Earth Day

04/22/05

It’s ironic that the House of Representative just welcome the Earth Day by passing the broad energy legislation on Thursday that including a drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), and giving away 22 billions to their friends in the energy and oil company in the mist of the heavy budget deficit. In the Senate, Republicans are hoping to win approval for the Alaska drilling by advancing it in a budget measure that cannot be filibustered.

This Administration and the Republican congress have been consistently acting against any friendly environmental legislation.

They love to give their friends in the energy and oil companies a free ride by allowing them abusing the environment. Why? because those friends donated at least 50 million dollars to the Republican party during the election cycle. Guess, who have to pay that free ride’s cost? We do.

In the first year, the Bush team refused to sign a Kyoto Protocol. This monumental pact is supported by all major industrial countries to curb the emission of Carbon dioxide that causes the Global Warming.

During this administration, they have weakened the standard of the clean water and the clean air. They allow their friends in the mining companies to emit more mercury in the air.

Right now, they are using the gasoline crisis as an excuse to drill the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.

Do we really need to drill that beautiful country? The answer is NO!!

The problem is not about the oil supply but it is about the efficiency of using our energy. If this administration had a gut to increase the fuel efficiency for cars without fearing to anger their friends in the automobile industry, we would be less dependent from those Middle Eastern countries and we would substantially reduce the carbon dioxide in the air.

As we know, the atmosphere is like a shield protecting us from being grilled by the ultraviolet light. The carbon dioxide is destroying that shield. Since the Industrial Revolution, the atmosphere has been thinning out at least 40%. As a result, it has created a Global Warming.

This administration stubbornly argues that the global warming does not exist even though there are plenty of evidences. For example, the ice cap at the mouth Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is disappearing. The glacier in Alaska is receding so fast in the past hundred years. The planet climate becomes more unpredictable and more violent. Some species that compete better in the warm weather are invading those species that are less competitive in the warm weather.

The Global Warming plays a key role in those dramatic changes. This is a reaction from our Mother Nature.
Earth Day is a symbol of hope.

It reminds us that we will not live forever. We are just wanderers who visit here temporarily and one day we will walk away. Therefore, we all have duty to protect this beautiful planet for our children and grand children.

The more we abuse this world, the more our children will have to pay for our debt we have created.

On the Earth Day, please think before we do anything that might harm this planet. We can always play a small part of helping this world. It is a butterfly effect. For example, if everyone turns off the light they do not need, we will need less oil. If we need less oil, we will not have to touch those beautiful countries like Alaska. If we do not have to drill oil from Alaska, no pollution will be released to the environment. If no pollution in the environment, both human and animals will be able to live their life healthy and so on.


Just play our small part, it might not sound significant. However, let’s imagine, if everyone starts doing it, the result will be tremendous.

Tae(Kriengsak Athikomvittaya)