Forget Nature.Even Eden is engineered
Pn i Raiul a fost creat de om
Nearly 70 years ago, a Soviet geochemist,
reflecting on his world, made a startling
observation: through technology and sheer
numbers, he wrote, people were becoming a
geological force, shaping the planet's future
just as rivers and earthquakes had shaped its
past.
Eventually, wrote the scientist, Vladimir I.
Vernadsky, global society, guided by science,
would soften the human environmental impact,
and earth would become a "noosphere," a
planet of the mind, "life's domain ruled by
reason."
Today, a broad range of scientists say, part of
Vernadsky's thinking has already been proved
right: people have significantly altered the
atmosphere and are the dominant influence on
ecosystems and natural selection. The question
now, scientists say, is whether the rest of his
vision will come to pass. Choices made in the
next few years will determine the answer.
Aided by satellites and supercomputers, and
mobilized by the evident environmental
damage of the last century, humans have a real
chance to begin balancing economic
development with sustaining earth's ecological
webs, said Dr. William C. Clark, a biologist at
Harvard who heads an international effort to
build a scientific foundation for such a shift.
"We've come through a period of finally
understanding the nature and magnitude of
humanity's transformation of the earth," Dr.
Clark said. "Having realized it, can we become
clever enough at a big enough scale to be able
to maintain the rates of progress? I think we
Care Natur?
Acum aproape 70 de ani,un geochimist
rus,reflectnd la lumea ce-l nconjura a facut o
observaie uimitoare.Acesta a scris:printre
tehnologie i numere,omenirea devine acum o
fora geologic modificnd viitorul planetei,aa
cum rurile i cutremurele au modelat lumea n
trecut.
Astfel,a scris omul de tiin
VladimirI.Verdansky,societatea globala,ajutat
de tiin,ar atenua impactul omului asupra
mediului,iar Terra ar deveni o neosfer,o
planet a minii,domeniul vieii dictat de
raiune.
Astzi,mai muli oameni de tiin susin c
parte din teoriile lui Verdanski s-au dovedit a fi
adevarate:omul a alterat atmosfera,devenind
principalul factor negativ asupra ecosistemelor
i seleciei naturale.Potrivit cercettorilor,ceea
la ce trebuie reflectat acum este daca i restul
viziunii acestuia este aplicabil.Ceea ce se va
ntampla in urmatorii ani va clarifica asta.
Cu ajutorul saelitilor i supercomputerelor,i
alarmai de daunele aduse mediului n ultimul
secol,oamenilor li se d acum ansa de a
echilibra dezvoltarea economic cu cea
ecologic,spune Dr.William C.Clark,biolog la
Harvard,ce coordoneaza o actiune la nivel
internaional pentru a determina o asemenea
schimbare.
Am ajuns sa contientizm n sfrit natura i
magnitudinea impactului uman asupra
Pmntului,declar Dr.Clark.Realiznd
aceasta,putem oare sa devenim ndeajuns de
nelepti i la o scar att de mare pentru a
menine rata progresului?Eu cred c da.
can."
Some scientists say it is anthropocentric hubris
to think people understand the living planet
well enough to know how to manage it. But
that prospect is attracting more than 100 world
leaders and thousands of other participants to
the United Nations' World Summit on
Sustainable Development, which starts on
Monday in Johannesburg.
No matter what they come up with, ice ages,
volcanoes and shifting tectonic plates will
dwarf human activities in the long run. But
communities and countries face concrete
choices in the next decade that are likely to
determine the quality of human life and the
environment well into the 22nd century.
Human activity is such a pervasive influence
on the planet's ecological framework that it is
no longer possible to separate people and
nature.
Emissions of heat-trapping carbon dioxide,
whether from an Ohio power plant or a
Bangkok taxicab, contribute to global
warming.
Seafood lovers dining in Manhattan bistros
prompt fishing vessels to sweep Antarctic
waters for slow-growing Chilean sea bass.
Shoppers in Tokyo seeking inexpensive picture
frames send loggers deep into Indonesian
forests.
