JUST A THOUGHT - A PRICE MUST BE PAID FOR EVERY ACTION AND REACTION! Part 1.

Probably one of the most unalterable 'truths' of the human world, indeed, probably also the natural environment, in which we live and manipulate, as it were, is that somebody and/or something must pay a price for all our actions and reactions. 

If we move or remove something, then something else must take the place of the void which we create. Something which might not necessarily beneficial to us, or to the succeeding generations of humans, whose fortune or misfortune it will or might lead them to cross that path. 

Whereas, of course, the things which have been removed, let us say, natural resources, such as trees, such as coal, such as iron ore, such as animals, such as birds, might have benefited us, the currently living and, probably, the next generation to be born.

And so it is that, humans can either be guided in their/our exploitation of 'our natural resources', by the principle of the short-term benefits it could effect in our standard of living. Or by the principle that we should do all that is reasonably practicable, to avoid deferring the payment of the adverse costs to future generations of humans. 

That we should consider it grossly irresponsible to pursue a way of living which might be the economic equivalent of the military's 'scorch-earth policy.' A way of living which benefits us, or some of us, but for which future generations will have to pay an extortionate price to try to clean up the mess. 

A kind of pyrrhic victory for us, who do not have to pay the true cost. Not only do we, the exploiters and short-term benefactors of the exploitation, end up exploiting our natural world, but we are also effectively exploiting unborn generations of humans and fauna and flora. 

This, we could argue, is not completely dissimilar to 'pre-natal' child abuse, or, probably better put, 'inter-generational human and animal rights abuse.'

To be continued.