Stand up for earth
There's no Planet B
The Apex of Grace
Leopards are among the most powerful, intelligent, and stunning creatures on Earth. The Apex of all-natural beauty.
To watch a Leopard move through the forest is an unforgettable gift.
Nothing moves with more grace.
The Leopard is absolutely perfect.
"The Leopard is absolutely Perfect."
Adorned with grace, poise, balance, and power, a great being like a Leopard demands respect and admiration.
A leopard is a master of hiding and hunting. We only find those that wish to be found. The moment you see one;
time stands still.
"The Moment You See ONE All Time Stands Still"
Balance
Before your gaze finds a Leopard you will first be heard, seen, and studied.
Their senses are more heightened than we humans can imagine.
They reveal themselves only if they have determined no threat.
To find so much as their shadow passing by is an honour,
for if they show even this then they have chosen not to harm us.
As I knelt to take this photograph I was in awe of the beauty before me.
The Leopard is a perfect living artwork in so many ways;
There is divinity in their form, spirit, and movement.
While he stood next to a tree carefully studying a human,
I wondered within at how powerful this Leopard was.
Immediately he turned and jumped up the tree,
launching himself over 30 foot vertically.
I have never seen anything move with such elegance and power.
Such raw, effortless, incredible motion.
He turned to look back from the height of the tree.
It felt like he was actually reading my thoughts;
Seeing, feeling and connecting spiritually.
I believe he could feel my complete admiration.
The Leopard is one of nature's great forms. It is a blessing to simply be near to such majesty.
When looking at these beings we see creation's perfection. Behind those eyes is a raw living spirit.
Leopard's are living miracles.
Yet they are endangered.
Fighting Extinction
When humanity begins to protect Nature rather than destroy it,
All life on Earth will thrive and human beings will rapidly evolve.
Protecting Nature is key to our evolution and awakening.
"Be magnificent as the leopard, fight to win."
- Rumi
Because of human activity many animals are critically endangered.
Over half of all animal species are now in decline.
In the past few decades, habitat destruction and poaching has caused Leopard populations to dramatically decrease - by over 80%.
Many other species on Earth are
now facing extinction.
We need to change this.
Just 70
The Amur Leopard is one of the most endangered species on Earth.
It is believed that there are just 70 of
these beautiful beings left living wild.
70.
Just 70 wild Amur Leopards.
On the whole Planet.
How can this go unnoticed?
Why is there so little awareness?
Because the ones who harm earth have great influence over mass media.
Protecting Keystone Species
Certain species in an ecosystem are disproportionally more impactful than others. This is because they perform functions in the ecosystem that have a large wider impact.
Such species are known as "keystone" species.
The loss of keystone species can cause sudden collapse of entire ecosystems. Particularly when these species keep human beings off the land, like the Leopard.
Unsustainable Industry is Destroying this Planet
"Every year about 18 million hectares of forest –
an area the size of England and Wales –
is cleared."
- World Resources Institute
Forestry, unsustainable agriculture, Chemical Use and Mining are the most destructive industries of all to the habitat of precious animals
like the Leopard.
Because of unsustainable industry there are now so few safe spaces for animals left that we are completely losing hundreds of species every day.
We still have time to save these beautiful animals,
but it is now or never.
Either we stand up now for the Earth and all natural lifeforms,
or we fail them.
It's that simple.
To stand up for and protect Earth means putting an end to harmful, unsustainable, destructive industry.
We can easily create a more sustainable, balanced and natural world - but it is up to us to act.
End Ecocide
Ecocide is the destruction or harm of any ecological systems. It happens from the direct killing of a species or the destruction/degradation of their liveable habitat.
This usually harms food supplies or water sources.
There are people trying to stop ecocide by forming laws against it worldwide.
Isn't it absurd that it's not already illegal?
There are some existing protections that are supposed to prevent ecocide, and people are working hard to create large protected areas, like the new Himalayan National Park in Pakistan, but very rarely are they properly monitored. Protections for such habitat needs to be enforced, otherwise it is just a political move.
One example is the Marine Protected Areas of the U.K, which the British Government have not protected at all and in fact allowed hundreds of huge supertrawlers to fish, even though they were originally supposed to be a sanctuary that protected animals from overfishing and allowed collapsing species to recover.
You can sign this petition to ban supertrawlers and other destructive fishing from the UK’s offshore Marine Protected Areas.
Massive support for such petitions and legal work will help, but we need to do so much more than just signatures and petitions. We have to wake up.
We need a great collective awakening with real action.
We can still save Earth, by acting together,
If we act now.
Choosing Change
"Every year about 18 million hectares of forest –
an area the size of England and Wales – is cleared."
- World Resources Institute
In learning about the source of ingredients in items we can make a real change in our choices and actions. The most obvious of which is in the products we buy.
Many already know that Orangutan live in the rainforests of southeast Asia, but most are unaware that an area of rainforest larger than the united kingdom has already been destroyed in the past few years just to plant palm oil
crops for use in many widely used products.
"Many rainforests in Central and South America have been burnt down to make way for cattle farming, which supplies beef to the rest of the world. It is estimated that for each pound of beef produced, 200 square feet of rainforest are destroyed."
