News from the last days: in the United States there are temperatures of 30 ° C below zero; in Port August, Australia, temperature rises to 46º C and there are fires and hundreds of fish dying from dehydration; in Brazil, the mining dam in Brumadinho causing destruction and death; NASA reported that the deterioration of the Thwaites glacier can have a devastating effect; in Argentina, there are floods that affect large areas.
Nature’s cry is getting louder and more overwhelming.
We can choose to have interests and remain silent. This is what happens in public policies. Maybe because there is money or simply because ignorance leads them to the incomprehensible passion of discussing something that could produce a headline for the media.
We can choose to have ideals and speak because our generation is the first that can destroy the planet and the last that can prevent it. Usually, that doesn’t happen because people tend to think that defending nature is not profitable.
There is not much time left for speculation or room for negligence.
In the international spheres in which we participate (UN Environment, OAS, IUCN, etc.) it can be seen that it is no longer just about pollution, but that the environment’s functioning rules are being changed.
Nature is based on diversity, but homogeneity is prevailing. The human being influences in such a way that numerous species of animals and plants are disappearing and also oceans, seas, atmosphere, glaciers and underwater waters are being affected. Diversity is diluted in the landscape, as cities are increasingly similar; in consumption happens the same, since everyone buys the same cell phones or play the same games, or like the same series. We can say that even regarding our thoughts there is an increasingly striking monotony.
There is a very powerful process aiming towards homogeneity, which is the opposite of the natural world, based on diversity, on the existence of opposing poles, where there is a species and its predator. A delicate balance that is fading away.
The consequence is that Nature has lost resilience, that is, to maintain its own identity. The balance of the system is breaking. So, we see surprising storms and hurricanes, icy winters, overwhelming summers; everything tends to opposite extremes. There are places where there is too much water, causing floods, and there are others where water is no longer enough to survive. By excess or by defect, we see an alteration of the natural harmony.
The human being is also affected, because new diseases arise from our lifestyles. It is evidenced in the different documentaries on how fish, chickens and pigs are being raised, saturated meats, agrochemicals, etc.
In parallel, the passivity of many governments regarding environmental policies is striking. In Argentina, for example, beyond the legislation and judicial decisions, the truth is that the issue is not on the agenda and the setback is undeniable.
The main excuse is that caring for the environment impedes development, which shows more a lack of vision than a reality.
It is true that there are many differences in relation to developed countries. Everything is changing. It is as if there was a race and an accident took place, which made everyone start again. Advantages diminish. So, making Ford’s car better is difficult, but when it comes to building a vehicle with clean, renewable energy, the distance shortens. Everyone can do it because it’s something new and other companies appear.
The economic world is witnessing a new race and it is unfortunate how many leaders are still running in the previous race.
A post-consumer economy has emerged; the processing of garbage in cities, the reuse of packaging, the recovery of consumed water. Sustainable tourism offers new opportunities. Food incorporates the idea of “healthy life”, “natural” and the border between food and drug becomes elusive in many cases. Architecture is being completely resized based on environmental parameters and sustainable buildings are being built, showing an efficient use of water and light. We could add financial and tax instruments, the use of intelligence and technology, all of which opens up an extraordinary area.
It is possible to link nature with development, it is possible to protect our children, give them a future and avoid leaving them a world where life is going to be unbearable.
That is why it is necessary to transform the cry of nature into a State policy focused on environmental protection, articulating the functioning of nature, the economy and society.
Fortunately, there are many people who organize and fight in organizations of all kinds, with ideals, with passion, trying to fill the void left by governments that only concentrates on power.