I wish I could write here that I have a total solution for that, but as a one human being, who has spent a lifetime observing ecological change, and degradation, before it became a "political fad," offer a few small ideas that perhaps could be implemented country-by-country, state-by-state, and person-by-person.
I want to take the time to mention that I became fascinated with ecology after I learned about the incredible adaptation of the Costa Rican butterflies and moths to their environment environmental ecology at GMU which used to be a required course for Biology students.
When I learned about adaptation of a species to an environment, where a species actually undergoes structural and physical changes to live in its environment I realized back then, as budding young biologist, that all species including human beings undergo physiological and structural adaptation to their environment.
I will let you dear reader, draw conclusions about the human plight overall in our struggle to adapt to our environment that grows more polluted every day. As our environment becomes more polluted, we as humans have come up with more medicine to allow us to cope with it:
e.g.,
How about all the ads and sale of anti-histamines, nebulizers, and tons of prescription drugs and non-prescription drugs that allow us the BREATHE without distress? Just taking a clean, deep breath of air now is expensive.
To the point: Globally can we as a nation persuade the other nations who are the beneficial owners of the jungles of the world to cease slashing and burning their native jungles? Can we pay them to stop burning them?
Life is sustained by oxygen. The jungles of South America, in the Amazon are being destroyed daily. Among the many functions of huge green, lush, jungles full of trees is the ability to produce oxygen and reduce carbon poisoning on this planet.
Those jungles are also nurseries for an amazing biodiversity of organisms down to the smallest newly discovered herb with natural healing properties all the way to the fresh water dolphins who swim and play in the Amazon.
As the jungles are being burned and slashed, so are the nurseries for animals and plants. One the world's natural cleaning mechanisms of our atmosphere.
The oceans: I could write a book about the protection of our oceans and their beautiful inhabitants. My senior research project, eons ago, was on marine mammals, specifically our dolphin friends. One the most fascinating facts that I ran across in my academic studies is that dolphins have no missing link in the study of evolution of a species.
Dolphins appear to us today, as they existed since the beginning of our ocean, or time, with minor physiological adaptations. Look it up. Dolphins have not changed evolutionarily to a changing environment over time. The ocean is a harsh and rigorous environment. Creatures that live in the ocean are not given the chance to adapt over time, they simply go extinct.
I am suggesting that the harsher and more unforgiving that our earth environment becomes that the species who live on the earth part of the planet will be become extinct at a faster rate as well, in fact, I don't have to look too far for confirmation.
Back to the ocean, even the ocean is reaching the limit of its ability to clean our pollution.
How does the earth itself clean water? Perhaps young scientists, (I am ready to retire) can look at the fact that aquifers, made of layers of water bearing rocks produce clean drinking water. How can knowledge that be used to help clean our waters?
The news had coverage on a few huge American computer companies who built their energy hogging companies near dams, so their energy needs could be met by energy that dams produced. That barely was a blip on the news radar. What a great example set by our young computer scientists! http://green.yahoo.com/ and
It is truly amazing how much clean energy that Hoover Dam produces. (See photo of the back of Hoover Dam when I was there last fall).
What can our energy devouring societies do about our contributions to the overall degradation to our planet's deterioration? On an individual basis, every man, woman and child can recycle, personally as well as in our community.
No, not use one square of toilet tissue, but simple things, like separate newspaper and bottles and plastic. Carry the bags to the recycling center personally, not leave it out on the step and hope that it gets picked up and taken to a recycling center.
Actually turn off the computer at night, the lights, keep the temperature of one's home reasonable, plan one's daily routes logically to use the least amount of gas in one trip or better use public transportation. I actually did use washable diapers when my children were babies, because I didn't want to throw all those diapers into the environment, all my friends I was going overboard--but now I can look back and say that I did it and the landfills are not filled with my you know what.:)
Teach your children about the beauty of the world, young, so they will respect and love it, and want to conserve it. When I was in Germany I was amazed at how they recycled, I thought I did a good job. Every bottle, every can, everything was washed and separated, paper as well and then recycled.
As a nation, we can figure out how to use solar power, nuclear power, safely, and wind power. In 1985, I had a solar panel put on my house used to heat our water. It was expensive even then, but we got a tax break for it and over time, it did pay for itself. The laws need to be changed to accommodate the conversion from an oil-fed economy to a diverse use energy economy.
A short example: The man in Georgia who bought a hybrid car, using both natural gas and gasoline. The local government in Georgia put him through the gauntlet about his car emissions; they refused to allow him an exemption, made him take his hybrid through inspection, pay for the inspection, issue him an exemption, which he had to then take to the state to allow for registration. The state and local governments depend on those emission inspection fees that are higher than regular inspection fees. I know because Virginia has the same laws. Where is the incentive in that?
Who would buy a car, with super low emissions, and turn have to turn around and go through emissions inspection, paying money for nothing and losing time at work to comply with car emission laws?
Back to how I started out this article, every human being on this planet shares the burden for this planet's ability to sustain our lives. The most industrial society to the most simple societies can join together to come up with realistic solutions to help save our beautiful home in this universe: The Earth.
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