Five Resources we all Depend On
Article by Stefan Burns - Updated November 2021. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!
All of humanity lives on one planet spinning through the universe, our home we call Earth. 7.8 billion of us (2020 numbers) live here, and while we have so many unique differences between us, which is what makes humanity special, all of us share common ground that unites us in our life journeys. These spared aspects of our existence are of supreme importance, because without them, life as we know it dies. All of humanity shares in this truth, whether embraced, ignored, or ignorant of. We share and use the following:
Soil
Water
Air
Energy
Space
Since 7.8 billion people and growing depend on these shared resources that belong to everyone, their management is of supreme importance. Mismanagement or hoarding of any of these resources that deviates from the natural ecological system could cause humanity to go extinct. According to the geologic record, 95% or more of all species who have lived on Earth at one point have gone extinct. In order to not join their ranks, the proper management of these resources in the context of working symbiotically with all other life forms that also call Earth home is and will always be the priority issue that should be at the forefront of collective human consciousness.
Soil
What is Earth without soil? Earth is a blue planet, but underneath the 333,000,000 cubic miles of water that blanket Earth is a volume far larger composed of minerals. Over eons the hard mineralogy of the planet has developed in complexity, and now rich ecosystems like the amazon rainforest condense water, create oxygen, and provide shelter for much of life on Earth (1). Without good soil, the incredible plant and animal life of the Amazon, and the world, would not be possible.
In a system of extraction, resources are pulled from the Earth and the soil, and no nutrients are added back in. Monocrop agriculture, animal feedlots, the oil and gas industrial complex, and urbanization all extract nutrients from the soil with no regard to replenishing the system through natural means. What is added to the soil are synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, plastics, environmental pollution, petroleum products, and many dangerous chemicals.
The soil of our planet is simultaneously being depleted of nutrients and contaminated with synthetic chemicals in the process by a handful of powerful multinational corporations with greedy interests. Many of these chemicals take decades (2) to thousands of years (3) to break down.
The soil of planet Earth belongs to every inhabitant of this planet, from the invisible microorganisms to the mighty redwoods. Our actions affect everything and everyone, and the health of our soil is a direct result of the actions humanity has taken. It’s time to evolve from systematic extraction to thoughtful enrichment.
Air
Take three deep breaths and then hold your breath. If you can hold your breath for more than a minute, good job. More than three minutes, excellent!
Without fail though, after some period of time, you’ll need to take a breath before passing out. Avoid breathing for long enough and you die. Of all the shared resources that we depend on, a lack of oxygen will kill you faster than anything. No human can survive without oxygen, and we should all treat our photosynthetic friends with more respect. Without the trees and plants around you, as well as the main oxygen producers of the globe which are the Taiga, rainforests and photosynthetic plankton, oxygen in our atmosphere would not exist. Next time you take a breath in, be grateful to your nearest tree.
Worryingly, oxygen levels have decreased over the past 800 thousand years (4), and this trend has accelerated over the past 150 years as anthropogenic green house emissions have displaced oxygen (5) and natural sinks have continued to sequester oxygen. While oxygen levels are slipping slowly downwards, the effects of this to humanity which are still unknown but unlikely to be good, green house gas emissions and pollution have skyrocketed up over the past 170 years.
Air pollution isn’t any better, with most of the world being exposed to particulates in the air greater than the limit recommended by the WHO.
Air pollution is one of the leading causes of death (x), and green house gases are accelerating global warming at a rate an order of magnitude (10x) faster than ever recorded in the geologic record. Urban air pollution has been strongly linked to increases in common mental disorders such as depression and anxiety (6).
When we dirty the air of our planet, we only harm ourselves and the planet further. Our destructive practices need to end, for our health and for the health of everything that calls this planet home.
Water
Water is everywhere on Earth. It coats most of the planet’s surface, falls as rain, runs as creeks, streams, and rivers, pools up into lakes and underground water reservoirs, and most of the mineralogy of our planet incorporates water into its crystalline structure. Water is foundational to life. Without water life as we know it on Earth wouldn’t exist. Good luck staying alive longer than 3 days without water. The very things we all share and depend on the most for our survival we take the most for granted.
In our quest for maximum resource extraction, humans have polluted most of the water on this planet, either through oil and gas spills, chemical spills, mine tailings, pesticide applications, or most likely all of the above. Some creatures like amphibians which are sensitive to water pollution, have been going extinct and dying off at an unprecedented rate (7). Pollution weakens the immune system (8), which then allows the dangerous chytrid fungus to wreck havok on amphibian populations worldwide.
With the health and populations of water dependent creatures such as amphibians and fish on a such dramatic decline, then we know there is a large problem with the global water supply.
Offshore, greenhouse gases are being absorbed by the oceans, causing ocean acidification. The ocean has also been acting as a thermal insulator, absorbing much of the heat human activity has generated. Together heat and ocean acidification has destroyed many unique ecologic ocean communities and have bleached corals worldwide (9). Deep groundwater reservoirs are increasingly being contaminated by chemicals, some of which take hundreds of years to break down. Meanwhile tap water is heavily chlorinated, fluorinated, and is contaminated with hundreds of chemicals like estrogen, drugs like cocaine, cleaning agents, pesticides, and more (10).
One person or corporation can contaminate a water supply which serves thousands of people and countless other organisms. Any group or organization that contaminates water should be defunded.
Energy
Tied to our air quality and agricultural practices is our energy production. Without energy, life cannot exist. From the food we eat to sustain our bodies to the warmth we need on cold nights, each of us requires energy for our survival.
