How do you want your future to look?
4560000000 ‐ the number of years that the earth has been in existence 200000 ‐ the number of years since the origin of the modern day human 35 ‐ the number of years it has taken the human species to destroy 27% of the world’s natural resources (1970‐2005)
Forests are the lungs of the earth and give us the air we breathe Tropical rainforests cover only 2% of the earth but house 50% of all life They regulate our climate and are home for millions of indigenous people 35,000 ‐ the number of plant species we depend on for our medicines New treatments continue to be discovered
2 seconds ‐ the time it is taking man to destroy an area of ancient forest the size of a football pitch An area of natural forest larger than England is being destroyed every year
Earth’s wildlife provides us with unparalleled riches
But we are decimating our planet ‐ 25% of the worlds mammals face extinction (that mean lost forever) over the next 30 years
Our way of life is fuelled by energy Unfortunately we continue to rely on fossil fuels with devastating consequences The Gulf of Mexico BP oil spill is one in a long line of disasters
We used to go to war to protect our country, but now the reasons are much less transparent. One fact that does hold true is that in an era when the world’s demand for oil will soon outstrip the supply, we focus our military efforts in regions rich in fossil fuels such as Kuwait, Iraq and now Libya Why is it we turn a blind eye to the needless suffering of those living in regions relatively devoid of natural resources such as the Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe, the murder of 657,000 civilians in Rwanda in 1994, and the slaughter of 40,000 Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka in 2009?
Climate change is going to affect us all However those with least are going to be affected most
Big business made sure that the recent Copenhagen Climate Change Summit achieved little
How bad do you feel during a period of economic recession or when the message hits home that the earths resources are dwindling and that you can’t have everything you want? I don’t know how you feel … but certainly not as bad as the 11 million children that die each year from treatable diseases. 40% of the world has scarce water supply, with climate change this figure is likely to increase to 65% by 2025 In 1854 John Snow removed the handle from the pump on London’s Broad Street, which resulted in the discovery of the mode of transmission of Cholera. Yet in 2011 over 2 million children will die from diarrhoeal disease such as Cholera
Who is to blame for the mess we find ourselves in? The world leaders have leant a hand ...
as they sit in the pockets of big business
Big business has a big hand to play ...
500 companies control 2/3 of the world’s trade ‐ these companies are primarily responsible for the exploitation of natural resources in developing countries from which the people of the developed world gain most
But don’t be fooled by the world leaders or the fat cats in the city and in the multi‐national corporations, the main culprits in all of this are …….
You and me – the normal people of this world who choose to turn a blind eye
Whether it is shopping at the supermarket, petrol station or making a financial investment, few of us in the developed world ever stop to consider how ethical we are – the truth is that many of us are supporting companies that are responsible for the destruction of much of our natural world In terms of our ecological footprint, the people of the US are using up twice the amount of the earths resources than the people of Europe and 7 times that of Asia or Africa
We can stem the tide of destruction But if our story wants a happy ending we can’t rely on our governments to lead the way It’s down to you and me And to make the difference we need to focus on three main areas ………….
I) The preservation of much larger areas of ancient forest and other habitat essential to our wildlife and the future well‐being of man II) When we have agreed on how much land needs be protected then we can plan for a sustainable future by managing the size of our population and matching it to the remaining natural resources. If we don’t manage to do this how will our world look by 2050 with a predicted population of 9 billion? III) To support and invest in ethical companies. Big business is all about profit, if we turn our backs on the most damaging companies they will be forced to change
Whether or not you believe in evolution, life is nothing short of a miracle. It is what you and I are about, it is the environment on which we depend and it is what we search for in the stars. Yet the human species, supposedly the most advanced of all life forms is choosing to destroy life and is doing so at a catastrophic rate. If we continue to behave as we are then the greed that has engulfed man will leave us with a planet devoid of life and soul, and the human species will surely become evolutions greatest failure
You can make a big difference Making a difference will take up only a very small amount of your time In fact other people can do most of the work for you To help, please refer to ‐ 10 Easy Ways for you to Make a Difference And to learn more please read the book ‐ A World on the Brink Be proud of making the world a better place Thank you