Aborigines lived sustainably

At last we have made the apology, so perhaps now we could take a leaf out of the Aborigines' book and pay more respect to our planet.

It does after all support all living things and that includes us.

Continuing growth seems to be our constant catch cry but if we stop to think about it, it is unsustainable.

How will we support ourselves when all the minerals are gone and all the land is covered with concrete?

When children in the future ask for their birthright will they be satisfied with a piece of that concrete?

Where will the rain go when it falls on hard surfaces?

It certainly won't be able to refill the aquifer or sustain the plant and animal life.

It will probably flood our cities and then drain out to sea.

Without water and with no land left to grow our food, what will sustain us?

Will we be satisfied with a pill?

The signs are all around us that the planet is stressed.

This surely is largely due to one species, which is in plague proportions and which thinks it can grow exponentially.

Until the coming of the white man to this continent, the aborigines lived in a sustainable way ensuring that no other species became extinct.

We would not be willing to become hunters and gatherers but perhaps we should stop consuming and do a little thinking instead and consider just what impact our behaviour is having on this planet.

Margaret Lund Woy Woy