The Earth's not Worried. (Climate change)

Member Name: Plumptious

Product:	Climate change
Date:	23/03/01 (186 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The planet has nothing to lose.

Disadvantages: We may have to do something...

I vividly recall the occasion I first knew something that my venerable Physics teacher didn't.

The discussion was about the value of a billion.
"The American billion is smaller than ours, Sir. It's only a thousand million, not a million million".

"But I thought that everything in America was bigger."

"Well Sir, that's probably why. Their measures are smaller."

It made him laugh, and I still recall it fondly.


Anyhow, we're here to talk about recycling and climate change. Those of you familiar with me know that I like to begin at the beginning. So here goes.

IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS THE VOID.
And so on and so forth, until Earth was created and spinning merrily on its axis. This is some three to five American billion years ago. The surface of the planet was a seething mass of volcanic activity. Lightning strikes smote its surface, cataclysmic storms raged.

Gradually, enough of the heat was lost for the planet to cool down, and a decent crust was formed on its surface. Amino acids formed, and the first single celled organisms followed soon after.

More time passed. Plants appeared. The atmosphere of the fledgling planet was rich in carbon dioxide, encouraging more plants to gain a foothold. In time, a verdant colonisation was achieved. As a direct result of this, the oxygen levels of the planet rose. Animals benefited from this, and thrived.


Three billion years rolled by. A new species is in town. Restless and adaptive, it has colonised the planet successfully. From the icy wastes to the arid deserts and lush forests, it has carved out habitats and multiplied. In their quest for resources, humans have harvested fauna and flora from the planet's surface, trawled its seas and are penetrating ever deeper into the crust for more.


Inevitably, where resources are consumed, waste is produced. Becau
se the consumerism is on such a massive scale, the waste is reciprocally so. It begins to pervade more and more areas on a global scale. The air, sea and land are all affected.

The contamination becomes a topic of conversation. Campaigns are launched to save the rainforests, lest we suddenly find ourselves without this source of oxygen. Recycling is both a trendy and pious practise.

The hole in the ozone layer becomes a cause of concern. My best friend adds a new item to his imaginary catalogue of inventions:

"Environmentally Friendly Refills for Hole Punches
- made from the Hole in the Ozone Layer".

The slogan "Save the Planet" is everywhere.



So what if we don't recycle and save the planet? The land, sea and air become contaminated. The rainforests may die off. Humans may not thrive very well then. They may even die off.

So, the trees may be gone, but they weren't there to start with anyway. As for the humans, they were simply last minute additions which didn't last that long.


The Earth will be left with its crust, spinning in the void, just as it did all those american billion years ago.


It will still be there.
It certainly doesn't need saving.

Summary: