Let's Get Green, Fools!!!

Word up to Jim Anderton - easily my favourite person in the current NZ Government - for this bold but necessary move:

New Dolphin Protection Measures

But what I wish was in the article online, was all the backlash printed on the front page of today's paper. Comments like "Jim Anderton may well go down as the man who took the fish out of fish and chips" and how now people will have to "go without fish in their diets"

Seriously, I am sick of humans and their ignorance to the plight of other species - a plight that WE have caused. Without serious action like this, this would be the end of another 2 species of Dolphins. That means we would never see them again, people! They can't come back once we've wiped them out. If that means that people have to fish more sensibly, then so be it. Fishing nets cause a complete waste of marine life that is totally unnecessary, especially considering how 'advanced' our culture is supposed to be - yet these people are still using the same technique they have forever. Why? Because it is cheap and causes the least amount of hassle.

I realise this also means some people are going to lose their jobs - and I do feel bad for that. But I am in the same boat, and I will get to that in a minute...

Anyways, this Dolphin issue very much reminds me of the plight facing the Big Cats - you know, Lions and Tigers and the like. They are being wiped out at an alarming rate, and purely because humans are encroaching on their habitats for themselves. And before anyone tries to justify that sort of thing to me by saying we need more room for people to build homes, let me ask you this: if I knocked down half your home, built a new home on your property and moved my family in, and then shot you when you complained and tried to defend yourself, how would you feel?

OK now on to Kyoto It is so sad to see how little this world is willing to make changes to try and keep this world together, environmentally speaking. It's bad enough that countries like the USA refuse to join and now Canada are considering pulling out because of the cost it is going to mean (i.e. loss of jobs and such), but for the Wall Street Journal to ridicule New Zealand for moving to implement it starting next year is just disgusting. I work for a forestry company and have sat through many a meeting about Kyoto, so I know what it means for this country... as best as I can, anyways. I mean, things still are quite up in the air about this stuff right now. But quite frankly, we've left it late enough to start worrying about how much we are destroying the environment and if we don't get our shit together soon then it is going to be too late to do anything about it. This planet's resources are infinite, and with the population ever increasing our natural resources are dwindling away. Not to mention the fact that we are killing off every other living thing on the planet without the slightest concern. That has always been my biggest gripe with religions (not just Christianity) and why I could never align myself with any of them; they are all based on the fact that man (that is 'man' - not just humans in general) is superior to everything on the planet. But why would God put us in charge of everything and everyone when we can't even take care of other humans???

I have no doubt that if the Kyoto treaty is adhered to in this country, then I - like the fisherman who can't fish without killing dolphins - will not have a job in a year or so. But the fact is there are other jobs out there. And losing a job is a small price to pay to see some improvement in the way we think about the environment. I can think of so many people that have given their lives for so much less.

So stop whining, people! Change needs to be made and they need to start now. If it means you can't kill some dolphins, then so be it. If it means you can't move into land that is occupied by Lions, then by all means stay where you are. And if it means we all have stop using so much of everything then let's hope people can find a way.