The Environmental Future: Proceedings of the first International Conference on Environmental Future, held in Finland from 27 June to 3 July 1971

641 Pages·1972·75.187 MB·English

by  Nicholas Polunin (eds.)

THE ENVIRONMENTAL FUTURE
THE
ENVIRONMENTAL
FUTURE
Proceedings of the first International Conference
on Environmental Future, held in Finland from
27 June to 3 July 1971
edited by
NICHOLAS POLUNIN
Palgrave Macmillan
ISBN 978-1-349-01460-6 ISBN 978-1-349-01458-3 (eBook)
DOl 10.1007/978-1-349-01458-3
©Nicholas Polunin 1972
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1972
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
without permission
First published 1972 by
THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD
London and Basingstoke
Associated companies in .New York Toronto
Melbourne Dublin Johannesburg and Madras
SBN 333 13455 9
Foreword
Finland is resolutely striving to improve the mutual understanding be
tween the different political and cultural systems. The protection of the
environment is a suitable field for this purpose, because there are plenty of
mutual interests regardless of the stage of development or structure of the
area, and because it is vital for all of us; it is a part of the peace policy.
Consequently, it seemed natural for us to support the proposal, coming
originally from Professor Nicholas Polunin, that we should act as host
country for an international conference on the future of the environment
which seemed urgently needed.
Admittedly there are many conferences-including rather many on various
aspects of the environment-but mostly they deal with the past and present,
and so we found particular merit in the idea of having one looking as far as
possible into the future. This idea emerged from the 'Environmental Con
gress' held by the Jyvaskyla Arts Festival in July 1970, was furthered by
some of my governmental colleagues, and was also favoured by the Finnish
National Cominission for UNESCO. Consequently, I was pleased to lend
my support and advocate that of my government in every possible way.
To my regret I was unable in the end to attend the Conference in person;
but I received favourable reports about its progress and general usefulness,
as was to be expected from its widely distinguished membership. It was
encouraging to note that this first conference of its kind voted unanimously
at its conclusion to continue with further such attempts and under the same
leadership at intervals of a few years henceforth-which would seem most
important in view of the need that politicians and the world's governments
are feeling increasingly for guidance in environmental matters.
I deeply hope that we shall rapidly achieve concrete results and all
together be able to do more for rational development and the environment
for positive change of human existence and the quality of life on earth.
I should like to express my sincere gratitude to the members of the
steering and organizing committees and to all others who contributed 1!o the
success of the Conference. I also hope that these proceedings will be a useful
contribution for the coming United Nations Conference on the Human
Environment and for enlightened reading throughout the world.
AHTI KARJALAINEN
Formerly Prime Minister of Finland
and Chairman of the Finnish Organizing Committee
Helsinki, 10 January 1972
Contents
Preface xi
Introduction: background and history
I
Keynote paper
Future environments: a reflective view of the background
FRANK FRASER DARLING 3
Discussion (led by TAPIO PERIAINEN) 14
The possibility of life outside earth's biosphere
ALEKSANDR IVANOVICH OPARIN 21
The biosphere today
2
Keynote paper
The biosphere today NICHOLAS POLUNIN 33
Discussion (led by RAYMOND F. DASMANN) 53
Addenda: ten written comments from six continents 58
3 What humans are doing
Keynote paper
What man is doing JEAN DORST 67
Discussion (led by JEAN G. BAER) 87
Addendum: written comment from Konrad Lorenz 100
4 Monitoring the atmospheric environment
Keynote paper
Monitoring the atmospheric environment
DAVID ARTHUR DAVIES 103
Discussion (led by ALF NYBERG) 116
Addendum: letter etc. from International Organization
for Standardization 127
5 Atmospheric imbalances and pollution
Keynote paper
Climatic modification by air pollution REID A. BRYSON 133
