What hope is there for the Future?

So, I watched the Lorax for the first time. I am sorry to say that this beloved Dr. Seuss children’s book did not grace my book collection as a child. Watching the movie now, seen to the left in 2 parts, as an adult, and part of the environmental industry makes me realize just how accurate Dr. Seuss was back in 1971.

It seems to be part of human nature to take and take and take with no regard for the natural environment or how our actions affect the native organisms. We forget that everything has intrinsic worth. All sentient beings, all life, or all of nature including in animate objects have intrinsic worth regardless of their usefulness. This statement would then indicate that every object that currently inhabits the rainforests of the world has worth. I fully agree with this statement. Regardless of whether or not the frogs in the rainforest are worth monetary value, they need to be save because they have intrinsic value; they are a vital part of the ecosystem.



http://www.topnews.in/new-satellite-images-
reveal-shrinking-amazon-rainforest-236729

We have become so consumed with worrying about how to benefit ourselves, and building our collection of “stuff” that we have become a society guilty of overconsumption. And on this path, to support our nasty habit of overconsumption, we have begun to destroy one of the worlds most biodiverse environments: the Rainforest. It has been deemed one of Earth’s greatest biological treasures, yet we do not treat it like this. It once covered 14% of the Earths land surface, and currently it only covers 6%, with estimates stating that it will be completely consumed in less than 40 years. Some more stats taken from Rainforest Facts:

·         1.5 acres of Rainforest are being lost every second

·         Destruction of the rainforest is occurring because only the trees are being valued by short sighted governments, multinational logging companies and land owners

http://whyamazonherb.com/page-2

·         It is estimated that we are losing 137 plant, animal and insect species every day due to rainforest destruction = 50, 000 species/year

·         Currently 121 prescription drugs sold worldwide come from plant derived sources, with 25 % of western pharmaceuticals being derived from rainforest ingredients and less than 1% of the vegetation in the rainforest has been tested by scientists.

·         It was estimated that there were 10 million Indians living in the Amazon rain forest 5 centuries ago. Now there is less than 200, 000.

For more information about the destruction in the Amazon checkout Amazon Watch.

These facts are rather frightening. And they all remind me of the Lorax. There are a few individuals and organizations willing to take a stand, but their efforts are not effective against the large corporations and governments. They will do as they please regardless of the amount of protesting. Only once all their resources have been used will they stop and realize the intrinsic value of what they have destroyed. Hindsight is 20/20.

At the rate that we are going, I worry for our future. The more I learn about Environmental Sustainability, the more I realize just how much this is on the minds of our society.

My mother called me the other week asking about solar panels, and energy efficiency products. Her office is looking to become more environmentally sustainable through the use of energy efficient lights, power bars and solar powered products. Yet she cannot convince the men in the office to recycle more than just printer paper.

I feel that we are going to need some big changes in the future, changes that include altering the way people think about the environment, and changing habits that have been engrained in us for years. Perhaps with should start with the children. They may be our best option for a change in the future...