Humanity's Land-Grab Disaster

Summary

This video script narrates the tragic tale of a wild pregnant elephant in India, killed by a pineapple filled with explosives, to highlight the broader crisis of wildlife due to human encroachment on natural habitats. It emphasizes the drastic increase in agricultural land at the expense of forests, the unsustainable growth of the human population, and the consequential mass extinction of species. The script calls for collective responsibility and action, advocating for plant-based diets and considering family planning to reduce our environmental footprint.

Takeaways

• 🐘 The tragic story of a wild pregnant elephant in India who died after consuming a pineapple filled with explosives highlights the dangers wild animals face due to human activities.
• 💥 'Pig crackers' and similar devices used by farmers to protect crops are causing daily tragedies for various wild animals, illustrating the violent consequences of encroaching on their habitats.
• 🌳 Human land use for agriculture has dramatically increased, with 50% of the world's habitable land now used for farming, up from less than 4% a thousand years ago, leading to significant habitat loss for wildlife.
• 📉 The rapid deforestation rate, equating to one football field every two seconds, is a stark indicator of the environmental impact of agricultural expansion.
• 🌱 The growing human population, increasing by over 80 million people per year, is the driving force behind the conversion of forests into farmlands to meet the demand for food.
• 🔄 A shift in the balance of mammalian biomass has occurred, with humans and livestock now making up 96%, leaving only 4% for wild animals, a stark contrast to the past.
• 🌍 The current mass extinction event, the sixth in Earth's history, is largely attributed to human-induced habitat destruction.
• 🦠 The destruction of natural habitats and increased contact with wildlife can lead to the spread of infectious diseases, as seen with COVID-19 and other pandemics.
• 🥦 The environmental impact of our food choices, particularly the resources required for animal agriculture, is a significant contributor to deforestation and ecological imbalance.
• 🛑 Adopting plant-based diets could potentially reduce global farmland use by over 75%, according to a study from Oxford University, alleviating pressure on the environment.
• 🌿 A shift towards veganism is not only beneficial for the environment but also promotes better health outcomes, as supported by various health and nutrition organizations.
• 👶 Addressing overpopulation through improved women's rights, education, and healthcare, as well as considering smaller families and adoption, is crucial for environmental sustainability.
• 🌐 The interconnectedness of environmental issues, including deforestation, biodiversity loss, and disease spread, underscores the urgency for collective action and awareness.

Q & A

What tragic event involving a wild pregnant elephant in India was mentioned in the script?

The script recounts the story of a wild pregnant elephant in India that died after consuming a pineapple filled with firecracker explosives. The explosion damaged her mouth and tongue, causing her to be unable to eat and eventually die after four days.

Why do local farmers in India use 'pig crackers' in fruits?

Local farmers in India use 'pig crackers', a type of explosive device, in fruits to scare wild boars and other animals away from their crops. This practice unfortunately leads to tragic incidents like the one involving the wild elephant.

What percentage of the world's habitable land is currently used for agriculture, according to the script?

The script states that currently, 50% of the world's habitable land is used for agriculture, up from less than 4% a thousand years ago.

How does the human population growth contribute to the destruction of wild habitats?

The human population growth contributes to the destruction of wild habitats by increasing the demand for agricultural land to produce food for the growing number of people, leading to deforestation and loss of wildlife habitats.

What is the rate at which we are losing forests according to the WWF, as mentioned in the script?

According to the WWF, as mentioned in the script, we are losing forests at a rate of about one football field every two seconds.

What impact does the livestock sector have on land use and deforestation, as per the United Nations?

The United Nations states that the livestock sector is the single largest anthropogenic user of land on the planet and is the major driver of deforestation.

How much of a reduction in global farmlands could be achieved by adopting a plant-based diet, according to a study from Oxford University?

The study from Oxford University suggests that adopting a plant-based diet could reduce global farmlands by more than 75%, an area equivalent to the combined size of the U.S., China, the European Union, and Australia.

