Man has always shown a great capacity for adjusting to change. Past generations have survived floods*and ice ages, famines
and world wars. But when dealing with the
environment, there is grave danger in relying'''' on adaptation alone: societies could end up waiting too long. Many of the global processes under way, like the wholesale destruction of species, are irreversible. Others, like global climatic changes caused by man, are so profound that if allowed to progress too far, they could prove to be overwhelming. Simple prudence suggests that taking forceful preventive action now-to save energy, to curb
pollution, to slow population growth, to preserve the environment-will give humanity a much better chance of adapting to whatever comes in the future. -Reported by J. Madeleine Nash / San Francisco
(Time, January 2,1989) By Fausto Fabio de Araujo