Author: Ian Whyte, Ottawa.
A definition of insanity commonly attributed to Einstein: “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” By this definition (and many others), humanity is insane, indeed ravingly so.
Few want to acknowledge the reality that the Earth’s ecosphere birthed us and remains our sole source of sustenance. As She goes, so go we. As such, the Earth, and Her health, is the primary concern around which (relatively petty) human needs and wants need to be satisfied as secondary concerns. To be plain: if the Earth loses Her ability to sustain us, we die. See http://www.ecospherics.net/pages/EarthManifesto.pdf or http://ecocentricalliance.org/basis-for-agreement.html for more on this.
In the last year or two many reputable reports have documented astonishingly large reductions in numbers, usually 50% or more, of Earth’s animate life forms over the previous fifty years. They are not reporting on species loss, although that has been considerable, but on the reduction of numbers within species. Fewer insects, fewer molluscs, fewer mammals, fewer amphibians, fewer birds, fewer fish and so on. (See sources and references at end.)
This is monstrous on many levels: humanity is smashing the results of half a billion years of evolution; we’re slaughtering our genetic brothers and sisters; we’re devastating the web of life on Earth; and we’re destroying the ability of the Earth to support Her many species, including us. From any viewpoint, our version of humanity is despicable!
It’s obvious that humanity is the root causes to this unfolding catastrophe: our grossly excessive and growing population, our co-option of habitat and our distribution of poisons and toxics throughout the ecosphere. Beyond these main causes are many secondary ones, all human caused.
The solutions required are as obvious as the source of the problem. Our paradigm needs to be rethought and changed to be more Earth oriented. Human population and consumption must both decline, human co-option of the land base must decline to no more than half and humans must stop spreading poisons and toxics into the ecosphere.
In every case we know what’s needed but this clashes with our belief in entitlement as well as with our greed inspired practicalities. Really, this is the eleventh hour, it’s time for us to stop procrastinating and act! If we continue in our cowardly complacency, we are complicit in the destruction of our kind life on Earth. It’s a case of “Some are guilty, but all are responsible” and, unfortunately, when you know about the extent of the calamity, if you do nothing, you move from responsible to guilty.
Every reader who understands the urgency of the situation should feel obligated to take action and become active in the defence of the Earth. More work, studying and research are not needed, and indeed will only serve to delay. Stop stalling and get active in the defence of the Earth!
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SOME SOURCES OF INFORMATION ON REDUCTIONS OF LIFE:
http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/all_publications/living_planet_report/
http://d2ouvy59p0dg6k.cloudfront.net/downloads/living_blue_planet_report_2015_08_31.pdf
http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?uNewsID=252532
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/345/6195/401
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/07/160714150633.htm
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/353/6296/288
http://www.stateofthebirds.org/2016/
http://racingextinction.com/the-film/#brightcove-popover-RE-trailer
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Bio of Author: I am a great-grandfather. Philosophically, practically and morally, I tend to follow the tenets of Deep Ecology and Ecocentrism. I came to support these positions as a result of understandings informed by a life-time spent as an amateur field naturalist.
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