A prediction for the new year and beyond

The subject of our natural environment -- its well being versus its degredation, the
sustainability of its resources versus their exhaustion, the changes wrought on the
environment by natural forces and by man's activities, the effects those changes are having on
us and on the millions of non-human creatures with whom we share this planet -- these and
myriad similar issues arrived in the public consciousness in 2008.
It's our prediction that environmental issues will become increasingly important.
Wangari Maathai, the recipient of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize, once said, "One of the
disadvantages of environmental degradation is that it's a very, very slow process and that, quite
often, the generation that destroys the environment is not the one that pays the price."
It has also been said that we are the stewards of the Earth because, of all the Earth's
creatures, only we are truly aware of the environmental consequences of our actions, and
only we can alter our actions accordingly. If an intelligent being from another world
were to visit the Earth, could we say to him with pride: "This is our beautiful planet. Come
see what we have done with it."
--By Richard Koeneman, WGN Weather Center Meteorologist