David Attenborough has spent his life dedicated to the natural world. He recently finished narrating Our Planet, a Netflix nature documentary series. In a follow-up to the series, he demonstrates our two possible futures.

The first is a consequence of continuing our unsustainable, global lifestyle. Oceans increase in acidity. Polar caps melt, as coastal areas flood. Arid land becomes desert. Life becomes virtually unsustainable for a vast majority of species. Including us.

The second is a result of pursuing a sustainable life, primarily by the use of renewable energy sources. We evolve a technology that works in harmony with nature, instead of one seeking to subdue it. Cities incorporate forests. Fishing nurseries operate in conjunction with open ocean. We thus reduce the threat of climate change that endangers us all.

Thus, we stand at the crossroads. How will we choose?

breaking dawn

as the first rays shine on

the landscape

What are the odds it is

the kind that we want?

for 30th January 2021 prompt: Gerry Muse #243 (occasional tanka prose)
For Tomorrow

#tanka #haibun #poetry