Our Enviornment

Everyone in the world is facing an insoluble problem. PEOPLE! The world is over populated. We are crowding out everything natural, scenic and living - other than people. We are crowding ourselves out. Few places remain as we knew them from our childhood, no mater what our ages. The world is changing too fast.

If some person or company owns a piece of land, that entity should normally have the right to do whatever he/she/it wants to do with it. In the United States, we have a long tradition that our government has the right and duty to regulate land use for the greater good. The primary reason for regulations generally is: does anyone like a garbage dump or a slaughterhouse next door? Some control is not only desired, but required for health and noise reasons.

Yet, even today we can enjoy sites, views and quietude from lands and access to water places that still remain relatively untouched. Our forefathers did not abuse or befoul those places. We can thank our ancestors for thinking about us, their progeny. Everyone should be smart enough not to shoot themselves in the foot, no matter how egocentric or profit oriented society becomes. Children would be denied their chance to enjoy the environment by destroying the environment that the developers own. The animal world can never be replaced once destroyed or killed off. We can't worry about those who lose their jobs because of necessary conservation restrictions, because we never worried over buggy makers or atom bomb workers losing their jobs.

There is no answer to the growing population problem. Controlling the growth of the population is an impossible solution. That would obligate all countries to participate; for movement out of overpopulated countries cannot be controlled. The intense usage of lands, such as apartment houses everywhere, is a possible solution. But that would require attitudes to change. Another solution is decking over lands that do not require being open to the sky. People in surrounding areas may object, but those objections might have to be overcome. Tight control of water usage is vital and leaves no room for waste. Air pollution is also something that can't be ignored. If we befoul the atmosphere, it might take centuries to correct, if even possible.

The United States is the biggest user of all types of energy and the biggest befoul-er; the U.S. needs strong political will. We don't have that today. Most Americans, even our elected officials are very shortsighted and see other things as more important. The environment is irreplaceable. Parks that are destroyed are gone forever. Open space built upon is no longer open space. Eagles or owls killed off will no longer be seen. What will be left for our progeny to enjoy and see? The environmental concerns should receive long-term top priority, other issues are merely momentary.