Rather than talking about what we can do reduce the oceans of waste threatening to drown us or how to cut back on our constant and growing energy suck, we’ve turned the environment into another act of the Red and Blue Circus.

Watch as conflicting science reports of dubious credibility are thrown back and forth in an attempt to sway the masses to believe! Be amazed as politicians continue to exploit the environment for gain whilst ignoring the brewing global catastrophe! Sit in wonder at our mind-numbing incapacity to get off our high horses and start doing what needs to be done! And you better believe the grand finale for this sucker’s going to be a showstopper.

Wake up, Washington! It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that we’re using way too much of the Earth’s fuel way too fast, and this puppy’s either going to explode or putter out before we’ve reached any kind of destination.

Not just fuel in gasoline or heating oil sense either. The world’s supply of precious minerals and metals cannot keep up with demand and new sources are harder and harder to come by. And let’s not forget that the seas are being over fished, the rain forests chopped down and the polar ice caps are melting.

It’s enough to make you want to curl up into a ball and roll into a hole under a mountain.

Too bad, but that’s not an option. And while we don’t have enough mountains or holes to go around, television, video games and movies can only distract us for so long before we realize we’ve got to get off our duffs and do something.

The time for arguing over whether there is a need to go green is long past. Now the only question is how fast and hard can we change without completely crashing our economy? And of course, will it be enough to reverse the damage we’ve already done?

I’m no expert, but here are a few suggestions I’d have for starters:

? Require ALL motor vehicles to be powered primarily by renewable resources by 2017 and restrict the allowable size of personal-use cars to prevent irresponsible vehicles like the Hummer and most SUVs.

? Nationalize the power grid and utilize natural power sources wherever available. Sure, we’ll lose a few scenic views and have to displace a few private residences, but better to do it now while we still have the luxury of choosing to do so.

? Require ALL packaging of consumer products to be biodegradable or recyclable and require private individuals and corporations to recycle as much refuse as is feasible. We can continue to delude ourselves into believing that buying compact fluorescent light bulbs and Priuses is enough, or we can take steps now to fix the havoc we’ve already wrought.

Either that, or we can suffer through another act of this tired, self-destructive circus.