I remember the first Earth Day back in 1970. Things seemed so hopeful then -- we could change our ways: recycle! live mindfully! alternative energy!
So, how have things changed? The American Museum of Natural History has put together an interesting little presentation HERE. Some bad news -- the global population has doubled -- doubled! Seas are rising, animal populations are shrinking . . .
But there's good news too. A lot of the changes have been implemented that have improved air quality, banning DDT has brought the Bald Eagle back from the brink of extinction, banning lead in gas has improved health . . . changing our ways can make a difference.
Now, alas, our government is in the hands of Big Business, of climate change deniers, of those who wield alternative facts so that their corporate masters can increase their profits.
What can we expect from a POTUS whose experience of Nature is through the windows of his air-conditioned penthouse high above Central Park, . . . or on the chemically manicured and water-guzzling greens of his golf courses. . . or vicariously through his sons as they go on yet another big game hunt? So far, his record is pretty dismal. His Cabinet choices . . . his proposed budget . . . as The Guardian puts it, the Trump presidency is a disaster for the planet. I've long maintained that humankind is the greatest natural disaster of all. The difference is that we have the power to control such disastrous behavior . . .but will we?
