When money talks, greed listens
the environment suffers
There has been so much destruction going on in this world, and the majority is the fault of human greed.
We can certainly throw wars to the top of the list. The most recent wars, (Afghanistan, Iraq) are because of greed; lust for resources by the western world. But this is not what I am focusing on today.
I would like to discuss greed from a slightly different angle.
Here in my city and the surrounding area we have had two big projects that are destructive to our environment. The first one is that our community college built a much larger building. This is not the problem, we do need a new and bigger college. There is no doubt that we have out-grown the one we were in.
However, the issue that I have, along with hundreds if not thousands of other people is the location of the new college.
My city is on the shores of the Ottawa River, this is where an abundant of wildlife live, everything from animals to plants, both land and fresh water.
Many people believe that the new building is robbing them of a once gorgeous view of the river, and that it is also destroying nature, and the homes of the creatures that live there and displacing them, and also killing the vegetation. It will possibly ruin/pollute the river and its banks.
However, we were told that an environmental impact study was done, but I have to ask "what does that really mean?".
This does not mean that the new building, the massive asphalt parking lot, and the thousands of students will not have a negative impact on the once beautiful river and its shores, does it?
Who has the right to say what is ok and what is not when it comes to the destruction of nature? When is the mighty Canadian Dollar worth more than wildlife and nature itself?
This brings me to the next subject, up the River is another city. This city has a river (Petawawa River) flowing into the Ottawa River. They are planning on damming the Petawawa River to build a small hydro dam. I ask you, is building a dam worth destroying a river, killing wildlife and ruining the river banks?
Again, we are told that a study was done and that the impact is minimal. And so, money rules over the preservation of nature once again.
When will this insanity stop?
We have seen the same incompetence with the construction of large box stores. Forests and grasslands are torn down for the construction of massive stores, and parking lots twice the size (If not larger) are built to accommodate the customer vehicles.
We need to begin thinking of the impact that we have on our communities and on our planet as a whole. But, I suppose in the meantime:
“Money talks, greed listens and nature suffers”.
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
