Every Day is Earth Day

nasa_earthlightsEarth Day. How ironic that we have a day to remind us that we are stewards of our own small planet. Frankly humans are not much different in planning for longevity than other animals.

We are supposed to be the most intelligent, but when it comes to the use of our planet, there is not a great deal of evidence to support that. We blindly exploit and misuse resources and overpopulate those resources as eagerly as any other animals. Does that matter? We may soon find out if we are wise enough to recognize the symptoms.

A view of the Earth at night starkly shows the impact of human life here. What we cannot see are the carbon emissions that result from our population centers. Africa is much darker than the other continents except for South Africa and the Mediterranean areas.

In a larger view, this picture show the fires burning in Africa, but these emissions are much less than in the high populations areas of Europe, Asia and the Americas.

The most important thing to remember is that if each of us make small adjustments, the collective impact can be very impressive. We're supposed to be the smartest specie. For the sake of generations yet to be, I hope we are.