大型纪录片电影《HOME》的英文字幕

HOMEBySprawling.

Listentome,please.You’relikeme,ahomosapiens.Awisehuman.

Life,amiracleintheuniverse,appearedaroundfourbillionyearsago,andwehumansonly200,000yearsago.YetwehavesucceededindisruptingthebalancethatissoessentialtolifeonEarth.

Listencarefullytothisextraordinarystory,whichisyours,anddecidewhatyouwanttodowithit.

Thesearetracesofourorigins.Atthebeginning,ourplanetwasnomorethanachaosoffire,formedinthewakeofitsstar,thesun.Acloudofagglutinateddustparticles,similartosomanysimilarclustersintheuniverse.Yetthiswaswherethemiracleoflifeoccurred.

Today,life-ourlife-isjustalinkinachainofinnumerablelivingbeingsthathavesucceededoneanotheronEarthovernearlyfourbillionyears.Andeventoday,newvolcanoescontinuetosculptourlandscapes.TheyofferaglimpseofwhatourEarthwaslikeatitsbirth---moltenrocksurgingfromthedepths,solidifying,cracking,blisteringorspreadinginathincrust,beforefablingdormantforatime.

ThesewreathsofsmokecurlingfromthebowelsoftheEarthbearwitnesstotheEarth’soriginalatmosphere.Anatmospheredevoidofoxygen.Adenseatmosphere,thickwithwatervapor,fullofcarbondioxide.Afurnace.

ButtheEarthhadanexceptionalfuture,offeredtoitbywater.Attherightdistancefromthesun---nottoofar,nottoonear,theEarthwasabletoconservewaterinliquidform.WatervaporcondensedandfellintorrentialdownpoursonEarth,andriversappeared.

TheriversshapedthesurfaceoftheEarth,cuttingtheirchannels,furrowingoutvalleys.Theyrantowardthelowestplacesontheglobetoformtheoceans.Theytoremineralsfromtherocks,andgraduallythefreshwateroftheoceansbecameheavywithsalt.

Waterisavitalliquid.Itirrigatedthesesterileexpanses.Thepathsittracedareliketheveinsofabody,thebranchesofatree,thevesselsofthesapthatitbroughttotheEarth.

Nearlyfourbillionyearslater,somewhereonEarthcanstillbefoundtheseworksofart,leftbythevolcanoes’ash,mixedwithwaterfromIceland’sglaciers.Theretheyare-matterandwater,waterandmatter-softandhardcombined,thecrucialalliancesharedbyeverylife-formonourplanet.

MineralsandmetalsareevenolderthantheEarth.Theyarestardust.TheyprovidetheEarth’scolors.Redfromiron,blackfromcarbon,bluefromcopper,yellowfromsulfur.

Wheredowecomefrom?

Wheredidlifefirstsparkintobeing?

Amiracleoftime,primitivelife-formsstillexistintheglobe’shotsprings.Theygivethemtheircolors.They’recalledarchaeobacteria.TheyallfeedofftheEarth’sheatallexceptthecyanobacteria,orblue-greenalgae.Theyalonehavethecapacitytoturnthesuntocaptureitsenergy.Theyareavitalancestorofall

Humangeniusinspiredthemtobuildcanoes,aninventionthatopenedupnewhorizonsandturnedhumansintonavigators.

Eventoday,themajorityofhumankindlivesonthecontinents’coastlinesorthebanksofriversandlakes.

Thefirsttownsgrewuplessthan600yearsago.Itwasaconsiderableleapinhumanhistory.Whytowns?Becausetheyallowedhumanstodefendthemselvesmoreeasily.Theybecamesocialbeings,meetingandsharingknowledgeandcrafts,blendingtheirsimilaritiesanddifferences.Inaword,theybecamecivilized.

Buttheonlyenergyattheirdisposalwasprovidedbynatureandthestrengthoftheirbodies.Itwasthestoryofhumankindforthousandsofyears.Itstillisforonepersoninfour—overoneandahalfbillionhumanbeings—morethanthecombinedpopulationofallthewealthynations.

