Tangled Up in Green: Green Makes War On Us All
Five years have gone by. The U.S. casualty toll is now 4,000. It is estimated that some 80,000 plus Iraqi civilians have lost their lives in the war.
Photo Courtesy of Luke Plunkett @ Kotaku.com
There isn’t a body count for wildlife, native plants, or eco-systems that have been killed in the struggle.
War takes a priceless toll on everything natural. Yet, nature may be the last thing that nations go to war over.
How long before we decide to protect the environment through force?
Can we go to war over the environment and still save it?
This may seem far fetched, but the possibility of an environmental war is already being discussed in the U.N.
“Ecological security must no longer be considered a luxury but rather an inextricable element of a durable peace policy,” states Klaus Topfer. He calls for international guarantees for protecting the environment similar to the Geneva Conventions, which protect the rights of prisoners and civilian populations in war. For ecological damage poses a threat greater than bombs to populations distressed by hunger, thirst, and disease.
If ecological damage is classified as such a great threat, could wars be declared to save the Amazon rain forest or Mediterranean fish populations?
Dr. Klaus Topfer, head of the U.N. environment program thinks that war is very likely. Perhaps not for the Spotted Owl. But as populations grow, natural resources are going to become more and more scarce. As nation’s need, war will likely occur.
Currently one quarter of the world’s population does not have access to clean water. If trends continue, Pakistan and China, both will be struggling to hydrate their populations. And a scary thing is they possess nuclear weapons. If push comes to shove for H2O, what would their options be?
To prevent this, we have to move away from our unsustainable systems. We need to use agencies like the U.N. to moderate, educate, and propagate nations towards an environmentally sustainable future. Not just for the birds and trees, but for our own survival.
We need to make our peace with green now.
All concerned enviro-citizens should be riding bicycles locally. Let’s start to have seminars on bicycle commuting, with rides/ organic foods. These are the solutions to today’s problems. Each one of us has to ‘tread-lightly’ and promote the cause.
Although I agree that more bike riding should happen for a number of reasons. I don’t think that it will be “the end solution” to our environmental problems.