Save Planet A

Earth, our home, our planet. A planet whose orbit is in a region where water neither freezes or evaporates, but remains as liquid water. A Goldilocks zone that creates the perfect balance for life to flourish. Yet, it almost took two billion years for Earth to see the first tree. If we compare ourselves to our home planet lifetime, we would only be part of the last days of an already elder person. Still, during this brief period, we have managed to shape the Earth to our image.

During the last 50 years, we have altered the globe more than in all of our existence. We have increased our globe temperatures, chopped uncountable hectares our forests, raised the sea-levels, extinct a handful of species, melted the poles ice and despite all of that, we are ruthless. We have reversed have a billion years of evolution, destroying one of the planet’s most valuable reserve, the coral reefs. It seems that we haven’t understood that we are depleting when nature provides. We have forgotten that resources are scarce.

The clock is already ticking; we now have very little time to change. Now a question raises, how can this century carry the burden of 9 billion human beings if we refuse to be called account for everything we have done? What are we waiting for?

As it stands, our states expend 12 times as much money in military than in actions to face global warming. The cost of our actions is high and our consumption is already putting at risk the world. For now, is the poor of India, the poor of Bangladesh, the poor of Cambodia the first ones to suffer the consequences of our activities.

Nations alike Dubai are in the opposite side of the coin. Constructed from the ashes in a plain desert where life was completely inhospitable, the petrol money has move mountains, making human dreams come to fruition. Dubai has few natural resources, but with oil, it can bring tons of materials to build record-breaking skyscrapers. Built in a place where the Sun never sets, and yet, Dubai has no solar panels. Nothing seems further removed from nature more than Dubai, although nothing depends more on nature than Dubai. The power of oil makes human exorbitances achievable, but, for how long? Before the century ends, megalopolis such as Tokyo, that keep on growing population numbers, will experience a similar fate.

Environmental related issues have already caused the migration of millions and is already the number one reason for mass demonstrations. While others pay the price we keep separating people with our walls, protecting the happiness of ones from the misery of others. How can we be on the verge of our own demise and remain impassible? For how long is the selfishness of our nations going to be stronger than the solidarity between people?

Everything is said its real and its happening right now. We have exploited our home planet natural resources reserves while putting at risk the life of millions of lives. We have come too far but if we act now, we might still have a last chance to save it all. One of the most polluting countries, China, has already started looking at renewable energy, not as the future, but as the present of a rapidly changing energetic model.

We have the power to make it happen, we just need to acknowledge that everything on Earth is linked and that the Earth is directly linked to the Sun, its original source of energy. Can we start looking at the sky and cultivate the Sun? Can we learn to survive like plants do before the Autumn winds come?