Nature is in crisis
In the sea and on the land
As species disappear
With a sweep of human hand
We seek to find a balance
And we try to lend a hand
But human greed is boundless
And we use up all the land
We like to live in comfort
But we fail to understand
That if we lose our wild places
We will be truly damned
The key question of our age would appear to be: How much nature can we afford to keep? How much land do we need for food production and habitation and, what wild places should be preserved? We, who have forever been subject to the laws of nature are now in control and we decide what survives and what can be sacrificed for the greater good. But we delude ourselves. The key question of our age is really: What can we afford to lose; and the question will soon be: What can we save?
We may think that we are in charge, and as we increasingly concentrate in our large concrete cities we can easily forget that humanity is intrinsically woven into the web of life. But the day of reckoning is nigh. With an extinction rate 20,000 times the background rate we are in territory not seen on the planet for 65 million years. But this time it is being caused by us and not by a large asteroid impact. And as we destroy the cycles of nature that sustain life in our fragile biosphere we inexorably march towards a collapse of our agricultural systems, rampant disease and foul air and drinking water. We can avert this crisis but we need greater consideration of nature in our decision making.
Nature needs a stronger voice at the table if we are to prevent greed and short-term self interest destroying our society and our species. Who, like the Lorax, will speak for the trees who have no voice of their own? Humanity has been a poor steward so far, and our best hope is to wake the Lorax in our midst and work for a sustainable future.
In the sea and on the land
As species disappear
With a sweep of human hand
We seek to find a balance
And we try to lend a hand
But human greed is boundless
And we use up all the land
We like to live in comfort
But we fail to understand
That if we lose our wild places
We will be truly damned
The key question of our age would appear to be: How much nature can we afford to keep? How much land do we need for food production and habitation and, what wild places should be preserved? We, who have forever been subject to the laws of nature are now in control and we decide what survives and what can be sacrificed for the greater good. But we delude ourselves. The key question of our age is really: What can we afford to lose; and the question will soon be: What can we save?
We may think that we are in charge, and as we increasingly concentrate in our large concrete cities we can easily forget that humanity is intrinsically woven into the web of life. But the day of reckoning is nigh. With an extinction rate 20,000 times the background rate we are in territory not seen on the planet for 65 million years. But this time it is being caused by us and not by a large asteroid impact. And as we destroy the cycles of nature that sustain life in our fragile biosphere we inexorably march towards a collapse of our agricultural systems, rampant disease and foul air and drinking water. We can avert this crisis but we need greater consideration of nature in our decision making.
Nature needs a stronger voice at the table if we are to prevent greed and short-term self interest destroying our society and our species. Who, like the Lorax, will speak for the trees who have no voice of their own? Humanity has been a poor steward so far, and our best hope is to wake the Lorax in our midst and work for a sustainable future.
