely by the problem of deforestation. Efforts are underway to find ways of maximizing productivity of our limited land base, so as to feed the masses. These efforts include genetically manipulating plants to force larger production, formulating chemical fertilizers to produce more volume per acre and deforesting acres to provide increased acreage for crops. These efforts do not come without problems. For example, genetic alterations are proving in some cases to alter the grain or fruit to the point it is no longer digestible by the human body, as with wheat. Deforestation will result in shortages of pure water for human consumption, climatic changes, loss of carbon dioxide storage, loss of oxygen production and loss of productive top soil.
Some how we have to come together and change our ways and our future. We have a responsibility to future generations and that responsibility requires stewardship of our natural environment. I encourage you to consider ideas that might awaken people to search for new ideas of how we can live in balance with the life sustaining natural world. Together we can make a difference!
Re-doing parts of my book, are to try to amplify the importance of caring for our natural surroundings and hopefully, generating support from others to join in the effort. Observations tell us " What we do to Earth, we do to ourselves"!