(originally posted by my blogmate to
seditious libel.)
More than 300 critcally endangered species completely unprotected, new study shows (Innovations Report): The "global gap analysis" authors state that a major shift in conservation planning is required to avoid large-scale species extinctions over the next few decades.
As one of the world's most powerful countries, we have an absolute duty to protect this planet.
This is an idea I am firmly committed to. Perhaps that's what makes me so angry about drilling in ANWR. So what if we get a little extra oil? Once we've destroyed it, we've destroyed it. You don't get species back, or rainforests back, or a healthy climate system back. I was reading
this article, from the Guardian, about how the Amazon is losing its ability to act as a carbon dioxide sink. If the rainforests stop working, the Earth's climate will change significantly, because of natural carbon dioxide, and because of the carbon dioxide we add to the atmosphere via the burning of fossil fuels. Let's stop bickering about
whether or not global warming is real and start doing something to STOP IT.
Besides, we could achieve the Republican dream and decrease our dependence on foreign oil while we're at it.
Also: three hundred species. Think about that. And it's not just about loving the fuzzy little animals, it's about genetic diversity, which is more important than you might think.