What are some of the health benefits of a vegan diet, as recognized by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics?

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recognizes that vegan diets are nutritionally adequate and appropriate for all stages of life, and vegans are 62% less likely to develop diabetes and have greater protection against overall cancer incidence.

How does the script suggest that improving women's rights can help slow down population growth?

The script suggests that improving women's rights, including access to education and healthcare, and abolishing practices like child marriages, can greatly slow down population growth by empowering women to make informed decisions about family planning.

What is the environmental documentary mentioned in the script, and where can it be watched?

The environmental documentary mentioned in the script is called 'Endgame 2050.' It can be watched for free on YouTube and is also available on Amazon Prime.

Why is the script emphasizing the importance of considering the environmental impact when planning a family?

The script emphasizes the importance of considering the environmental impact when planning a family due to the current environmental overshoot and the severe consequences of unsustainable human population growth, such as habitat destruction and mass extinction.

Outlines

00:00

🐘 The Tragic Tale of a Pregnant Elephant

The script begins with a heart-wrenching story of a pregnant wild elephant in India who tragically dies after consuming a pineapple filled with firecracker explosives. This incident, which was reported globally, highlights the broader issue of human activities impacting wildlife. The elephant's death is used as a metaphor to introduce the audience to the crisis affecting wild animals worldwide due to human encroachment on their habitats. The script also touches on the societal response to such incidents and the common misconception that they are isolated events unrelated to our daily actions.

05:06

🌳 The Human Footprint on Wildlife and Habitats

This paragraph delves into the reasons behind the conversion of natural habitats into agricultural land, driven by the need to feed a rapidly growing human population. It discusses the historical context of land use for farming and the current alarming statistics, such as 50% of the world's habitable land being used for agriculture. The paragraph also addresses the consequences of deforestation, including the loss of biodiversity and the impact on the ecological balance, leading to what biologists have termed the 'sixth mass extinction.'

10:07

🦠 The Link Between Deforestation and Disease Outbreaks

The script explains the connection between deforestation, biodiversity loss, and the increased likelihood of infectious diseases and pandemics. It points out that land use change, such as converting forests into agricultural areas, brings humans into closer contact with wildlife and their viruses. The paragraph cites scientific findings that a significant percentage of emerging diseases originate from such land use changes, and it raises concerns about the potential for new viruses to emerge as a result of ongoing deforestation.

15:12

🥦 The Environmental Impact of Our Food Choices

This paragraph focuses on the environmental impact of our dietary choices, particularly the consumption of animal products. It emphasizes the inefficiency of using land for livestock farming compared to plant-based agriculture and the significant contribution of the livestock sector to deforestation. The script suggests that adopting a plant-based diet could drastically reduce the amount of land required for farming, thereby alleviating pressure on natural habitats and reducing our ecological footprint.

20:16

🌱 Addressing Overpopulation and Its Environmental Impact

The final paragraph discusses the role of population growth in exacerbating environmental issues and the need for sustainable population management. It suggests that improving women's rights, education, and healthcare can help slow population growth. The script also encourages individuals to consider the environmental implications of family planning, including the benefits of smaller families and adoption. It concludes by inviting viewers to watch the documentary 'Endgame 2050' for a deeper understanding of these issues and to take personal actions to reduce their environmental impact.

Keywords

💡Wildlife Crisis

Wildlife crisis refers to the significant threats and challenges faced by wild animal populations worldwide. In the video, it is exemplified by the tragic story of a pregnant elephant in India that died after consuming a pineapple filled with explosives, illustrating the direct harm humans can inflict on wildlife through their actions.

💡Habitat Destruction

Habitat destruction is the process by which natural environments are demolished or degraded, often to make way for human activities like agriculture. The script mentions that humans have transformed a large portion of the world's wild habitats into agricultural land, leading to a loss of biodiversity and contributing to the mass extinction event.

