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A Western Screech Owl, one of many S.A.R.A.-listed species that rely on BC's old-growth forests for their survival.. (Screech owls mate for life, with both ma & pa involved in co-parenting their young) |
You can read the CBC article at the link (below screen capture) re. Premier John Horgan's lame announcement on his latest 'Intentions Paper' vis-a-vis his/BC-NDP's 'new paradigm' on BC's precious Old-Growth Forests - which does little to assure forest defenders that these iconic 1,000-year-old forest ecosystems (/C02 sinks/ wildlife habitats) won'T be logged to extinction in 3 years..
Dare I say the issue of whether or not to save BC's old-growth forests should not be the decision of any human(s) putting short-term personal gains ahead of larger considerations, ie. Climate Action/ Nature's revival?
To pretend these are not dilemmas facing govt. leaders today is to deny the overwhelming body of science that has been telling (& showing) us the catastrophic results of our century-long ever-increasing crudely-executed/ heavy-handed 'harvesting' of Nature's once-rich, now-reaped bounty -- of which intact rainforest ecosystems are the 'Lungs' thereof.
Literally, BC's untouched 1,000-year-old primary (unlogged) forests -- of which only approx. 3% remain intact -- are among the world's ONLY climate-balancing wilderness ecosystems left to cover the herculean C02-sinking/ O2-emitting job that once was shared by myriad forests all over the globe..
Having picked Earth almost-dry of its invaluable 'resources' without ensuring their ongoing regeneration ('SOWING WHAT WE REAP'), in the process humans have left behind gluts of toxins/waste that continue to accumulate as long as those inefficient processes are still being used to 'harvest' what we need/use to live!?
It's true: the systems we've developed/installed -- & now rely on heavily to 'keep us going' -- are the same mechanisms fast-tracking Nature's demise, & thus our own..
But Nature -- yes, still! -- provides everything we need to live! Doesn't it follow that protecting Nature should be everybody's -- incl. govt. leaders' -- top priority?
Scientists recently issued yet another dire warning that the measurable outcomes of continued reliance on our clunky old wasteful ways include warming temperatures which will lock in further degradation of our life-support system, ie. Nature itself.
Govts cite 'jobs' as a key reason for continuing to permit & subsidize industries with the most devastating impacts on Nature's balance -- of which deforestation is among the worst, not due solely to emissions (which are high when huge old trees release the total C02 they've sequestered over centuries) but also to ensuing LOSS OF FORESTS' COUNTLESS PRICELESS BENEFITS, as our ultimate protectors/safeguards against the harmful human processes endangering whole populations now..
JOBS that work to restore Nature's balance -- in conservation, education, renewable energy, transitioning OUT OF polluting industries etc. -- are what's desperately needed now; jobs that exacerbate the status quo (GHG emitters like logging, mining..) ALL have imminent expiry dates.
(Widely-known) FACT: the oldest intact forests ARE what's staving off the worst effects of climate change: the droughts, famine, fires, floods that threaten mass upheaval on a dime -- brought to the very brink by Big-Biz's last 'all-in' mad pillage for profits (by 'extraction'/ logging/ pollution/ whatever they can get away with) before public pressure forces govts. to shut 'em down..
Thus govt's DELAY on legislating old-school harmful practices OUT before Nature-restoring replacement systems are put IN, could be exactly what tips Nature into irreversible decline..
It only makes pragmatic sense to protect our sole defense against this decline AT ALL COSTS -- along with all the non-human species whose lives depend on keeping these [whole] old forests intact!!? Without their essential habitats, biodiversity will go extinct -- & guess who will be next.
At this point, the prospect of letting these important ecosystems be cut down is as unthinkable as demolishing the Great pyramids for the price of their stones : as someone said, it's psychopathic - no matter who is doing the cutting..
Thank you.
PS. Please sign & share my petition on Change.org: ProtectOurForests!