The Green Net recently attended a national workshop in Durban where we were joined by like-minded and extremely diverse civic and community groups from around the country, and one thing we had in common was our concern for the future of our children.
At the heart of environmentalism is humanitarianism. It is not just about preserving nature; it is about the legacy we leave to our youth. Earth is going into a warming period – whether this is caused by human activity or natural cycles of nature is debatable, but the fact is our Earth is warming and our current industrial action is speeding up the process, including the loss of a huge number of species. This is the legacy of our forefathers, a legacy we are trying really hard to rectify and remediate.
Our agricultural practices, urban sprawl and demand on natural resources has left very few unspoiled areas available for our children to experience the clean rivers and untouched forests or grasslands where we played so lightheartedly as youngsters. If we continue in this trajectory, all we will be leaving our children is a scorched earth with poisoned rivers and lakes, and an ocean devoid of life…
As environmentalists we are sometimes accused of being tree huggers and anti-development. We get blamed for complaining and hampering economic growth. Our concern is not always the immediate impact, but rather the long-term and unforeseen consequences such development will have on the receiving community in that environment. Will it be sustainable, or even better, will it enhance the future of the environment and all its inhabitants?
Developers’ concerns are normally more short term, how quickly can it be done, how much will it cost, and most importantly, how much will they make… often publicly justified by how many jobs they will create, although these are often temporary. This model only serves a few in the short term, and the future is not really considered past the completion date of the project… in other words, if I am not here, it is not my concern.
I beg you to look around you and ask yourself this question, what are we leaving behind for our children? How can we do things better?
The Youth is our future, and we are not making it easy for them…
HAVE YOUR SAY
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