ENVIRONMENT

How healthy is our planet?

"We shall never understand the natural environment until we see it as a living organism. Land can be healthy or sick, fertile or barren, rich or poor, lovingly nurtured or bled white. Our present attitudes and laws governing the ownership and use of land represent an abuse of the concept of private property.... Today you can murder land for private profit. You can leave the corpse for all to see and nobody calls the cops." Paul Brooks, The Pursuit of Wilderness (1971)

"Often called the lungs of the earth, forests help clean our air and regulate the climate. Forests filter our water, provide raw materials, recreation and inspiration. However, poor logging practices and planning threaten the future of our forests and wild lands." David Suzuki

"An Alberta study found that in terms of kilograms per hectare, residential pesticide use in Calgary and Edmonton was three times higher than in agriculture, and six times higher than in city parks."

"On a per capita basis, Canada is the largest consumer of energy in the world and the second largest producer of greenhouse gases. We use as much energy as the entire continent of Africa, home to 700 million people."

"Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions are, however, moving in the wrong direction. Despite our government’s commitment to stabilize emissions of greenhouse gases at 1990 levels by the year 2000, Canada’s emissions had
already increased to 9.8% above 1990 levels by 1995 and are projected to increase to 19% above 1990 levels by the year 2010."

What matters about this issue and why should anybody care?

What is being done about this issue?

Print Resources

World Prospects: pp. 98- 102.

Articles available from your teacher

Online Resources

David Suzuki

Scientists for Global Responsibility

World Forests Under Threat

Climate Change and Energy

What the World Agreed to do about Climate Change

Information Statistics on Countries of the World

Media Resources

The Green House Effect (video)

Turning Down the Heat: Energy Revolution (video)