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In this issue 252 Nuclear power by Walter Patterson There are two major drawbacks to nuclear power stations—the risk of accident and the disposal of waste 260 Livin g off the sun by Andrew MacKillop How to use solar energy for domestic space and water heating 266 Scientists or magicians? by Jim Platts Do we live in a magical, alienating culture? 270 Double standards in conservation morality by D. F. Owen Protecting song birds while hunting geese 241 News 247 Comment The Cod War; Is Labour drowning? 249 Notebook A new feature 251 Gremlin 272 Down to earth Mercury in the garden 273 US Report Half a lake is better than one 274 Books 277 Letters 265 Coming events 280 Classified advertisements Note: While every care i s taken with manuscripts submitted for publication, the Editors cannot guarantee to return to their authors those not accepted. Publisher: Edward Goldsmith; Editors: Robert Allen, Peter Bunyard, Edward Goldsmith; Managing Editor: Michael Allaby; Associate Editors: John Day oil, Jimoh Omo Fadaka, Gerald Foley, Lawrence D. Hills, Brian Johnson, S. G. Lawrence, Jean Liedloff, Andrew MacKillop, John Papworth, Graham Searle, Robert Waller, Richard Willson. All communications should be sent to The Editors , Ecologist , 73 Mole s wort h Street , Wadebridge , Cornwal l PL27 7DS. Telephone Wadebridg e 2996/7 . All advertising enquiries t o Interpress, 19 Anne Boleyn's Walk, Cheam, Surrey. Tel. 01-642 5826. Published by Ecosystems Ltd., registered office 73, Molesworth Street, Wadebridge, Cornwall, PL27 7DS and distributed by the Hachette Group, Continental Publishers and Distributors Ltd., 4 Regent Place, London W1R 6BH ; Telephone: 01 -734 5259; Telegrams: Alibrairi London W1 ; Telex 25114. Subscriptions to : The Ecologist, 73, Molesworth Street, Wadebridge, Cornwall PL27 7DS. Printed by The Garden City Press Ltd., Pixmore Avenue, Letchworth, Hertfordshire SG6 US . ©Ecologist, July 1973 242 Eco-power continued from page 241 meeting in Washington on March 1st jointly chaired by the (black) chairman of the National Tenants Organisation and the (white) ExecutiveDirector of the powerful Wilderness Society, we heard representatives of the "heavy" United Steelworkers of America, the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers and the United Auto Workers Union present a joint statement with the Environmental Defense Fund on occupational safety and health. The true horror of the American occupational health story was recently documented in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare's first annual report to Congress, called for under the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1970. This report estimated that at least 100,000 workers die in the USA each year as a result of prolonged exposure to contaminants in the work-place environment. This does not include the 14,000 workers who die annually of job-related injuries. The 1970 Act was a legislative landmark in its attempt to get a uniform nation-wide basis for safe and healthy working conditions. But in 1971 and '72 it was subjected to a major attack. I t is another example of the old American trick of noisily trumpeting a generous, far-reaching piece of legislation then switching to pianissimo piccolos when it comes to backing it with money. There is, for example, less than one Federal Industrial Hygienist to each million workers covered by the law. A five-point proposal fielded at the meeting by the steel and auto workers and the Environmental Defense Fund demands inclusion of all employers— large and small—in the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Programme. I t also calls for aid to workers thrown out of a job due to enforcement of environmental measures, so as to prevent environmental blackmail by employers, and asks support for full coverage of all occupational diseases by Workmen's Compensation. Al l the member organisations of the Urban Environment Conference present agreed to support this statement. First environmental strike Next it was the turn of Anthony Mazzochi of the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers' Union. He called for support for his Union in its environ- continued on page 244
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Scientists confront theologists at Geneva "consultation" The limits to theology? Such documents as The Limits to Growth and A Blueprint for Survival challenge the values and assumptions that underlie western, industrial society. Since it is the churches which establish and maintain many of the basic ethical standards of society and since this is one of the functions of religion, they are religious statements, as well as social, economic, political and scientific statements. There is reason to believe that the churches are becoming aware of the need for them to take an active part in the debate on the future of man. The prospect is exciting, for it opens up the possibility of a resumption of the debate between scientists and theologians that ended in mutual incomprehension and rejection in the nineteenth century. The World Council of Churches, from its headquarters in Geneva, is sponsoring a series of meetings between scientists and theologians. A former director of its Ecumenical Institute is both lay preacher and professional marine biologist. There is more than just discussion, however, for the WCC has scientists of its own in the field. I t is financing a team of ecologists who are studying the problems