HOW SICK IS OUT PLANET
The patient's condition is serious. Symptoms are multiple. His breath is noxious. He has a fever, higher than ever before. Efforts to bring it sown are not working. Poison has been found in body fluids. When symptoms are treated in one be inclined to declare the multiple sickness as chronic and terminal. Not knowing what else to do, they would just take steps to make the patient as comfortable as possible until the end came.
HOWEVER this is not a human patient. It is our home-- the earth. The above scenario well unillustrated what is happening to our planet. Dirty air, global warming,polluted waters,and toxic wastes are just a few of the maladies of our very ill earth. Like the doctors mentioned above, the experts are in a quandary as to what to do.
The media regularly call attention to earth's poor health with such headlines and captions as: "Blast fishing turns seabeds into killing fields." A "Billion Asians Could Be Parched in 24 Years." "Forty millions tons of toxic trash a year trades globally" "Nearly two thirds of the 1,800 wells in Japan are contaminated with poisons." "Ozone Hole Over Antarctic Is Back and Bigger."
Some people become accustomed to frequent news of danger to the environment, perhaps even thinking, 'That is not of great concern as long as it does not affect me.' However whether we realize it or not, the wholesale destruction of the earth's environment affects the vast majority of people. Since contamination of our planet is now so pervasive, it likely already affects more than one aspect of our lives. Thus, all should be concerned about the health and preservation of our home. After all, where else would we live?
Just how widespread is the problem?How sick is the earth? How are people's lives affected? Let us take a look at just a few factors that help us to understand why our earth is not just mildly indisposed but, instead, seriously ill.
The patient's condition is serious. Symptoms are multiple. His breath is noxious. He has a fever, higher than ever before. Efforts to bring it sown are not working. Poison has been found in body fluids. When symptoms are treated in one be inclined to declare the multiple sickness as chronic and terminal. Not knowing what else to do, they would just take steps to make the patient as comfortable as possible until the end came.
HOWEVER this is not a human patient. It is our home-- the earth. The above scenario well unillustrated what is happening to our planet. Dirty air, global warming,polluted waters,and toxic wastes are just a few of the maladies of our very ill earth. Like the doctors mentioned above, the experts are in a quandary as to what to do.
The media regularly call attention to earth's poor health with such headlines and captions as: "Blast fishing turns seabeds into killing fields." A "Billion Asians Could Be Parched in 24 Years." "Forty millions tons of toxic trash a year trades globally" "Nearly two thirds of the 1,800 wells in Japan are contaminated with poisons." "Ozone Hole Over Antarctic Is Back and Bigger."
Some people become accustomed to frequent news of danger to the environment, perhaps even thinking, 'That is not of great concern as long as it does not affect me.' However whether we realize it or not, the wholesale destruction of the earth's environment affects the vast majority of people. Since contamination of our planet is now so pervasive, it likely already affects more than one aspect of our lives. Thus, all should be concerned about the health and preservation of our home. After all, where else would we live?
Just how widespread is the problem?How sick is the earth? How are people's lives affected? Let us take a look at just a few factors that help us to understand why our earth is not just mildly indisposed but, instead, seriously ill.
"(THE OCEANS)":- Large sections of ocean are overfilled. A report by the United Nations Environment Programme says that "70percent of marine fisheries are so exploited that reproduction cannot or can just barely keep up." For example, populations of cod,hake,haddock,and flounder in the North Atlantic fell by as much as 95 percent between 1989 and 1994. If this continues, what will it mean for millions who depend on the sea as a major source of their food?
Additionally, each year an estimated 20 million to 40 million tons of sea life are caught and thrown back into the ocean usually wounded or dead. Why? They are caught along with target fish but are not wanted.
"(FORESTS)':-Deforestation has many negative sides to it. Los of trees results in a reduction in the earth's capacity to absorb carbonised, and this is said to be a cause of global warming. Certain species of plants, the potential source of lifesaving medicines, will disappear. Nevertheless, forest destruction continues unabated. In fact, the rate of destruction has increased in recent years. Some authorities feel that if this persists, tropical forests could disappear in about 20 years.
