To be living at the start of the new millenium is to exist in the most advanced technological era in history. It is easy2 to forget that we are still surrounded by countless opportunities to get close to the earth, the sea and all the otherwonders of the natural environment. But for how long? Fortunately, the agricultural and industrial excesses ofthe past fifty years are beginning to be reversed, and, with the establishment of such watchdog organisations asGreenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund, it is likely that government policies which threaten the environment willcome under ever-increasing scrutiny. Environmental agreements involving a concensus of world nations oncethought impossible promise reductions in levels of so-called 'Greenhouse' gases, and the banning of the productionof substances which interfere with key eco-processes such as those which deplete the ozone layer.
In Britain, perhaps the most encouraging sign is the recent change in political thinking, even among theconservative elements of the major political parties. Though once there was believed to be little political sense inpushing environmental policies in elections, 'green' political parties with policies geared towards saving theenvironment are supported by a significant number of electors whose views can therefore make a lasting difference.
However, there is still much to be done and little room for complacency. Unchecked consumerism in developednations, and the destruction of virgin hardwood forests in developing countries for short-term financial gain arebut two examples of issues where greed is the direct cause of environmental ruin. But what is often overlooked,even by well-intentioned 'forces for the good' such as Greenpeace, is that the best recipe for failure is poverty.
Economic growth and technological progress are not the enemies of environmental protection, but the means bywhich protection programmes can be implemented and conservation attained. High-tech solutions ranging fromcheaper food production to safer waste disposal, from cleaner cars to more efficient energy sources - these canonly come about if economic growth continues. It is very much in our interest to help make the world a richer,and therefore more environmentally-friendly, place to live. |