Michael Shaw's Letter

Everyone,

We, especially those of us living in wealthy nations, were selfish. We knew that we were using the resources of the earth in an irresponsible way. We knew that what we were doing would make life worse, possibly impossible, for future generations. Yet, we carried on because we didn't want to change our lifestyle. Some people realised what was happening and attempted to make change, but we weren't sufficiently powerful in the face of Governments, which thought only in short time-scales; and (large) companies, which thought only of profit. If we had been able to see an immediate effect of a change of action, we might have done more but we put off what we knew we should have been doing, thinking that a day, a month, or a year would not make any difference.
I may be dead by the time you read this but I hope that your generation rejects the views of mine and thinks more about the lives of those yet to come than those around you.