"(TOXIC WASTES)":-Dumping of harmful materials both on land and in the sea is a serious problem that has the potential for bringing great harm to millions. Radioactive wastes,heavy metals, and by-products of plastics are among elements that can cause abnormalities, sickness, or death in humans and animals.
"(CHEMICALS)":-During the past 100 years, close to 100,oo new chemicals have come into use. These chemicals find the way into our air,soil,water,and food. Relatively few of them have been tested for their health effects on humans. However, of the ones that have, a significant number have been found to be carcinogenic or to cause disease in other ways.
There are many more threats to our environment: air pollution, untreated sewage,acid rain,lack of clean water. The few already mentioned suffice to show that the earth is really sick. Can the patient be saved, or is the battle already lost?
Chemistry and the World Around Us
AS A child, when you watched your mother mix and bake a cake, did you realize that she was a “chemist”? You ate the cake for its good taste. But did you know that your body was a highly complex chemical laboratory, digesting the cake and building it into body tissues for you?
Now that you are grown, you may not have made chemistry your career, but you know that nothing could live if it were not for chemical processes. Probably you appreciate also that many things we use today would be missing if some men had not taken up chemistry as a vocation.
Chemists, of course, do not make the laws by which chemicals react. They can only study, experiment and use tools such as microscopes to discover and understand these laws, and to know how to apply them to achieve certain results.
Some of the products of chemists’ research that have had deep influences on our world are explosives, fuels, plastics, paper, steel, glass, detergents, medicines and other things too numerous to mention. These things have influenced our work, our eating, our building, the clothing we wear, our modes of travel—just about everything in our way of life.
An Ancient Science
We do not know to what extent the ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians and Hebrews understood chemistry. The Bible’s historical record does reveal, however, that even before these early civilizations, yes, before the global flood some 4,300 years ago, men had knowledge of metallurgy, which involves chemistry. (Gen. 4:22) And later on, Job, who lived before Israel became a nation, said: “Iron itself is taken from the very dust and from stone copper is being poured out.” (Job 28:2) Israel’s King Solomon had copper casting done. (1 Ki. 7:46, 47) Also, other industries requiring some knowledge of chemistry existed, such as wine making and the manufacture of dyes and inks. Drugs were used, and embalming was practiced.
The Atomic Theory
In modern history, however, extremely rapid progress has been made in chemistry because of the development of the atomic theory concerning the structure of matter (actually postulated by the ancient Greeks). In fact, chemists have had a large share in the development of the atomic theory.
This theory teaches that atoms are made up basically of three particles: protons, neutrons and electrons. Combinations of these particles in varying numbers make up the elements. An element is a substance that cannot be separated into simpler substances by ordinary chemical means. So, for ordinary chemistry, elements are the building blocks. The next unit in order is the molecule, which may consist of one or more atoms. Then come compounds, made up of the union of two or more elements.
There are ninety-two elements that are commonly found in the natural state. Hydrogen, a gas, is the lightest of these. Platinum is one of the heaviest. Some others have been made artificially, so that the total number of known elements today is more than one hundred. The most abundant element in earth’s crust and in its waters is oxygen, essential to both animal and plant life. Oxygen also constitutes about one fifth of the air by volume.
Most elements have an affinity or attraction for others. Very few are considered inert, or practically inactive. There is virtually an endless number of arrangements and combinations, making up every kind of material that exists. The most complex molecules are found in living things. Massive molecules of various proteins, consisting of many hundreds of atoms in a very complicated arrangement, have recently been given much attention by scientists. Massive as these are, for molecules, they can be “seen” only by means of an electron microscope.
Laws of Chemistry Work for Man’s Welfare
Even though chemical combinations beyond number have been discovered, it is found that there is great stability in the arrangement. Tables of atomic numbers and atomic weights compiled from observation of the elements are therefore very reliable and useful to the chemist. Some of the laws controlling chemical reactions are of the highest complexity, yet, when understood, they are seen to govern all matter with a most marvelous orderliness.
The elements sometimes bond together to produce compounds that have properties much different from the elements alone. An example of such a compound is table salt, composed of chlorine and sodium, both poisonous substances. Water, a liquid made up of gases, two atoms of hydrogen and one of oxygen, displays characteristics that in several ways affect our life and comfort. Water has the unusual characteristic of having its molecules more tightly packed in its liquid state than when frozen. Ice, therefore, floats. Otherwise, as it settled to the bottom of lakes they would become permanently frozen.
