This beautiful Earth and all things in it are the creations of God. However, virtually every day we read or hear something about global climate change, endangered species, environmental degradation, or one of the many problems facing humanity today. We are living during a critical period in the Earth’s history. Indeed, the future of much of life as we know it will be decided in the next few decades, and these decisions will be irrevocable. Therefore, it is crucial that we, as individuals, cities, and nations, make wise decisions, and to do this we must be informed. We also think it is important to consider these problems from an anthropological perspective. This is something not usually done in the media and certainly not by politicians and heads of government. However, if we are truly to comprehend the impact that human activities have had on the planet, then such discussions surely must consider our biological and cultural evolution. And we must also emphasize our place in nature and focus on how, since the domestication of plants and animals, we have altered the face of our planet while at the same time shaping the destiny of thousands of species, including our own. The way to discover the original nature is calmness and wisdom. This means not being carried away by thought in the process of thought and being free from characters whole in the midst of them. When the mind is unperturbed by selfishness or deliberate effort and deliberate effort and is left to take its own course, it will reveal its pure nature, and enlightenment will come suddenly. #RandolphHarris 1 of 9

We humans tend to view ourselves as separate from all other life forms, and we generally regard our species as the masters of the planet. In Western cultures, this view has been reinforced by the conventionally held Old Testament assertion that humans shall have dominion over all other species. “Let us make humankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground,” reports Genesis 1.26. However, this also means that we are supposed to have stewardship over the animals. Stewardship is the job of supervising or taking care of something, such as an organization or property. We are also supposed to protect and take care of our land and waterways. However, in the Late Bronze Age peoples (circa 4,000-3,500 years ago), many of England’s forest were disappearing. Today, the majority of European woodlands exist as discontinuous patches, the results of process that continued until fairly recent times but originated with prehistoric farmers. Unfortunately, humans began to exploit, and increasingly depend on, non-renewable resources. Forests can be viewed as renewable resources, provided they are given the opportunity for regrowth. However, in many areas, forest clearing is virtually complete and is inevitably followed by soil erosion, frequent overgrazing, and overcultivation, which leads to further soil erosion. Therefore, in those areas, trees become a nonrenewable resource, perhaps the first resource to have this distinction. #RandolpHarris 2 of 9

Also, the archaeological reports that around 15,000 years ago, influenced in part by climate change and extinction of many large bodied prey species, some human groups began to settle down, abandoning their nomadic lives. That shows that climate change is natural and it happens so that other species have a chance to flourish. Humans are members of a group that includes about 4,000 species. And this is a group that has been on the decline for the last several million years. And in truth, it would be inaccurate to assume that human activities have only recently come to have environmental consequences. In fact, human impact on local environments increased dramatically as soon as people began to live in permanent settlements. Many of the Earth’s features we think of as natural actually came about as the result of human activities. For example, prior to the Neolithic, when people began to live in permanent settlements, much of Britain and continental Europe was blanketed with forests and woodlands. The moorlands and, to some extent, the peat bogs that have provided evocative settings for so many English novels are the result of deforestation that began more than 5,000 years ago. #RandolphHarris 3 of 9

It would not be inaccurate to say that since the advent of settled life, and to some extent prior to it, humans have virtually waged war on trees. Early European explorers and settlers recorded extensive burning of woodlands and forest by indigenous groups of hunter-gatherers in North America and Australia, presumably to clear undergrowth and drive animals from cover. The effect of such burning was not inconsequential, and as people began to live in agricultural communities and later in towns and cities, the impact on forests became devastating. In fact, only about 20 percent of the Earth’s original forests remain intact today, and much of the clearing occurred centuries and even millennia ago. There are many reasons for cutting forests, and the earliest of these were to clear the land for cultivation and grazing and to provide firewood and lumber for construction. As small communities grew into towns and cities, wood came to be used for shipbuilding, fortifications, and even the construction of temples and palaces. In short, the human experience over the last 10,000 to 15,000 years would not have been possible without the exploitation of woodlands and forests. One of the earliest documented examples of humankind’s appetite for lumber is the cutting of the famous cedars of Lebanon. Over 3,000 years ago, the eastern Mediterranean (modern-day Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria), southern Turkey, and Mesopotamia (in present-day Iraq) had become major sources of valuable cedar, fir, cypress, and other woods. #RandolphHarris 4 of 9

