Resolution 2: Prevent the end of the world

I poked fun at the end-of-the-world panic yesterday but maybe I shouldn’t have. The signs are everywhere. Yesterday, the Broncos lost for the 3rd week in a row and still made it into the playoffs. Proof of the effects of the planets realigning? Or to some that hell is freezing over? On the same subject, Todd and I watched a movie called “Home” last night. Terrifying. It was a documentary about how Earth is fairing. A few stats:

1. The world’s population is increasing by 1 billion every decade. The population of China is 1.3 billion. That means we add the entire population of China every 13 years. The total recorded population exceeded 7 billion on Oct 31, 2011.

2. Since my generation was born, over 230,000 square miles of Amazon rainforest have been cleared. More than double the size of Colorado. My generation could see it officially reduced by half. It provides more than 20 percent of the world’s oxygen supply.

3. In the last 40 years the polar ice caps have been reduced by 40%. My generation could live to see the day when man can drive boats back and forth across the North Pole in the summer.

Disturbing movie. It was a lot like watching Paranormal Activity. You spend the whole movie waiting for something you know won’t be good. Then they scare the crap out of you at the end and leave you thinking about how frightening it would be if it were all true. Honestly, I am kind of a skeptic when it comes to stats. You have to question the accuracy of a movie showing footage of “Colorado’s… Grand Canyon”. But I also think debating those stats seems like a pointless activity for most people. Common sense dictates that it cannot possibly be good for us to consume resources and energy so outrageously while the population continues to rise. I am not quite ready to board a pirate ship to throw stink bombs at whaling ships but certainly I can do better at home.

Resolution #2: Find measurable ways to reduce our consumption.