We can also be happy that water has a higher heat capacity than any other common liquid. This has much to do with the moderation of climate near large bodies of water. Also, no other liquid can equal water as a solvent.
Oxygen is a very active element, combining readily with many other elements. This makes it an ideal purifier of air and water, quickly oxidizing and rendering harmless certain poisonous substances.
Does Chemistry Have the Answer for Man’s Problems?
Because of the important part chemistry plays in man’s world, it is a most enjoyable study as well as a source of things convenient and useful to mankind. Chemists have learned much, but actually they have only “scratched the surface” of this enormous field of endeavor. Chemists still do not know exactly how a blade of grass grows, nor fully understand photosynthesis, by which plants manufacture food for all animal life. No chemist has yet reached the heights of accomplishment of one cell of the human body, which, it is said, can carry on from one to two thousand different chemical reactions simultaneously.
The things that chemistry has developed have had good potential, but lack of knowledge of their ultimate effect, and abuse in using them, have caused many problems. Plastics, detergents, drugs and advances in chemical means of destruction have helped to bring mankind to a time of crisis. Certainly science as represented in chemistry, just as in its many other branches, has demonstrated man’s inability to create a world of peace, health, life and security.
A Globalization That Will Benefit You
“If globalization is to succeed, it must succeed for poor and rich alike. It must deliver rights no less than riches. It must provide social justice and equity no less than economic prosperity and enhanced communication.”—KOFI ANNAN, SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS.
AS Kofi Annan pointed out, a truly successful globalization would improve the life of every inhabitant of the global neighborhood. But what we have seen in recent years falls far short of that ideal. Human rights and social equity have lagged far behind technical and material progress.
The principal problem is that economic globalization is driven by the desire to make money. The profit motive rarely takes into account the poor and the disadvantaged or the long-term needs of the planet. “An unregulated global economy dominated by corporations that recognize money as their only value is inherently unstable . . . and is impoverishing humanity in real terms,” argues Dr. David C. Korten.
Will the governments of the world be able to regulate the global economy in such a way that it provides social justice? That seems unlikely. So far, governments have found it difficult to solve any global problem—whether it be global crime, global warming, or global poverty. “Collective action is needed to safeguard global interests,” explains Annan, “but in today’s globalized world, the mechanisms available for global action are hardly more than embryonic.”
Global mechanisms for handling global problems are not the only requirement. The Commission on Global Governance argues that the world also needs ethical values. “Without a global ethic,” their report points out, “the frictions and tensions of living in the global neighbourhood will multiply; without leadership, even the best-designed institutions and strategies will fail.”
What sort of global ethic did they recommend? “People should treat others as they would themselves wish to be treated,” the report stated. Jesus Christ, the greatest leader the world has ever known, taught this standard of behavior some two thousand years ago. (Matthew 7:12) But the principle is still as valid as ever. A globalization that hinged on that standard would undoubtedly be beneficial for everyone. Could that ever come about?
Human Suffering—Due to Whose Failure to Care?
HUMAN suffering has been and still is a harsh reality of life. But is it evidence of a lack of caring on God’s part?
A reasonable person, before placing blame on anyone, seeks to have full information, to see ‘the whole picture.’ Considering the evidence, you will see that there is much that obviously contradicts the idea of God’s not caring.
A Contrasting Picture
It is true that today, through newspapers and television, you can see human suffering because of famine—starving children with bloated bellies and toothpick-like arms and legs; desperate parents on whose faces are written frustration and hopelessness.
And yet, in dramatic contrast to this, you can see that this earth produces an incredible variety of foods—fruits, grains, nuts and vegetables—with an amazing diversity in tastes and qualities for preparing delicious, nourishing meals. If we blame God for the suffering because of famine, whom do we credit for the loving thoughtfulness and care manifest in earth’s bounty of foods? Or, if we say that God is responsible for both, then how do we explain the apparent contradiction?
