Same Problems. New Time.

            The problems our environment faces today are not new. They are simply the same type of problems with a new twist to them. In the article titled “A New Green History of the World: The Environment and the Collapse of Great Civilizations”, we are informed about environmental issues that the people of Easter Island faced years and years ago. It states that Easter Island is one of the most inhabited places on earth. It is only 400 square kilometers in area and lies on the Pacific Ocean near the west coast of South America. The first settlers, in a group of no more than 20-30 people, arrived at the island in the fifth century. From then, the population slowly increased. The islanders didn’t have much, but they found a way to survive with the resources they were given. They created one of the most advanced societies of its type. They had intense and elaborate set of social and religious customs that enabled them to meet all their needs. With increasing numbers and limited resources, the islanders began to experience defeat. Their necessary supplies eventually ran out, and the society collapsed.

            Like the Easter Islanders, we to have environmental issues. It is stated in the “Ecosystems and Human Well-Being” assessment that over the past 50 years, humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any comparable period of time in human history. We are striving to meet the demanding needs for water, timber, fiber, and fuel, but hurting some walks of life here on Earth. We are experiencing problems in our cropland, our coral reefs, and we are using more than half of all the synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, which was manufactured in 1913. The number of species on planet earth is declining.  Over the past few hundred years, humans have increased the species extinction rate by as much as 1000 times over background rates typical over the planet’s history. The degradation of ecosystem services is harming many of the world’s poorest people and is sometimes the principal factor causing poverty.  The people of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, suffer from diseases which are caused by inadequate water and sanitation.

            Our situation is similar to that of the Easter Islanders. The islanders could not think of a successful way to manage their needs of food, water, and timber, while staying up with their environment. They eventually ran out of supplies and resorted to other methods of survival, which eventually ended their society as they knew it. We are harming our environment by pushing it in all different directions. We are harming our animals and seeing different species become extinct. We are seeing these problems occur, but we are not addressing these issues as we should. While having such a high demand for certain necessities, we need to be also searching for a way to stay up with our environment. Our resources our limited, and we need to keep that in mind.