maff wrote:
Disasters waiting to happen
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/feature/story/0,13026,1383672,00.html
The tsunami may have been an act of nature, but further environmental
catastrophes caused by humans will be much worse, says Jared Diamond
Thursday January 6, 2005
The Guardian
The events of Boxing day have shown us all how fragile our existence
is. The tsunami was an unavoidable natural disaster, which could
happen
anytime. But not all disasters are so beyond our control. Our own
actions may provoke global catastrophes just as forceful as those in
the Indian ocean.
Take the human impact on sea levels. Imagine you live on an island
safely 15 feet above sea level. If human-induced climate change
raises
those levels by only a few feet, the difference man has made could
spell disaster in the event of a 12ft tsunami. We cannot stop another
tsunami. But the threats of man-made environmental collapse are now
more pressing than ever.
Life
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/
Reasons to be cheerful
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/feature/story/0,13026,1388503,00.html
In our second extract from his new book, Jared Diamond reveals why he
is cautiously optimistic for the future of the planet and outlines the
choices we have to make to protect our environment
Thursday January 13, 2005
The Guardian
People often ask me, "Jared, are you optimistic or pessimistic about
the world's future?" I answer, "I'm a cautious optimist." I mean that,
on the one hand, I acknowledge the seriousness of the problems facing
us. If we don't make a determined effort to solve them, and if we don't
succeed at that effort, the world as a whole within the next few
decades will face a declining standard of living, or perhaps something
worse.
Jared Diamond
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/talk.origins/msg/d27f0debddcbfc54
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