In a new book "Great Transition: The Promise
and Lure of the Times Ahead," published by
the Stockholm Environment Institute, a group
of top geographers, economists, engineers and
other experts concludes that the same
inventiveness that accelerated the human
ascent can be harnessed to soften human
impact.
The need for a new approach is urgent, the
Unii oameni de tiin spun c este un orgoliu
pur uman s credem c oamenii neleg lumea
ndeajuns de bine nct s o poata
administra.ns aceste perspective atrag mai
mult de 100 de lideri i mii de ali participani
la Summitul Mondial al Naiunilor Unite
pentru dezvoltarea Sustenabilitii,care ncepe
luni n Johannesburg.
Orice s-ar propune ns,erele glaciare,vulcanii
i micrile plcilor tectonice tot vor influena
viaa omului pe termen lung.ns comunitile
i naiunile au de luat decizii importante n
urmtorul deceniu,care vor hotar cel mai
probabil calitatea vieii umane i a mediului n
secolul ce urmeaz.
Activitatea uman este o influen cu un
impact att de puternic asupra contextului
ecologic,nct nu este imposibil s separi omul
de natur.
Emisii de dioxid de carbon,fie ele dintr-o
fabric de electricitate din Ohio sau un taxi din
Bankok,tot contribuie la nclzirea global.
Iubitorii de fructe de mare ce iau cina n
restaurantele din Manhattan determin vasele
de pescuit s navigheze n apele din Atlantic
pentru a gsi biban Chilean.Cei ce fac
shopping n Tokyo cutnd rame ieftine pentru
tablouri i trimit pe chesteregii n adncurile
pdurilor Indoneziene.
ntr-o nou carte,Marile tranziii:Promisiunile
i ispitele viitorului,publicat de Institutul de
Mediu din Stockholm,un grup de
geografi,ingineri i ali experi de top,au
concluzionat c aceeai inventivitate care a
accelerat dezvoltarea uman poate fi folosit
pentru a atenua impactul omului asupra
mediului.
researchers say, because a surge of growth in
quickly industrializing regions of Asia and the
Americas could have environmental effects
that exceed those of the industrialization of the
West. More pressure for change comes from
southern Africa and other pockets of extreme
poverty where the brutal calculus of Malthus
still holds sway.
Necesitatea unei noi abordri este urgent,spun
cercettorii,deoarece o cretere brusc a
regiunilor rapid industrializate ale Asiei i
Americii ar putea avea efecte mai distructive
asupra mediului decat a regiunilor din Vest.O
i mai mare presiune spre schimbare vine din
Africa de Sud i alte zone extrem de srace
unde brutalul calcul Malthus al populaiei nc
face legea.

Even in the industrialized north, after

generations of prosperity, people are hemmed Pn i n nordul industrializat,dupa generaii
in by concrete, seeing commuting times grow de prosperitate,oamenii sunt ngrdii de
and starting to question their definition of betoane,observarea durata de schimbare tot mai
progress. mare,ncepnd s i pun la ndoial definiia
proprie a progresului.
As a result, countless communities, from the Ca rezultat,nenumarate comuniti,de la
charred fringes of the Amazon to the spreading pdurile carbonizate ale Amazonului la
suburbs of Seattle, are balancing growing suburbiile mereu crescnde ale oraului
needs and limited resources. Seattle,trebuie s echilibreze nevoile tot mai
mari i resursele limitate.
If development does not change course, the Cartea se ncheie astfel:Dac dezvoltarea nu
new book concludes, "the nightmare of an i schimb cursul,urmeaz s lum parte
impoverished, mean, destructive future looms." lacomarul unor viitoare conflicte
mpovrtoare,rele,distructive.
