I believe that we really are hurting the planet. This semester I've had a small section on enviromental issues as part of my chemistry degree. It started as a sort of 'I got to pick another 5 credits' thing, but by the end it was probably one of the most interesting courses I've done so far. I won't go into it all, but basically we covered 4 main areas of pollution, and how they affect the enviroment, what is being done etc... Even from this short course it was clear that we are having a major effect on the planet, most of it negative.
It was also made very clear that the enviroment is very complicated and hard to fully understand (believe me, I've got an exam on it all soon), which is why governments and companies have been able to shed the responsibilty for so long.
Arguments like 'rain is naturally acidic' and 'the planet is warming up anyway' could be got away with, because no one fully understood how much effect pollution was having. This is wrong! Surely it is obvious that pumping out chemicals that don't naturally existin the atmosphere , and increasing the normal content of those that do is going to have some sort of an effect on it. Also, just because effects don't happen straight away, and pollution can be carried far from it's source doesn't mean it's not the polluters' responsability. For instance acid rain in Sweden is quite often caused by chemicals from Britain.
Apparently a lot of these problems are beginning to come under control (unless people like G.Bush keep getting their way - sorry got political), but from I can gather there are probably a load of other problems we are no aware of yet. (Could quote a few examples from the past). Also as someone else has pointed out, the biggest problem now could be developing countries that want to catch up with the richer ones. They are the next big polluters, and they aren't going to listen to Europe or the US or whoever, if they see that these countries aren't practising what they preach.
It's not our right to destroy the planet, yes it can take a lot but why should we even try to test it. Just because we've (apparently) evolved quicker than every other species doesn't mean we can start throwing our weight about. I'm not saying we shoud all start becoming at one with the planet, but stop thinking purely about our own comfort, and consider what effect you might be having. I'm not saying anyone here is like this, just that a lot of people I know are. I think part of the problem is that it goes in trends; a few years ago there was save the whale, then gobal warming and acid rain. People seem to forget that these problems don't go away in 2-3 years. It can take up to 30 years for some fertilisers to get through the system to where the effects can be seen.
I'm not going to pretend that I am the worlds No.1 enviromentalist, but I think I am more concerned than a lot of people I know. At the minute I am certainly considering goning into the enviromental side of chemistry, partly because it is very intersting, partly because I think this is where I can do something not everyone can, and partly because my MAD chemistry Professor is into that sort of thing (
). But who knows, I've still got to pass this year yet.
I'd prefer to end on a happier note, so here are a couple of examples of good things that have happened locally to me:
In the town where my parents live there is a fairly big pond (by GB standards anyway) with a large wood around it. Before 1980 it was overgrown, the pond was silting up, there was little wildlife there, and it was no good for anything inparticular. In about 1982 a society formed to sort it out. They spent several years clearing it up, putting paths in, and saving some of the rarer habitats. Now it is a protected by law because it contains several rare species of plants and animals, but it is also open to the public. It is a lovely place, somewhere I can go for a walk if I need to clear my head, or just relax.
Another example: When I was 6 my school was relocating and needed a new building. All the plans were drawn up, and some of the construction started. However, a very rare plant was found right where the playground was going to be put. In the end instead of moving the plant, the plans were changed and the playground built somewhere else.
I think these show that we can work with the enviroment, and everyone can still be happy.
[This message has been edited by Staralfur (edited 05-07-2001).]