Currently, the health of our planet and bodies is being compromised by the quest for more and more energy. Most people now have a plethora of cheap junk food available to them whenever and whereever. Monopolistic systems keep gas the predominant fuel of choice for automobiles, homes, industrial usage, and more. We consume calories and watts gluttonously, with no remorse or thoughtfulness as to the downstream effects of our energy habits.
Junk highly-processed foods drive a vicious cycle of energy usage and extraction, which upon ingestion harms human health and provides little nutrition other than calories. At the receiving end of this food cycle is contaminated water, nutrient depleted soil, air pollution, the destruction of natural ecosystems, and countless animal deaths and mistreatment. Be mindful of your food choices and all the systems downwind of your purchase that you are supporting. Are you feeding a faceless multinational corporation or your local farmer?
Energy usage of the home is also very important. Green building methods that require far less energy for warming and cooling have been known for centuries, and modern takes on ancient building practices that are self-sufficient and eco-friendly like Earthship homes have been around since the 1970’s (11). These low energy home structures which use the Earth’s thermal mass for heating and cooling still have yet to go mainstream, even though they would alleviate many of the financial issues American are experiencing and would greatly reduce our global impact.
Earthships are also incredible not only for their innovative design and low energy requirements, but the also typically have a garden in the front of the house which grows food year round due to the stable temperatures!
Be conscious of your energy usage, and look to reduce your consumption of petroleum products however possible. Making inroads into transitioning our energy from black oil to green energy will improve all of the other shared resources we depend on, from our air to our soil.
Space
Something else that all humans need to thrive is space and shelter. Too little personal space can drive a person mad, and increasingly in urban areas green space like communal parks are being paved over and turned into apartment housing, roads, and industrial buildings. Now (at least in 2020 and depending on the country) you can break the law if you leave your home to enjoy the space that we all have have a right too. On all fronts our collective right to explore, assemble, and move are being assaulted by the powers at be.
Space to move and be creative in is a fundamental human right that nobody can take away from you, no matter their level of authority. Likewise everyone has a right to live cage-free. Increasingly homes and apartments are being made smaller and smaller, all with a goal to make a higher profit off sale or rent. Be aware of the real issues that face humanity, and the growing control over the shared resources that all of humanity shares by a powerful few.
What’s the Solution?
There are two main things that can be done to quickly reverse the dark path humanity is walking along.
First, vote with your dollar. The only way to stop the greedy monstrous corporations which treat our planet with such disregard is to starve them. With every dollar you spend, you feed an economy. If you spend your money on natural products, on locally sourced organic non-gmo foods, and on technologies which help our planet, you feed the green revolution and fund others who likewise seek to enrich the planet, not extract from it.
Second, many of the problems of modern society could be solved if more people lived in sustainable architecture like Earthship homes. Living in an Earthship homes saves on energy and building expenses, recycles water, uses solar power, and grows its own food. If you are contemplating purchasing a home, or thinking about moving, seriously consider building an Earthship home and do your part to make this planet a better place. It’s our responsibility to make the right choices.
You can learn more about Earthship homes, and how to build one yourself, by reading Earthship: How to Build Your Own - Vol 1, written by Michael Reynolds.
Our Path Forward
Our path forward is a simple one. Together we have to say no to the powers at be and cast our votes for the type of planet we want to live on with every dollar spent. We need to follow up our rhetoric with action, and make noticeable changes to our environment, health, and governmental systems. lastly, with every action you take, ask yourself:
“If everyone did what i’m doing right now, would the world be better or worse?”
Imagine what would happen if everyone littered simultaneously whenever you do, or poured a paint bucket down a storm drain when you do, or flicks a cigarette butt outside when you do. The world would be a mess very quickly. This is what is happening right now, but on a slower time scale.
Together hand in hand and armed with peace we can completely transform and revitalize our planet at a rate previously unimaginable. Be brave, live your life with joy, and be the change.
References:
Rainforest statistics facts. Save The Amazon.
Pesticides in the nation’s streams and ground water, 1992–2001—a summary. USGS.
EWG. Interactive map: pfas contamination crisis: new data show 2,230 sites in 49 states.
Stolper DA, Bender ML, Dreyfus GB, Yan Y, Higgins JA. A Pleistocene ice core record of atmospheric O2 concentrations. Science. 2016;353(6306):1427-1430.
Huang J, Huang J, Liu X, Li C, Ding L, Yu H. The global oxygen budget and its future projection. Science Bulletin. 2018;63(18):1180-1186.
Bakolis I, Hammoud R, Stewart R, et al. Mental health consequences of urban air pollution: prospective population-based longitudinal survey. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. Published online October 24, 2020.
Scheele BC, Pasmans F, Skerratt LF, et al. Amphibian fungal panzootic causes catastrophic and ongoing loss of biodiversity. Science. 2019;363(6434):1459-1463.
Pinelli C, Santillo A, Chieffi Baccari G, Falvo S, Di Fiore MM. Effects of chemical pollutants on reproductive and developmental processes in Italian amphibians. Mol Reprod Dev. 2019;86(10):1324-1332.
Sully S, Burkepile DE, Donovan MK, Hodgson G, van Woesik R. A global analysis of coral bleaching over the past two decades. Nat Commun. 2019;10(1):1264.
Group EW. Ewg’s tap water database: what’s in your drinking water?
Earthshipglobal. Earthship Biotecture michael reynolds.