💡Deforestation

Deforestation is the large-scale clearing of forests, primarily for agricultural expansion. The video uses the alarming statistic of one football field of forest being destroyed every two seconds to highlight the rapid rate at which this is occurring, emphasizing its role in habitat loss and climate change.

💡Agricultural Expansion

Agricultural expansion refers to the increase in land used for farming to meet the growing demand for food. The script points out that this expansion is a significant driver of habitat destruction and wildlife loss, as more than half of the world's habitable land is now used for agriculture.

💡Population Growth

Population growth is the increase in the number of individuals in a population over time. The video discusses how the rapid growth of the human population contributes to the increased demand for resources, which in turn drives deforestation and habitat destruction, impacting wildlife and ecosystems.

💡Mass Extinction

Mass extinction is a term used to describe a phenomenon where a large number of species are wiped out in a relatively short geological period. The video script describes the current situation as the sixth mass extinction in Earth's history, primarily due to human activities that are destroying natural habitats.

💡Land Use Change

Land use change involves the conversion of natural landscapes, such as forests, into areas used for human activities like agriculture or urban development. The script explains that land use change is a significant factor in the emergence of new diseases and the spread of existing ones from wildlife to humans.

💡Ecosystem Services

Ecosystem services are the benefits that humans obtain from ecosystems, such as food, water, and oxygen production. The video emphasizes that the destruction of ecosystems through activities like deforestation and agricultural expansion threatens these vital services, which are essential for human survival.

💡Sustainable Consumption

Sustainable consumption refers to the use of resources in a way that meets current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The script suggests that changing dietary habits, particularly reducing or eliminating animal products, can significantly reduce the environmental impact of food production.

💡Plant-Based Diet

A plant-based diet consists primarily of foods derived from plants, including vegetables, grains, nuts, and legumes, with little or no animal products. The video argues that adopting a plant-based diet can have substantial environmental benefits by reducing the demand for livestock farming and its associated land use.

💡Environmental Overshoot

Environmental overshoot occurs when the demand for natural resources and services exceeds what the environment can regenerate or provide. The script uses this term to describe the current state of the planet, where human consumption patterns are unsustainable and causing long-term damage to ecosystems.

Highlights

A major crisis is affecting wild animals worldwide, exemplified by the tragic story of a pregnant wild elephant in India that died after consuming a pineapple filled with explosives.

Local farmers in India use 'pig crackers' in fruits to deter wild boars from crops, causing daily tragedies for various animals, whether reported or not.

In the U.S., millions of wild animals are killed through trapping, shooting, or poisoning to protect agricultural areas.

Human encroachment into habitats and violence against displaced wild animals is a global issue, not just confined to India.

Agricultural land has increased from less than 4% to 50% of the world's habitable land in the last few centuries, leading to habitat destruction.

We are losing forests at an alarming rate, equivalent to one football field every two seconds.

The global human population increase contributes to the need for more agricultural land, with a net growth of over 80 million people per year.

Wild animals now make up only 4% of the planet's mammal biomass, with humans and livestock accounting for 96%.

Our collective human footprint is causing the sixth mass extinction in Earth's history, with habitats being the primary loss.

In the last 50 years, we have lost 68% of wildlife, a significant update from previous estimates.

Deforestation and habitat destruction increase the likelihood of infectious diseases and pandemics like COVID-19.

More than 30% of emergent diseases originate from land use change, exposing humans to new viruses.

Adopting plant-based diets could reduce global farmlands by more than 75%, alleviating pressure on land use.

A plant-based diet is not only environmentally beneficial but also promotes better health, according to health organizations.

Sustainable population growth can be achieved by improving women's rights, education, and healthcare, which also stabilizes environmental impact.

Considering small families, not having children, or adoption are impactful personal choices to reduce environmental footprints.

The environmental and animal costs of unsustainable human activities are severe and require immediate attention and action.

The documentary 'Endgame 2050' provides a deeper exploration of these issues and is available for free on YouTube and Amazon Prime.

