Last year, I celebrated with the Peregrine Fund folks upon the removal of the Peregrine falcon from the Endangered Species list. The world's population growth has slowed. Today we share the blue orb with 6 billion people. But it could have been 12 billion if the trend of 30 years ago had continued. Global warming appears to be a reality.
Voracious sprawl eats up open space and rich farmland here and abroad.
Two billion people lack access to clean drinking water. Globalization robs us not only of biological diversity, but of cultural diversity, which may be just as critical for our long-term survival. We have so much more to do. But I remain optimistic because people all over the world are adjusting their lives to fit into the limits of nature. From ranchers who have restored the health of riparian zones to save salmon in Idaho to African villagers who have begun protecting the animals that live around their homes, I have seen rich and poor lighten their footprints on the face of the Earth.