Our World

What occurs to me is that we have a great responsibility, living in this world.  Ultimately, we own nothing, we only rent.  Some of us rent more things than others, but nothing we have is ours forever in perpetuity.  Simply put, we all die.  Even our bodies are rented and return to the earth.  Our responsibility is to manage our world as best we can, and leave it in as good shape as possible.

Consider for a moment that in the past 60 years, the world's population has grown from 2.5 billion to 6.8 billion people.  Almost 3 times as many people inhabit this planet now as when I was born.  Imagine a glass of water and it's all yours.  Then there's another person, and you have to share your glass of water.  Before the second person came along, you drank all you wanted, but now with less water, you have to share what's left.  And then, a third person joins you and now with even less water, you have to share what's left with two other people.  Now, with less to share, and three people who want to drink, you have to find a way so that each of you has water.  But, if each gets some water, the glass will get emptier faster.  What happens when the glass is empty?

This is what has happened in my lifetime.  Over the past 40 years, the issues of world population growth and resource consumption have continued to elude solution.  Let's suppose for a moment that climate change is not factually supported, regardless of the politics or science.  There are two facts that still are unassailable.  The first is that there will continue to be more people that our planet must support with basic necessities-food and water, clothing, and shelter.  The second is that there is a finite amount of resources to share among the growing population.  Consider all the political rhetoric about oil and gas prices, natural gas versus renewable and sustainable fuels, environmental protection versus drill, baby, drill.  We have a limited supply of all resources, and as more people demand them, there will be a burgeoning threat to the stability of our economies, our governments, and our lives.

What happens when the glass is getting empty?  We have only a few choices.  We decrease the number of people who want the water, by force.  We agree to limit the amount each can have, by agreement.  We find other resources to replace what we will need, by research, education and exploration.  We get to choose which path we travel.  If we choose force, we have the water we want, but no new water.  If we agree to share, we all have less water, but no new water.  If we look for alternatives, we may run out before we find a new source.  And there is looming another person who will want some water. 

Have you ever heard the term, "peak oil"?  It refers to the point in time where we reach the maximum oil extraction rate, after which the rate declines because we use it faster than supply can be replaced in the market, and because the overall availability of oil decreases because it becomes more difficult to find.  Although it has been estimated that this point will be reached by 2020, pessimistic estimates state that we have already reached that point. 

There are other resources which are similarly definable as limited.  In fact, all are finite; some simply have longer lifespans.  There only so much to go around, folks.  Whether or not human existence is creating an alteration in our climate is relevant because it may hasten the utilization of the resources we need to continue life on this planet.  Failure of governments to act on alternatives, finding replacement resources, will increase the chances that we will fight wars based on scarcity, rather than find timely solutions.  If our job on earth is to hand our stewardship to generations to follow us, we must allocate human resources to that task, now and on-going.  If not, all the rhetoric, particularly in Washington, D.C., about passing "debt" to our grandchildren is mere demagoguery. 

Back to our glass of water.  Water is the basis of all life on earth.  The human body consists of 75% water.  And even potable water is a limited resource.  Perhaps not in our lifetime, but by the end of this century, known sources of water for drinking, cooking and washing, are going to disappear.  Even today, it is estimated that 80% of the world's population has limited access to supplies of usable water. 

We are all in this together. Sink or swim.  If we are not aware or if we don't care, we are going to have failed in our responsibility to future generations.  If we wait, we lose. 

Thanks for stopping by.