Astronauts typically express awe, and even love, for the beautiful earth below while they’re in orbit.
I wonder how they feel when seeing the immense consequential pollution from raging massive forest/brush fires?
Like the firestorm that viciously consumed a large swathe of Los Angeles in January 2025?
And the largely-Canadian forest fires that choke the air with health-damaging particulates every year, basically due to human-caused global warming?
I also wonder if a large portion of the planet’s most freely-polluting corporate CEOs, governing leaders and over-consuming/disposing individuals were rocketed far enough above the earth for a day’s (or more) orbit, while looking down, would the view have a sufficiently profound effect on them to change their political/financial support of, most notably, the environment-destroying fossil fuel industry?
Nevertheless, it must be convenient for big industry’s profit interests when neo-liberals and conservatives remain overly preoccupied with vocally criticising one another for their relatively trivial politics and, therefore, divert attention away from some of the planet’s greatest polluters and pollution, where it should and needs to be sharply focused. (Is it just me, or are “conservatives” generally more willing to pollute the planet most liberally?)
As a species, we can be so heavily preoccupied with our own individual little worlds, however overwhelming to us, that we will still miss the biggest of crucial pictures.
And it seems this distinct form of societal penny-wisdom but pound-foolishness is a very unfortunate human characteristic that’s likely to stay with us.
Unfortunately, in large part due to earth’s enormous size, there is a general obliviousness, if not a wilful carelessness, towards the vast natural environment.
There’s a continuance of polluting with a business-as-usual attitude. Societally, we still discharge pollutants like it’s all absorbed into the environment without repercussion.
Too many people continue throwing non-biodegradable garbage down a dark chute or flush pollutants down toilet/sink drainage pipes as though they’re inconsequentially dispensing that waste into a black-hole singularity where it’s safely compressed into nothing.
And then there are the corporate-scale toxic-contaminant spills in rarely visited wilderness. Out of sight, out of mind.
Ergo, every day of the year needs to be an “Earth Day”.
Frank Sterle jr, White Rock, British Columbia, Canada
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.