Postscript 154
Discussion (led by RENATO PAVANELLO) 156
Addendum: written comment from Francis Severin Johnson 174
Catalytic reduction of stratospheric ozone
HAROLD SLEDGE JOHNSTON 175
viii CONTENTS
6 Freshwater supplies and pollution
Keynote paper
Freshwater supplies and pollution: effects of the demophoric
explosion on water and man JOHN R. v ALLENTYNE I8I
Discussion (led by OLAV M. SKULBERG) 200
7 Major water etc. development projects
Keynote paper
Ecological consequences of water development projects
M. KASSAS 2I5
Discussion (led by VLADIMIR NIKOLAIVICH KUNIN) 236
8 Marine productivity and pollution
Keynote paper
Marine productivity and pollution ILMO HELA 249
Discussion (led by N. K. PANIKKAR) 273
Addendum: written comment from Thor Heyerdahl 286
Effects of pesticides
9
Keynote paper
Effects of insecticides CHARLES F. WURSTER 293
Discussion (led by NORMAN W. MOORE) 3II
IO Unwise use of chemicals other than pesticides
Keynote paper
Unwise use of chemicals other than pesticides
KENNETHMELLANBY
335
Discussion (led by PEITSA MIKOLA) 345
Addendum: statement on nuclear energy (G. I. Apollonov)
354
I I Soil preservation
Keynote paper
The world's soils and human activity v. A. KOVDA 359
Discussion (led by MOGENS K01E) 382
I2 Sustained biological productivity
Keynote paper
Sustained biological productivity E. BARTON WORTHINGTON 397
Postscript
41 I
Discussion (led by F. RAYMOND FOSBERG) 412
CONTENTS lX
13 Global responsibility: what governments and
individuals should do
I. A 'western' viewpoint STEWART L. UDALL 425
2. An 'eastern' viewpoint by VLADIMIR NIKOLAIVICH KUNIN &
SVENELD ALEKSANDROVICH EVTEEV 439
3· A viewpoint from a developing country FATESINGH GAEKWAD 445
Discussion (led by KALERVO SIIKALA) 454
14 What organizations and industry should do
Keynote paper
What organizations and industry should do
DAVID R. BROWER 475
Discussion (led by HANS PALMSTIERNA) 492
Addenda: written comments from five leaders of industry, etc. 510
15 Urban space and amenities
Keynote paper
The future of urban environments VACLAV KASALICKY 5I9
Discussion (led by MIKKO MANSIKKA) 53 I
16 The means of action
Keynote paper
The means of action: managing the planetary life-support
systems LYNTON K. CALDWELL 545
Discussion (led by JULIA HENDERSON) 564
Addenda: written comments, etc. 575
17 The biosphere to come
Keynote paper
The biosphere to come GERARDO BUDOWSKI 58 I
Discussion (led by STANLEY A. CAIN) 59 I
18 Education, legislation, declaration
Achieving environmental quality through education
JAN CEROVSKY 6oi
Problems and requirements in environmental
documentation TOMISLAV MUNETIC 6o9
The need for strengthening legal systems for protection
of the environment HOMER G. ANGELO 6I3
Our earth's future: what international law could do
EDWIN SPENCER MATTHEWS, Jr 62I
Addenda: written comments, etc. 628
Statement [and termination] 63I
Appendices 639
Index 649
E.F.-I*
Preface
In July 1970 theJyvaskyla Arts Festival held what was called an 'Environ
mental Congress', to which I was invited as guest speaker. During this
lively if mainly local gathering I realized that a conference of far wider
scope and clientele would be valuable-especially if it could look into
future possibilities of action rather than merely bemoan the present deterio
rating situation.
Mter a good deal of informal discussion, the following resolution was
proposed and passed unanimously at the final plenary session:
'The Environmental Congress held during 6-11 July 1970 atjyvaskylii, Finland,
alarmed at the accelerating changes towards widespread environmental de
gradation which are threatening the health and very survival of the biosphere
and human life as we know them, and realizing that very much more will have
to be done to counter these tendencies as human population increases still
further, recommends to the appropriate authorities the organization of a high
level International Conference on Environmental Futurology in which leading
specialists of global outlook shall prognosticate what in their expert view is most
likely to happen and can be done to avoid further catastrophes to man and
nature-the results of their deliberations and discussions to be published in
dignified book form in good time for the United Nations Conference on the
Human Environment to be held in Stockholm in June 1972.'
