I brought home the “Avatar” 3-D glasses to use on my computer… hoping for greater perspective.
In this movie, James Cameron examines the no holds barred aspects of natural resource extraction in a breathtaking extraterrestrial excursion. Other than the exotic creatures on this planet, there is little difference from the way resource extraction is carried out on our home planet.
My particular concern is soil (soil is not dirt). Soil is the basis for our terrestrial ecosystems and habitats. Soil is an ecosystem of the greatest magnitude, hosting eighty percent of the planet’s creatures.
Soil is scraped off the planet’s surface with little thought of the consequences. Peeling the planet’s covering diminishes carbon storage; destroys hundreds of thousands of creatures that process nutrients, minerals and elements; reduces the area of arable land capable of supporting plant and crop life; increases water runoff while reducing water infiltration – and the list goes on and on.
Thoughtless clearing is ruining the soil in world forests. Little stewardship is practiced in the world’s mineral extraction operations. Development is stripping soil and changing hydrology through carelessness and poor locations. Our water resources are being unnecessarily poisoned in these processes.
The positive effects of skinning the planet?
I don’t have any to list – do you?
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