“It is also vandalism wantonly to destroy or to permit the destruction of what is beautiful in nature, whether it be a cliff, a forest, or a species of mammal or bird.”
Arizona is one of our nation’s most naturally beautiful states. As stewards of this environment, it’s our job to protect it from harm and ensure its beauty and benefits remain intact for future generations. The costs of short-sighted destruction of the land in search of profits far outweigh the untold benefits of protected wilderness.
Even more urgently, we are facing a water crisis as several states battle for control of rare water sources, such as the Colorado River. It’s vital that we come together and find solutions to our water shortage.
We must also address the continuing, looming threat of climate change, which threatens us with drought, wildfires, and unpredictable weather. We must shift rapidly toward sustainable and renewable energy and do our part to halt the rise in global temperatures.
Of course, all of these issues are connected: wilderness preservation, water conservation, climate change, and everything else that affects our environment. There is no silver bullet when it comes to our relationship to our environment; nature is endlessly complex and interconnected. Likewise, it affects all of us in more ways than we often acknowledge, even those of us who live in the middle of a city. Protecting our environment is an existential problem, and if we don’t take this duty seriously this land may not be inhabitable in the future.