Transcripts

- There is a major crisis that’s affecting all  of the wild animals around the world, but I’m  

going to introduce it by first sharing with you  the story of just one individual wild elephant.

A few months ago, a lot of networks around the  world reported about an event that took place  

in India. A wild pregnant elephant was looking  for food to eat, as wild pregnant elephants do,  

but this elephant ended up eating a pineapple  that was filled with firecracker explosives.

The pineapple exploded in the elephant’s  mouth and damaged it. So this poor elephant  

apparently paced around and stood in a river  for four days until she eventually died.

A forestry officer there reported that, “With  her mouth and tongue destroyed in the explosion,  

she paced around hungry without being able to eat.  She must have been more worried about the health  

of [her] child inside her than about her own  hunger.” An incredibly tragic and sad, sad story.

When I shared this news on social media,  my beloved mother, who lives in Mexico,  

called me up because she was kind of upset at  me for posting the article. She said, “Sofia,  

it’s very negative thing to share and there is so  much negative news already. I don’t know a single  

person in world who would ever put explosives  in fruits and them leave them out for elephants  

to eat. So, what’s the point of posting something  so sad that has nothing to do with most people?”

I can understand my beloved mother’s sentiment.  But despite my mother and most people  

thinking that these events are isolated and,  most importantly, that they are unrelated to  

us and our activities, these events are not  isolated and they are actually not unrelated  

to us. It turns out we do share responsibility  for this, and I’m going to explain why that is.

First, I’d like to point out that even though  the event sparked petitions signed by millions of  

outraged people calling on authorities to find and  punish that one person who placed the explosives  

in that one pineapple, local farmers  there actually use firecrackers and  

explosives in fruits to protect their  land from wild animals all the time.

The explosives that were thought to be used in  this case are called "pig crackers", intended to  

scare wild boars away from crops. And I guess  by “scare” they mean explode in their mouths.

So, these tragedies happen every day to all kinds  of different animals, whether it’s reported or not  

and whether it causes outrage or not. And  it’s not just in India that wild animals  

pay the ultimate price for farmlands to  be created and protected. It’s everywhere.

Here in the U.S. for example,  millions of wolves, coyotes, cougars,  

bears, mountain lions, otters, birds and  other wild animals are ruthlessly killed  

by trapping, shooting or poisoning  to protect agricultural areas.

The real problem is we humans are  simply using far too much land. So,  

we encroach into habitats – every day  more and more – and then we resort to  

violence against the wild  animals who we’ve displaced.

A thousand years ago, less than 4% of the world’s  habitable land was used for farming. So, most of  

the world’s land was wilderness like forests. But  over the last few centuries, and over the last few  

decades in especially, we transformed an enormous  amount of wild habitats into agricultural land.

Today, instead of using 4% of the world’s  habitable land for agriculture, we’re using 50% of  

it. So now, we are now using up at least half of  the planet's habitable land for agriculture. And  

we continue to destroy more and more forests every  single day to turn them into even more farmlands.

According to the WWF, we’re losing forests  at a rate of around one football field  

every two seconds. Imagine that! One football  field of forest destroyed every two seconds.  

Just take a deep breath, and there goes a few  seconds. Think of how much forest has been leveled  

just in the time that you  have been watching this video.

So, why do we keep turning forests into farmlands?  Well because we have a bit of a human feeding  

frenzy going on. After subtracting deaths,  our global human population is increasing by  

a net growth of over 80 million people per year,  which is the size of the population of Germany.  

That means that we are adding another  Germany-load of people to the planet every year.

And while the demand for infrastructure and  services and other things that populations  

need as they grow may be variable, the one thing  that we all have in common is that we all need to  

eat. Every single one of us has to eat. So, given  the growth we are having in our population size,  

it’s not surprising that we’re turning forests  into farmlands so relentlessly. It’s also not  

surprising that our growth has had a devastating  impact on the other species we are displacing.

If we go back in time to when we started  using agriculture about 11,000 years ago,  

you may be surprised to know that there was  a grand total of about one million people on  

the planet. That’s it. Just one million  humans, scattered all over the world.

