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| The
Environment |
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consider some of the ways in which our awareness of our environment
has become important over the last one hundred years. |
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Environmental
Pioneer
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The statue of the environmentalist John Muir which stands
in Dundee, Scotland, the country of his birth. John Muir,
known as the grandfather of modern environmentalism, founded
the Sierra Club, the oldest environmental group in the USA.
Muir fell in love in his early career with the beauty of the
American west, and his remarkable letters and books written
before and after 1900 greatly influenced the setting up of
National Parks across the USA. His grandson Ross Hanna gives
a very personal account of the life and work of his grandfather.
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Spotting
the Ozone Hole
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Joe Farman led the team of scientists who first identified the
"hole" in the ozone layer over the Antarctic. His pioneering
research led to public pressure on politicians and industrialists
to restrain production of CFCs, the chemicals which cause ozone
depletion. This culminated in the signing of the Montreal Protocol,
which many people say has solved the ozone problem. A modest
man, Joe nevertheless believes, in retrospect, that his team
was responsible for one of the environmental discoveries of
the century. |
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Environmental
Refugee
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Victor was three years old at the time of the Chernobyl nuclear
explosion in Ukraine in 1986 -- his family lived in neigbouring
Belarus. Now sixteen, Victor is forced to live away from his
parents because of the effects of the radiation on his health.
He doesn't fully understand his medical situation but he has
swiftly become sick on previous visits to Belarus. Victor holds
the Soviet government responsible for the explosion and worries
about the safety of the remaining, still active, Chernobyl reactors.
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Sustainable
Development
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Maurice Strong grew up in rural Manitoba in the heart of Canada
where his interest in nature led him to play truant from school
much to the disapproval of his schoolmaster. His interest was
eventually to lead him to becoming Secretary-General of the
first United Nations global environment conference in Stockholm
in 1972. That conference says Maurice saw the birth of the sustainable
development movement; the recognition that environmental issues
and developmental issues are intrinsically linked. Maurice Strong
was also Secretary-General of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de
Janeiro.
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Green
Parliament
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As we come to the end of this century, architects are finding
new ways of designing buildings which take more account of environmental
concerns. David Nelson was one of the brains behind the new-look
German parliament building, the Reichstag, which opened in May
1999. He describes its many "green" features, such as the use
of natural ventilation and the power station in its basement
running on renewable fuels. David remarks that the thousands
of dignitaries who'll visit the Reichstag over the coming years
may pick up on some of its eco-friendly ideas and strive to
incorporate them in buildings in their own countries.
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