It’s good to see that in both Britain and the USA (with the election of a new president), as well as in many other countries across the world, leaders and governments appear at last to be taking the issue of the environment seriously, genuine moves seemingly being made to cutting our carbon footprint and moving towards economies based on renewable energy. The question, of course, is whether this is too little, too late. With the planet still warming, forests continuing to be cleared at an alarming rate, and the extinction of flora and fauna progressing at unprecedented levels, it’s hard not to ask – as I do in the following reflection from my recent book Seize the Day, ‘What have we done to our world?’ Pray God there remains time to undo the damage.
What have we done to our world?
The earth, the air, the land and the water
are not an inheritance from our forefathers
but on loan from our children. So we have to hand it
over to them at least as it was handed over to us.
Mahatma Gandhi
We cannot command Nature except by obeying her.
Francis Bacon
What is the use of a house if you haven’t
got a tolerable planet to put it on?
Henry David Thoreau
What have we done to our world?
A world so stunningly beautiful,
so vibrant,
so brimming over with life, colour, sights and sounds –
wonderful beyond words.
What have we done to our planet?
A planet that, in the barren reaches of the universe,
sparkles like a priceless jewel,
an artist’s palette set against the blackness of space,
supporting and sustaining such diversity,
such marvels,
such loveliness.
What have we done to our earth?
This earth shaped over countless epochs,
bringing to birth oceans and mountains,
hills and valleys,
forests and meadows –
seemingly so solid,
so permanent,
yet exposed today as vulnerable,
threatened as never before.
And all due, not to mighty forces of nature,
but to humankind;
to us who,
in the context of time,
have featured but for a moment,
yet in that fleeting spell have managed to wreak such havoc –
ecosystems destroyed,
species annihilated,
oceans polluted,
climate changed.
We need to change instead –
to consider our lifestyles,
assess our priorities,
and strive for a sustainable future –
or otherwise,
when our children, and children’s children,
ask in years to come concerning their broken planet,
‘What have you done to our world?’
we will not be able to answer, for shame.