Nothing Is Forever
Well, let's pause and think about that
Do you recall these environmental disasters? Or have you forgotten? Or are you out shopping?
Bhopal (1984)-40 years ago Union Carbide in India poisoned more than 1/2 a million people.
Thousands died. Contamination continues to be seen in that area around Bhopal.
Chernobyl-1986-Only commercial nuclear accident where people were killed by radiation. Over 150,000 civilians who lived nearby have been impacted and exposed to radiation. The nightmare for them continues. Yes, the war continues in the Ukraine.
Love Canal 1977-The Hooker Chemical folks had closed their factory in the 1950s and then the area was rejigged for houses. People started complaining of health issues, black tar was bubbling from the ground and some people died. The number of people with health issues caused by the contamination grew. Finally, Jimmy Carter stepped up and 400 homes were evacuated and people were moved to other locations.
All a bit late for the people who had been living on a biological/chemical time bomb for decades. Lo and behold as of 2023 people are now living in this area that was contaminated back then.
They say it is ‘clean’ now. I am not sure who THEY are. Real Estate Agents?
(“Face Of Appalachia” first song on the playlist was written by Sebastian and Lowell George…from an album that has been with me 50 years)
Fukushima (2011)- No one died when the nuclear reactor was damaged here in Japan.
Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant, Japan is one of the world's most radioactive places. Fukushima is still highly radioactive today, Besides the millions of gallons of radioactive water that was released at the time of the accident, in 2023 Japan began releasing treated water into the ocean.
I am sure it is ‘totally’ safe. You got to trust them, right?
Close to 2 million people live in and around the plant.
Exxon-Valdez Oil Spill Alaska (1989) and BP Deep Horizon Oil Spill Gulf Of Mexico (2010). The spill of 11 million gallons of oil in Alaska was a drop in the ocean compared to the 210 million gallons leaked into the Gulf of Mexico. Simply, the impact that this has had on sealife across these areas is something that will never stop.
Now we have PFA’s which have been dubbed the ‘forever chemicals’. Have a look at this infographic.
We have all been exposed. We do not know and may never know the full impact these chemicals have had on us as human beings. I don’t think there will be enough studies and time to figure it all out. Just think about some of the cancers and new illnesses we have today and maybe there is a line pointing us to these PFA’s.
Humans do not have forever. The planet will still be here. It will outlive us.
Leading political leaders are saying some dumb shit that as citizens we should be paying attention to.
Peter Dutton, the Opposition party leader in Australia, and a man with a particularly odd head, wants to drop out of the Paris Agreement. Check it out below.
Trump, another politician with an odd head, removed the USA from the Paris Agreement in 2017 and Biden signed them back up in 2020.
What will happen next? That depends on YOU.
You are a responsible citizen. ‘
VOTE.
As humans and nations, we have to STOP measuring how good our country is doing by GDP (gross domestic product). I have been chanting this for decades.
GDP was not designed to assess the welfare o the well-being of citizens. It was designed to measure production capacity and economic growth. Simply, GDP maintains the patriarch and the vested interests of the people who already have all the chips.
If you can watch this clip from the last debates these two senior citizens took part in and still vote for Trump, I am unsure of your ability to think of the future.
Please explain that to your children and your grandchildren.
I dare you.
BASTANTE!
And this is but an island in an ocean.
This is our home, third from the sun.
Let it be evergreen
Let it be evergreen
And this is but an island in an ocean.
This is our home, third from the sun.
God, keep it evergreen.
To keep it evergreen I would lay my life down.-William E Smith
Paul~This is a sad state of affairs on a global level .
However, let me bring you back to your home town. Our HS was next to the town dump. In the 50s & 60s, pretty much every toxin you could fathom was thrown into that gaping hole. Many years later many NHP residents got various types of cancer-some survived, others didn't. ( List was compiled of all the people. It was too long and too late.
Because we are now educated with these disasters even in our own backyards, my hope is that 'we' are heeding the warning.
Totally recall that and if it can happen in your backyard it can happen anywhere