This planet has allowed our life for millenniums and only in recent history have we started to appreciate its sustainability. The problem we face today is one of many when it comes down to global issue. The issue of the environment seems to be one that we all face; in fact, if we aren't conscious of our impact on the environment then eventually we will become extinct as a race. Many people in this generation and generations past see environmental degradation as a problem for future generations; however, if this problem is not addressed in the near future then it may be too late for us. The dominant animal of the planet is blatantly wasting away its genius and superior intellect on trivial pursuits such as those of wealth and comfort. Those that have the power to make decisions over our society are wasting away the Earth's natural capital in order to satisfy their age old desire for "profit". As hard as it is to believe, the ones who hold the most power in this world are the ones with the most currency. When the large fossil fuel companies like Bp and Exxon decide that Earth has exhausted its last drop of nonrenewable resources, then money will start to flow into renewable energy expenditures like solar, wind or hydro. Environmentalism has come a long way since its beginning several decade ago, but the desire for profit has always overpowered the desire to be sustainable. Aldo Leopold once said from his work in Sand County Almanac, “Conservation is getting nowhere because it is incompatible with our Abrahamic concept of land. We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” Leopold insists that one day we will no longer be blinded by the eye of consumerism. One day we will start to treat the planet as we do each other, with love and respect. On that day environmental ethics won't just be a philosophy, it will be a way of life for us all. Happy Earth Day everyone!
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