It's an exaggeration, of course. In reality, if the heavy metals in the fish were strong enough to respond to magnets in this way, the fish could not possibly survive. Thanks to continued pollution by industrialized nations, that may be the ultimate fate of ocean fish, by the way. As NewsTarget reported on November 3, 2006, the world can expect to see a global collapse of seafood due to over fishing and the destruction of ocean ecosystems, mostly by synthetic chemicals flushed down toilets or emptied into rivers and streams (which ultimately empty into the ocean).

It is a sad commentary on the human race that not we not only insist on destroying each other through war, but that we also destroy the animals and plants around us in a quest for corporate profits. The long-term implications are dire: We may imbalance the planet to such a degree that it no longer supports human life at anywhere near the current population levels. Through CO2 emissions and the continued use of synthetic chemicals in farming, food, drugs, personal care products and industrial processes, we are destroying the Earth with each passing day.

I hope that this comic helps remind us all that we only have one planet to live on, and if we destroy the ecosystem of this one, we have nowhere else to go. Humankind will live or die in accordance to the way we treat nature, and there's a delay of about one hundred years before the ramifications are really felt. Civilization can appear to get away with rampant pollution for a few decades, but it catches up with you. The next four generations of children will have to endure the cleanup of our own careless actions over the last hundred years.

That is, if they're even born. With the destruction of the environment comes a global collapse of the food bubble and the spread of infectious disease, and that means a massive population correction. A smaller population will have reduced impact on the environment, allowing it to recover some of its natural balance over time. Let's face it: Earth is much better off without humans.

It doesn't mean we can't someday find a way to live in better harmony with nature, but we certainly haven't done so yet. In fact, most of the world is just now waking up to the idea that we can't keep polluting the planet forever. Environmental protection is now going mainstream. It is no longer optional to protect the environment; it's a matter of basic survival.