Prologue
Passengers on Terra I, it is time for the annual State
of the Spaceship report. As you know, we are hurtling
through space at about 107,200 kilometers (66,600 miles) per
hour on a fixed course. Although we can never take on new
supplies, our ship has a marvelous set of life-support systems
that use solar energy to recycle chemicals needed to provide
a reasonable number of us with adequate water, air and
food.
Let me summarize. There are more than 4.8 billion
passengers on board, living in the 176 nations that are
distributed throughout the ship. One-fourth are in the more
developed nations, occupying good to luxurious quarters in
the first class section. Each year these passengers use about
80 percent of the supplies on board.
Unfortunately,
conditions have not improved much this year for the 75
percent of you in the so-called less developed nations,
traveling in the hold of the ship. Half are living in countries
where the average annual income is less than $400 per
person. More than one-fifth are suffering from hunger,
malnutrition, or both,, one-sixth do not have adequate
shelter, and one-fourth lack clean water. More peopled
starved to death or died from malnutrition-related diseases
this year than at any time in the history of our voyage. Such
deaths will certainly rise as long as population growth
continues to wipe out gains in food supply and economic
development.
With the limited supplies and recycling capacity of
our craft, many wonder whether they will ever move from
the hold to the first-class section. More important, many are
asking why they have to travel in the ship’s hold in the first
place.
The most important fact molding our lives today is
that we have gone around the bend of three curves shaped
like the letter J that represents the global increases in
population, resource use, and pollution over the past
hundred years. Although population growth rates have
decreased slightly in recent years, if the present rate is
maintained, our population will probably grow to at least 6.2
billion by the year 20000 and could reach almost 10 billion in
the next 40 years.
Overpopulation of the hold, serious though it is, may
not be as threatening to our life-support system as the
overpopulation in the first-class section. Both consumption
and pollution rise sharply with even a slight increase in the
wealthier population. For example, the 234 million citizens of
the United States, making up only 5 percent of our total
populations, use about 35% of all supplies and produce more
than one-third of all our human-related pollution. Each firstclass passenger has about 25 times as much impact on our
life-support system as each passenger traveling in the hold.
Efforts to conserve matter and energy resources in the rich
nations are still grossly inadequate. Pollution control in these
nations improves, but there is a long way to go.
In spite of the gravity of the interlocking problems of
overpopulation, dwindling resources and pollution, the single
greatest human and environmental threat is that of war –
especially nuclear holocaust. It is discouraging that so little
progress has been made in reducing the extravagant waste of
resources and human talent devoted to the arms race.
During the past year we spent 200 times more on military
expenditures than on international cooperation for peace and
development. The number of nations that develop the ability
to produce nuclear weapons continues to increase.
Some say that our ship is already doomed. Others –
technological optimists – see a glorious future for everyone.
Most experts agree that the ship’s situation is serious but not
hopeless. They feel that if we begin now, we have about 50
years to learn how to control our population and
consumption and to learn to live together peacefully on the
beautiful and fragile lifecraft that is our home. Obviously,
more of us must act like members of the crew rather than as
passengers, particularly those traveling first class.
Just what is spaceship Terra I? Where are we going?
What problems and opportunities do we face? What is an
individual’s responsibility for the other passengers and for
preserving the various life-support systems? We must look
more deeply into these complex questions so that we may
convert our understanding into effective individual and group
action.
1. Two college students spending the weekend at a
Colorado ski resort caught the State of the Spaceship report
on television. “I’m sick of hearing about environmental
problems and nuclear war” said John as he ripped the tab
from his third can of beer. “It’s already too late. My motto is,
“Eat, drink, and have a good time while you can.” “What’s
the world done for me.”
I don’t think it’s too late at all,” observed Susan. “If
we can put astronauts on the moon, we can certainly solve
our pollution problems. Sure it’s going to cost some money,
but I’m willing to pay my share. The whole thing is just a
matter of money and technology. By the way, John, during
Prologue
Christmas break let’s fly to Switzerland. There are too many
people here. We always have to wait in line, and all these
hideous new ski lodges have spoiled the view. Besides, I want
to shop for a new ski outfit.
