Environmental Crisis for Dummies

The title was intended to refer to the DUMMIES series of books, that usually explain topics in a concise and clear manner. I hope the following will explain why I have been writing so much about Indigenous peoples lately.

Plant photosynthesis produces oxygen and absorbs carbon dioxide
Rainfall keeps soil hydrated for plant growth, and water supplies clean and replenished
Humans and animals need oxygen, food and water to survive, and they exhale carbon dioxide, and produce organic waste
Human and animal waste can fertilize the soil
Keeping consumption of food, oxygen and water within the limits of the earth to replenish them, and production of wastes, including carbon dioxide, within the limits of the earth to process them, will maintain a livable, sustainable environment
Fossil fuels (such as coal, oil and natural gas) were discovered to be dense, easily transported sources of energy
There are limited supplies of fossil fuels and clean water
These energy sources powered the industrial revolution, which produced pollution and greenhouse gases
Greenhouse gases trap heat, increasing air and water temperatures
Refined oil (gasoline) stimulated the widespread production and acquisition of personal automobiles
Mechanized agriculture and fertilizer produced great quantities of crops for food
Human populations have grown at exponential rates, in part because of this increased food production
Populations in industrial societies moved to urban areas to work in factories
Economic systems made it possible for more people to own larger homes, which were air conditioned as well as heated, consuming more fossil fuels
The increasing populations, industrial processes, electricity generation and numbers of automobiles began to overload the air and water with greenhouse gases
Urban populations lost touch with the natural environment
A social philosophy of dominance prioritized personal gain, and disregarded the overconsumption of resources, and runaway production of greenhouse gases
Our environment is now dangerously out of balance.
Consumption of resources and energy, and resulting production of wastes and greenhouse gases have many detrimental effects that have us on a path to human extinction
Greenhouse gas emissions must stop now, meaning the use of fossil fuels must stop now, if we are to have any chance of long term survival
The social philosophy of dominance has to end
Government regulations to protect the environment are needed
Reforestation is important
Coal plants must be shut down
No more fossil fuel infrastructure should be built
Economic development must sanction environmental harm
Mass transit networks must be developed
Communities must be redesigned to be walkable
Renewable energy development must be promoted, and priority given to those areas that have suffered from fossil fuel industry
Returning to honoring Mother Earth, protecting the water, air and land is absolutely critical now
We must follow the lead of Indigenous peoples, who know how to do this, without delay. Indigenous peoples have continued to maintain a lifestyle that does respect the environment, and a spiritual culture that honors the Earth. It is this spiritual approach perhaps more than anything else that will help us find a way forward.