TakingfromtheEarthonlythestrictlynecessary.Foralongtime,therelationshipbetweenhumansandtheplanetwasevenlybalanced.Foralongtime,theeconomyseemedlikeanaturalandequitablealliance.Butlifeexpectancyisshort,andhardlabortakesitstoll.Theuncertaintiesofnatureweighondailylife.Educationisarareprivilege.Childrenareafamily’sonlyasset,aslongaseveryextrapairofhandsisanecessarycontributiontoitssubsistence.TheEarthfeedspeople,clothesthemandprovidesfortheirdailyneeds.EverythingcomesfromtheEarth.

Townschangehumanity’snature,aswellasitsdestiny.Thefarmerbecomesacraftsman,traderorpeddler.WhattheEarthgivesthefarmer,thecitydwellerbuys,sellsorbarters.Goodschangehands,alongwithideas.

Humanity’sgeniusistohavealwayshadasenseofitsweakness.Humanstriedtoextendthefrontiersoftheirterritory,buttheyknewtheirlimits.Thephysicalenergyandstrengthwithwhichnaturehadnotendowedthemwasfoundintheanimalstheydomesticatedtoservethem.

Buthowcanyouconquertheworldonanemptystomach?Theinventionofagriculturetransformedthefutureofthewildanimalsscavengingforfoodthatwerehumankind.Agricultureturnedtheirhistoryonend.Agriculturewastheirfirstgreatrevolution.Developedbarely8,000to10,000yearsage,itchangedtheirrelationshiptonature.Itbroughtanendtotheuncertaintyofhuntingandgathering.Itresultedinthefirstsurplusesandgavebirthtocitiesandcivilizations.Fortheiragriculture,humansharnessedtheenergyofanimalspeciesandplantlifefromwhichtheyatlastextractedtheprofits.Thememoryofthousandsofyearsscrabblingforfoodfaded.Theylearnedtoadaptthegrainsthataretheyeastoflifetodifferentsoilsandclimates.Theylearnedtoincreasetheyieldandmultiplythenumberofvarieties.

LikeeveryspeciesonEarth,theprincipaldailyconcernofallhumansistofeedthemselvesandtheirfamily.Whenthesoilislessgenerousandwaterbecomesscarce,humansdeployprodigiouseffortstomarkafewaridacreswiththeimprintoftheirlabor.HumanshapedthelandwiththepatienceanddevotionthattheEarthdemands,inanalmostsacrificialritualperformedoverandover.

Agricultureisstilltheworld’smostwidespreadoccupation.Halfofhumankindtillsthesoil,overthree-quartersofthembyhand.Agricultureislikeatraditionhandeddownfromgenerationtogenerationinsweat,graftandtoil,becauseforhumanityitisaprerequisiteofsurvival.

Butafterrelyingonmusclepowerforsolong,humankindfoundawaytotapintotheenergyburieddeepintheEarth.

Theseflamesarealsofromplants.Apocketofsunlight.Pureenergy—theenergyofthesuncapturedovermillionsofyearsbymillionsofplantsmorethanahundredmillionyearsago.It’scoal.It’sgas.Andaboveall,it’soil.Andthispocketofsunlightfreedhumansfromtheirtoilontheland.Withoilbegantheeraofhumanswhobreakfreeoftheshacklesoftime.Withoil,someofusacquiredunprecedentedcomforts.Andin50years,inasinglelifetime,theEarthhasbeenmoreradicallychangedthanbyallpreviousgenerationsofhumanity.

Fasterandfaster.Inthelast60years,theEarth’spopulationhasalmosttripled,andovertwobillonpeoplehavemovedtothecities.Fasterandfaster.Shenzhen,inChina,withitshundredsofskyscrapersandmillionsofinhabitants,wasjustasmallfishingvillagebarely40yearsago.Fasterandfaster.InShanghai,3,000towersandskyscrapershavebeenbuiltin20years.Hundredsmoreareunderconstruction.

