“The three main greenhouse gases hit record high levels in the atmosphere last year, the U.N. weather agency said,” began an Associated Press story on Page A3 of the Oct. 27 Portland Press Herald. Not that we’ve again failed to lower our rate of polluting Earth’s atmosphere, which is killing many plants and animals, including humans, but we are increasing our rate of polluting. Why?

Because no one wants to be inconvenienced, make sacrifices, have to change their way of life. Because by now, it would take every country working together to save the world. Because every country’s people have internal differences and almost every country has enemies; people they can’t get along with, don’t trust, spy on, try to cheat and even attack.

Because most individuals are concerned with their own lives and the lives of those to whom they are close. Because thinking about the entire planet is perhaps an impossible challenge. Because we haven’t been willing to stop the ongoing population explosion any more than stopping polluting.

It’s a fact we all would have to work together and overcome our differences for a common goal. It’s a fact most natural resources aren’t renewable, not in the short term. It’s a fact that if human population continues to grow, we will overrun the Earth and perish, pulling most of what is living down with us. Almost all of us will have to recognize reality, and how so very urgent is our situation. Action is mandatory.

Louise Davis
Portland