VITAL STATISTIC

A couple nights ago I heard on the C.B.C. there are, if I remember correctly, 20% fewer species in the ocean today than 10 years ago. Or was that 20 fewer species? I don't remember and it's not a lapse; it is the presentation.

That statistic is a vital piece of information. If we continue to reduce our biodiversity we will self-destruct. Yet this statistic was presented among so much other information, by the end of the program my mind was numbed to the point that what I remembered was no more relevant than the worship of Sidney Crosby, probably less.

This is why I suggest with the utmost gravity that the C.B.C begins to present a Vital Statistic. It could be so simple. All it really needs to be is the amount of money we spend in conflicts from legal battles to wars. We could add in the number of people that die per second from preventable causes, the loses of species, the number of cities under smog alerts and many other stats. However, because everything is interrelated, I would keep it simple and use just the money stat, since it would 'talk' the loudest.

Peter Mansbridge could present the Vital Statistic right after presenting those that indicate the health of our economy. Its explanation would be simple. As the V.S. increases we move closer to self-destruction. Decreases would give reason to hope. Whether it increased or decreased, I would remember.