Have we gone too far?

Environment. It is the one reason why mankind is here at this day at age. It has the power to make the poorest of nations into the mightiest of powers. It also has the ability to crush the most powerful civilisations mercilessly once its wrath has been incurred.

Why is the environment important to man? The answer is obvious. It is the environment that provides for our food, that provides for our resources, that ultimately allows man to be what he is today. Without simple portions the environment, there is no possible way we can survive. Take away the plants - atmospheric equilibria cannot be sustained, and Man is doomed to suffocate. Take away the animals; Man is doomed to starve. Take away the microbes - recycling of nutrients cannot occur, and again Man is doomed. It is thus clear that we must not toe the line of environmental degradation, that we do not awaken this sleeping giant from its slumber, or the consequences will be great. Yet the sceptics demand proof, when proof is before their very own eyes. Look at the Boxing Day tsunami disaster of 2004. It is crystal clear that if the mangrove swamps in Bandar Aceh had not be removed and replaced by concrete pavement, that if the moneyhungry officials had given the decision due thought instead of just wanting to reap profits, the death toll would not have been so appallingly high.

Yet it is capitalism, responsible for bringing mankind to its peak, that clouds the clear mind, that compounds what should be simple logic. Driven by our lust for money, for economic might, Man has begun to overharvest our world's resources, raping the environment without any remorse or guilt, striving to take what does not belong to us and make it our own. The more responsible of our kind fear that our world cannot take the strain, that we are unsustainably stripping our world of natural resources. Yet they are branded as 'treehuggers' and 'doomsday prophesizers' by those so thoroughly blinded by greed, by power, for power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Already, our seas, once thought to have an infinite supply of food, are running dry, adversely affected by overfishing and other abominable deeds such as explosive and cyanide fishing. The ozone layer, vital in protecting us from the harms of the full strength of the solar wind, is being slowly and surely depleted. The land, once fertile and arable, is now arid and sterile. Yet companies, as well as individuals, exploit loopholes in law and policy to continue poisoning our environment. Man has become blinded by our apparent supremacy over all else. How foolish we are. All it would take would be a simple hydroxyl holocaust, or a mass release of stored reserves of methane, for the environment to bring us crashing to our bended knees, begging and pleading for mercy.

The most pessimistic of us fear that we have already pushed the limits, that an apocalypse is certainly guaranteed. But many things can be done, perhaps not to stop this armageddon, but at least weaken its effects on us. What can we do to play our part? Each of us must be environmentally aware. Practise the 3Rs of recycling, reusing and reduction. Sustainable harvesting of resources is also a must. Finally, try your utmost best to buy goods that bear the mark of a stewardship council, a clear certificate that such goods were produced by environmentally friendly means. It may cost more to buy a can of fish certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, but ask yourself this question: What is better, to pay more for a can of fish now and know that your children and grandchildren will be able to eat such fish in the future, or buy cheap fish and deny future generations the chance to see, hold and touch fish? The decision lies with you.