Our longterm future on planet Earth hinges on the ability of our ecosystem to sustain us indefinitely. The problem is that, in just the past 100 years, our lifestyle has evolved into a grossly unsustainable situation. How bad is it?
The
Global Footprint Network reported in 2016 that if all humans were to live as we do in the USA, our little planet could only sustain a population of ONE billion people indefinitely. And since there are well over seven times that many living here now, we clearly have a lot of work to do--not the least of which is the huge task of getting overpopulation under control.
What other kind of "work" is needed? That's the problem; the billions of humans who must radically change their lifestyle--have no clue what they must do. There are many things about our typical western lifestyle that are unsustainable but no one is telling us what is most important or what we should be working on first.
No one is telling us what actions are absolutely critical to saving our ecosystem.
Let's think of our situation as that of a sinking ship. It has five holes in the bottom and one hole is taking in more water than the other four combined. A third-grader could tell us where to start.
Sadly, no one is telling the passengers and crew which hole is causing the most trouble for our ship. Similarly, the large environmental organizations (NGOs) are NOT telling us about the single biggest driver of our grossly unsustainable lifestyle--our food choices. Not a single one.
The public is confused. Should we be installing solar panels, taking shorter showers, driving electric cars, living in more efficient homes or changing our diet? They don't tell us what is most important--never clarifying the HUGE role our toxic western diet is playing in the environmental nightmare we are now experiencing. To me, their silence on this crucial topic is unconscionable--and leads me to conclude:
By
not urgently informing us about the single biggest hole in the
bottom of our sinking ship--they are sadly (and unknowingly) playing a crucial role in ensuring that our ship will indeed sink.
(Their excuse: If their members perceived them as being anti-meat, it would hurt their fundraising.)
Until they start telling us exactly what must be done and how quickly, none of the large environmental NGOs will be part of the solution. Rather, they will continue to be a huge part of the problem, spreading complacency as millions think they're doing their part by taking shorter showers, driving electric cars and recycling.
