Centre for Research and Conservation / Conservation Biology
The translation of this testimony was generated automatically by a translation program. Thanks for your understanding.
As some will know and others are trying to ignore, the world is changing rapidly. Our planet is filling up with people and all that they produce.
Someone once told me this wonderful analogy: the world is like a pond, where there live plants, fish, algae, there are nutrients and there is sunlight. The system is in harmony, they all need each other but there is balance. But the algae start to grow a bit more, they use up more nutrients out of the water. They grow and ultimately cover the entire pond, which blocks the sunlight out of the water. Without sunlight, the plants cannot grow. Without the plants, the insects cannot eat. Without the insects, the fish cannot eat. WIthout the plants, insects and fish, there are no more nutrients. No more nutrients for the algae to grow and the algae will not survive. The world is like a pond and the humans are the algae.
To ensure a future, we must take care of our planet and use it in balance.
My main concerns are the fact that people are greedy and also want easy and cheap:
- the greediness and single or short-term use of products causes 1) our plastic pollution and landfill problems; 2) destruction of nature for the production
- the want for cheap products add onto it as people don’t mind throwing cheap stuff away, and more needs to be produced to replace it.
- cheap flights have increased flying immensly, with a devastating impact. A great start is a fuel tax for flying.
Another concern is the bizarre fact that people need to keep everything as pets. Birds, primates, reptiles, everything gets torn from its home, because people thought it was cute.
What I found most difficult is the fact that people aren’t yet willing to change, while expecting others to do so. 1st world countries demanding developing countries to stop using fuel or people expecting their goverment to act, while not doing anything themselves.
To help I: 1) am vegatarian, with conscious choices about animal products; 2) don’t own a car and limit flying; 2) buy locally; 3) bring my own bags, bottle and containers; 4) recycle, fix and reuse products; 4) actively work on a sustainable work environment and include friends and family; 5) think before I buy, “Do I need this (more than once)?”
Easy steps anyone can take!
Originally posted 2018-05-10 09:16:52.