Our place in the Universe

How small we are, yet how arrogant! We dominate and are rapidly destroying the only humanly habitable planet known (by us) to exist. This is our only life boat in a vast sea of distant blazing suns orbited by seething gas giants and parched, rocky dwarfs.

Environmentalists get criticized for "harming" the economy. There won't be an economy if we keep going like we are. "Sustainable harvest" of timber is a myth. Forest soils are poor, their only enrichment is the decay of fallen trees that have lived out a long life. Monoculture of timber species only accelerates the depletion of nutrients. At best, I estimate 3 "crops" of harvest-able timber can be grown on a given plot of land in the Northwest U.S. without the addition of artificial fertilizers. As soon as that is added to the equation, kiss the salmon goodbye, along with many other stream-dwellers.

Air quality...oh my! You want to breathe? What for? It is not just the asthmatics who suffer. Everyday, city dwellers suck in quantities of chemicals and soot that will eventually damage their health. It won't just be the smokers who are hobbling around with oxygen tanks. Our health systems can barely handle the load, now. And the filth spreads with the wind. Those who choose to live outside the cities still share the air. No one is safe, in the long run.

Water, water, clear cool water. Not for long. The Earth has a marvelous filter system for ground water. Trouble is that it takes years for the sea water that falls on land as rain to trickle down to the aquifers and if it has picked up chemical poisons along the way, too bad. The system was not designed to handle that. We are running out of pure water, fast. Soon, safe drinking water will cost more than gasoline...come to think of it, the price is getting close, now. How safe is that stuff in the store, anyway?

"Won't happen in my lifetime." You're right, it probably won't. That should not make you feel any better. How about your grandchildren? Where would you be if your grandparents had held your future in such disregard?