Thank you so much for your thoughtful commentary. You articulate very well what I think most of us feel. Hopefully, by expressing such thoughts and observations on blogs, in letters, at work, at home, or just standing in the line in the grocery store, these kinds of consciousness-raising and inspirational words will bring us eventually to realize how to deal with the daunting challenges before us. Your words say it very well: there is hope!

The human population numbers to which you are drawing attention are vital, I believe. Perhaps we can look at the numbers and consider ways in which we can understand what they could mean for human and environmental health in the next decade of Century XXI.

Something that has concerned me in the past several years is the following realization: I have slowly come to the conclusion too many people in my not-so-great generation are simply unwilling to openly acknowledge certain human-driven, looming challenges, soon to be confronted by humanity because none of us knows how to respond to them. Perhaps the brightest and best in my generation have chosen to remain willfully blind and electively mute, and, thereby, leave these problems for our children to discover, address and overcome. If so, such a determination to remain silent is exceedingly disappointing.

For me, such a choice to consciously deny that which could somehow be real, based upon the best available good scientific evidence, is unacceptable. While I do not have ‘answers’ to pressing global problems already visible on the far horizon, I do retain great confidence that our children will respond ably to requirements of their practical reality. I believe the old laggards among us could still choose to help our young people, but thus far have chosen instead not to serve our children well enough by failing to do the one thing we can certainly do now: communicate frankly about certain daunting global challenges, especially in light of their distinctly human derivation and their potentially profound implications for the future of life on Earth.

I believe experts from many professional disciplines, inside and outside natural philosophy and science, will soon do better to help our children save life as we know it for coming generations.

Sincerely,

Steve

Perhaps an article by a sure and able friend of mine and of Earth & Sky, Paul Chefurka, can put some of the astounding numbers from the World Clock in perspective by revealing at some of their potentially profound implications.

http://www.paulchefurka.ca/Population Decline - Red Herrings and Hope.html

Alternate interpretations of the World Clock numbers from members of the E&S community are welcome here and would be valued.

Thanks to all,

Steve