On some issues we can no longer divide ourselves on one side or the other. With the issue of the environment, the facts are clearer than before. Yet still, the issue of the environment is divided among the major American political parties and only the left will agree to watered down environmental protections. The right for the most part assumes that the rampant and unfettered expansion of irresponsible industry cannot possibly affect the world around us. It appears that as a people, the environment is an all-out turn off to Americans, and the idea of an impending doom of our own making is an issue for another day.

That my friends, is a false notion.

Although we may find it unpleasant to deal with as a society, we must change the role we play on this green earth. For too long we have seen ourselves as the masters of this planet and that we somehow have unchallenged control and divine consent to do as we please with the earth, its resources, and the organisms we share it with, believing that this unfettered dominion is god-given. This human-centered worldview is a fallacy, because the lens through which life exists on earth is not from our perspective. It is from the perspective of the unity of all living things on this planet. The time has come for us to reject the notion that we are separate from the Earth. Life on this planet will persist, even if we damage the earth in our present capacity. However, our existence is contingent upon the present balance of the world, and our existence is tied to the health of global ecosystems. The endangered species, the air, the water, and our climate are all vital. This is no longer a political talking point, this is no longer a partisan argument. There is no more room for debate because the facts stand taller than the agendas spun day in and day out.

It is time to declare our independence from fossil fuels that only serve to poison the air whenever we burn them. Their means of extraction pollute our water and our soil, and endanger the health of our communities. The impact of fossil fuel use and greenhouse gases can be reduced immediately when we shift away from these sources. We must no longer permit the oil, coal, and natural gas lobbies to pollute our halls of law and government in the same manner. They tainting political campaigns with dark money, and ultimately buy lawmakers to argue and represent their sole interest – profit.

It is time for us to declare solidarity with all else that lives, and strive to find ways to seek true human coexistence with the rest of this planet. We need to work harder to protect and defend endangered species and to stand up against the excessive logging of our rain forests, the destructions of the wetlands, and the oceans. Overfishing, trophy hunting, and illegal whaling must also end. When organisms coexist, they provide services to one another. Whether it photosynthesis providing oxygen, becoming a food source, or regulating the chemical and physical contents of our soil and water. These processes ultimately determine our activities. be it agriculture, fisheries, or human life in general.

It is time for us, to say no to those who would deny science, but also those who refuse to acknowledge faith on this one. Should you truly believe man was given stewardship of the earth, then we ought to live up to that and pick up after ourselves.