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| WWF Climate March 2015
Madrid (OsvaldoGago - Wikimedia Commons) |
The media are full of the
issue of terrorism but where the attention of all humankind needs to be
centered is on the more vast and crucial terrorism of our human presence on
this planet.
At least now all these
governments have recognized that the fossil fuel era must end. They have set a demanding target of holding
the rise in temperature to be contained below 1 ½%. That is stringent and will not be successful,
but it gives more hope for a containment below 2%. As Bill McKibben wrote: This didn’t save the
planet, but it may have saved the chance of saving the planet.
If all human beings
understood that, our governments would direct all their concern on the actions
needed to preserve life. Not just the
life of our families, or our economy, or our nation, not just of our species,
but of all life, the life of our Mother Earth.
Isn’t it interesting that
the greatest threat to our existence, to all life on this planet, is the threat
we have caused? This is the only life we
are aware of, the life we treasure and call sacred. Yet we continue to cause that threat, even as
we attempt to ignore and avoid the fact in our consciousness? We are intelligent enough to be aware of the
threat and its causes; aware that the only solution lies in drastically
altering our lives, and our actions that pose these threats. When this is brought to our attention, some
either deny that they are threats, deny that we are causing them, or feel we
have no responsibility or capability to do what is needed to avert the
threats. We hope someone else will do
it. Someone else will take care of
it. Science will invent a solution, some
new mechanism or chemistry to cleanse the planet and its atmosphere of
poisonous emissions.
The most powerful mechanism
and chemistry to restore the natural health of all life on our planet exists
now. It is available to us now, and it is not a human invention. With our help, the cleansing and healing of
the Earth, our precious Mother, lies in the flesh of her soil and in the life
of our relatives the plants, especially
trees.
The great forests we are
destroying and banishing have the ability to absorb the emissions which are so
toxic to our systems. They can cleanse
our atmosphere and the air we breathe.
They can give back in return the oxygen our bodies require.
So the human intelligence we
value so much suggests that we take immediate global action to preserve all the
forests we have; and to plant many, many more, at once. What if we reverse the process of covering
the Earth in cement: plant gardens, farms, orchards, and a lot more
wilderness?
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| Futatabi park, Japan (663highland - Wikimedia Commons) |
What if assuring clean air
and water and soil everywhere became our priority? What challenges to our creativity would that
entail? Already many people are
reclaiming trashed properties and converting them to community gardens, with
connection and fun for families and children.
Every year I contribute to the National Arbor Day organization and
receive packets of seeds for trees that I plant wherever I find a good place.
What if we invite our
enemies to join with us in planting gardens and orchards and forests? Invite opponents to make circles about our
love of nature and life, sharing our feelings and fears. Reach out to work and play together; in common
cause against the destruction that threatens everyone’s children and grandchildren.
I want to thank my friends
Albert Bates of The Farm and Chief Phil Lane Jr. for their reports and thoughts
on the deliberations in Paris.
Sending this to you is one
of the things I do to take responsibility for our great gift of life here on
Earth.
Please think about who and
where you can pass this on to, on social media, churches, local groups, local
media, how you can connect and engage with others on this one issue that is the
foremost one for all nations, races and religion living together on Earth.
Blessings on you all,
Manitonquat
