There is a gyre of discarded floating plastic the size of the continental USA in the ocean. In it, plastic trash outweighs plankton 40 to 1.
The environment is so fundamental to our continued existence that it must transcend politics and become a central value of all members of society.
Treaties, agreements and organizations to help settle disputes may be necessary, but they often favor the interests of business over citizens.
Doing all we can to combat climate change comes with numerous benefits, from reducing pollution and associated health care costs to strengthening and diversifying the economy by shifting to renewable energy, among other measures.
Rapid population growth and technological innovation, combined with our lack of understanding about how the natural systems of which we are a part work, have created a mess.
The one thing I feel is very hopeful, however, is the overwhelming participation of women in the movement for change.
We have much to learn by studying nature and taking the time to tease out its secrets.
My Prime Minister regards the economy as our highest priority and forgets that economics and ecology are derived from the same Greek word, oikos, meaning household or domain. Ecology is the study of home, while economics is its management. Ecologists try to define the conditions and principles that enable a species to survive and flourish. Yet in elevating the economy above those principles, we seem to think we are immune to the laws of nature. We have to put the ‘eco’ back into economics.
The fact of the matter is that today, stuff-selling mega-corporations have a huge influence on our daily lives. And because of the competitive nature of our global economy, these corporations are generally only concerned with one thing - the bottom line. That is, maximising profit, regardless of the social or environmental costs.
Scientists have been warning about global warming for decades. It's too late to stop it now, but we can lessen its severity and impacts.
Each of us now has 2.27 kg (5 lbs) of plastic embedded in our bodies.
One of the joys of being a grandparent is getting to see the world again through the eyes of a child.
So now the challenge is to imagine a different world where our wealth is in human relations and the things we do together, and we learn to live in balance with the rest of nature.
Conventional economics is a form of brain damage. Economics is so fundamentally disconnected from the real world, it is destructive.
So we draw lines around our property, our counties, our cities, our states, our countries. And, boy, do we act as if those lines are important. I mean, we go to war. We will kill and die to protect those boundaries. Nature couldn't give two hoots about our national boundaries.
Human beings are often at their best when responding to immediate crises - car accidents, house fires, hurricanes. We are less effective in the face of enormous but slow-moving crises such as the loss of biodiversity or climate change.
Outright bans on plastic bags may not be the best solution, but education and incentives to get people to stop using them are necessary.
Our personal consumer choices have ecological, social, and spiritual consequences. It is time to re-examine some of our deeply held notions that underlie our lifestyles.
Conventional economics is a form of brain damage.
Water is our most precious resource, but we waste it, just as we waste other resources, including oil and gas.
What permaculturists are doing is the most important activity that any group is doing on the planet.
Perhaps the whole world is actually a banquet, to which every living thing is invited. First you come as guests: then eventually you're on the menu.
Our beliefs, our values shape the way we look out at the world and the way we treat it. If we believe that we were here, placed here by God, that this - all of this creation is for us, it's for us to go and occupy, dominate and exploit, then we will proceed to do that.
We have become a force of nature Not long ago, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, drought, forest fires, even earthquakes and volcanic explosions were accepted as “natural disasters or “acts of God.” But now, we have joined God, powerful enough to influence these events.
Any politician or scientist who tells you these [GMO] products are safe is either very stupid or lying.
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