What about man’s own responsibility in the matter? How much care and neighbor love has he shown for fellow humans? The fact is that even now there is enough food to feed all the human family, world wide. A publication of the United Nations World Health Organization points to the real problem, saying:
"The world is rich but not making good use of the wealth within its reach. Millions live in the shadow of chronic hunger and malnutrition, while others eat too much and are thus malnourished in a different sense."
After showing that some 100,000,000 children today suffer from serious malnutrition, the publication goes on to say:
"The tragic fact is that if all the food now available were distributed equitably in proportion to need among countries and socio-economic groups, not one single child would be suffering from malnutrition. There is enough food in the world today; it is just not distributed according to need."—World Health, February-March 1974, pages 3, 6.
Even when distribution of food is made to famine-stricken areas, what often happens? Reporting on shipments to drought-affected nations in Africa, Time magazine says that inefficiency and corruption slow the distribution and divert some of the grain to commercial channels for sale at enormous profits. "Much of the donated food remains heaped high on the docks where it is prey to rats, locusts and thieves," the report states. "The major problem, however, is logistics." That is, governments have not been able to provide needed transportation to get the materials out to the hardest-hit areas on account of bad roads, lack of equipment, and so forth.
Strange, isn’t it? The world now spends some $200,000,000,000 a year on war equipment. Nations can efficiently deliver bombs to any point on earth and drop these by the tons, even send men to the moon. But food they find hard to handle.
So, too, today we can see huge, ugly slum areas in many places, people living in cramped, dark, foul-smelling buildings or occupying rude huts or shacks in barren regions. Often these sections become breeding grounds for disease and crime.
Yet at the same time we can see vast areas of this earth that are truly lovely, even breathtaking in their beauty—verdant woodlands, rich, rolling pastures and meadows, majestically rugged mountains, crystal-clear lakes and sparkling streams and waterfalls, sun-drenched beaches fringed with palm groves, cloud-decorated skies that are pastel pink and blue at sunrise, fiery-red, purple and gold at sunset.
Again, if we charge the first—the scenes of human misery and squalor—to God, then to whom do we credit the second? Who is the source of the beauty and grandeur that human eyes never tire of drinking in and that no human artist has ever matched?
In all fairness we must recognize the heavy responsibility that men themselves bear for so much of life’s unpleasantness and the ugliness that faces us today. Sheer greed, commercial exploitation and ruthlessness lie at the root of many of man’s problems, including poverty. Shoddy workmanship and employee dishonesty drive up costs for everyone. Even the most basic things of life are misused, abused and brought to the brink of ruin by human pollution. As Professor Donald R. Scoby observes in his book Environmental Ethics:
"Man, created to breathe clean air, drink and enjoy pure water, and enjoy the adventure of his natural surroundings, has changed his environment and finds he cannot adapt. He is preparing his own mass execution."
Amazing Contrasts in Our Own Bodies
We see the same contrast in case after case. On the one hand, we see cancer, heart disease and other ailments afflicting mankind. On the other, we are faced with the human body’s marvelous abilities and makeup.
We rightly marvel at the heart’s capacity, in the course of one day, to pump the equivalent of 7,000 quarts of blood through a network of 60,000 miles of blood vessels and supply oxygen and nourishment to some 30,000,000,000,000 cells—each cell containing over a quarter of a million protein molecules, each molecule consisting of about 20,000 atoms.
We cannot help feeling amazement at the body’s natural defenses against disease and infection—the way that any penetration of germs triggers an unseen and immediate counterattack by the body: first, an increase of blood-flow to the site of the invasion; the arrival of antibodies that fasten on to the invading bacteria, in effect identifying them as enemies and causing white blood cells called neutrophils to surround the bacteria and break them down by digestive enzymes; accompanying this, an immediate speedup in production by the bone marrow of these defending antibodies and neutrophils; the activity of the blood plasma’s clotting agent (called fibrinogen) to form a network of strands around the infection and seal off the area; then the arrival of slower-moving lymphocytes and monocytes to feed on and clean up the debris resulting from the battle waged; and, finally, the growing of new cells and tissues to restore the damaged area.
So complex and numerous are the human body’s defenses that the late Harvard University physiologist Walter Cannon was moved to say: "When you understand a great deal about the human body and its resources for health, you wonder why anyone is ever sick."
