Mike Forster's Position Papers - Environment Must Be Most Important

The environment must be first in importance.

Mike Forster, Palo Alto California
Copyright © 2002 Mike Forster

The environment - our entire global ecosystem - must be first in importance.

Global warming and other effects of humanity's activities are occurring. Humanity must move towards ecological neutrality - humanity's effects must have no net effect on that ecosystem.

There should be no question about the importance of moving to such neutrality. One might argue about the level of some of the effects of humanity's activities. Limiting economic and business activity now might have some small short-term negative effects.

However, the downside risk of not protecting the environment enough is huge - any mistake we might make now might harm the environment for billions of people for centuries to come.

The US must lead this effort, as the largest economy, the most powerful nation, and the harshest contributor to ecological damage.

The Bush administration's non-ratification of the Kyoto Protocol is just one example of the Republican Party's not emphasizing environmental issues enough. Legislation mandating clean air, clean water, protection for endangered species, and so on are required to provide a level field for all businesses to operate in. The Democatic Pary generally favors and promotes such approaches; the Republican Party generally opposes them.