Today, we actually grow our population by a  million people every five days. We’re almost at  

8 billion humans now, and we keep growing by  more than a million people every five days.

Before we had our massive growth, most of the  biomass of mammals on the planet consisted of  

wild animals, and humans were less than 1% of it.  But today, those percentages have flipped around,  

because today wild animals are estimated to be  only 4% of the biomass with the other 96% of it  

now being humans plus the billions of livestock  animals that humans breed into existence.

That’s pretty shocking, isn’t it? And you may  think, well I’m not going around cutting down  

any forests or killing any wild animals. All I  do is get my groceries every week. I just go to  

HEB, or Kroger, or a local farmer’s market,  or Walmart, or wherever. No, we don’t have to  

personally burn or cut any forests ourselves,  or kill any wild animals ourselves, for that  

to take place. All we have to do, and all we have  done for that to take place, is collectively grow  

our population very happily, like we have  in the last few decades, and exist and eat.

It seems very benign doesn’t it? It feels very  benign. But even if it feels very harmless,  

there is no question about it. Our  collective human footprint is wreaking  

havoc on other animals. In fact, right now so  many wild animals are dying and going extinct,  

that biologists have classified our  time as the sixth mass extinction  

in Earth’s history. And the main reason  why they are going extinct is because we  

are taking their land and they lose their  habitats – so they lose their homes and die.

- Right now, we’re undergoing what’s called a  mass extinction. And that means that the rates  

of extinction are much faster, much  higher than they normally would be.

- In the past, there have been five episodes of  mass extinctions. The last one was 65 million  

years ago when we lost the dinosaurs and a lot  of other things. Since then we’ve built up a  

huge amount of biodiversity, and then in the  last 200 years, we’ve started destroying it.

- That was a clip from my film “Endgame  2050” that was released earlier this year,  

and I want to bring your attention to  something else that was said in the film.

- We have a catastrophic  situation that’s basically  

unrecognized. In about the last 40 years, we’ve  lost more than half the wildlife on the planet.

- Fifty percent of wildlife lost in 40 years  sounds very alarming to me. But guess what?  

Since the film was released, the WWF issued a  new updated report that says that we have now lost  

68% of wildlife in 50 years.  Remember we’re talking about 68%  

of the already diminished number of  wild animals that existed in 1970.

- If you don’t have a functioning  ecological system that produces oxygen,  

that produces food, people will not survive.

- Speaking of survival, it’s very timely to  note that infectious diseases and pandemics  

like COVID-19 are much more likely to occur  when we obliterate forests and biodiversity.

With the current pandemic, a lot of the focus has  been about wet markets – and the extensive contact  

with wild animals that occurs there is definitely  an easy way for viruses to jump from animals  

to humans. But these wet markets are not  at all necessary for viruses to jump over  

to humans. All we have to do is  intrude into wildlife habitats.

According to scientists, more  than 30% of all emergent diseases  

have originated through the process of land use  change. And what does “land use change” mean?  

Well exactly what you think it means. It means  

natural landscapes are removed and replaced  with agriculture, plantations, livestock, etc.

See, different animals have lots of different  viruses circulating inside their bodies. And  

forests filled with biodiversity all around the  world have thousands of viruses that humans have  

never come into contact with. But the moment  we start going in there by building roads,  

or railroad tracks, or anything else, we start  getting exposed. And the people who are there,  

logging and taking the trees  down or hunting animals there,  

they pick up the viruses – so the virus then  jumps from wildlife to humans. Or we put  

livestock in that area that used to be a  forest, and the livestock picks up the viruses,  

and so the virus jumps from wildlife  to livestock and then to humans.

Deforestation always involves bringing people into  closer contact to wildlife and their viruses. And  

you have to wonder, what kind of new viruses  await us as we continue to intrude in nature?

