Earth before profit

There seems to be two sides to politics today - those who are concerned about the impact of human activity on the wellbeing of the planet and those who pursue profit above all else. The two views appear locked in opposition with little common ground. Unfortunately in our commercially dominated world, the moneymakers hold most of the power, and seem very unwilling to change their views, despite mounting evidence that the planet can no longer sustain a capitalist/consumerist/disposable culture.

Personally I subscribe to the view that we, as a species, are only caretakers of our blue planet, not the owners. We have a responsibility towards future generations; current trends suggest humans are as endangered as the orangutans, tigers and polar bears, but we are too arrogant in our 'superiority' to see this. By our apathy, we in Europe and especially in North America, are allowing multinational companies to rape and pillage the earth's natural resources to keep their CEO's and shareholders in the luxurious style they believe they deserve. But at what cost? Climate chaos is upon us, species are becoming extinct daily, ancient forests are disappearing before our very eyes and the oceans are being trawled and polluted to the point of no return.

I may be one voice among a growing number, but I hope to be heard by those who have the power to make significant changes in the way human activities impact on our world. Something needs to be done NOW. We have little time left, if any, before we reach the point of no return. We cannot rely on our politicians to do the right thing - they only ever look towards the next election and plan accordingly. Instead we need to unite world-wide to save our planet from further destruction at the hands of oil companies, loggers, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, industrial fishing fleets, factory farming... the list is, sadly, far too long.

We need to move towards a sustainable lifestyle, and in the process, learn from the older cultures our society is destroying, along with their habitats. This blog is my record of how the earth is reacting to the destruction being played out daily around the world. I want to show how we are ultimately heading for extinction while our leaders sit back and obsess about money. I need to make my voice heard so that others will join me in working towards saving our planet from the worst of human excesses.