Our planet is unique and beautiful. it provides us with all that we need to live a happy, fulfilled and productive
life, and more. This little blue planet also renews itself and maintains a myriad of ecosystems finely balanced to
enhance the maximum resources for all its beings, whether mineral, animal or vegetable.
We live in unique times. Our world now sustains the largest number of humans ever known. We live in a modern,
technological society, funded by a global economy and maintained by "scientific advances". We have more food
than we can eat, we have an affluent lifestyle, we have as much power as we can use and we live in comfortable,
dry and warm accomodation.
Our technological society costs us a great deal - this little blue planet is in crisis, we can not sustain our
present way of living and our global resources are dwindling at an alarming rate. Below are some facts to get
you thinking.
The facts detailed in the bulleted lists on these three pages (except
those marked *) are quoted from The little Earth Book by James
Bruges with the publisher's permission.
Food Production
7.5% of all arable land is abandoned every decade, largely because modern farming methods destroy the
microorganisms that enrich the soil.
Chemicals seep into ground water, putting drinking water at risk.
Spraying crops with chemicals upsets the balance of natural predators which prevent individual insect
populations getting out of hand; and insects develop resistance.
20% of insect species have, in the last50 years, been lost in some parts of Britain. A quarter of our
bee species faces extinction.
Birds that were once common are now becoming increasingly rare and some are at critical levels.*
75% of the genetic diversity of agricultural crops was lost in the last century.
Britain imports apples and, as a result, has lost most of its orchards.
More than 75,000 synthetic chemicals are now on the market. Nothing is known about a third of pesticides
in common use, and only 10% have been properly tested.
In the last half, century the average sperm count of men throughout the world has halved.
The WHO [World Health Organisation] attributes 80% of cancer to environmental influence,so reducing chemical
pollution would be five times as effective as finding expensive cures.
Science in the hands of business is depriving the world of natural products, introducing genetically novel
plants, making soil sterile and encouraging monoculture.
Since GM crops were introduced in the US, farmers have been using more pesticides and herbicides not less.
Monsanto's "New Leaf" potato incorporates pesticides in every cell, and the potato itself has to be registered
as a pesticide.
Monsanto has developed a "terminator gene" to prevent farmers from saving and sowing patented seed. It is
genetically designed to be sterile. (parphrased)
AstraZeneca is developing seed that is sterile unless their own chemicals are applied.
75% of food costs in the developed world lie in processing, packaging and distribution.
In 50 years the US has, with intensive pesticide use, doubled the amount of crops lost to pests.
Cereal produced by industrial agriculture requires 6 or 7 times as much energy input as traditional mixed farming.
