October 5, 2011 by David K. Sutton
Save the Planet? Forget About the Planet
You say the planet has been here a long time. You say the planet has been here much longer than human beings. You say the planet will be here long after we are gone. You say all of this because you believe those liberal environmentalists are ridiculous and self-righteous to believe we need to “save the planet”. I say you are correct on all counts.
So we agree and should move on to the next issue. Hold on a second. You are correct that the planet is much older than us and that it will outlive us. You may even be correct that it’s silly to try to “save the planet”. But is it silly to try to maintain a pure and clean environment?
The planet will exist regardless but don’t we want clean air to breathe and clean water to drink? Don’t we want that for future generations? Why do we get to destroy the environment and sacrifice the ability of future generations to enjoy and thrive on this planet? Why do companies get to make a profit while polluting our rivers, our streams, our air? It is for short-term monetary gain that we are condemning future generations to disease, respiratory illnesses and worse.
So yes, it’s not about saving the planet. It’s about caring for the environment – the only one we have – that supports human life. If we destroy our environment and our ability to live on this planet surely the planet will survive and may even repair itself over millions of years. That’s your argument for not addressing pollution and climate change?
