However carefully camouflaged or seemingly disposed of by several stopgap measures, the rapid destruction of our ecosystem by industry and society remains an undeniable fact. Keeping our eyes closed in blissful ignorance of its cause and results will not stop it from expanding and closing in on us. Environmental breakdown and pollution is not just reality for a handful of environmentalists or victims directly concerned with it. It affects us all, whether we like it or not. We are clearing and stripping our tropical rain forests with the amazing speed of 30 football fields per minute to help the lumber and meat industries make their profits, depriving about 1000 endangered species of their natural habitat annually, despite their vital role in the ecosystem.
Deforestation also creates topsoil loss.
Monsoon rains wash away hopes of agriculture together with valuable soil, for the soil now lacks the natural protection of roots and foliage. Mountains of waste have become the pedestal on which the industrialized nations try to make their stand. The problems of consumer garbage, industrial waste, toxic waste, and nuclear waste are still far away from any acceptable solution. The earth's fresh water supplies are increasingly contaminated by the meat, oil, and chemical industries. Massive oil dumping, accidents from oil drilling and transport, as well as motor vehicle use cause about 3,180,000,000 liters of oil to end up in the oceans yearly.