Biodiversity Offset

By Beverly Saltonstall

Most everyone is in agreement that something needs to be done about the crisis our country is facing when it comes to oil dependency. What is not being addressed is the crisis our entire planet is facing when it comes to the environment. We are destroying this planet at a frightening rate.



As we destroy the ecosystems and the environment, we need to be prepared for changes in natural events that will severely impact humans living on this planet. Anytime you create an imbalance in the ecosystem, famines, infectious diseases, and other catastrophic events proliferate.

Whether you believe in global warming or global cooling, changes in the weather pattern will disrupt the production of food. Droughts will occur in some areas while floods will ravage other areas. As a result, the production of food decreases and famine is a real possibility.

Infectious disease will also become a problem when ecosystems are unbalanced and unhealthy. Healthy ecosystems keep infectious pathogens in check. Disruptions of the natural balance create breeding grounds for infectious pathogens, which spread quickly through food production sites such as cattle ranches and fish and bird farms. These pathogens often become mutated and spread across species and eventually affect humans. Bird flu, is a prime example. It is globally uncontrolled and could mutate into a form that affects humans at any time.

For years now hospitals have been battling infections caused by antibiotic-resistant superbugs. These superbugs are now showing up in communities. Over use of antibiotics coupled with a less than ideal system of inspecting food, has resulted in our food sources becoming contaminated by bacteria.

In recent years, deaths and serious illnesses have been attributed to commonly consumed products such as peanut butter, tomatoes, onions, and spinach.

Another disease, Mad Cow disease has been spreading over continents. This disease easily passes from the cow to humans and is not killed by cooking the meat.

And if things aren't bad enough, most of our food is produced using practices that have eliminated biodiversity and have artificially produced food-producing crops that are destined to be wiped out by some yet unknown crop disease.