Today,overhalfoftheworld’ssevenbillioninhabitantsliveincities.NewYork.Theworld’sfirstmegalopolisisthesymboloftheexploitationoftheenergytheEarthsuppliestohumangenius.Themanpowerofmillionsofimmigrants,theenergyofcoal,theunbridledpowerofoil.Electricityresultedintheinventionofelevators,whichinturnpermittedtheinventionofskyscrapers.NewYorkranksasthe16th–largesteconomyintheworld.

Americanwasthefirsttodiscover,exploitandharnessthephenomenalrevolutionarypowerofblackgold.Withitshelp,acountryoffarmersbecameacountryofagriculturalindustrialists.Machinesreplacedmen.Aliterofoilgeneratesasmuchenergyas100pairsofhandsin24hours,butworldwideonlythreepercentoffarmershaveuseofatractor.Nonetheless,theiroutputdominatestheplanet.

IntheUnitedStates,onlythreemillionfarmersareleft.Theyproduceenoughgraintofeedtwobillionpeople.Butmostofthatgrainisnotusedtofeedpeople.Here,andinallotherindustrializednations,it’stransformedintolivestockfeedorbiofuels.

Thepocketofsunshine’senergychasedawaythespecterofdroughtthatstalkedfarmland.Nospringescapesthedemandsofagriculture,whichaccountsfor70%ofhumanity’swaterconsumption.

Innature,everythingislinked.Theexpansionofcultivatedlandandsingle-cropfarmingencouragedthedevelopmentofparasites.Pesticides,anothergiftofthepetrochemicalrevolution,exterminatedthem.Badharvestsandfaminebecameadistantmemory.Thebiggestheadachenowwaswhattodowiththesurplusesengenderedbymodernagriculture.

Buttoxicpesticidesseepedintotheair,soil,plants,animals,riversandoceans.Theypenetratedtheheartofcellssimilartothemothercellthatissharedbyallformsoflife.Aretheyharmfultothehumansthattheyreleasedfromhunger?Thesefarmers,intheiryellowprotectivesuits,probablyhaveagoodidea.

Thenewagricultureabolishedthedependenceonsoilsandseasons.Fertilizersproducedunprecedentedresultsonplotsoflandthusfarignored.Cropsadaptedtosoilsandclimatesgavewaytothemostproductivevarietiesandtheeasiesttotransport.Andso,inthelastcentury,three-quartersofthevarietiesdevelopedbyfarmersoverthousandsofyearshavebeenwipedout.Asfarastheeyecansee,fertilizerbelow,plasticontop.

ThegreenhousesofAlmeriainSpainareEurope’svegetablegarden.Acityofuniformlysizedvegetableswaitseverydayforthehundredsoftrucksthatwilltakethemtothecontinent’ssupermarkets.

Themoreacountrydevelops,themoremeatitsinhabitantsconsume.Howcangrowingworldwidedemandbesatisfiedwithoutrecoursetoconcentrationcamp-stylecattlefarms?Fasterandfaster.Likethelifecycleoflivestockwhichmayneverseeameadow,manufacturingmeatfasterthantheanimalhasbecomeadailyroutine.Inthesevastfoodlots,trampledbymillionsofcattle,notabladeofgrassgrows.Afleetoftrucksfromeverycornerofthecountrybringsintonsofgrain,soymealandprotein-richgranulesthatwillbecometonsofmeat.Theresultisthatittakes100litersofwatertoproduceonekilogramofpotatoes,4,000foronekiloofriceand13,000foronekiloofbeef.Nottomentiontheoilguzzledintheproductionprocessandtransport.

Ouragriculturehasbecomeoil-powered.ItfeedstwiceasmanyhumansonEarthbuthasreplaceddiversitywithstandardization.Ithasofferedmanyofuscomfortswecouldonlydreamof,butitmakesourwayoflifetotallydependentonoil.

Thisisthenewmeasureoftime.Ourworld’sclocknowbeatstotherhythmoftheseindefatigablemachinestappingintothepocketofsunlight.Theirregularityreassuresus.Thetiniesthiccupthrowsusintodisarray.Thewholeplanetisattentivetothesemetronomesofourhopesandillusions.Thesamehopes,andillusionsthatproliferatealongwithourneeds,increasinglyinsatiabledesiresandprofligacy.Weknowthattheendofcheapoilisimminent,butwerefusetobelieveit.

