Fifity years ago people were hardly aware of environmental problems. Chimneys belched black smoke, poisonous effuent was dischraged freely into the rivers and oceans, destructive gases rose up into the atmosphere. And no one cared! The few poeple who raised thier voices in deep concern were regarded as crackpots. Industrail developement and substatial profit were all that really mattered. Presidents and prime ministers were indifferent to the possible dangers, and any view that might affect the financial developement of society would not be tolerated.

What a remarkable change has taken place in a very short time. The American president could almost be called an environmentalist. And the prime ministerof Great Britain, who once displayed complete indiffernce to the environmental matters, now express deep concern about how our world is rapidly being destroyed.

It is not politicians who are at the forefront of this change, however, but scientist and the public at large. The collective concern stems from growing scientific proof that the world environment is in desperate trouble, and from disturbing stories that reach us through the media each and everyday. From the destruction of the rain forest and the pollution of our great oceans to the gloomy propects of global warming, the environmental news is grim.

Many of us have also seen and experinced the damaged firsthand. I still recall first visitng the Himalayan Kingdon of Nepal 40 years ago, at a time when conservation was almost unheard of. It was a country of great beuaty. But on our 1953 Everst expedition we just threw our empty tins and any trash into heap on the rubble-covered ice at base camp. We cut huge quantities of the beautiful juniper shrub for our fires; and at least at 26000 feet we left a scattered pile of empty oxygen bottles, torn tents and the rements of food containers.

Since those years I have soent a great deal of time in Nepal. I have learned to understand the people, to enjoy thier friendship, and to appriciate some of thier problems. One thing that has deeply concerned me has been the severe destruction of thier natural resoures.

The mighty HImalayan peaks are still there in all thier grandeur, but the steep foothills have greatly changed. The dense forest has sadly shrunk and erosion is rampant. One cause has been the tremendous influx of tourust and their urgent desire for warm fires at night. But the major destruction has been wrought by the Nepalese themselves: They have cut trees to clear land for cultivation and supply local people with fiorewood; and they have terranced thier hillsides valuable topsoil wshes down the great mountain rivers during the wet monsoon season and flows into the INdian Ocean. When will it ever stop?

The destrction of the forest is not confined to the Third World. I had always reagred British Columbia as one of the grestest of all forested areas. Serveral years ago a group of us flew north from Vancouver over the magnificant Coast Range of British Columbia and landed in a little town of Bella Coola. We flew inland in a front plane to some fishing lakes and were aghast to see square mile after square mile of completely destryed forest. This situation seemed completely irresponsible in light of the so called sophistication of Westen society.

In British Columbia and elsewhere in the developed world, the greatest problems are caused by products of industry. The industrsilzed countries have for years poured out notoxious liquids and gases, eating away at forest and lakes with acid rain. Oil spills from giant tankers have devasted coastlines of the English Channel, Alaska and California. The widespread use of aersol sprays has caused holes to appera in the ozone layer over Australiaealand and the Antarctic, increasing the chances of skin cnacer for anyone living in these areas.

Several years ago I atteneded an international conference in LOndon organized ny the United Nations Environmental Program. I lstened aghast while famous figures like Thor Heyerdahl, jacques Cousteu and Sir Peter Scott condemned the pollution of the oceans and the destruction of world wildlife. Distinguished scientist spoke with deep concern about the damage to the ozone layer and global warming. I left the conference room deeply depressed for the future of our earth. Outside it was a sparkling London day with clear blue skies. I walked across Green Park and reveled in the beautiful trees alive birds, the dense green grass, and the numerous lakes. My herat lifted a little. The world was still very beuatiful-maybe there was some hope for us yet.

The last few years, chracterized by a surge in environmentalism, have reawkedned some of that hope. The smogs of London, which have been linked to the deaths of up to 4000 people in 1952, have been swept awayby draconian clean air acts. Today, the cars is the main cause of air pollution in London. yet in a recent British survey, nine out of ten drivers favoured compulsory use of catalytic converters, devices that sonvert toxic exhaust emissions into less harmful substances. 50% of those interviewed said they would be willing to pay an extra $160 for the device.

Positive steps have also ben taken in Tokyo. I still remember the first time I visited that city-the famous Tokyo Tower was almost completely obscured by fog. I found myself gasping for breath in the polluted air. But since then, the japanese-encouraged by efforts in the United States-have placed catalytic converters and otehr pollution control devices on thier cars. As a result, the air in Tokyo is far claener than before.

In Pittsburgh, Pa. in the United States, we have see such giant companies as U.S Steel make tremendous efforts to clear up smoke produced by buring coal. And this year in Geneva, Switzerland Volvo has unveiled a "green" car prototype, which if manufactured, would be far more fuel efficient and less polluting than cars produced now. In response to regulations, companies the world over are starting to reduce-and even eliminate -the use of chloroflourocarbons, responsible for the deterioration of the ozone layer. 

Porgress has been made. Stricter regulations have been promulgated and many individuals and corporations have accepted thier responsibility to do more to create clean air effluents.

But we have not done enough. The problems we face are enormous, and if we want to protect our environmental future we must make drastic changes , demanding a whole new attitude from governments, corporations and ourselves.

Corporate executives, for instance, must accept a deep responsibility for ensuring that everything they do is environmentally sound, not destrctive of human beings and nature. Corporate shareholders must take this stance as well.

Governments acting on behalf of thier people must have the courage to demand procedures that not only prevent environmental decline, but actually work to renew clean air, sparkling water, vital forest, and uncontaminated oceans. Successful business practices are impotrant , but we should not be allowed to destroy ourselves solely in the name of shourt-term profit.

And individual from every walk of life must continue to express thier deep concern, For strong public conviction deeply influences government attitudes. And government can firmly giudea dn control industry.

Whether we are company presidents or mmbers of parliament, farmers or scientist, techers or sports heros, we are all individuals, and we must accept our environment and our world. It is the only world we have, and if we so desire, it can be a place of incredible productivity and beauty.

Sir Edmund Hillary

Source : Newsweek 21 May 1990

Back to Archive Page

Recycling Point Dot Com

(C) 2000 All Rights Reserved