As we enter the fourth quarter, Humanity has a comfortable lead over Planet Earth. It has exploited its opponent's resources, expanded its population globally and its highly industrialized society increases in power by the second. Planet Earth did score two field goals during the third quarter but has found no defense against Humanity's onslaught of touchdowns as forests were cut down, water sources contaminated and increased refuse from carbon-based fuels poured into the atmosphere.
A tidal wave here, an earthquake or volcano there, melting ice caps and rolling cycles of drought, famine and flooding were shrugged off by Planet's formidable opponent.
Planet Earth's offense did appear to be strengthening as the quarter ended, but Humanity not only held firm, it kicked the offense up a notch, accelerating species' extinction in a spectacular play of ocean contamination. It is now poised to wrench new sources of power from Planet Earth's resources of gas in shale beds with a renewed attack on the water resources. Huge swathes of the Gulf of Mexico are turning into a tar pit. Radioactive waste spews into the ocean off Japan. Environmentalists are murdered in the Amazon. Oceanic dead zones expand.
Oops - Planet just scored a third field goal as monster forest fires and record-breaking floods went global and even threatened to engulf nuclear power plants in the United States. Several more Pacific Islands disappeared under the water.
The game continues... .
"They paved Paradise and put up a parking lot," Joni Mitchell: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlNZN94_u-s&NR=1
Here's what I think...
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