It would take at least 10,000 words to even attempt to list all of the known examples, even within the last 12 months, in which grievous environmental damage has been swept under the rug instead of properly punished. Corporate strategy often entails accepting the possibility of great ecological damage primarily because fines and punishments are small or non-existent, all the while the profit gained simply reinforces their behavior. Essentially every one of the man-made environmental disasters to date could have been avoided by taking sufficient precautions.
Fixing this problem is relatively straightforward: there must be personal responsibility for environmental degradation and ecological collapse. Systemic and institutional problems must be exposed and corrected, ecology courses provided to those who work in industry.
It is insane that right now, giving birth to a stillborn baby can potential earn a woman a life behind bars, but destruction of evidence regarding the BP gulf disaster is punished with a $1000 fine and 1 year probation. It becomes painfully clear that the legal system is skewed towards more harshly sanctioning “social crimes” in regard to issues like drug use or distribution than crimes which affect the survival of many species and our health.
A great deal of science, based on findings ranging from genetics to ecology, paint a very clear picture of humanity standing on the edge of biosphere collapse. It is a planetary emergency, which calls for an immediate restructuring of the values fueling the behavior of our various institutions.
After every 100,000 signatures, it will be sent to the United Nations Environmental Programme. Translations will also be sent (along with the list) to national environmental agencies, as other concerned people help us put it into their language. Every signature counts: this is a global problem. Biosphere and environmental integrity are issues that affect each and every one of us, as well as all coming generations: we cannot afford to wait.
[emailpetition id=”2″]