The idea behind this was that the UN Conference on the Human Environ
ment, being a high-level governmental one, would consist of previously
agreed 'set-pieces', and give little or no opportunity for free expression of
views by scientific or other specialists. It consequently seemed important to
collect these more enlightened views with special regard to the future, and
to make them generally available for consideration by the participants of
the UN Conference and by others thereafter.
Among the most active supporters and developers of this theme, which we
then called 'Environmental Futurology', were Mr Pentti Sillantaus, Chair
man of the Jyvaskyla Arts Festival and member of the Finnish Parliament,
Mr Hannu Halinen, Secretary-General of the Festival, and Professor Kauko
Sipponen, at that time Secretary of State in the Prime Minister's office. It
was largely through their energetic help that it was tentatively decided to
hold such a global conference on the future of the environment in connection
with the Jyvaskyla Arts Festival in June-July 1971, although final con
firmation had to await the passage of the Finnish national budget which was
delayed until early in that year. The sponsors were to be (and ultimately
were) the Government of Finland (providing the greatest financial support),
the Finnish National Commission for UNESCO (later, UNESCO head-
xu PREFACE
quarters also provided valuable backing), and the Jyvaskyla Arts Festival.
The Prime Minister of Finland, H.E. Dr Ahti Karjalainen, took on the
Chairmanship of the Finnish Organizing Committee*, with Professor
Sipponen as Vice-Chairman, and I was made Chairman of the International
Steering Committee*, which soon decided on the programme and chose the
desired principal participants. H.E. Urho Kekkonen, President of Finland,
graciously agreed to be Festival Patron, and Sir Julian Huxley, who was
most helpful with wise counsel throughout, served as Conference Scientific
Patron. The name of the occasion was changed to the more dignified
form of 'International Conference on Environmental Future', and I myself
was designated editor of the proceedings.
As was stated in the outline programme, 'The object of the Conference
is to bring together, for free discussion in a stimulating atmosphere, as
complete a range of leading experts as possible, covering between them all
the main aspects of environmental study and implications. Their chief tasks
will be (a) to give specialist accounts of the global situation in their fields,
(b) to prognosticate what in their considered opinion is most likely to happen
in the foreseeable future, and (c) to suggest what can and should be done to
alleviate environmental degradation and to avoid concomitant catastrophes
to Man and Nature.' Thus in spite of its high-level sponsorship and member
ship, the Conference was conceived as, and always remained, a private
occasion preserving full freedom of speech and expression.
Taking the subject of the environment in the widest sense, we divided it
arbitrarily into seventeen sections which would correspond to as many
conference sessions extending over five days, and invited outstanding 'key
note' speakers and chairmen/discussion leaders for them. In spite of the
shortness of time for organizing, we managed to bring together what was
widely remarked on as an impressive group of scientific and other specialist
leaders and delegates, actually exceeding our optimum number of partici
pants. Indeed it seemed that if such a gathering could not see far into the
environmental future, no other one was likely to be able to do so.
Besides principal speakers and chairmen or discussion leaders of sessions,
we had a category of what we called 'roving eminents'- people of eminence
who, without being responsible for a particular paper or session, were
specially invited and encouraged to take part in the discussions. We also
invited certain chosen international organizations to send delegates and
nations to send qualified observerst. As Finland was host country, a number
of her national or other organizations and institutions were encouraged to
send observers, those which did so being listed separately, together with their
attending representatives, on pp. 644-6.
The Conference started with transport from Helsinki on the morning of
Sunday 27 June when the 'State Luncheon' outside the capital city was
addressed by the Finnish Minister of Foreign Trade, H.E. Olavi Mattila,
who was also the Minister responsible for Environmental Matters and has
since become Foreign Minister. The other speakers on this sunlit inaugural
*
The composition ofthese committees is indicated in Appendix II on page 647; each held a
series of meetings in its home base of Helsinki and Geneva, respectively.
tAll such 'official' participants are listed in Appendix I (pp. 6gg et seq.).