What are we willing to sacrifice?

The beauty of our planet is the life that is on, above, and in it. We value life, especially our own, and it seems that the human race has chosen to wage war on anything that risks it. Or makes it uncomfortable. Or unprofitable. We are short-sighted beings that seek immediate gratification without consideration for long-term consequences. It's all about the moment, not the future. It is this kind of thinking that risks the very thing we care the most about.

I read an article yesterday on the gradual demise of insects; we are losing them at a rate of 1-2% per year. That may not sound like much, but it means that somewhere between 36-72 years from now the insect population on this planet will be down to half of what it is today. If the trend continues then repeat that same estimate and we're down to a quarter and then an eighth and so on. My guess is this won't progress on a linear scale, but rather a logrithmic one.

Those of you that think the world would be better off with fewer flies are missing the point. Insects form the very foundation of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. Bees, for example, are estimated to be responsible for over half of all pollination that goes on in the world. We are waging war on their kind without realizing the harvest of doom we will eventually reap. Global warming, pesticides, pollution, urbanization - the list of weapons we wield against nature is endless - all in a bid to glean what we can for today.

Marine ecosystems have a plight of their very own. Warming oceans are wreaking havoc on coral, the higher-than-normal temperatures killing the symbiotic algae that lives mutualisticly with the hydrozoa. All that carbon dioxide doesn't just facilitate global warming; it gets absorbed in the oceans reducing pH (acidification), sounding the death toll for many mullosks whose shell formation physiology is compromised. Add to that the pollution, plastics, chemicals, and other assorted implements of ecological genocide and our fate is sealed.

The question, "What are we willing to sacrifice?" is meant to help separate today from tomorrow. The future does not look very promising for our children if we continue living the way we do. Yesterday, my first grandchild was born, a girl. I am concerned about what her future will look like. What am I willing to sacrifice to see that her tomorrow is better than our today is? What are you?

Thanks for reading.     Ericspix     Eric Svendsen

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