Formanyofus,theAmericandreamisembodiedbyalegendaryname:LosAngeles.Inthiscitythatstretchesover100kilometers,thenumberofcarsisalmostequaltothenumberofinhabitants.

Here,energyputsonafantasticshoweverynight.Thedayseemstobenomorethanthepalereflectionofnightsthatturnthecityintoastarrysky.Fasterandfaster.Distancesarenolongercountedinmilesbutinminutes.Theautomobileshapesnewsuburbswhereeveryhomeisacastle,asafedistancefromtheasphyxiatedcitycenters,andwhereneatrowsofhouseshuddlerounddead-endstreets.

Themodelofaluckyfewcountrieshasbecomeauniversaldream,preachedbytelevisionsallovertheworld.EvenhereinBeijing,itiscloned,copiedandreproducedintheseformattedhousesthathavewipedpagodasoffthemap.

Theautomobilehasbecomethesymbolofcomfortandprogress.Ifthismodelwerefollowedbyeverysociety,theplanetwouldn’thave900millionvehicles,asitdoestoday,butfivebillion.

Fasterandfaster.Themoretheworlddevelops,thegreateritsthirstforenergy.Everywhere,machinesdig,boreandripfromtheEarth,thepiecesofstarsburiedinitsdepthssinceitscreation:minerals.

Inthenext20years,moreorewillbeextractedfromtheEarththaninthewholeofhumanity’shistory.Asaprivilegeofpower,80%ofthismineralwealthisconsumedby20%oftheworld’spopulation.Beforetheendofthiscentury,excessiveminingwillhaveexhaustednearlyalltheplanet’sreserves.

Fasterandfaster.Shipyardschurnoutoiltankers,containershipsandgastankerstocaterforthedemandsofglobalizedindustrialproduction.Mostconsumergoodstravelthousandsofkilometersfromthecountryofproductiontothecountryofconsumption.Since1950,thevolumeofinternationaltradehasincreased20timesover.Ninetypercentoftradegoesbysea.500millioncontainersaretransportedeveryyear,headedfortheworld’smajorhubsofconsumption,suchasDubai.

Dubaiisoneofthebiggestconstructionsitesintheworld—acountrywheretheimpossiblebecomespossible.Buildingartificialislandsinthesea,forexample.Dubaihasfewnaturalresources,butwiththemoneyfromoil,itcanbringmillionsoftonsofmaterialandpeoplefromallovertheworld.Itcanbuildforestsofskyscrapers,eachonetallerthanthelast,orevenaskislopeinthemiddleofthedesert.Dubaihasnofarmland,butitcanimportfood.Dubaihasnowater,butitcanaffordtoexpendimmenseamountsofenergytodesalinateseawaterandbuildthehighestskyscrapersintheworld.Dubaihasendlesssunbutnosolarpanels.Itisthecityofmoreismore,wherethewildestdreamsbecomereality.DubaiisasortofculminationoftheWesternmodel,withits800-meterhightotemtototalmodernitythatneverfailstoamazetheworld.Excessive?Perhaps.

Dubaiappearstohavemadeitschoice.Itislikethenewbeaconforalltheworld’smoney.NothingseemsfurtherremovedfromnaturethanDubai,althoughnothingdependsonnaturemorethanDubai.Thecitymerelyfollowsthemodelofwealthynations.Wehaven’tunderstoodthatwe’redepletingwhatnatureprovides.

Whatdoweknowofthemarineworld,ofwhichweseeonlythesurface,andwhichcoversthree-quartersoftheplanet?Theoceandepthsremainasecret.Theycontainthousandsofspecieswhoseexistenceremainsamysterytous.

Since1950,fishingcatcheshaveincreasedfivefold,from18to100millionmetrictonsayear.Thousandsoffactoryshipsareemptyingtheoceans.Three-quartersoffishinggroundsareexhausted,depletedorindangerofbeingso.Mostlargefishhavebeenfishedoutofexistence,sincetheyhavenotimetoreproduce.Wearedestroyingthecycleofalifethatwasgiventous.

