Unfortunately, not only the developers but society will have to pay for our “fathers’ sins” against the environment, in some cases for hundreds of years. Resource development has a far greater cost than meets the eye or than have people traditionally been aware. Logging, mining, oil, and hydro we now know are to blame for the loss of the salmon ecosystems down south. Worldwide, there are crises due to overfishing and habitat degradation from these very industries. (Death by a thousand cuts.) Industry and mining in particular, contrary to popular belief and their claims, have with new technologies actually become more damaging to the environment overall. Small-scale logging can be conducted in an environmentally sound way if
adherence to a selective cutting protocol is followed. Clear-cutting is invasive and alters the forest composition for many generations, affecting the watershed and the entire ecosystem. It’s time to take the extra steps to safeguard the life-sustaining systems of our shrinking planet.
Mario Benassi