Signs of Improvement
Semne de mbuntire
Unexpected Cleanups Generate Optimism
Aciuni neateptate de curare genereaz
Over the past 30 years, "sustainability" has optimism
become the mantra of many private groups, n ultimii 30 de ani,sustenabilitatea a devenit
government officials, scientists and, even, a mantra multor grupuri private,oficiali
growing number of businesses. Most define the guvernamentali,oameni de tiinta,chiar i a
notion as advancing human endeavors without unui numr tot mai mare de afaceri.Majoritatea
diminishing prospects for future generations. definesc noiunea ca avansul omenirii fr a
The Johannesburg summit will be the third diminua calitatea vieii pentru urmatoarele
global conclave in that span chasing this generaii.Summitul de la Johannesburg va fi a
elusive goal. treia conclav global pe acest subiect,ce va
urmri acest scop mare.
But movement toward concrete action has been ns o micare real spre ceva concret a fost
slow. The first meeting, in Stockholm in 1972, foarte lent.Prima ntlnire de la Stockholm,in
rang an alarm about despoiling the earth. 1972 a atras atenia asupra srcirii
Wealthy nations began cleaning air and water, pmntului.Naiunile bogate au nceput s
but continued to assault forests and other curee aerul i apa,ns au continuat s
resources elsewhere to fuel growth. invadeze pduri i alte resurse de peste tot
pentru producii tot mai mari de combustibil.
In 1992 came the second meeting, in Rio de
Janeiro, called the Earth Summit. There,
diplomats forged ambitious agreements aimed
at holding back deserts and protecting the
atmosphere, forests and pockets of biological
richness.
But the agreements were vague, relying more
on good will than on concrete obligations.
Developing countries refused to take on
obligations, saying the north should step first.
After Rio, population continued to grow,
poverty persisted, forests retreated, soils
eroded, fish stocks shrank, and concentrations
of heat-trapping greenhouse gases rose, despite
a treaty in which industrialized countries
pledged to "strive" to reduce them.
Now, a host of satellites provides streams of
data that powerful computers sift and
disseminate on the Web. Communities can
track forest loss in Indonesia, sprawl in Indiana
and the flow of pollution from state to state,
country to country.
After disasters like the chemical release in
Bhopal, India, in 1984 and the grounding of
the Exxon Valdez in Alaska in 1989, many
companies have shifted practices to avoid
environmental damage, shareholder wrath and
consumer boycotts.
Fast-growing developing countries including
China and Mexico are rapidly cutting urban air
pollution..
They have been spurred both by commmunity
pressure and awareness of the high costs of
treating illnesses cause by pollution.
Indonesia, China and other countries are
posting factories' chemical emissions on the
Web. The technique, pioneered in the United
States, is prompting cleanups.
n 1992 a avut loc cea de-a doua ntlnire,n
Rio de Janeiro,numit Summit ul pentru
Pmnt.Acolo,diplomaii au discutat acorduri
ambiioase i i au fcut ca scop oprirea
extinderii deerturilor i protejarea atmosferei,a
pdurilor i locurilor bogate din punct de
vedere biologic.
ns acordurile erau vagi,bazndu-se mai mult
pe bunavoina participanilor,dect pe obligaii
concrete.rile dezvoltate au refuzat s-i
asume obligaii,spunand c nordul ar trebui s
dea tonul.
Dupa Rio,populaia a continuat s
creasc,saracia a persistat,pdurile s-au
micorat,solurile s-au erodat,stocurile de pete
s-au diminuat,iar concentraia de gaze de sera a
crescut,n ciuda unui tratat prin care rile
industrializate s-au angajat c vor face tot ce le
st n putin s le reduc.
Acum,o nou serie de satelii ofera valuri de
informaii att de puternice nct computerele
le analizeaz i le rspndesc pe
internet.Comunitile pot urmri despduririle
din Indonezia,extinderea urban din Indiana i
rspndirea polurii de la stat la stat,i de la
ar la ar.
Dupa dezastre precum eliberarea chimicalelor
in Bhopal,India,n 1984,i fondarea companiei
Exxon Valdez in Alaska in 1989,numeroase
companii i-au schimbat practicile pentru a
evita dunarea mediului,mnia acionarilor i
boicotarea consumatorilor.
rile ce se dezvolt rapid inclusiv China i
Mexic,elimin imediat poluarea aerului in
mediul urban.