However, by far the most highly prized wood was Lebanese cedar, which was cut and shipped throughout the eastern Mediterranean, where it was used in the construction of buildings and ships. The Old Testament tells us that King Solomon’s temple was made of cedar from Lebanon, and numerous other texts, written over several centuries, document the extensive use and desirability of this precious wood. Not surprisingly, the deforestation of the mountains of Lebanon was eventually so complete that the forest of today consists of small patches of trees. Just to prove the ancient adage “The more things change, the more they stay the same, it is informative to note that classical scholars (most notably Plato and Aristotle) bemoaned the effects of deforestation and other forms of environmental degradation in Greece and other areas of the Mediterranean basin. They warned that the cutting of forests and overuse of land led to soil erosion and agricultural decline, disrupted water supplies, and even caused climate change. Their views, expressed some 2,400 years ago, are verified by combined archaeological and geological data that show sequences of soil accumulation followed by intense human occupation, then soil erosion, and finally abandonment of archaeological sites throughout Greece. Furthermore, this sequence of episodes dates to around 5,000 years ago. #RandolphHarris 5 of 9

However, given the relatively small size of human populations, even by the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans, the human impact on ecosystems mostly remained a localized, not global, phenomenon. Nevertheless, these impacts were in some cases significant. The barren (but enchanting) landscape of Greece and much of what is now desert in the Middle East and the Sahara Desert in Africa are the legacies of deforestation, overgrazing, and subsequent erosions over the last few thousand years. Destruction of natural resources in the past has also had severe consequences for the people living today. In 1,990, a typhoon and subsequent flooding killed over 100,000 people in Bangladesh, and the flooding was at least partly due to previous deforestation in parts of the Himalayas of northern India. There is also evidence that continued erosion and flooding in China are partly the results of deforestation that occurred in the past. Many scientists have long speculated that the collapse of the Maya civilization of southern Mexico around 1,000 year ago was at least somewhat due to climate change, overcultivation, and depletion of nutrient-poor tropical soils. So, it is very important to protect the trees in the Sierras and throughout California and Nevada to prevent it from becoming a desert. #RandolphHarris 6 of 9

 As beneficiaries of this divine creation, we should care for the Earth, be wise stewards over it, and preserve it for future generations. The Earth and all things on it are part of God’s plan for the redemption of his children and should be used responsibly to sustain the human family. “We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an Earth whereon these may dwell; and we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them,” reports Abraham 3.24-35. However, all are stewards—not owners—over this Earth and its bounty and will be accountable before God for what they do with his creations. “For it is expedient that I, the Lord, should make every person accountable, as a steward over Earthly blessings, which I have made and prepared for my creatures. I, the Lord, stretched out the Heavens, and built the Earth, my very handiwork; and all things therein are mine. And it is my purpose to provide for my saints, for all things are mine, Reports Doctrines and Covenants Section 104.13-15. All humankind should gratefully use what God has given, avoid wasting life and resources, and use the bounty of the Earth to care for the less affluent. “And wo be unto humans that sheddeth blood or that wasteth flesh and hath no need,” reports Doctrines and Covenants Section 49.21. #RandolphHarris 7 of 9

To truly reverence the Creator, we must appreciate his creations. God intends is creations to be pleasing to look upon and to enliven the mind and spirit. “All things which come of the Earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of humans, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart; yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul,” reports Doctrines and Covenants 59.18-19. For that reason, making the Earth ugly offends God. It is important to see and appreciate the glory and grandeur of God in everything about us because the state of the human soul and the environment are interconnected—each affects the other. The Earth, all living things, and the expanse of the Universe all eloquently witness of God. Accounts and portrayals of the Creation show that God cares about all he has made—his children, the Earth and all living things on it. The Earth and its fullness were first created spiritually. “I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the Earth,” reports Moses 3.5. The great variety of life forms God created give the Earth its beauty and diversity. The Earth and its creations are eternal. The Earth will be sanctified and receive celestial glory. It will be the home of the righteous, who will enjoy God’s glory. #RandolphHarris 8 of 9

The Earthy is the place where God’s children experience mortality, exercise agency, learn from their experiences, improve and progress. As a reminder, God has made us accountable for the care and preservation of the Earth and the wise use of its resources. As stewards, we avoid complacency and excessive consumption, using only what is necessary. We make our homes, neighborhoods, and cities beautiful. We preserve resources and protect for future generations that spiritual and temporal blessings of nature. If we all follow the universal principles given to us by God, the nature and destiny of humans and things will be correct. When the principles of the scriptures are endowed in human beings, it becomes their nature. The human purpose is originally good because its principles are good, and principles are good because they are from the source of God. Evil arises when feelings are aroused and deviate from the principles taught in the scriptures. One’s knowledge will be extended, one’s will sincere, one’s feelings correct, and one’s personal life cultivated only when the mind is clam—that is, free from selfishness, cunning, and deliberate—effort can it be peaceful. When this is done, one will have fully developed one’s nature and fulfilled one’s destiny. The development of human nature does not stop with personal perfection, but involves all things. #RandolphHarris 9 of 9