Onthecoastlines,signsoftheexhaustionofstocksabound.Firstsign:Coloniesofseamammalsaregettingsmaller.Madevulnerablebyurbanizationofthecoastsandpollution,theynowfaceanewthreat:famine.Intheirunequalbattleagainstindustrialfishingfleets,theycan’tfindenoughfishtofeedtheiryoung.Secondsign：Seabirdsmustflyevergreaterdistancestofindfood.Atthecurrentrate,allfishstocksarethreatenedwithexhaustion.

InDakar,traditionalnetfishingboomedintheyearsofplenty,buttoday,fishstocksaredwindling.Fishisthestapledietofoneinfivehumans.

Canweenvisiontheinconceivable?Abandonedboats,seasdevoidoffish?

Wehaveforgottenthatresourcesarescarce.500millionhumansliveintheworld’sdesertlands,morethanthecombinedpopulationofEurope.Theyknowthevalueofwater.Theyknowhowtouseitsparingly.Here,theydependonwellsreplenishedbyfossilwater,whichaccumulatedundergroundinthedayswhenitrainedonthesedeserts,25,000yearsago.

Fossilwateralsoenablescropstobegrowninthedeserttoprovidefoodforlocalpopulations.Thefields’circularshapederivesfromthepipesthatirrigatethemaroundacentralpivot.Butthereisaheavypricetopay.Fossilwaterisanonrenewableresource.InSaudiArabia,thedreamofindustrialfarminginthedeserthasfaded.Asifonaparchmentmap,thelightsspotsonthispatchworkshowabandonedplots.Theirrigationequipmentisstillthere.Theenergytopumpwateralso.Butthefossilwaterreservesareseverelydepleted.

Israelturnedthedesertintoarableland.Eventhoughthesehothousesarenowirrigateddropbydrop,waterconsumptioncontinuestoincreasealongwithexports.TheoncemightyriverJordanisnowjustatrickle.Itswaterhasflowntosupermarketsallovertheworldincratesoffruitandvegetables.

TheJordan’sfateisnotunique.Acrosstheplanet,onemajorriverin10nolongerflowsintotheseaforseveralmonthsoftheyear.TheDeadSeaderivesitsnamefromitsincrediblyhighsalinitythatmakesalllifeimpossible.DeprivedoftheJordan’swater,itslevelgoesdownbyoveronemeterperyear.Itssalinityisincreasing.Evaporation,duetotheheat,producesthesefineislandsofsaltevaporates—beautifulbutsterile.

InRajasthan,India,Udaipurisamiracleofwater.Thecitywasmadepossiblebyasystemofdamsandchannelsthatcreatedanartificiallake.Foritsarchitects,waswatersopreciousthattheydedicatedapalacetoit?Indiarisksbeingthecountrythatsuffersmostfromthelackofwaterinthecomingcentury.Massiveirrigationhasfedthegrowingpopulation,andinthelast50years,21millionwellshavebeendug.Thevictoryoverfaminehasadownside,however.Inmanypartsofthecountry,thedrillhastosinkeverdeepertohitwater.InwesternIndia,30%ofwellshavebeenabandoned.Theundergroundaquifersaredryingout.

Vastreservoirswillcatchthemonsoonrainstoreplenishtheaquifers.Indryseason,womenfromlocalvillagedigthemwiththeirbarehands.

Thousandsofkilometersaway,800to1,000litersofwaterareconsumedperpersonperday.LasVegaswasbuiltoutofthedesert.Millionsofpeoplelivethere.Thousandsmorearriveeverymonth.TheinhabitantsofLasVegasareamongthebiggestconsumersofwaterintheworld.PalmSpringisanotherdesertcitywithtropicalvegetationandlushgolfcourses.

Howlongcanthismiragecontinuetoprosper?TheEarthcannotkeepup.TheColoradoRiver,whichbringswatertothesecities,isoneofthoseriversthatnolongerreachesthesea.Evenmorealarmingly,itsflowisdiminishingatsource.Waterlevelsinthecatchmentlakesalongitscourse…areplummeting.LakePowelltook17yearstoreachhigh-watermark.Itslevelisnowhalfofthat.Watershortagescouldaffectnearlytwobillionpeople…before2050.

