(The Nationalist, 3 August 2001)
Lester Brown of the Worldwatch Institute, an environmental lobbying group in Washington, wrote, ‘From 1950 to 1997, the use of lumber tripled, that of paper increased six-fold, the fish catch increased nearly fivefold, grain consumption nearly tripled, fossil fuel burning nearly quadrupled, and air and water pollutants multiplied several-fold. Forests are shrinking, water tables falling, soils eroding, wetlands disappearing, fisheries collapsing, rangelands deteriorating, rivers running dry, temperatures rising, coral reefs dying, and plant and animal species disappearing’.
‘The natural wealth of the earth’s forests, fresh water and marine ecosystems declined by one third since 1970. If every person alive today consumed natural resources and emitted carbon dioxide at the same rate as the average American or Western European, we would need at least another two planet Earths to survive’. (From the Living Planet Report, 2000, The World-Wide Fund for Nature, Brussels, 20 October 2000.)
Between 1980 and 1995, Africa lost 10% of its forest.
Since the 1960’s, sea ice is 10-15% thinner and snow cover fell by 10%.
The 1990’s were the hottest decade on record, and 1995 was the hottest year on record. Greater heat causes greater evaporation, with more rainfall and floods as a consequence. Insurance find themselves paying out more on claims for flood damage.
The EU Environmental Agency says that the EU’s emission of greenhouse gases fell by 4% in the 1990’s, taking the EU halfway to the target for 2012. But Ireland’s emissions increased by 22% in the same period. What that means is that the public, namely, you and I, were not ready to make the choices necessary to play our part in the process of healing the planet. We were on the side of the takers, not the givers.
If the scientists are right in their projections about the future of the world’s environment we may be heading into a situation where there will be only one item on the agenda of the human race: survival. Much of what we are now talking about in politics, economics and religion may become redundant. We may be forced by the pressure of events to set aside our differences, recognize our common humanity and work together for human survival. Environmental pressures may be a unifying force in humanity – without regard to national boundaries we all breathe the same air and live in the same seas. We’re all in the one boat.
Pope John Paul II said in his 1 January 1990 message for peace that concern for the environment is an ‘essential part of the Christian faith’.