We speak for the trees
Ok. I'll stop with the facts. But let me pose a question: Have you ever seen The Lorax by Dr. Seuss?
I was watching it the other evening with my son. And if you haven't seen it, the plot of The Lorax is basically about a Once-ler telling a boy the story of his arrival in this beautiful valley containing a forest of Truffula trees that is filled with a variety of animals.
The Once-ler, having long searched for such a tree as the Truffula, chops one down and uses the wool from the tree to knit a Thneed (a piece of clothing basically).
The Lorax, who "speaks for the trees," basically because they have no tongues, pops-up from the stump of the Truffula and basically says: "Dude, wtf?"
Just then someone walks by, comments on the piece of clothing (the aforementioned Thneed), and subsequently buys it, which encourages the Once-ler to start a business making and selling Thneeds.
The Once-ler sets up a shop, which soon grows into a full blown factory. Business is good and so the Once-ler's relatives all come to help out and work for him. And new vehicles and equipment are brought in to log the Truffula forest to keep up with growing demand.
Then the Lorax appears again to let everyone know that the Bar-ba-loots (something like a small bear I guess), who eats Truffula fruits, are short on food and as a result these animals are leaving the forest in droves.
The Lorax later returns again and complains about how the factory has polluted the air, and the water, and as such forcing the Swomee-Swans and Humming-Fish to migrate as well.
But the Once-ler continues on his entrepreneurial path and defiantly tells the Lorax that he will keep on "biggering" his business.
Until....
Finally, one of Once-ler's logging machine's brings down the very last Truffula tree.
And without raw materials, the factory shuts down. And because there isn't any work the Once-ler's relatives leave and head back home.
At which point the Lorax appears again before the Once-ler but this time says nothing, and with one sad backward glance he lifts himself into the air and disappears behind the smoggy clouds.
And interestingly, where the Lorax last stood, is a small monument engraved with a single word: "UNLESS."
The Once-ler ponders the message for years, in solitude, until he finally realizes what the Lorax meant: unless someone cares a great deal, the situation will never improve.