Yetwaterisstillabundantinunspoiledregionsoftheplanet.Thewetlands.

ThesewetlandsarecrucialtoalllifeonEarth.TheyrepresentsixpercentofthePlanet.Marshesarespongesthatregulatetheflowofwater.Theyabsorbitinthewetseasonandreleaseitinthedryseason.Thewaterrunsoffthemountainpeaks,carryingwithittheseedsoftheregionsitflowsthrough.Thisprocessgivesbirthtouniquelandscapes,wherethediversityofspeciesisunequaledinitsrichness.Underthecalmwaterliesaveritablefactorywherethisultimatelylinkedrichnessanddiversity,patientlyfiltersthewateranddigestsallthepollution.Marshesareindispensableenvironmentsfortheregenerationandpurificationofwater.

Thesewetlandswerealwaysseenasunhealthyexpanses,unfitforhumanhabitation.Inourracetoconquermoreland,wehavereclaimedthemaspastureforourlivestock,oraslandforagricultureorbuilding.Inthelastcentury,halfoftheworld’smarshesweredrained.Weknowneithertheirrichnessnortheirrole.

Alllivingmatterislinked.Water,air,soil,trees.Theworld’smagicisrightinfrontofoureyes.

Treesbreathegroundwaterintotheatmosphereaslightmist.Theyformacanopythatalleviatestheimpactofheavyrainsandprotectsthesoilfromerosion.Theforestsprovidethehumiditythatisnecessaryforlife.Theyarethemotherandfatherofrain.Theforestsstorecarbon.TheycontainmorethanalltheEarth’satmosphere.Theyarethecornerstoneoftheclimaticbalanceonwhichwealldepend.

Treesprovideahabitatforthree-quartersoftheplanet’sbiodiversity—thatistosay,ofalllifeonEarth.Everyyear,wediscovernewspecieswehadnoideaexisted—insects,birds,mammals.Theseforestsprovidetheremediesthatcureus.Thesubstancessecretedbytheseplantscanberecognizedbyourbodies.Ourcellstalkthesamelanguage.Weareofthesamefamily.

Mangrovesareforeststhatstepoutontothesea.Likecoralreefs,theyareanurseryfortheoceans.Theirrootsentwineandformashelterforthefishandmollusksthatcometobreed.Mangrovesprotectthecoastsfromhurricanes,tidalwavesanderosionbythesea.Wholepeoplesdependonthem.Yet,theywerereducedbyhalfduringthe20thcentury.Oneofthereasonsfortheongoingdisasteristheseshrimpfarmsinstalledonthemangroves’richwaters.Ventilatorsaeratepoolsfullofantibioticstopreventtheasphyxiationoftheshrimps,notthatofthemangroves.

Sincethe1960s,deforestationhasconstantlygatheredpace.Everyyear,13millionhectaresoftropicalforestanareathesizeofIllinois—disappearinsmokeandaslumber.Theworld’slargestrainforest,theAmazon,hasalreadybeenreducedby20%.Theforestgiveswaytocattleranchesorsoybeanfarms.Ninety-fivepercentofthesesoybeansareusedtofeedlivestockandpoultryinEuropeandAsia.Andso,aforestisturnedintomeat.

Whentheyburn,forestsandtheirsoilsreleasehugequantitiesofcarbon,accountingfor20%ofthegreenhousegasesemittedacrosstheglobe.Deforestationisoneoftheprincipalcausesofglobalwarming.Thousandsofspeciesdisappearforever.Withthem,oneofthelinksinalongchainofevolutionsnaps.Theintelligenceofthelivingmatterfromwhichtheycameislostforever.

Barely20yearsago,Borneo,thefourth-largestislandintheworld,wascoveredbyavastprimaryforest.Atthecurrentrateofdeforestation,itwillhavetotallydisappearedwithin10years.Livingmatterbondswater,air,earthandthesun.InBorneo,thisbondhasbeenbrokeninwhatwasoneoftheEarth’sgreatestreservoirsofbiodiversity.