Acestea au fost ndemnate spre acest scop de
presiunea comunittilor i de contentizarea
costurilor necesare n tratarea bolilor cauzate
de poluare.
Indonezia,China i alte ri,posteaz emisiile
chimice ale fabricilor,n mediul
online.Tehnica,
creat n Statele Unite,promite un mediu mai

No one expects that people will be able to
manage the planet like some giant corporation
the real Big Blue.
"If you mean making the thousands of little
decisions that need to be made, we can no
more effectively manage the world than the
Soviet Union could manage its centrally
planned economy," said Dr. Robert W. Kates, a
geographer who headed a National Academy
of Sciences committee on sustainable
development and is an author of "Great
Transition."
But Dr. Kates says the potential exists to make
informed choices that spread the benefits of
development to an impoverished majority
while not depleting vital assets.
One impediment to such a transition is the
change itself, the environmental and societal
turbulence created by explosive human growth,
technological advance and the planetwide
linkup of disparate cultures, Dr. Kates and
other experts say.
Another barrier, they add, is the enormous
growth of population and consumption.
Although global population appears headed for
a 50 percent increase in the next 50 years, for
example, demand for food will likely double,
as prosperity raises the per capita consumption
of calories.
There is another roadblock. Not every problem
of consequence comes with a Bhopal-style
wake-up call. Global warming and species
extinction are examples of potential
catastrophes that are hiding in plain sight,
experts say.
Scientists are helping identify problems and
opportunities. But communities will make
choices guided only in part by what makes
curat.
Nimeni nu se ateapt ca omenirea s fie
capabil s administreze planeta ca pe o
corporaie gigant-adevrata Planet Albastr.
Dac te referi la luarea de mii de mici decizii
necesare,nu mai putem administra n mod
eficient planeta,aa cum Uniunea Sovietic i
putea administra economia planificat
central,a spus Dr.Robert W.Kates,un geograf
ce a condus comitetul Academiei Naionale de
tiina,n domeniul dezvoltrii sustenabilitii i
autorul crii Marea Tranziie.
ns Dr.Kates spune c potenialul exist ca
deciziile s fie unele informate,i s
rspndeasc beneficiile dezvoltrii n rndul
majoritatii srace, neepuizand ns resursele
vitale.
Un impediment spre o asemenea tranziie este
schimbarea n sine,turbulenele din mediu i
societate create de creterea exploziv a
populaiei umane,avansul tehnologic i
conectarea la nivel mondial a diverselor
culturi,declar Dr.Kates i ali experi.
O alt piedic,adaug acetia,este creterea
enorm a populaiei i a consumului.Dei
populaia global are tendina de a crete cu 50
%n urmtorii 50 de ani,spre exemplu,nevoia
de hran se va dubla,i prosperitatea va crete
consumul de calorii pe cap de locuitor.
ns mai exista un alt impediment.Nu toate
consecinele sunt contientizate n stilul
Bhopal.ncalzirea global i dispariia speciilor
sunt exemple de poteniale catastrofe ce se afl
chiar sub ochii notri,spun experii.
Cercettorii ajut la identificarea problemelor
i oportunitatilor de rezolvare a acestora.ns
comunittile vor lua decizii ghidate doar parial
de efectele pe termen lung.
sense for the long haul.
For one thing, big gaps persist in the basic
information needed to measure progress. When
a team from Yale and Columbia studied dozens
of trends in 142 countries to rank their
sustainability, the members had to leave 40
percent of their spreadsheet blank, said Daniel
C. Esty, a Yale law professor, who was a
leader of the project.
Nonetheless, optimists say they see signs of
hope. Not the least of them is the intensifying
dialogue on the problem, which includes
parties as disparate as multinational companies
and tribal bands.
In essence, the human capacity for
understanding the world is catching up with the
human capacity to change it, Dr. Clark at
Harvard said. "It really is a plausible case that
we're coming on a key stage now, with the cold
war under control, with globalization
happening," he said.
The hard part, he said, will be for societies to
overcome a habit of focusing on present needs.
