These changes are perhaps most starkly highlighted in a statement by the Board of the 2005 United Nation’s Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (a four year study prepared by 1,360 scientists from 95 countries) that reads, “Human activity is putting such a strain on the natural functions of the Earth that the ability of the planet’s ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted.”

 

As a parent, I think about the state of our environment and how my children will be affected in the future. I am thankful we are living in Canada where, all things considered, we still have many natural advantages.  But even in Canada, and here on Prince Edward Island, there are many indicators that we must do better, much better, in taking care of our environment.

 

I am convinced that part of the difficulty we sometimes have in understanding the scope of environmental issues is related to scale and perspective.  Physically speaking, we are very tiny compared to the Planet, and, because of that, our individual environmental impact is not very significant.  However, what may be true at an individual level is not true at a collective level.  There are presently 6.7 billion people on the Planet and with a growing middle class addicted to an ever increasing standard of living, there are no signs of our ecological footprint shrinking in the near future.  This should be reason for concern because as we place ever more demand on the Earth’s ecosystem services, we also compromise the ability of those services to provide for us. 

 

Although they are free, our ecosystem services should never be taken for granted.  They are

absolutely uniqueamong the more than three hundred planets discovered by astronomers to date.  Even a brief examination of the conditions on other planets in our own solar system will quickly dispel any notion that the conditions on Earth are common; for example, Mars lacks an atmosphere and the “surface” on Jupiter is molecular/liquid metallic hydrogen at 6,000 degrees Celsius.  In their own way, the other five planets are no less inhospitable to human life.      

 

Because the state ofour environment is so vital, it is concerning that even more attention and resources are not being directed toward environmental issues. While issues pertaining to society and economy will always be important, it must be recognized that a healthy society and economy are predicated on having a healthy environment. 

 

In the short term, it may be possible for us to maintain a business-as-usual approach while running an ecological deficit.  (Consult Living Planet Reports by the WWF for information on this.) However, just as any financial institution will not permit a client’s account to become increasingly overdrawn, the natural biophysical processes that regulate our Planet will similarly act to bring everything back into a new state of equilibrium - whether or not it is to our liking.

           

So, there is an urgency to do much more and without delay.  And, while political leaders are involved in their deliberations, it is incumbent on each of us to do our part. A good way to begin would be to reread the words of Dr. Jahn and then to consider some of the myriad ways in which we can reduce our environmental impact.  There is no shortage of environmental actions we can adopt and ways in which we can express our environmental concern.  It is really just a matter of exploring and experimenting to find what works best in our own lifestyles.