Causecast

by PHILIP ROSS, Causecast Editor

We jet from continent to continent, speed from city to city in energy-inefficient vehicles, flatten entire landscapes to make way for parking lots and shopping malls, smoke-spewing factories and ten lane freeways; and blow the tops off entire mountains to satiate our obsession with energy – all in the name of progress. Is this progress, or have we just gotten better at dismantling what nature spent millions of years fabricating?

It’s your typical story of man versus wild, only man is now armed with explosives and chainsaws. After decades of messing with the delicate balance between living things, we find that the unintended consequences of our actions are not in our favor either. Case in point: global warming.

In America, our desire for coal is stripping our mountains of their natural integrity. We’re pumping rock full of dynamite, stepping back and watching the fireworks as debris rain down from the dusty air. The immediate effects of such behavior are ugly enough: splintered trees, devastated wildlife, and a scarred, mutilated landscape. The secondary effects are just as disconcerting.

From the Rainforest Action Network:

Everyday coal companies in Appalachia pulverize beautiful mountains, using more explosive force than at Hiroshima. Whole mountain ranges are gone: more than 500 mountains demolished to date, the surrounding communities which go back hundreds of years often forced off their land. MTR has buried thousands of miles of rivers, polluted our drinking water, and clear-cut thousands of acres of the world’s most biologically diverse forests. All this destruction for less than 8% of the nation’s coal supply.

What happened to our relationship with the natural world? Where’s our understanding of our integration with the nature we were meant to be a part of?

In order to reconcile ourselves with nature, we’re going to have to accept the inevitable: cutting back on our energy consumption is the first step to repairing the damage and changing our habits. Coal will continue to be mined until we no longer depend on the coal market for energy. Demanding less coal-powered utilities is the only way to stifle the supply.

Are we proud of how far we’ve come? I can’t say I am. Let’s work together to do progress the right way, by moving forward with nature in a way that is healthy for humans, plants, and animals alike. Human progress shouldn’t have to destroy our earth.

This October 30, you can get involved with the End Mountaintop Removal Day of Action. Join Mountain Justice, Energy Justice Network and Rainforest Action Network (RAN) as they rally to end the destruction of our mountains and forests. Register with RAN to let them know you’re participating. Check out Mountain Justice’s website to download materials to help spread the word.

Photo by Christian Revival Network, flickr.