 Issue 1, Volume 2, June 2001  Message from Planet Earth Dear Children: Earth Day is a propitious time to reflect on my condition and highlight the need to address pressing environmental issues of the day. I don't know how to say this to you, my children, but I regret to tell you that the state of my health is not as good as it used to be. This should be of great concern to you because the condition of my health is ultimately and intricately tied to yours. I know that this is probably not news to you. You have read about it in the newspapers, religious leaders have preached about it, musicians have sung about it, politicians have debated it, and social justice activists have caused a ruckus over it. Scientists may debate the state of the global environment and the consequences of human-induced climate change, but you cannot discount the evidence. Tracy Chapman sang about the sun getting hotter. She was not taking poetic license. The eleven hottest years on record have occurred since 1980. The decade of 1990s is the hottest decade of the millennium and 1998 just replaced 1997 as the hottest year in recorded history. If Chapman's song does not get your attention, read the report of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the most authoritative voice on global warming. Their most recent report is a clarion call to reconsider the effects of your behavior on my health. The report declared for the first time that human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels like coal, gas and oil, not natural factors, are responsible for global warming and that global warming is likely to increase 50 percent faster and result in more severe damage than previously projected. A warmer planet is likely to spread diseases in tropical regions, cause sea levels to rise forcing tens of million to relocate and increase the rate of extreme weather events such as hurricanes, severe storms and flooding. It is a wonderful world you live in my children. Have you taken the time recently to be awed and inspired by the power and beauty of nature -- the majestic, snow capped mountains, the turquoise blue seas and beautiful marine life, the golden sunsets? These are gifts of nature for you to enjoy, not to destroy. Remember that you are not my only children. I need to be preserved so that your children and children's children can have the chance to live in a clean and healthy environment. As that worthy son of mine, Ken Saro Wiwa, once said, "the environment is human's first right." Nurture and guard it jealously. Alongside paying your taxes and casting your votes on Election Day, protecting human rights and the environment ought to be one of your top civic responsibilities. Be constantly aware of how your actions affect the environment. Be conscious of what you consume, where it comes from, and the conditions under which it was produced. This is not only for your own good, but it is in the interest of the collective good. Conserve resources. The solution is not always greater production and consumption. Take only what you truly need from me. Recycle and reuse materials whenever possible. Take care of the land and it will take care of you. Remember, I am very fragile and extinction is forever. Do not treat me as if you have another mother to go to. You don't. As I often say to you all, individual efforts count, but collective action makes the real difference. Join others to defend those who give the earth a voice. Environmental defenders have the right to basic freedoms of association and expression, and to peacefully mobilize their communities for self-determination. Join Amnesty International USA's Just Earth! Campaign to defend environmental defenders and to pressure governments and corporations to promote and protect universal human rights, including the right to a clean and healthy environment. For example, the US is the largest producer of greenhouse gases, accounting for a quarter of the world total, and US oil companies have been implicated in human rights violations abroad. Work with others to pressure the US government to champion global efforts to hold corporations accountable for their operations abroad. So as you reflect on the day designated to me, I ask you not to despair or be frightened by the news of the state of my health. All is not lost, but you need to preserve what is left. So, please have the courage and take immediate action to save your future. Until I hear from you, I remain yours, Mother Earth (April 22, 2001) |
Message from Planet Earth
