|
|
|
|
|
|
Resources |
|
|
|
Introduction: The Environment:: Striving For Global Balance
| Article
# : |
16162 |
|
|
Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
|
| Issue
Date : |
6 / 1989 |
680 Words |
| Author
: |
Editor
|
Environmentalism has truly become a global issue. In the United States, President Bush declares he will be an "environmental president." In France, West Germany, and even Eastern Europe, environmentalists are winning increasing political support. At the international conferences, nations agree to ban the export of hazardous wastes and pledge to eliminate the use of chlorofluorocarbons by the year 2000. The Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska draws worldwide media attention. The head of the Chinese Academy of Sciences predicts that China will face an ecological disaster "if immediate action is not taken to halt environmental pollution."
Yet beneath the surface agreement that a severe problem faces mankind, controversies and conflicts simmer. Even as developed countries seek international cooperation to curb pollution, developing countries concerned about providing jobs for their people resist the call to clean up, or request economic aid from the West to help meet the new environmental standards.
Also at issue is the extent of the crisis and the most appropriate response. Some scientists argue that the data do not necessarily support widespread assumptions about the greenhouse effect. Disagreements also exist over the degree to which governments ought to get involved in soling the problems.
In this month's special report, THE WORLD & I examines these increasingly controversial issues through the eyes of experts with a variety of views.
Milton Copulos examines the growing tensions between the developed and the developing worlds over the
... (1989 of 4405 Characters)
Read Full Article
|
|
