Is the Earth's future in danger?////Many SpecialistsHuman activities threaten the Earth'sability to sustain future generations,
a survey into the state of the planethas concluded. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, by 1,360 experts from 95nations, says the way society has obtained its resources over the past 50 yearshas seriously degraded the
environment. . Theburden for the world's future, and its current state, lies largely on theshoulders of those in the First World who have the technology and means to savethe environment but are lacking the will, which is currently being replaced bygreed.There is far too little appreciation for the amazing diversity of life andintegrity of wilderness areas. The pollution is beyond belief in most places. Ithink that the country will be unliveable in 50 years. The less pollution, themore tax. Our only interest is whether any of us will remain to see how itsolves the problems that we are creating. It is time for the"experts" to take two college courses: one in historical geology andone in ethics. The only real change is that "experts" - and the uneducated publicthey are able to frighten - are learning to play the lucrative game of"The sky is falling, it's the fault of Man/Big Corporations/Globalization.We need radical changes and, oh yes, more government grants to study thesituation."T Barnes, Birmingham USAOne ofthe worst things happening is the burning down of the tropical rainforests tosustain a relatively tiny number of slash and burn farmers and loggers. Time toreally rethink the idea that 'more is better'.The crux of the matter is that not all those who know care enough to dosomething constructive about it. I for one will do whatever I can to save ourworld. I used to believe that the "hippies" were completely wrong andjust plain stupid about the environment. The climate of my hometown has changedcompletely in the last 10 or so years, and I see the brown cloud of pollutionover the city of Denver far too often. It hardly snows here in the winteranymore, and we are in a severe drought. Do I believe that the human species isgoing to come to a cataclysmic end in the near future? No. We will innovate,and adapt using the thing that made us into the dominant species on this planet- our brains.The planet is rich enough to support all of us. We need to do 'more with less'with our resources and technology. It is technically possible to do this.The people driving the environmentalist movement generally hold radical (anduneducated) views about economics and the relation between economics andenvironmental protection; accordingly the movement lacks credibility.Sadly it is our children and grandchildren who will have to fight to survive ina world of hardship and suffering.Natures balance to control this, i.e. disease, global warming etc are to beexpected if we grow the population exponentially and treat the earth as badly aswe do. Population control is necessary across the globe.However, read the GAIA principle. If human life damages the ecosystem to theextent that it makes human life impossible then human life will disappear. I donot believe things will improve soon; it is not in the nature of people to actuntil the situation reaches near critical levels. Ultimately it is the peoplewho will tell the politicians that change is necessary all over the world. Omer Ahmad, London, UKYes thepopulation is rising and will continue to do so. Their pollution doesn't stopat the boundaries of the US, it affects us all. All
countries have a moralresponsibility to ensure the well being of this planet. The financial cost doesnot enter the equation.It is more our way of life that is in danger rather than the world. SrinivasShastri, Bangalore, IndiaTo helpthe environment, I think the most difficult part is to bring the public and theworld acting collectively, since different countries have different needs. Thefirst world, like the US, should use their democracy, education and legalsystem to set examples. Forrd world, let the people get fed first. Hydroelectric- damages the local ecosystem. The world's climate is changing, but the reasonis not clear. Blame the politicians. For instance, do we really need totransport lamb from the other side of the globe? Buy British and, if possiblebuy local. Slade Thorpe, Savannah, USAEveryone seems to blame first-world countries forthe destruction of the environment. Obviously the leaders of the United Statesand China are living in cloud cuckoo land and need a crash course on theimportance of saving the Earth's future.Governments of nearly all countries are still focussed on the family unit, havingchildren and expanding the population. The only problem is that this is notcompatible with the wants of the rich and elite who are in charge and want usto consume and waste as much as we can because it makes them richer and morepowerful.We are not very far from the day when our Earth resources will diminish to theextent that it would be possible for the fittest to survive and the rest toperish. I leave it to the government.The environment is not disposable. My suggestion to the international leadersis to commence the second discussion phase of the Kyoto Protocol. The reportsare absolutely credible. My biggest fear is that we have already crossed thepoint of no return. It's not long until we kill the Earth for good.