UNIT11

Acting Today for Tomorrow

Protecting the natural environment,

the ecology of a country,

is a major concern

for every country these days.

It is mandatory not to

minimize the importance of clean air,

clean water, and clean land.

It is a sad commentary on today's society

that industries have been permitted

to contaminate our natural surroundings.

A dreadful discrepancy exists

between the importance placed on economic development

and the protection of the environment's heritage.

If allowed to proceed unchecked,

the public will eventually inherit a major catastrophe.

Even countries who practice strict pollution

control measures may still be affected

by countries adjacent to or adjoining them,

when air pollution permeates the air.

It is important for media coverage

to compile accurate data

to enable the public to boycott

increased irresponsible industrialization.

To disguise the people's safety calling it progress

will eventually lead to many casualties.

Canada has a land and water mass of 9 970 610 km2,

with a population of 30 million people.

This is a country where the ratio of people

compared to the mass of the land is very low.

Can you conceive that

in such a gigantic land

that a garbage problem exists?

I wish that I could reassure you that

the answer is in the negative.

The commodity most needed

to address this problem is space.

However, as urban areas grow,

the abundance of waste also increases.

Where once ample disposal sites were available,

now every municipal government

is scrambling to comply with

and uphold local and national health regulations.

Large metropolitan cities

are having an especially difficult time.

Local recycling programs have been authorized

in many localities to safeguard the country's ecology.

Even after the establishment of such token measures,

reports from five consecutive years

have indicated only negligible progress

in solving this very perplexing problem.

If we are to seriously address the problem

we will need to minimize

the amount of refuse we dispose of.

New areas will need

to be allocated for this purpose.

The database of information collected

should be detailed enough

to responsibly direct our future actions.

Every community, whether large or small,

is searching for a solution to this problem.

Municipalities, in attempting to appraise  the situation,

have spent countless years in research,

expending both time and money,

looking for a homogeneous answer.

The public, hoping to avoid the tragic consequences

of a manipulated decision,

refuses to give enthusiastic support

to most proposals.

Solicitors are hired to prepare confidential reports

to convince the public to accept the municipalities suggestions.

The choice of a specific piece of farmland

as a landfill site often causes

an instantaneous hysterical reaction.

At local meetings citizens reproach

government officials yelling their disapproval

at the choice of a specific site.

They vent their anger

but are not always able

to mobilize sufficient public support

to effect a wise and acceptable decision.

Even though researchers claim that

lined pits will not cause a drainage problem,

the room for error is marginal.

One flaw in the plan could be responsible

for an epidemic or worse,

causing multiple deaths.

Any leaching from a landfill pit

will create recurring difficulties

in polluting a farmer's well and the ground water.

Polluted water flowing into lakes

will affect fish and wildlife

and will hinder the sportsman's pleasures.

To articulate their concerns beforehand,

will hopefully avoid grief in the future.

A veiled threat to public health

immediately creates a bias

towards protecting the people's safety

and interests and establishing an educated suspicion.