"Do we move beyond simply being a big bull
in a china shop, having impacts, to becoming a
reflective capacity on the planet?" Dr. Clark
asked. "Or do we simply bungle ahead?"
An Altered World
Human Imprints From Pole to Pole
Evidence abounds now that the world is a
human-dominated place.
By flooding the atmosphere with synthetic
chemicals and heat-trapping carbon dioxide
and other greenhouse gases, for example,
people damaged the protective ozone layer and
contributed to a warming climate, scientists
have said. The ozone depletion became vividly
and unexpectedly evident in the 1980's, when a
Aceste diferene majore persist n informatia
esenial necesar pentru msurarea
progresului.Cnd o echip de la Yale i
Columbia a studiat duzine de tendine n 142
de ri i au clasificat nivelul de
sustenabilitate,membrii au fost nevoii s lase
40 la suta din pagini necompletate,a declarat
Daniel C.Esty,profesor de drept la Yale,care a
si condus proiectul.
Cu toate acestea,optimitii spun c exist
sperane.Nu ultima este intensificarea
dialogului pe aceast problem,care include
prti ce nu sunt companii multinaionale i
formaiuni tribale.
n esen,capacitatea omenirii de a nelege
lumea tinde s ajung la nivelul capacitii
umane de a o schimba,spune Dr Clark de la
Harvard.Chiar se poate ca acum s fim ntr-un
stadiu esenial,avnd rzboiul rece sub control
i o globalizare activdeclar acesta.
Partea cea mai grea,spune acesta,va fi ca
societile s depeasc obiceiul de a se
concentra pe nevoile actuale.Ne comportm
asemenea unui taur intr-un magazine de
porelanuri,avnd un impact,devenind o
capacitate reflectiv a planetei?ntreab Dr
Clark.Ori pur i simplu i dm nainte?
O lume afectat
Impactul uman de la un pol la altul
Exist acum numeroase dovezi c lumea este
un loc dominat de oameni.
Spre exemplu,inundnd atmosfera cu chimicale
sintetice i dioxid de carbon plus alte gaze cu
efect de ser,oamenii au alterat stratul de ozon
i au contribuit la nclzirea climatului,au spus
oamenii de tiin.Diminuarea ozonului a
devenit vizibil i extrem de evident n
1980,cnd o gaur a fost detectat deasupra
gaping hole was detected over Antarctica.
The hole will shrink in the next 50 years
because of a ban on ozone-eating
chlorofluorocarbons. Other damage will not be
so easy to repair.
Long before they are cataloged, thousands of
plant and animal species are likely to be driven
to extinction as forests, wetlands, mountain
slopes and other habitats are exploited or
harmed by climate change.
Satellites that map vegetation and the
nighttime signature of human activity fire
and light show that people have altered
more than one-third of the terrestrial landscape.
Once it is changed, it is usually changed
forever, Dr. G. David Tilman, an ecologist at
the University of Minnesota, said. "When you
add another 1,000 acres of shopping mall or
another highway, far into the future those are
probably close to permanent acts," Dr. Tilman
said.
Where progress is seen, too often it is only in a
slowing rate of destruction, ecologists say. For
example, new satellite surveys show that forest
loss in the tropics through the 1990's occurred
at a rate 23 percent less than previous
estimates. But losses still add up to some 14
million acres a year, with 5 million more acres
visibly damaged
. The human imprint is evident almost
everywhere. In the South Atlantic, fleets
illuminate so much of the ocean to attract squid
that the illuminated area dwarfs the
megalopolis of So Paulo. The squid harvest
has in part grown because commercial fish
stocks have been overfished.
Altogether, scientists have found that two-
thirds of commercial marine fish species are
Antarcticii.
Gaura se va micsora n urmtorii 50 de ani din
cauza unei interdicti de producere a
clorofluorcarburilor ce distrug stratul de
ozon.ns alte daune nu vor fi att de uor
reparabile.
