Is Our World Safe in Our Hands?

When we look back at this last century it is easy to wonder what type of damage have we done to ourselves and to this planet that we are on, There have been two world wars, countless “police actions”,
and constant turmoil throughout the world. How many tons of explosives have been dropped on the surface of the earth, how many nuclear bombs have been detonated, and what is the effect of the manufacturing and electrical plants?
We have been polluting the oceans for over a century, Whenever a ship went down haw many gallons of oil were dumped into the oceans, how many tons of chemicals were also on those ships in the form of explosives? The German U-boats used mercury as ballast in their submarines, so how much mercury is on the bottom of the oceans and how much has already been released into the water?
Manufacturing throughout the world has increased several times over the last century. Electricity needs to be produced to make these plants run and to power homes, to run the office buildings we work in, the street lights to be on for our safety, and those places we go to for entertainment and relaxation (for example-Las Vegas). To produce this power there are fossil fuels being burned, nuclear power or water being utilized, With two of those sources, there is heat being generated and that also means there is excess heat being dumped into the atmosphere all day, everyday of the year.
So what is the true effect on this planet for all that has been done? With all the manufacturing how much toxic waste has been dumped on the ground or piped into a nearby river. With the burning of fossil fuels how much has this added to the acid rains we destroy the land with. How much have we changed the climate? Are the foods we grow really safe? Are we safe from the all that has been done in the past?
And are we safe from what is happening today. The oil spill in the gulf has brought out new fears and also made the world look for a little while at the future. Can big business be trusted? Can we go back to nuclear? What if we went more to nuclear and there were more Three Mile accidents? Are there alternative energy sources to be used? Solar energy, wind power, or thermal power may be an option to solve some problems for the land and short term but the past will always be there to haunt us.
Many people have many opinions. This is something that can be analyzed, then reanalyzed, and for more fun you can reanalyze it again and every time you may come up with a different conclusion. With the technology of today we can find where we are today, how much pollution is in the air, water and land. But what do we compare that to when we do not know where we were a hundred years ago. The scientist can only guess at those numbers and give us more opinions.
Can we help ourselves? Yes, in my opinion, or at least our little corner of the world. Our homes can go to solar energy, or wind power. Our cars can be developed to get over 50 mpg(all of them). And we may be able to do that if big business and government do not get in the way.