Yet people do get sick, and loved ones die. Why? Is it because God does not care? Then why all the provisions for maintaining health?
The Problem That Remains
Clearly, to attribute human suffering to a lack of God’s care raises as many questions as it answers, or more. It makes life on earth a paradox, full of contradictions. To say that God does not exist only makes the problem worse. Why are we here in the first place if there is no Creator? What purpose does life have in such a case?
When we see a house with its doors, windows, rooms and other features that are obviously designed for human use, we recognize that the house had a builder. This entire planet has many more features that fit it for human habitation than any house that man has ever made, for houses need outside sources to provide them with such things as food, water and fuel. With good reason, the inspired apostle Paul wrote: "Of course, every house is constructed by someone, but he that constructed all things is God." (Heb. 3:4) If someone commits a crime in a house, or individuals in that house get sick, does that deny the existence of the builder?
The facts force us to recognize that man himself is responsible for so much of the suffering experienced on earth. Human selfishness, nationalistic and racial pride, prejudice and hatred, along with dishonesty, lust, impatience and anger are what cause the disagreeable things in life, bring oppression and poverty, wreck marriages and ruin family life, provoke violence and war. Man has seriously misused this planetary home, the earth.
You may recognize the truth of this. Yet you may still wonder: "Why is it, then, that God lets it keep on this way? Why does he not step in and put a stop to all the wrongdoing and oppression and violence? Why do the innocent often suffer along with the guilty? And what of the things that are clearly beyond mankind’s power to change, including the suffering of sickness that sooner or later hits us all?"
All of this points up the necessity of tracing the problem back to its very beginning, its initial source. Without this we can never know the answer to our questions. Fortunately for us, there is a means for doing this. Consider what the evidence reveals.
Antarctica—A Continent in Trouble
WHEN astronauts view the earth from space, says the book Antarctica: The Last Continent, the most distinctive feature of our planet is the ice sheet of Antarctica. It "radiates light like a great white lantern across the bottom of the world," the astronauts reported.
Containing some seven million cubic miles [30,000,000 cu km] of ice, Antarctica is an ice-manufacturing machine of continental proportions. Snow falls on the continent and packs down to form ice. Gravity forces the ice to flow slowly toward the coast, and there it slips into the sea to form massive ice shelves.—See the box on page 18.
Receding Ice Shelves
In recent years, however, accelerated melting has reduced the size of a number of ice shelves, and some have disappeared altogether. In 1995 a 500-square-mile [1,000 sq km] section of the 620-mile-long [1,000 km] Larsen Ice Shelf collapsed and broke up into thousands of icebergs, according to one report.
The area that has been affected so far by receding ice is the Antarctic Peninsula. A continuation of the Andes mountain range of South America, this S-shaped peninsula has seen a 4.5-degree-Fahrenheit [2.5 Celsius] rise in temperature over the past 50 years. As a result, James Ross Island, once enclosed by ice, can now be circumnavigated. Receding ice has also brought about a sharp increase in vegetation.
Because significant melting has occurred only in the region of the Antarctic Peninsula, some scientists are not convinced that it is an indication of global warming. However, according to a Norwegian study, Arctic ice is also in retreat. (Because the North Pole is not situated on a landmass, much Arctic ice is sea ice.) All these changes, according to the study, fit the pattern predicted to occur with global warming.
But Antarctica does more than respond to temperature changes. The continent has been described as "the vital engine which drives much of our global climate." If that is so, then future weather patterns may be affected if the continent continues to undergo changes.
In the meantime, high above Antarctica a hole twice the size of Europe has formed in the atmosphere’s ozone layer. Ozone, a form of oxygen, shields the earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation that damages eyes and causes skin cancers. Because of the increase in radiation, researchers in Antarctica must protect their skin from the sun and don goggles or sunglasses with special reflective coatings to protect their eyes. Only time will tell to what extent Antarctica’s seasonal wildlife is affected.
