This letter is also dedicated to children, like my friend Sophia, who have a passion for nature. |
To my dearest children,
Today is a special day that we call "Earth Day" and I have found myself awake very early in the morning thinking about you. I don't know you yet but I already love you and care about your future. I hope that you will get the same chances I have had to enjoy this beautiful planet we call "Earth". However, I am very worried that you wont. Every day it seems that parts of our planet are irreversibly destroyed.
Everyone is supposed to do something today that will make a difference to the future of the planet but I can't help feeling like it is a joke. How can we be happy setting aside only one day for the Earth when every day needs to be "Earth Day"? Sure one day is better than no day but it pains me to know that for most people the other 364 days are all "Treat the Earth Like it is Disposable" days. We can't carry on like this. We only have one planet to live on and that's it. We wont be handed another after we have completely screwed up this one and even if there is a God and he had a another planet for us, I'm sure he wouldn't let us get our filthy hands on it because he'd know exactly what would happen if he did.
When I was only 10 years old I remember reading that rain forest the size of a football field was cut down every minute or so. I thought that surely by now we would have realised how insane this is and that we would have stopped but I am now nearly 30 and the situation is even worse. The global timber industry is out of control. Deforestation has wiped out plants and animal species, increased soil erosion and flooding and contributed to global warming. The entire planet appears to be getting hotter, which is a great worry because many wonderful animals are already threatened by the temperature change not to mention the millions of humans who live in areas that will soon be flooded or hit by stronger and more frequent hurricanes. In addition to chopping down rain forest and global warming we are; creating more waste than we are able to deal with, making plans for the use of nuclear weapons we are storing that can immediately kill millions of people, ignoring poverty in the poorest countries, catching too many fish, killing whales and releasing too many toxins into the environment... to name but a few things!
I know that this all sounds very depressing and you may ask yourself how can anyone even contemplate bringing you here? I know you will be disappointed when you learn what we have done to your planet and that you will not be able to forgive us because what we have done is unforgivable.
It might seem like there is no hope at first but I can tell you that there is. Sometimes things have to become worse before they get better but it is still possible for our situation to improve and I am pretty sure it will. However, it will not be easy and you will need to fight just like a warrior if you want to make the Earth a better place. I will be fighting with you and we will not give up because every day makes a difference.
So today is Earth Day and although I will go out and try to make a difference today, I will keep on doing it tomorrow and the next day and the next day and the next day because I love you very much and I want the best for you. You will be here soon and I can't wait to meet you.
With Love
From your future mother
Lisa.
Continue reading "Every day should be "Earth Day" -- A letter to my unborn children" »
