Earth’s Resources
Thank you for running the piece headlined “Plunder of Earth Began With Man” on June 10.
It seems to me that the net lesson for us is that our generation and that of our children have a great opportunity and bear a correspondingly heavy burden. While our science has put into our hands more efficient means for plundering the Earth than ever before, and our worldwide economic system increases the short-term profit to be gained by doing so, our science at the same time gives us better tools than ever before to understand the consequences of what we do and to devise better alternatives, and our democratic political system (despite its flaws) gives us as citizens more power than ever before to influence, or even control, what is done.
If we use those scientific tools and that political power, we can avoid the mistakes of past cultures and preserve our planet.
ROBERT A. FLETCHER
Rancho Palos Verdes
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