As a disease ecologist from the University of  California pointed out, “It’s a numbers game:  

The more we degrade and clear forest habitats,  the more likely it is that we’re going to  

find ourselves in these situations where  epidemics of infectious diseases occur.”

So, if it’s a numbers game, I  wonder how are our numbers looking?  

I’m thinking probably not too good, because  how can anyone think that we can destroy  

a football field worth of forest every two seconds  and that our species is going to be just fine?  

How can anyone think that that will have  no consequences for us as a species?

Just from the infectious disease perspective  alone, epidemics and pandemics have not  

surprisingly been on the rise. And, as bad as  the pandemics are, they might be the least of  

our worries when it comes to the consequences of  deforestation. Because, the fact is, we require  

the ecosystem services that other species  provide in order to have a habitable planet.

Back to the pregnant elephant. The fact is,  as uncomfortable as this may be, we are indeed  

*all* responsible for the death of this poor  elephant – and for the countless other victims  

perishing for humans to take up ever more land for  ourselves. Her blood is on all of our hands. It is  

our huge collective footprint that it is wreaking  havoc for wild animals all over the world.

From the terrible deforestation happening  in my home country of Mexico due to the  

worldwide demand for avocados, to the  water depletion that is happening in Peru  

due to the worldwide demand for asparagus,  the scale of the resources we are using  

and consuming is simply too large  and therefore very destructive.

But the reason I’m bringing all of  this up is not to berate ourselves.  

The reason I’m bringing all of this up is because  there is a lot you and I can actually do about it.  

And it’s not just that we “can” do  these things – it’s that we “must”.  

We all have the responsibility of doing  what we can to reduce our collective  

human footprint. It is our responsibility  to not destroy the only planet we call home.

At the most basic level, the impact  we have on the planet depends on two  

things - our consumption patterns and  how many people there are consuming.

When it comes to our consumption patterns, our  food choices make a surprisingly huge impact,  

which, in a way, is kind of a good thing because  our diet is something that we can change easily,  

without the need for expensive infrastructure  or new technology or laws or things like that.

All foods require resources to make and grow.  All of them. But it happens to be the case that  

producing animal foods uses a disproportionately  larger amount of land, water and energy.  

Of all the land that’s being used for farming,  77% it of is used for livestock and their feed,  

even though livestock only contributes  a small amount of the global calories.

According to the United Nations, “the livestock  sector is by far the single largest anthropogenic  

user of land” on the planet, and “it is the  major driver of deforestation” in the world.

So, including animal foods in our diet is a very  inefficient way of feeding the human population.  

And it’s very clear that we’re not in a position  to feed ourselves in a way that is inefficient.

One of the most comprehensive studies from Oxford  University found that if we collectively stopped  

eating meat and dairy and fed ourselves with  plant foods instead, we could reduce the total  

global farmlands by more than 75% – an area of  land equivalent to the U.S., China, the European  

Union and Australia combined. Can you imagine  that? We could relieve that much pressure from  

our current land use! An area of land the size of  the U.S., China, the European Union and Australia  

combined – all that land no longer being needed  for agriculture, simply by changing our diets.

I think that’s a very empowering and positive  thing. Because fortunately ditching animal foods  

is something that we can all do  right now in our very next meal.  

Even the largest organization of food  and nutrition professionals in the U.S.,  

the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, says that  sensible vegan diets are healthful, nutritionally  

adequate, and appropriate for individuals  during all stages of life, including pregnancy,  

lactation, infancy, older adulthood and for  athletes. And they found that vegans are 62% less  

likely to develop diabetes and that a “vegan diet  appeared to confer a greater protection against  

overall cancer incidence than any other dietary  pattern.” Even Harvard’s School of Public Health  

acknowledges that “a plant-based diet is the  optimal diet for living a long and healthy life.”

So, in addition to the very compelling and  existential environmental benefits, ditching  

animal foods and feeding ourselves with plant  foods instead also happens to be very healthy.