Thiscatastrophewasprovokedbythedecisiontoproducepalmoil,themostconsumedoilintheworld,onBorneo.Palmoilnotonlycaterstoourgrowingdemandforfood,butalsocosmetics,detergentsand,increasingly,alternativefuels.Theforestdiversitywasreplacedbyasinglespecies—theoilpalm.Monocultureiseasy,productiveandrapid.Forlocalpeople,itprovidesemployment.Itisanagricultureindustry.

Anotherexampleofmassivedeforestationistheeucalyptus.Eucalyptusisusedtomakepaperpulp.Plantationsaregrowing,asdemandforpaperhasincreasedfivefoldin50years.Monocultureoftreesaregaininggroundallovertheworld.Butamonocultureisnotaforest.Bydefinition,thereislittlediversity.Oneforestdoesnotreplaceanotherforest.Atthefootoftheseeucalyptustrees,nothinggrows,becausetheirleavesformabedthatistoxicformostotherplants.Theygrowquickly,butexhaustwaterreserves.

Soybeans,palmoil,eucalyptustrees—Deforestationdestroystheessentialtoproducethesuperfluous.Butelsewhere,deforestationisalastresorttosurvive.

Overtwobillionpeople—almostathirdoftheworld’spopulationstilldependoncharcoal.

InHaiti,oneoftheworld’spoorestcountries,charcoalisoneofthepopulation’smainconsumables.OncethepearloftheCaribbean,Haiticannolongerfeeditspopulationwithoutforeignaid.OnthehillsofHaiti,onlytwopercentoftheforestsareleft.Strippedbare,thesoilnolongerabsorbstherainwater.Withnovegetationandnorootstoreinforcethem,nothingholdsthesoilsback.Therainwaterwashesthemdownthehillsidesasfarasthesea.Erosionimpoverishesthequalityofthesoils,reducingtheirsuitabilityforagriculture.

InsomepartsofMadagascar,theerosionisspectacular.Wholehillsidesbeardeepgasheshundredsofmeterswide.Thinandfragile,soilismadebylivingmatter.Witherosion,thefinelayerofhumans,whichtookthousandsofyearstoform,disappears.

Here’sonetheoryofthestoryoftheRapaNui,theinhabitantsofEasterIsland,thatcouldperhapsgiveuspauseforthought.Livingonthemostisolatedislandintheworld,theRapaNuiexploitedtheirresourcesuntiltherewasnothingleft.Theircivilizationdidnotsurvive.Ontheselandsstoodthehighestpalmtreesintheworld.Theyhavedisappeared.TheRapaNuichoppedthemalldownforlumber.Theythenhadtofacewidespreadsoilerosion.TheRapaNuicouldnolongergofishing.Therewerenotreestobuildcanoes.AndyettheRapaNuiformedoneofthemostbrilliantcivilizationsinthePacific.Innovativefarmers,sculptors,exceptionalnavigators,theywerecaughtinaviseofoverpopulationanddwindlingresources.Theyexperiencedsocialunrest,revoltsandfamine.Manydidnotsurvivethecataclysm.

TherealmysteryofEasterIslandisnothowitsstrangestatuesgotthere.Weknownow.It’swhytheRapaNuididn’treactintime.

It’sonlyoneofanumberoftheories,butithasparticularrelevancetoustoday.

Since1950,theworld’spopulationhasalmosttripled.Andsince1950,wehavemorefundamentallyalteredourisland,theEarth,thaninallofour200,000-yearhistory.

NigeriaisthebiggestoilexporterinAfrica,andye70%ofthepopulationlivesunderthepovertyline.Thewealthisthere,butthecountry’sinhabitantsdon’thaveaccesstoit.

Thesameistrueallovertheglobe.Halftheworld’spoorliveinresource-richcountries.Ourmodeofdevelopmenthasnotfulfilleditspromises.In50years,thegapbetweenrichandpoorhasgrownwiderthanever.Today,halftheworld’swealthisinthehandsoftherichesttwopercentofthepopulation.

Cansuchdisparitiesbemaintained?They’rethecauseofpopulationmovementswhosescalewehaveyettofullyrealize.

ThecityofLagoshadapopulationof