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Aprii-May, 1970
out much more boldly on major issues
than do elected officials.
In the three subsequent days of
the conference, officials from all the
member natioos discussed the horrendous
chronide of environmental woes.
Populations Grow - So
Do Cities
Europe is already the most densely
populated continent. Yet, even with the
lowest current rate of increase, it is
projected that in three dccades Europe's
population will rise by another 200 mil–
lion inhabitaots.
Worse, the vast majority of these will
crowd into already congested areas.
Europe was not always this way. In
thc 18th century 80% of the population
was still employed in agriculture and
lived in the country. Then the industrial
revolution radically altered the situation.
In highly industrialized European
countries the agricultura) population is
now less than 20%. In the future the
percentage will tend to fall yet further
- perhaps as low as 3.2%.
The Netherlands is a case in point.
In this densely packed nation, a land
with a great traditíon of agrariao activ–
ity, the perceotage of the population
employed in agriculture decreased from
45% in 1850 to 9% in 1968.
lt
is esti–
mated that this figure will
be
reduced to
about 3% by the end of this century.
And in ooly a few years' time it is
cxpccted that the built-up areas between
Amsterdam and the Belgian frontier
will form a single city.
In France, the trend is much the
same, even though a largcr percentage
of Frenchmen are rural dwellers.
In France no lcss than 150,000
people working in agriculture leave the
land every year to move to the cities.
If
the trend continues, the numbcr of
inhabitants of the towns, large and small
alike, will have doubled by 1985. More
than
four
fifths of the population will
be concentratcd in towns and cities by
that date.
An interesting statistic is that almost
60% of Parisians are born in the coun–
try. Even though a relative depopula–
tion of the heart of the big cíties is
occurring in Francc, thcre is at the same
11
We
cannot post–
pone decisions any
longer. The burden
of responsibility rests
squarely on us and
our generation ."
The fotlo111i11g nre excerpts of a speecb
given by His Royal Hightuss Pritzce Phifíp,
Duke of Edinburgh, at Jhe opening cere–
mony of the European Con.servation Confer–
ence in Strasbourg, France, February 9,
1970.
People realise that the last hundred years
have witnessed a scientific aod tecbnological
explosion.
Most
people are oow aware that
tbere has aJso been an increase in human
populatioo to almost plague proportions.
Whac is less obvious perbaps is tbat tbis
faU-out from the technological explosion
has littered Europe with immense indus–
trial complexes belching pollution ioto the
air and into tbe water; while the increase
in human population has created cities big–
ger than the world has ever known and in–
tense over-crowding in almost aJI parts of
the country.
Betweeo tbem technology and mankind
have created a vast network of road, rail
and air transport systems and a problem in
refuse and waste disposal which has com–
pletely defeated our efforts to control it.
For generations agriculrure has been a
partnership witb nature. Today the pressure
to increase output is so iotense that farmers
have tO g.rasp at every chemical aod me–
chanical meaos of increasing production and
they have to bring every available acre into
use. l ntensive research helps them to de–
stroy pests and weeds, but their destruclion
inevitably interfercs with sorne long esrob–
lished delicate food chain. Today factory
methods havc roken over in crop and ani–
mal production.
This combined assault on the land, on
the air, on the water and on the last food
supplies of wild populations is rapidly de–
su-oying a large number of other living
things and thrcatcning many more which
are not immediately useful or profitable to
man.
Above aU we have got to face the un–
palatable fact that the conservacion of our
environment is going to cose a very great
deal of money, and the denser the human
population becomes the more expensive ir
will be. Destruction of wildlife cannot be
reversed. We cannot postpone decisions
Ambossodor
Colle9e
Photo
any longer. The burden of responsibilicy
reses squarely on us and our geoeration.
Even without any fu.rcher research we
knov.• enough to be able to put many things
right. We also know quite enough to
be
able to say in which direction research
programmes should be aimed. More re–
search is certainly needed but we must ar
all coses guard against che temptation to
allow researcb programmes to become ex–
cuses for doing noching else. Research and
action must go on at che same time.
It is just as well ro recognise that any
measures taken to protecr our environment
will be unpopular in some quarters and
they will inevitably cut across nacional
boundaries. They will certainly be con–
demned as unwarranced incerference or for
preventing necessary development. Sorne
will be poliúcally inconvenieot. Otbers will
be dismissed as administracively awkward.
The problem which con.fronts this Con–
ference, which confronts Europe and indced
the whole world, is to decide what restric–
tions are neccssary to protect our natural
environment from our owo exploitation.
It is totally useless for a lot of well mean–
ing people to wcing their hands in confer–
ence and to point out che dangers of pol–
lution or destruction of the countryside.
If
no one is willing or capable o{ taking
any acúon, it will be a waste of time and
effort ro establish even the most brilliant
advisory body
if
cherc is no way of putting
its advice into cffect.
This grcat Conference
itself
will mean
notbing at all-in spite of tbe wisdom of
its
distinguished members-if it does not
lead ro practica! conservation measures in
every European country. All
its
discussions
and resolutions will quickly disappear into
tbe polluted atmosphere,
if
chis meeting
doesn't produce more dosely organiscd in–
ternacional co-operation between responsi–
ble and effectivc governmenc deparrments.
AU che impassioned speeches will
be
so
much effluent under the bridge unless it
is followed by drastic policical action. Time
is fast running out and it rema.ins to be seen
whecher those in política! authoricy can
shoulder their responsibilities in time and
act quickly enough to .relieve a siruation
which grows more serious every day.