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China Post: Jane Goodall offers reasons for hope about environment

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http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/detail.asp?ID=32107 & GRP=B

 

Saturday, November 09, 2002

Jane Goodall offers reasons for hope about environment

 

2002/11/9

Stuart Hamby,Special to The China Post

 

" The elite have to lead the way " in making environmental and humanitarian

choices, said the eminent naturalist known for research in chimpanzee

behavior, Jane Goodall. She spoke at a special event organized by the

European Chamber of Commerce Taipei (ECCT) and the American Chamber of

Commerce in Taipei (AmCham) on Friday. " The affluent among us...have this

tremendous opportunity for changing the world, because we can afford to make

ethical choices in what we buy and what we don't buy. And as you all know

well enough, in this consumer-driven society, what you don't buy won't get

made. "

Goodall's message is of hope and peace through personal responsibility.

" Every day we get choices: what we eat, what we wear, where we go...who we

speak to, how we react to some problems that we meet. We make these choices

all the time, and the cumulative effect of people making the right

environmental and humanitarian choices in their daily life is going to be

huge. "

 

Goodall spoke in light of what she called " the worst conservation disaster

to hit Africa since I began in 1960 " - the destruction of the African

forest, which she said was caused by " people in the developed world taking

and taking and taking of the resources of the developing world. "

 

She illustrated this disaster with an example of European and Asian logging

companies that clear-cut forests and built roads to gain access to lumber.

In addition to this damage, and to the damage caused by the thousands of

people living along the roads who had never traditionally lived there,

hunters now ride the logging trucks into the forest and, she said, " (stop)

at the end of the road (and shoot) everything: elephants, gorillas,

chimpanzees, monkeys, antelope...and (take) the meat into town ¡X not to

feed starving people, not to feed the local people ¡X but to feed the elite:

the growing middle class who will pay more for a piece of smoked

bushmeat...This is absolutely not sustainable. " She called the state of the

African environment " a grim situation. "

 

But Africa, of course, is not the only area on the planet facing an

environmental crisis. " If we look at the developed world, how are we doing,

as far as the environment is concerned? " she asked, giving the issue

immediacy. " Not very well: we are poisoning the air, the water, and the

land. You know all about that in Taiwan...I don't have to tell you about the

quality of the air that sometimes gets so bad in Taipei, as it does in other

places around the world. "

 

As overwhelming as such environmental disasters may seem, however, she

states, " The worst problem is apathy. "

 

But her message is not one of condemnation. " Is there hope for the future? "

she asks. " Yes! Once we realize around the world that environmental

protection is our responsibility. Don't leave it to all the politicians and

all the top guys ¡X the decision-makers. It depends on each one of us. "

 

Her reasons for hope are " the amazing human brain...that can tackle problems

and find solutions, " " the resilience of Nature, " what she calls " the

indomitable human spirit " , and " the energy and the commitment of youth. "

 

Add to this list the Jane Goodall Institute's program for youth action:

Roots and Shoots. Of the program, Goodall says, " Roots and Shoots, I think,

is what gives me the hope and the optimism to continue "

 

" Roots and Shoots is a symbolic name, " Goodall explains. " Roots make a firm

foundation; shoots seem tiny, but to reach the light, they can break through

brick walls. And if we see the brick walls as all the problems that we have

inflicted on the planet...including human greed and cruelty and war and the

threat of nuclear weapons...the roots and shoots have a message of hope. "

 

The program encourages young people to confront the problems in their own

communities, to treat animals ethically ( " including domestic animals, " she

adds), and to clean up the environment. " The very heart of the Roots and

Shoots philosophy is that every individual, every one of us, makes a

difference every day. "

 

The Roots and Shoots program has 329 branches in Taiwan - nearly 10 percent

of the global total. Of its members, she says, " We believe the tools of

change are knowledge and understanding, hard work and persistence (never

giving up), love and compassion that lead to respect for all life. "

 

Of her years in the forest with the chimpanzees, she says, " I keep the peace

in my heart. " Despite rare attacks of pessimism, Goodall continues planting

seeds for peace. Her peaceful message earned her the U.N. Messenger of Peace

award; she is one of only nine recipients.

 

What is the message Goodall brings to the world ¡X that she exhorts the

media to deliver?

 

" Tell people that what they do makes a difference. "

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