Sir, – It is my daughter’s 19th birthday today (Wednesday), a cause of celebration.
However, the day is tinged with great sadness as the recent World Wildlife Federation’s report confirms that mankind’s destruction of the planet as a habitat for all animals including humans continues unabated (“Animal population has fallen 60% in last 40 years, report states”, Denis Staunton, Home News, October 31st).
As in all major manmade catastrophes, it won’t be a single factor that heralds our decline, but probably a lethal combination of pollution, climate change, reduction in bio-diversity, destruction of our oceans, rampant overpopulation and other factors. By the time these coalesce into a storm of unparalleled consequences, it will be too late, and the worst predictions of science fiction writers of the mid 20th century will be realised.
We must accept that the increasing number of human beings (even though the rate of population growth is declining), cannot live on this planet in a sustainable manner going forward. We must grow up and accept that unless we take steps to control our activities and most especially our numbers, there is simply no long term future for us all.
I hope in vain that, should my lovely daughter have a son or daughter, that they will not look back at us and ask what were we thinking? – Yours, etc,
ROBERT CHESTER,
Knocklyon, Dublin 16.