• One quarter of all mammal species face extinction in 30 years. (United Nations, http://news.bbc.co.uk/) • For every person in the world to reach present U.S. levels of consumption we would need 4 more planet Earths. (Wilson, p. 23)
• Humans currently consume 50% of the Earth's available freshwater, leaving what's left over for all other species. (World Wildlife Fund, http://www.panda.org/)
• Humans currently consume 40% of all organic matter produced by photosynthesis on Earth, leaving what's left over for all other species. (Wilson, p. 33)
• Every species of great ape on the Earth (gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees, and bonobos) is in imminent danger of extinction. (United Nations, http://news.bbc.co.uk/)
• Every species of tiger on Earth is in imminent danger of extinction. (World Wildlife Fund, http://web.archive.org/)
• The number of lions left in Africa has fallen 90% in 20 years -- there are now only 20,000 remaining. (BBC, http://news.bbc.co.uk/)
• 90 percent of all large fishes have disappeared from the world's oceans in the past half century. (Nature Magazine, http://www.cnn.com/)
• Human population is expected to increase by at least 50% over the next 75 years. (United Nations Population Division, http://www.enviroliteracy.org/)
To me, having a blog is being able to express ones feelings on issues you are passionate about, not everyone will agree and I expect that, we all have our opinions and should express them freely. For me, it ain't all about antiques and soap...I have a passion for ecology and cry inside daily at the demise of species because of man's inability to control himself...dead zones in the oceans from pollution and over-fishing for growing populations...we can't blame the third world populace, it is us in the well educated, long-lived countries that have created the problems...we want more and we NEED more...why???Yes, it is about over-population...we have to take control, but it is our children and grandchildren that will bear the burden for all of us in old age. Many children means more old people to care for, with dwindling resources, the issue is people are living longer with advanced medical technologies. Pandemics are a natural culling of overpopulation, we are just scared to face death and want to keep our loved ones alive no matter what the consequences. Factory farms built to feed these masses are spreading disease, runoff is polluting our waterways and destroying the ecosystem.
I don't want to hear the cries of a mother whale as her infant is harpooned or the bawl of a hungry baby bear whose mother was slaughtered for her bladder and paws, to see shark carcass washed ashore with only the fins cut away, mountain tops blasted away, old-growth forests gone, glaciers melting...and 3 million children starving in the US, not all children and grand children are from happy homes...for me it is way more than a blog of antiquing adventures and soap orders, it is about the meeting of like minds agreeing or no...it's called freedom of speech...and saving a wonderful ecosystem...there is no Planet B...
I have just one question...where are we all gonna park...?
Lifespan/Quantity vs. Quality
One thing which must be taken into consideration is the amount of time, money, and effort we have spent toward saving and extending lives. Billions of dollars have been spent in this field, and successfully. However, something that we also must look at is the effect this has had on our own number. How much have we contributed to birth control, family planning, and preservation of the environment? Nature is a balance of existence. In order to coincide with nature, we must balance the saving and extending of lives with controlling the number of lives which we produce. We mustn't use resources any faster than they can be reproduced. We need to respect ourselves by learning to respect the environment which we depend on for our own existence. If not, we will cease to exist.
By James Hopkins
