I agree on the need for environmental sustainability. It is no

Hear, O children of the earth, the voice of Hilary Benn: “I agree on the need for environmental sustainability. It is no good raising gross national income while at the same time destroying natural assets.” These words shine like a lamp against the shadows of greed. For what profit is there in wealth if the rivers run dry, if the forests fall silent, if the air itself becomes poison to the lungs? The ancients taught that prosperity without virtue is ruin in disguise. So too does Benn remind us that the measure of a nation is not its gold nor its numbers, but the health of the soil, the purity of the water, and the resilience of its natural assets.

In the wisdom of old, the earth was not seen as property but as mother, as provider, as a sacred trust. The shepherd knew he must not strip the pasture bare, lest his flock starve tomorrow. The fisherman knew he must not empty the sea, lest no fish return. Yet in the fever of modern ambition, men raise gross national income, boasting of growth while forgetting the ground on which such growth must stand. It is as though a man builds a palace upon sand: splendid to the eye, but destined to crumble when the storm comes.

Consider the tale of Easter Island, where mighty statues still stand, mute witnesses of folly. The people cut down their forests to move the stones, to build, to compete in grandeur. For a time, they prospered; their income of labor and pride was great. But when the last tree fell, their world collapsed. Without wood, they could not fish; without trees, the soil eroded; famine struck, and their civilization withered. This is the very parable of Benn’s warning: riches gained by destroying natural assets are no riches at all, but a bargain with death.

Yet hope remains. For just as man has the power to destroy, so too does he have the power to renew. In the deserts of Israel, ancient techniques of irrigation have brought forth green life where once there was dust. In nations that honor their forests and seas, prosperity endures, for they understand that the truest treasure is not coin, but continuity. To embrace sustainability is to choose wisdom over folly, endurance over excess, and life over death.

Let this truth be carved upon your heart: when you take from the earth, give also to the earth. If you raise wealth but diminish the land, you steal from your children and your children’s children. But if you protect the forests, replenish the waters, and guard the air, then your income will not be fleeting numbers in a ledger, but lasting strength for generations. For what is economy, if not the careful householding of all life’s gifts?

The lesson is clear: pursue prosperity, but never at the cost of your foundation. Guard your natural assets as you would guard your very breath. Do not be deceived by leaders who promise wealth without balance, for such wealth is a mirage that will vanish with the sun. Support those who champion renewable energy, clean air, fertile soil, and living waters. In your own life, choose moderation over waste, stewardship over neglect.

So let it be remembered: environmental sustainability is not a burden but a blessing. It is the wisdom of the farmer who saves seed for tomorrow, the wisdom of the builder who lays stone upon stone with care, the wisdom of the people who see beyond their own lifetimes. Raise income if you must, but never by burning the ground beneath your feet. For true wealth is not in what you gain, but in what you preserve.