Letter written in

Letter written in thetheyear

year 2070
2070

This document was first

published by the magazine
“ Cronica de los Tiempos” in
April 2002
We are in the year 2070

I’ve just turned 50 but my appearance

is of an 85 year old person. I have
serious kidney problems because I
drink very little water. I believe that
I’ve little time left.

Today I’m one of the oldest persons in

our society!!!
I remember when I was 5 years old
Everything was different.

There were many trees in the parks, the

houses had nice gardens and I was able to
enjoy a bath or a take long shower.

Today we use hygienic tissues to clean our

skin, humidified in mineral oil!
In the past women showed
their beautiful hair.
Today we have to shave our
heads to keep them clean
without the use of water.

Back then my father washed

his car with the water which
came out from the water
house

Today the children can’t

believe that back then water
was used in such a way!
I remember that they were
many “Announcements” that
said :

“ Don’t waste water”

Only that anybody cared;

everybody thought that water
will never finish.
Today all the rivers, dams,
lakes and another water
sources are irreversible
contaminated or used up.
Huge deserts replace the
landscape which is all around of
us.

Gastro-intestinal infections, skin

diseases and diseases of the
urinary evacuation system are
the main causes of death.
The industry is paralyzed and unemployment is
dramatic.

The desalination factories are the main source of

employment and they pay you with one drink of
water instead of a salary.
People are constantly being mugged for water on the deserted streets.

80% of the food is synthetic.

Before, it was recommended that an adult drink 8 glasses of water a day.
Today, I am allowed only half a glass.
Since we cannot wash our clothes, we throw them, which increases the amount
of trash.
We had to go back to using septic tanks, just like in the past century, because
the sewage system stopped working due to the lack of water.
 People look scary: their bodies are weak; parched by extreme dehydration;
covered by sores caused by ultraviolet rays that the atmosphere can no longer
filter since the ozone layer is depleted.
Due to the dryness of her skin, a young 20 year-old woman looks more like 40.

Scientists perform all types of research

and investigations, but there is no solution
in sight.
We cannot produce water.

The lack of trees reduces the amount of oxygen available, which

in turn lowers the intellectual quotient of up-coming generations.
The morphology of many individuals’ spermatozoa was altered...

…which results in children being

born with all sorts of deficiencies,
mutations and malformations.
 The government even makes us pay a tax for the air we breathe:
137 m3 per adult per day.
[31,102 gallons]

Those who can’t pay the tax are

expulsed from the “ventilated areas”
that are equipped with gigantic
mechanical lungs, powered by solar
energy.

The air supplied in the “ventilated areas” is not of very good quality, but at least
one can breathe there.

The average age is 35.

Some countries succeeded in preserving a few islands of vegetation with their
own streams. These areas are closely monitored by the army.

Water has become a rare

commodity, a highly sought after
treasure, infinitely more valuable
than gold or diamonds.
 Here, though, there are no more trees because it hardly ever rains. And
whenever it does rain, it is acid rain that comes down.

There are no more seasons. Climatic

changes such as the greenhouse effect
and the polluting activities we indulged in
during the twentieth century took care of
that.

We were warned about the need to take care of our environment, but nobody
bothered.
When my daughter asks me to tell her how it was when I was young, I describe
the beauty of the forests.

I tell her about the rain, about the

flowers, about how pleasurable it was
to bathe, to fish in the rivers and the
lakes, and being able to drink as much
water as one desired.

I tell her about how healthy people

used to be.
 She asks me:
- Daddy! Why is there no water anymore ?

I feel a lump in my throat...

 I can’t help feeling guilty, because I
belong to the generation that
completed the destruction of our
environment by simply not taking
seriously any of the warnings ... and
there were so many of them!

I belong to the last generation who

could have made a difference, but who
chose not to act.
Today, our children pay the hefty
price.
 Quite frankly, I think that, within short, life on this Earth will no longer be
possible, because the destruction of our environment reached its point of no
return.
How I wish I could go back in time and get the Human race to
understand this ...

... at a time when it was still possible for us to do

something to save our planet Earth!