As the environment becomes degraded due to things like
deforestation, destructive fishing practices and pollution, impacts on people's
lives and livelihoods mount. For example, forests protect soils. When trees are
cut down the top layer of earth, that is vital for growing food, is washed away
by rain or blown away by the wind. Yes, this undermines important habitat for
beloved and necessary species such as impressive gorillas and spectacular
birds, but it also translates into food shortages that cause malnutrition in
children and jeopardize maternal health. When children are hungry and mothers
are dying, people turn to acts of desperation including the slashing and
burning of more forests. This cycle is in no way sustainable, but it puts food
on the table today.
Similarly, water is increasingly hard to find and when it is found it is often
contaminated. Rivers carry pesticides, silt and sand and human waste downstream
and when the river meets the sea, dead
zones erupt wherein no plants or
animals survive. But contaminated water is also killing children and is, in
fact, the second most common
cause of death in children under the age of five.
The
collapse of food and water supplies is driven not only by local actions but
also by changing climactic conditions. And let's be clear, the term
"changing climactic conditions" is not a futuristic sci-fi fantasy
buzzword. It is a here and now reality for billions of people. Right now I am
sitting in the middle of Kenya's rainy season and, simply put, there is no
rain. When the dry season comes, there is often flooding. Seeds do not grow
where they have always grown and farming practices that have always worked do
not work anymore. Food and water shortages grow longer, less predictable and
more calamitous.
It
is not all doom and gloom. There is a tremendous amount of opportunity and
there is a growing assemblage of organizations who understand and work toward
finding solutions for the interconnected problems of poverty and environmental
degradation. Some of these are environmental organizations or organizations
focused on the protection of species. The aforementioned David Sheldrick Wildlife Center finds and fixes baby elephants but
also works with communities to grow new forests to protect food sources for
children. The Jane Goodall
Institute, long loved for its important work with chimpanzees, knows that
supporting the human condition is mission critical.
Just
as importantly, there are development organizations that were established to
fight poverty and increasingly understand that in order to be successful, the
environment must be safeguarded. Heifer
International is a spectacular
example of that. Finally, there are sustainable, thoughtful businesses that
know environmental work and community empowerment are one and the same. The Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust was formed by the folks at the
beautiful, sustainable ecolodge, Campi ya Kanzi. They understand that cervical
cancer screenings and new primary school classrooms are necessary right
alongside anti-poaching and carbon credit programs.
What
can you do to support these efforts? Find organizations that understand the
solutions for poverty and environmental degradation are interconnected and
support them with your money, your time, your effort. Future generations
matter. Long-term sustainability matters. But we will not win the long game if
we do not recognize that protecting the lives of children today matters more.
It makes us better people. It makes us better environmentalists.
