Greed and mindless gratification will deliver sad ending to Planet Earth
It’s the end of the world as we know it (I don’t feel fine).
American rock group R.E.M. beat me to this conclusion as their musical release seems more in tune with a sense of doom for earthlings. Let’s check the climate meter for personal measurements regarding saving Planet Earth. Oh, that’s not good as “Not Optimistic” delivers a current personal mood. But then again, opinions about climate issues can change like the weather.
Still, what’s being asked of humans, predominantly capitalist men who love money and more money, seems far afield of their responsibility abilities. Money trumps everything in capitalist country.
Mother Nature ranks as more prostitute than planet as men offer no concern regarding deforestation, ozone layer destruction, a burning of fossil fuels and the accumulation of greenhouse gases that may eventually cook our planet while delivering extreme weather events.
Remember that Chiffon margarine commercial that warned “It’s Not Good to Fool Mother Nature?” Individuals can impact this climate change by 30-percent while the larger portion and action needs to come from corporations, government and military.
The United States should be leading the way for initiatives to save the planet but President Donald Trump denies climate change as his agenda has rolled back environmental regulations in favor of coal, oil companies and capitalism.
Trump missed an August G-7 summit on climate change and made only a brief appearance this week as the United Nations addressed the issue. While optimism remains a wonderful human characteristic, feeling good about a 2017 U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, signed by more than 200 countries to pursue voluntary reductions in carbon emissions, appears ominous.
Paris Agreement supporters seek to keep global temperature increases below 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, as science experts warn a higher number could produce irreversible damage to the planet. Plus, the U.S. China and India have increased coal mining efforts ahead of expected increased coal use.
Does not mean that we should avoid fun. In moments such as this, a description of eating an ice cream on the Titanic works.
We’re going to kill Mother Earth.
L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist. Find him on Twitter @LAParker6 or email him at LAParker@ Trentonian.com.