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 UPON REFLECTION Michel Walter The scheduled termination of the civilization of waste |
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Our species have been on Earth for a ages
now, a welcoming little planet from a solar system amongst
billions. A universe that comes from nothing (known as
'void fluctuation') and which according to current theories
exploded 13,7 billion years ago. Aware of this fact, we ask ourselves crucial questions. What is life? Is it spread out within our galaxy or in
billions of others, subject to universal chemical laws, or is it
such a rare phenomena that Earth is the exception within the
Universe, the result of some unlikely and random 'cause and
effect'? All would be well if we didn't do the
following: The dominant species, Homo sapien has succeeded in adapting to all sorts of hostile environments. Hurrah! It invaded all ecosystems, let's applaud. Mankind has reached the stage whereby he is directly altering his environment, by saturating the atmosphere with multiples sources of pollutants and green house gases, rendering it unbreathable. Due to its predatory activities, humanity has
triggered a global climatic destabilization which could make Earth
virtually uninhabitable for many centuries to come. On Earth, all that is left of the primitive forests which used to cover most lands are some pitiful shreds. The rate of species extinctions today far exceeds that of the past by a factor of one thousand. Half the primates are disappearing forever. Our zoos won't stop the trend. Mankind's ecological footprint defies belief, the countryside resembles an endless desert of monocultures permanently showered with toxic pesticides, damaging wildlife and our health in the process. Large cities are being transformed into
mega-cities, swarms of 25 million inhabitants stuck in their iron,
glass and cement towers. 50 % of the world population is already
urban. In China it will be 90% by 2050! It would appear that something is off. 9 billion inhabitants projected for 2050. How to feed everyone properly? Now that oil reserves are depleted, bio-fuels will invade fields that normally yield food crops or livestock feed (80%). All current outputs result from black gold (fertilizers, pesticides, fuel to run harvesting machinery and for transportation). Earth won't grow any larger, it can't cater for so many extra mouths indefinitely, it can't compromise, so many will die from hunger, the poorest will agonize. This is the situation we have created, great prospect, hail humanity! Unless we take radical measures and change our lifestyles and systems completely. Without mentioning wars,
because there will always be reasons for humans to wage war,
depletion of natural resources like Those countries better armed will surely attempt to forcefully appropriate themselves the last drops on fossil fuels. The future looks bleak for this gluttonous
civilization, for mankind and for Nature.. |
Digging our heads in the sand is ludicrous. No
more green, blue gone grey. And finding food will become a daily
challenge. So, one may ask, is life worth living, if it
leads to such painful decline? But all is not lost, it is not the apocalypse. Pessimism and defeatists must not prevail. We still can limit the damages, and get through this inescapable transition without so much pollution, suffering ,deaths and extinctions. there is still hope, as mankind has often proved through his industrious resourcefulness. Assuming all nations participate equally and immediately by investing more into renewable energies (solar, last generation windpower, underwater turbines, Pelamis, offshore wave power, deep sea geothermal energy...) by trapping pollutants as they exit exhausts pipes and chimneys, by immediately halting tropical deforestation, by reforesting, by recycling everything possible including those metals that are still abundant, by eating less meat, by reducing the global birth rate.....what do I know? The solutions are here, though they may not suit everyone. But we really have no time for deliberations, it is happening as we speak. This process isn't a far off event which will only affect our grand children, but our children and even ourselves face the threat of experiencing long periods of scarcity, and we'll ask ourselves what is the point spending all day foraging for a bowl of cereals... Our entrenched bad habits are difficult to
shift, especially those nurtured by the rich nations. Emerging
economies, demanding their share of the cake and emulating our
lifestyles, certainly aggravate the problems by adding to global
pollution. Who could blame them, since there is officially no
competitive alternatives yet? Many questions are now being asked and are rioting in the biggest animal brain. Perhaps it is mankind's destiny to ever be questioning. How come the so-called cleverest species has
managed to wage an all out war against Nature? This insane ecocide
of mother Earth on which our lives depend? Homo sapien has
successfully managed until now to survive all the evolutionary
hurdles thrown at it and has not yet self-destructed.. We could so easily live in peace if we weren't billions but millions, sharing natural resources without depleating them, even enjoy the luxury of non-polluting alternative technologies. In short we' d learn respect and life would be worth living for all beings, in harmony and able to marvel and question the wonders of the fabulous world we share. This Earth would be a paradise amid a myriad of
others, where stability would reign between man and Nature for the
remaining 7.5 billion years left in our sun (under its current
yellow dwarf form). Is it possible that this equitable world
population scenario will play itself out after the fall of our
present civilization? Having consumed everything around us, within
2 centuries, we won't even be able to pollute the environment. And
it will take millions of years for Nature to replenish itself and
pursue its miraculous adventure across space and time.
Translation Patou Soult 24/08/08 Free of copyright with website : http://terresacree.org
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