For thousands of years
We were innocent – human activity was small
Now it’s our fault
We are choking the planet
Most of us are good people
BUT…just by our existence,
We are not good for the planet
There’s too many of us
We wanted to have a family and we got one
Now there are not only too many families
There are too many couples that are not having families
All of the things we do impact our home
This thin-skinned apple
We’ve taken huge chunks from
It is an orange that we’ve sucked dry
With seven billion of us and counting,
The population has never dropped in our lifetimes
It will probably keep on growing
Each breath we take takes from the atmosphere
12 breaths a minute – 7 billion – do the math
Climate scientists call this HUMAN ACTIVITY
All of us, collectively, are killing the planet
A slow death with frequent indicator events
All spell a downward spiral
Salmon that can’t reach spawning grounds
We shit, and where does it go?
We are swimming in it
Our garbage, where does it go?
On top of our water.
We use water to cook, wash, clean
Do the math
Coral reefs, global warming, sea level rise
This is not a pretty picture
Earth can’t keep up
Its restorative powers stretched to the limit
Earth is reacting to human activity
It has hung up a sign “Full House”
Standing Room Only
Sold Out
Earth is crying:
“Sorry, I can’t make new water.”
“Sorry, I can’t make new air.”
“Sorry, I can’t make new soil.”
Human activity was good
Now… not so much
Earth is entering the emergency room
Earth has been admitted
Nurses, and doctors are at hand
Earth has a temperature.
Blood pressure low
Skin pale
Earth is coughing
Human activity in the hallway
Outside Earth’s hospital room
“Earth dying.” There’s nothing we can do.
Doctors order no visitors
Security guards stand by
The heart machine beeps its crests and troughs
Nurses take vital signs
Another doctor offers a second opinion
Earth will survive,
Us, not so much