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OBLIVION?
Mankind has only one home
-
the living earth.
But pollution is undermining its life-support system.
Man must reorder his thinking in terms of plan–
etary housekeeping if life is to continue its voyage
on
Spaceship Earth.
by
Jerry Gentry
T
HE ASTRONAUTS'
voyages ro rhe
moon inrroduced a new global
concepr of man's world. We
Jive on a spaceship named Earrh.
Jusr as che asrronaucs had co care–
fully mainrain cheir life-bubble,
humans on earrh muse also see chat
rheir life-supporc syscem is perpecu–
ared and not polluced, if our mar–
velous spaceship is co funccion
properly.
What PoJl ucion Means
In a fundamental way, pollurion
means poor planerary housekeeping.
Realizacion of che global nacure of
pollution has led ro che calling of
mankind's first planecwide conference
on che human environmenc, which
was hcld in Srockholm, Sweden in
June 1972. Delegacions from 130
widely disparare govemmencs con–
vened ro draw up reams of environ–
menral compromise. Few however,
expecc che earrh ro ger cleaner
immediarely.
To make marrers worse. cnviron–
menral rheroric is slung about as
freely as proverbial mud. Too ofren ir
is jusr a loe of calk, wirh few rea l solu-
PLAIN TRUTH
Jufy
1972
rions ro che crisis in man's environ–
menc. The air is lirde cleaner for all
che verbiage. Pcople are sick of hear–
ing abour pollurion, buc ic will noc
go away.
Politicians blame orher politicians
and run-away rcchnology. Polluring
industries say rhey cannoc dean up
che environmenc and scill make a
profic in today's compedrive markec
economy. They say production muse
be high because profic rnargins are
low. They look ro che consumer and
say, "The public gers whar it wants. If
we do not supply che demand (and
spew our waste from che process),
somebody else will."
On che orher hand, consumers
blink burning eyes ar che belching
smokescacks or che whiskey-brown
haze hanging over ciries and blame
local industries, power companies,
and auco manufaccurers for noc clean–
ing up air pollution.
Of course, no amounc of blaming,
finger-poincing and eco-crying will
pay che added social coses of a pol–
lured environmenr. Peoplc rhemselvcs
now pay chese coses wich a lowcr
qualicy of lifc.
The public demands goods ar che
cheapesc cosr. The producers of rhose
goods cut cheir coses by shifring pare
of che real cose of producing rhose
goods onro che environmenr in che
form of pollurion. People buy rhe
produces cheaply, but pay addcd coses
in pollured air, impure water, poor
health and a hose of orher ills relared
ro our fase-paced, machinc-powered,
affiuenr lifesryles.
Man is rhe only earchly bcing noc
governed by inscinct. This mcans man
can srop polluring if he so wills. Buc
all coo ofren, vesced inrerests muddy
che solucions and smokescreens cloud
che issues whilc mankind brearhes
heavier.
We muse gec benearh che surface
of parcisan poli cics, vesced incerescs
and blame-hurling - daring even ro
enrer che unknown - if we are ro
find che cause which will efTecr a
dean environmcnr for mankind.
Man's Behavior
Man alone arnong carrh's crearures
is capable of pollucing. We muse dis–
cover whar causes man's misbehavior
in
relacion co che earch as a life-sup–
porcing spaceship if we are ro elimi–
nare che cause of pollution.
A major influence upon man's be–
havior has been religion. So greac has
been che influence of religion on
human behavior rhac che noced histo–
rian Lynn Whice, Jr., of che Univer–
siry of California ac Los Angeles,
be–
lieves Chriscian iry is largely
responsiblc for che environmenral
crisis. Of course, che Chriscianiry
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