Cu mult inainte de a fi catalogate,mii de specii
de plante i animale vor fi pe cale de dispariie
ca i pdurile,mlatinile,coastele montane i
alte habitate exploatate sau afectate de
schimbarile de mediu.
Sateliii care nregistreaz vegetaia i
semntura nocturn a activitii umane-Focul i
lumina-arat c oamenii au modificat mai mult
de o treime din peisajului terestru.Odat ce
acesta este schimbat,de obicei este schimbat
pentru totdeauna,spune Dr.G.David
Tilman,ecologist la Universitatea din
Minnesota.Cnd adaugi ali 1000 de acri la
mall-uri,sau unei alte autostrazi,n viitorul
ndeprtat,acestea vor rmne probabil
permanente.declar Dr.Tilman.
Cnd se progreseaz,de cele mai multe ori doar
se ncetineste rata distrugerii,spun
ecologitii.Spre exemplu,noi nregistrri ale
sateliilor arat c defririle din zona
tropicelor din anii 90 s-au petrecut la o rat cu
23 %mai mic decat era estimat.ns pierderile
nsumeaz 14 miliarde de acri pe an,cu 5
milioane mai multi acri vizibil afectai.
Impactul uman este evident aproape peste
tot.n Atlanticul de sud,flotele ilumineaz att
de puternic oceanul pentru a atrage calmari
nct zona iluminat face megalopolisul Sao
Paulo s par infim.Culesul de calamari a
crescut parial din cauza c stocurile
comerciale de peste au fost suprancarcate.
Per total,oamenii de tiin spun c doua treimi
din marina comercial de specii de peste sunt
exploatate n totalitate sau
fully exploited or diminishing, prompting
companies to move down the food chain.
Aquaculture is a fast-growing alternative, but
often causes damage like the destruction of
coastal mangroves in southern Asia to make
way for shrimp farms.
Also, in many cases, farmed species are fed
fish meal made of other fish. So the cultivation
still indirectly depletes the oceans.
Hydrologists estimate that people appropriate
half the world's flowing fresh water. Across the
American West in the last 20 years, circular
patches made by great rotating irrigation rigs
have peppered the land like an expanding
checkerboard, marking the draining of aquifers
under the plains.
Scientists have concluded that humans not only
now dominate the planet, but have also become
the dominant driver of natural selection, the
machinery of evolution.
The main influence, experts say, is the
continuing chemical arms race against germs
and pests, which kills most, but leaves a
resistant minority behind.
Also, by wittingly and unwittingly moving
myriad species around the globe, humans have
become a biological blender, carrying West
Nile virus to America and overrunning the
Bordeaux countryside in France with American
bullfrogs that residents say do not even taste go
suod.
diminuate,ndemnnd companiile s caute o
alta variant n lanul alimentar.
Acvacultura este o alternativ ce a luat
avnt,ns foarte des are consecine ca
distrugerea mangrovelor din Asia de Sud
pentru a face loc fermelor de crevei.
De asemenea,n multe cazuri,speciile crescute
la ferm sunt doar hran pentru ali
peti.Aadar cultivarea de acest tip nc
srceste n mod indirect oceanele.
Hidrologii estimeaz c oamenii utilizeaz
jumtate din apele curgtoare de ap dulce ale
lumii.n vestul Americii,n ultimii 20 de
ani,zone circulare create de dipozitive rotative
de irigaie au ocupat zona ca o tabl de ah tot
mai mare,marcnd scurgerea apelor sub
pmnt.
Oamenii de tiin au ajuns la concluzia c
omenirea nu numai c domin planeta
acum,dar a i devenit principalul determinant
al selectiei naturale,mainria evoluiei.
Experii spun c principala influen,este
ntrecereea chimic continu dintre germeni i
pesticide,care distrug cel mai mult ,ns las n
urm o minoritate rezistent.
De asemeni,prin mutarea voit sau nu a miilor
de specii pe glob,oamenii au devenit un
agitator biologic,purtnd virusul Nilului de
Vest n America i ocupnd zonele rurale din
Bordeaux,Frana cu broatele-bou Americane
care nici macar nu plac locuitorilor.