Ecological Warning

jjd These are shocking words that we would do well to listen to: "Human actions are depleting Earth's natural capital, putting such a strain on the environment that the ability of the planet's ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted."

That is the conclusion of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, the United Nations' four year analysis, the broadest ever of the environment, with 1,300 public and private contributors from 95 countries. And the general trend is to not be concerned about the environment. The feeling that it's a long way off and not our concern.

Let's face it if you poison and ocean, you can't just go produce another one. If you poison the atmosphere, you can't just vacuum it clean. When endangered species are gone, you can't just wish them back. There are indicators . . . the polar ice caps are melting, rainforests felled, fisheries fail, the ozone layer has thinned and is fraying.

The future isn't a sure bet. We don't know the carrying capacity of the biosphere, but it could suddenly collapse. We eventually will get to a point of no return and we seem to be racing towards that end and not away from it.

When I saw the movie The Day After Tomorrow I thought it was a little far-fetched with how quickly, within weeks, things went from 'not so bad' to horrible. I don't think we're looking at weeks, but I fear it could be within my lifetime or someone's who I care about.