When it comes to the number  of people on the planet,  

well you can just look at a graph of our  population and ask yourself if there can  

possibly be anything sustainable about  it. How can there be anything sustainable  

about growing our population of human consumers  by more than a million people per week?

Already, at our current numbers, we are in a  severe environmental overshoot, and the resources  

we are using for everything from our food to our  cell phones is already decimating wildlife and the  

environment. In other words, we are already in the  red. If the environmental resources we take from  

the planet was money then we would be currently in  a huge debt. And we can’t just keep borrowing more  

and more money forever, right? Eventually, we have  to pay back the loan or else we get into trouble.

We don’t even know what all of the potential  ramifications and consequences of the damage  

we have already caused on the planet will be,  but they’re likely to be very long lasting.  

So, if we owe money to a lender that is  uncertain and dangerous, instead of going  

deeper and deeper into debt with them, wouldn’t  it be wiser to balance our books first?

Population growth would be greatly slowed down  by improving women’s rights around the world,  

abolishing horrid practices like child marriages,  and making sure women have access to education  

and healthcare. These are very important  human rights that we should all be  

advocating for anyway, but they  also just happen to be some of the most  

impactful actions we can take to  help stabilize our population growth.

I think any action to slow our population growth  has to take an approach that respects and promotes  

human rights. Also, I would encourage everyone to  please keep the planet in mind when planning your  

family. Please consider the planetary benefits  of having small families instead of large ones,  

and please consider adoption as  well. Not having a child or adopting  

is actually one of the most impactful ways to  reduce your carbon, water and plastic footprint  

as well as your carbon, water and plastic  legacy. And, I know that it’s not for everyone,  

but I do think it’s abundantly reasonable  for more couples around the world to consider  

not having children right now for the sake of  the planet while we are in an environmental  

overshoot – especially in wealthier countries  like the U.S., where every child has such a  

huge per capita environmental footprint,  but also in the rest of the world as well.

Of course, this is a topic  that can be uncomfortable, and  

a lot of environmental organizations don’t like  to talk about it, despite its undeniable impact.

Remember Al Gore? Al Gore says talking about  our greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuels  

is inconvenient, and you know he made his film  called an “Inconvenient Truth.” And, well,  

I’ve heard people say that animal agriculture is  even more inconvenient than fossil fuels, and that  

animal agriculture is too inconvenient for even  Al Gore to talk about. And if that’s the case,  

then talking about our overpopulation  is probably the king of inconvenient.  

Maybe we need a new word for inconvenient.

It is not a popular topic. But this is not a  popularity contest, is it? The environment and the  

animals surely do not care how unpopular the topic  is, because they are paying the ultimate price.  

From the beautiful pregnant elephant who died  eating the pineapple with explosives, to the  

elephants and other animals who die crossing our  ever-growing web of train tracks and roads cutting  

through their lands, to the orangutans who are  burned when we torch their forests to make room  

for more palm oil plantations, to the animals who  die with their stomachs filled with our plastic  

waste, to the ones who die in increasingly  severe forest fires because our CO2 emissions  

have skyrocketed and show no sign of abating  – the environment and the animals do not care  

about our sensitivities or our discomfort talking  about our unsustainable human population growth.

It’s about time that we understand  that it’s not just about us. It’s  

about not destroying the planet and  the inhabitants with whom we share it.

I invite you to learn more about  these issues, help raise awareness,  

and take whatever actions you can in your personal  lives to reduce your environmental footprint.  

And if you haven’t already, I invite you to watch  the environmental documentary I produced called  

“Endgame 2050.” I’ve shown you a few excerpts from  the movie in this video, but the full film goes  

into these topics into a little more depth,  and it also covers other important topics.

It is completely free to watch on YouTube and it’s  also on Amazon Prime in case you prefer to watch  

it on that platform. If you think this information  is important, please like and share this video,  

and I invite you to subscribe to the channel  to stay in the loop with upcoming videos.  

And let me know what you think about these issues.  I look forward to reading your thoughts and your  

feedback in the comment section below.  Until next time, thank you for watching.