Lease or Ownership?

Some people behave as if they own the Earth.

It is their own property to do as they please. Abuse it, pollute it, dirty it. Take everything for granted. After all, they own it, right? And nobody is going to take it away from them.

On the other hand there are others who realise that their time on this planet is nothing but a long term lease.

At various points in life I have lived in my own house and in a rented house. And recently I have had the experience of leasing out my house to a family. I’ve seen both sides. As tenants, we have always gone out of the way to make sure that the house is in the same pristine condition. After all, who wants anyone to point fingers saying that we have not been responsible as tenants?
I extend this logic to our time on this planet. This is indeed a term lease and we all will have to vacate this place one day. And it is our responsibility to make sure that we keep Mother Earth in the same, if not better condition which we inherited.

But who is the equivalent of the landlord in this case to ask questions? Who else but our children...