The Ecological 'Balance': Dollars VS. Facts

The Bush Administration is permitting oil drilling in Alaska and off the shore of California, more logging in the Pacific Northwest, while Brazil's rain forests are dwindling as new roads and housing and factories replace pristine vegetation and wildlife. There is global warming, which is frightening to some in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, fearing that melting ice may inundate coastal areas within a decade or even less. Bleak forecasts. Yet, most people who seem to warn us about potential ecological disasters are called "liberal alarmists" by those who stand to profit from ecological scarring of land and sea areas, even our air. Furthermore, the current administration's ecological policies are far from adequate. The fact is that striking a proper balance between "environmental health and well-being" and the needs of corporations, both groups need to be aware of problem areas, and work to erase or alleviate them. Corporate environmental leadership should have a commitment to pollution prevention and control, good citizenship, and fiscally and ecologically responsible resource management. Their environmental staff should be trained in prevention and control technology, business, environmental law, risk assessment and public relations.