It's not just the Orangutan that suffer from this senseless destruction.
We're losing many more species to unsustainable farming methods and corporate greed.
So many companies profit from the destruction of rainforest, woodlands, oceans and other animal habitat. There are different ways and reasons, but all of it is about the same thing:
money. We can stop this whole process, just by taking away the money.
If we just stand up to protect these habitats, levying huge fines upon anyone and any organisation involved in their destruction, while choosing to use sustainable alternatives,
we can quickly and rapidly transform the world and protect remaining habitats.
No form of business should be operating within a hundred miles of biodiverse spaces.
They are the last remaining strongholds for nature's ecological framework.
If we lose these last ecosystems, it will be impossible to recover from.
It will also trigger a planetary scale ecological collapse,
which will also lead to economic collapse.
All life on Earth needs Natural Ecosystems.
If they collapse we will all suffer.
No matter how much money is made.
The image above shows how large sections of rainforest are being cleared to plant palm oil
with harmful mono-cropped plantations. This destroys natural ecology and food webs..
The impact that palm oil production is having upon the forests where Orangutang live is devastating and should become known to more people so that it is stopped.
Though it seems a mammoth task for any individual we have incredible power when we work together. Perhaps the most amazing example of this is how two young girls started a petition that gained support from several hundred thousand people and forced the massive corporate food brand Kellogg's to change their sourcing of ingredients to sustainable alternatives.
Together we can create massive change but first we need to make others aware of the issues and how we can solve them. This can be done most effectively through conscious documentary, writing, artwork, high profile advocates and individual people like you and I taking grass roots action, whether it through sustainable farming, supporting mass protests or creating and sharing work like this.
We are the Earth's last and only hope.
Please share this work.
Switching to A Sustainable World
Thanks to massive efforts from environmental activists and conservational reform the Malaysian government announced in 2019 some key policies to regulate palm oil. This is a step forward but as it is not being enforced properly we need more pressure.
We have to stop using the palm oil from rainforest regions.
One of the greatest personal choices we can make for both the planet and our own wellbeing is to grow our own food. Humanity as a whole needs to stop using chemicals pesticides in farming and choose to use more sustainable crops with more sustainable farming methods
(like permaculture regenerative agriculture or regenerative farming).
We also need to ensure every company involved in destruction of the rainforest becomes sanctioned internationally, so that no one can profit from the destruction of
these priceless planetary treasures.
In August 2020 great pressure from activist on the U.K government lead to sanctions being proposed, as legislation was proposed upon larger companies that are unable to demonstrate their supply chains are free from illegal deforestation. An excellent step, but only if the sanctions are enough.
Some of these companies make billions of dollars, and are able to walk through even hundred million dollar fines. We need sanctions that make a real, immediate and tremendous difference. All funding raised from such sanctions should go to the regeneration of animal habitat and natural ecology.
"It is only when you care for nature that you protect it"
- Jane Goodall
Switching from the destructive economy to the creative and sustainable economy is the fastest way to transform the world for the better. Supporting those who are working for good is one of the single greatest ways to make a difference to the world. We know the old ways are not working.
It is time now we come together to create something better.
I would personally argue that all companies and individuals involved in the past destruction of natural habitat should now be made to pay for its replanting, cultivation and recovery. If those businesses stop destructive activity they can be allowed to continue trading. If they simply fail we have done Earth a great service. There is no sensible reason to let this kind of madness continue.
We can't continue to support an economy of destruction.
By closing down harmful business we help sustainable ones grow.
As a people and nation this is a choice we can make.
It takes a lot of work to understand the details of some issues, to break them down into solutions and identify the people or projects most effectively working for positive change.
We need to share this work with each other, or it won't go very far.
While it is important to take responsibility for each of our own choices, like choosing responsible banking or sustainable alternatives to palm oil based products,
some of our choices will have a bigger impact.
Stopping Ecocide Funding
Consumers are influencing the way business does its work
Where does the funding for ecological destruction come from? From Government subsidies, grants and private financing provided by the banks. Where do they get the money they hand out? Us, the people.
Here is a list of the banks that support fossil fuels and ecological destruction the most.
If millions of people simply choose to take their money out of the banks funding ecocide it will effectively stop.This is because the people who destroy ecosystems do it for money, not fun. If they aren't paid it will suddenly stop, just like many other industries and forms of work that have stopped this past year.
So how can we do this? By taking our money out of the banks and encouraging others to do the same. The banks will either notice this trend and rapidly change their ways to keep customers, or they will struggle until failure. If they do not change their ways and customers keep leaving then they will be unable to make such huge loans as they lose the capital base (that your deposits provide) to do so.
Banks like Chase, Wells Fargo, Citi, Bank of America, Barclays, Scotiabank, Credit Suisse and HSBC are responsible for over 70% of all fossil fuel investment. If these banks stop funding ecocide, it will collapse as an activity almost entirely worldwide. This means we can actually save the
planet just by switching banks. Please, spread the word.
"If you plant trees in a city it has enormous benefits – it cools the temperature, cleans the air, stabilises the soil against flooding and improves psychological
and physical health, to mention only a few."