2. In a tenement room in New York City, Larry
angrily switched off the television, even though he usually
kept it on to drown our noises around him – particularly the
rats scratching. A high school dropout, he’s given up looking
for work. “This ecology crap is just another whitely trick to
keep us from getting a piece of the action. What do I care
about pollution when my little sister was bitten by a rat last
night, my ma’s got emphysema, and we haven’t had any heat
in this firetrap for months? Tell it to my uncle in Florida
who’s paralyzed from the waist down from some chemical
used on the fruit he was picking. Give me a chance to pollute
and then I might worry about it.”
3. In Calcutta, Mukh Das, his wife, Kamala, and their
children did not hear the broadcast in the street where they
live. As Mukh, age 36, watched his 34-year-old wife patting
dung into cakes to be dried and used for fuel, he was glad
that 7 of his 12 children were alive to help now that he and
Kamala were in their old age. Mukh felt a chill, and he hoped
the children would soon return from begging and gathering
dung and scraps of food. Perhaps they had been lucky
enough to meet another rich American tourist today.
4. In a Connecticut suburb, Bill and Kathy Farmingon
and their three children were discussing the broadcast.
David, a college senior, turned away in disgust. “This ecology
thing is just a big cop-out by people who don’t really know
what it’s all about. In the commune I’m moving into we’re
going to get back to nature and way from this plastic, racist
society of people who don’t care.”
car I gave you? Karen, you might consider turning in that
snowmobile you used to recuperate from your hot summer in
the ghetto. How do you think I pay for all the things you kids
want? I’m all for clean air and water but we can’t stop the
economic progress our American way of life is built on.
“Remember last year when we had a lot of ecofreaks
and liberal professors trying to stop us from building the new
nuclear power plant? In spite of all the talk about
conservation, Americans are going to use more and more
energy and we have to give our customers the electricity they
want. You’re as bad as those college professors who go
around making speeches and writing books on ecology, but
don’t change their own life-styles and don’t know what hard
physical work is all about. David, cut off that TV and the one
in the kitchen too. I’m sick of hearing about pollution,
corruption in government, and rioting in India. Linda, it’s
getting hot in here. Would you please turn on the airconditioning?”
Kathy Farmington slowly shook her head. “I just
don’t know. We have to do something about pollution and
overpopulation. The problem is, I don’t know what to do.
One scientist says we shouldn’t build nuclear plants, another
says we should. One says ban pesticides, and another says
that if we do, many will die from diseases and starvation.
How can we know what to do when experts disagree? I
recognize that the population problem is bad in India, Africa,
and South America. Remember how horrid it was in Calcutta
on our trip last summer? I just couldn’t wait to leave. I’m
glad we don’t have an overpopulation problem in the United
States. At least we can afford to have children.”
“That’s the biggest cop-out of all,” said Karen, a
college sophomore. “The only reason you have the freedom
to drop out is that you live in a rich country. Why don’t you
help rather than trying to escape? The real problem is with
the poor people who keep having all those children? Why
don’t you work on family planning in the slums this summer?
I did last year and I even got college credit for it.”
As Lind, a college freshman, got up, she was thinking
that no one had listened to the speech. “Don’t you realize
that we are all connected with one another and that our
primary goal must be to preserve – not destroy – the lifesupport systems that keep us and other species alive? Can’t
you see that everyone on Terra I is a unique human being,
entitled to a share of our ship’s basic resources? I’m afraid
for all of us too, but I don’t think it’s too late. When I become
a public service lawyer, I plan to devote my life to
environment reform.”
Bill Farmington, chief engineer for Monarch Power
Company, looked at his children irritably. “The problem with
all of you back-to-the-woods dropouts and misguided liberals
is that you don’t understand the hard work it takes to keep
the world going. If you’re so fired up about pollution, David,
why don’t you walk to the commune rather than driving the
Taken from the 1985 Edition of “Living in the
Environment.” G. Tyler Miller, Jr.