Earths Vital Functions - Guest Blog entry from Mary Colwell
- 4 Jul 06, 05:02 PM
Hello all, were in the midst of a of tropical rainstorm down here in Bristol - here's a guest entry from Mary Colwell who is a is producer on the up-coming series "Planet Earth, The Future" on 大象传媒 4 later in the year -
I think one of the biggest questions we need to think about is who owns, and has responsibility for, the areas of earth that perform vital functions. I'm thinking of the ice cap where Julian and Gabrielle went to, the rainforests in the tropics and of course the vast oceans. Ice and forest may be under the control of the countries where they are found, but they are vital ecosystems that influence the climate of the whole planet. So is it right and fair that a small country like Greenland should be responsible for its ice cap?
Should all nations pay them to take care of the ice and the animals and plants that survive there? The same is true of the rainforest - those great lungs of the world as they are called. Should we all be that still have swathes of forest left to maintain them and keep them - in effect compensate them for the loss of revenue they would get if they were logged? And perhaps the biggest tragedy of all - the ocean - who does that belong to? UNEP and IUCN produced that terrifying last week which stated it was on the edge of ecological collapse because of pollution and over fishing. Is that because no one owns the oceans and therefore no one really has responsibility for 75% of the earth? If these ecosystems are so desperately needed by the whole world to maintain its health and vitality we must start to take seriously the question of responsibility and money.
Comments Post your comment
The only programme I've viewed in recent years that may perhaps ensure and hopefully, change our own future. It's imperative that it's passed on to every other country free.
My regards to Fergus Beeley and your Editor who offered a sense of logic from a truly marvelous jigsaw.
Complain about this post
>pics of yosemite valley
Complain about this post