My message for this day is pretty simple and maybe a little counterintuitive. The best way to “protect” the Earth, is by investing in people. Investing in systems that represent our needs and our interests, that don’t privilege a tiny minority at the expense of the masses. We need systems that eliminate bigotry, prejudice and inequality in the system if we’re really going to create a sustainable world.
We can’t just invest in technology and hope for the best. We must invest in the people on the ground who are facing the brunt of the damage. If you care about the Amazon, invest in Brazilian people. If you care about the Serengeti, invest in Tanzanians and Kenyans.
I post about climate change every week, but there are so many other issues facing our environment, and they’re all interconnected. They’re intertwined not only with other environmental issues, but with social and cultural issues. We can’t protect our environment if our governments aren’t representative, or our news sources are misleading. We can’t protect our environment by dumping all our toxins on disadvantaged communities. There is no separating environmental issues from social issues.
We have to respect indigenous rights. Root out racism. Eliminate bigotry. Fix democracy. And annihilate the absurd inequalities in our society. We also need to empower kindness and selflessness, while combatting greed and selfishness. There is no protecting our environment without empathy.
Last but not least, the Earth is not in danger. Nothing we can do as humans can “destroy” the Earth. The only danger to the Earth is our Sun, which will eventually destroy it. WE are in danger. WE are vulnerable. WE are the ones who face catastrophe.
I believe wholeheartedly that we are capable of solving these issues. The challenges are enormous but we have the ingenuity, the flexibility and resourcefulness to solve them, we just need the determination.
The Mangrove 