Delicate Continent—Tread Lightly
The above heading might be a fitting welcome for visitors to Antarctica. Why so? For several reasons, according to the Australian Antarctic Division. First, because of Antarctica’s simple ecological relationships, the environment is highly sensitive to disturbances. Second, plants grow so slowly that a footprint in a moss bed may still be visible ten years later. Damaged or weakened plants are at the mercy of Antarctica’s high winds, which can destroy whole plant communities. Third, extreme cold means that waste products can take decades to decompose. Fourth, people may inadvertently bring in microscopic life-forms alien to this isolated, and hence vulnerable, continent. Finally, the places tourists and scientists tend to frequent are the coastal fringes—the areas that are also most favorable for wildlife and vegetation. Because these areas comprise only about 2 percent of the landmass, it is easy to see why Antarctica could soon become overcrowded. That raises the question, Who polices this huge continent?
Who Rules Antarctica?
Although seven countries claim portions of Antarctica, the continent as a whole has the unique distinction of having neither a sovereign nor a citizenry. "Antarctica is the only continent on earth to be completely governed by an international agreement," reports the Australian Antarctic Division.
Called the Antarctic Treaty, the agreement was signed by 12 governments and entered into force on June 23, 1961. Since then, the number of participating nations has grown to over 40. The treaty’s objective is "to ensure, in the interest of all mankind, that Antarctica shall continue forever to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes and shall not become the scene or object of international discord."
In January 1998 the Environmental Protection Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty came into force. This protocol bans all mining and mineral exploitation in Antarctica for a minimum of 50 years. It also designates the continent and its dependent marine ecosystems as a "natural reserve devoted to peace and science." Military activities, weapons testing, and the disposal of nuclear wastes are prohibited. Even sled dogs are banned.
The Antarctic Treaty has been hailed as "an unprecedented example of international cooperation." However, there are still many problems to be resolved, including sovereignty. Who, for instance, will enforce the treaty, and how? And how will the member nations deal with the rapid growth of tourism—a potential threat to Antarctica’s delicate ecology? In recent years over 7,000 ship-borne tourists have visited Antarctica annually, and this figure is expected to double before long.
Other challenges may arise in the future. For instance, what if scientists find valuable mineral or oil deposits? Will the treaty prevent commercial exploitation and the pollution that often follows? Treaties can be changed, and the Antarctic Treaty is no exception. In fact, Article 12 makes provision for the treaty to be "modified or amended at any time by unanimous agreement of the Contracting Parties."
Of course, no treaty is capable of shielding Antarctica from the effluents of the modern, industrialized world. What a pity if the beautiful "white lantern" at the bottom of the globe were to be sullied by the far-reaching effects of human greed and ignorance! To hurt Antarctica is to injure humankind. If Antarctica teaches us anything, it is that the whole earth—like the human body—is an interrelated system, perfectly coordinated by the Creator both to sustain life and to give us enjoyment.
WHAT IS AN ICE SHELF?
High in Antarctica’s interior, streams of ice formed by falling snow work their way down toward the coast—some flowing as much as half a mile a year, according to recent satellite radar images. Many of these ice streams merge like tributaries, forming huge rivers of ice. When they reach the sea, these frozen rivers float on the water to form ice shelves, the largest being the Ross Ice Shelf (shown here). Fed by no less than seven ice streams or glaciers, it is the size of France and up to half a mile thick in places.
Under normal circumstances, ice shelves do not retreat. As the glaciers feed more ice into the shelf, the outer extremity of the shelf is pushed farther out to sea, like toothpaste being squeezed from a tube. There huge chunks eventually break off (a process called calving), and these chunks become icebergs. Some icebergs are "as huge as 5,000 square miles [13,000 sq km]," says The World Book Encyclopedia. In recent years, though, calving has accelerated and ice shelves have retreated, some even disappearing altogether. Even so, this does not raise sea levels. Why not? Because ice shelves are already afloat, displacing their weight in water. But if the ice on the Antarctic mainland were to melt, it would be like emptying a seven-million-cubic-mile [30,000,000 cu km] reservoir into the sea! Sea levels would rise some 200 feet [65 m]!
Ice shelves are not to be confused with pack ice. Pack ice begins as ice floes that form on the sea during winter when the water surface freezes. These floes then merge to form pack ice. The reverse occurs during summer. Icebergs do not form from pack ice but, rather, from ice shelves.
Massive blocks of ice calve off the Ross Ice Shelf. The ice shelf here rises about 200 feet above