associated with re-establishing the climax rain forest ecosystem destroyed in Vietnam by US defoliation. From the 6th to the 12th April the Ecumenical Institute, which is run jointly by the WCC and the University of Geneva, held a consultation on "The Price of Progress". The aim was to explore the ethical and theological implications of the ecological crisis. The forty or so participants came from both industrial and non-industrial countries and included theologians, ministers of religion, students, economists, social scientists and scientists from industry, government and university. They were eager to communicate but, not surprisingly after so long, they found it difficult. The scientists came for guidance, the theologians for information. Their studies of human ecology had led the scientists to a recognition that the crisis facing man is not susceptible to technological solution. In that sense it is misleading to talk of "problems". Some of the theologians, however, seemed to expect news of technological fixes that would enable us all to go on living as we live now. There were three half-day plenary sessions devoted to ecology, economics and theology and the ecology and theology did not help. The ecology was too general for an audience that would have welcomed a more prefound presentation and the theology was understood by no one, including the theologians. Theology, we learned, is not concerned with answering questions or even with providing straightforward guidance. There is still a good deal of angel-counting going on in the seminaries, which might benefit from the assistance of That Computer. A crisis for the rich In spite of, or perhaps because of, this, the crisis exists within the industrial nations. I t is they which consume the resources, they which degrade the environment and it is they whose way of life is threatened. The Limits to Growth and A Blueprint for Survival might have read quite differently had they been written by teams from the Third World. Nor can the crisis be resolved permanently by extensive recycling and the substitution of materials guided by "the market". The economist who spoke of this had no answer for the CERN physicist who asked where the energy might be found. I f they are prepared to be ruthless enough the rich nations and, more particularly, the rich within the rich nations, may be able to sustain their rate of consumption for some time yet, but only at the price of increasing the exploitation of the poor. Is this the kind of world the churches would advocate? The only alternative involves radical changes in our systems of values which will lead to equally radical social changes, so should the churches foment revolution? Some of the churchmen looked glum at the suggestion, but i t was discussed at length on the insistence of a group of French students. The role of religion Within most cultures, religion plays two roles, the priestly and the prophetic. In times of peace the priest seeks to maintain the status quo within a stable society. He is conservative and abhors change. In troubled times, however, he may become a prophet. The prophet seizes upon instability within society and uses it as an instrument to promote change and improvement. He is visionary and Utopian, looking beyond the present to a future he believes may be attainable. In the face of the ecological crisis, should the churches emphasise their prophetic, rather than their priestly role? Some of those present felt very strongly that they should. One of the four discussion groups spent some time discussing the two philosophical concepts of time. There is linear time, in the sense of a series of events, and non-linear time which contains within itself the possibility of all events, a pregnant time. If, instead of measuring the number of years that may or may not be left to us, we regard the future as being radically different from the present and therefore offering the hope of improvement, the prospect becomes thrilling. This group even went so far as to identify some of the elements of what it called "a new theological paradigm". "We must recover a lost sense of wonder, sensuality, spontaneity, and wildness; we must recover our ability to celebrate within constraints; we must accept freedom as the recognition of necessity, as service to the Creator in His creation; we must recover an ascetic sense, an ability to continued on page 245 243

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In this issue

252 Nuclear power by Walter Patterson There are two major drawbacks to nuclear power stations—the risk of accident and the disposal of waste

260 Livin g off the sun by Andrew MacKillop How to use solar energy for domestic space and water heating

266 Scientists or magicians?

by Jim Platts Do we live in a magical, alienating culture?

270 Double standards in conservation morality by D. F. Owen Protecting song birds while hunting geese

241 News

247 Comment The Cod War; Is Labour drowning?

249 Notebook A new feature

251 Gremlin

272 Down to earth Mercury in the garden

273 US Report Half a lake is better than one

274 Books

277 Letters

265 Coming events

280 Classified advertisements

Note: While every care i s taken with manuscripts submitted for publication, the Editors cannot guarantee to return to their authors those not accepted.

Publisher: Edward Goldsmith; Editors: Robert Allen, Peter Bunyard, Edward Goldsmith; Managing Editor: Michael Allaby; Associate Editors: John Day oil, Jimoh Omo Fadaka, Gerald Foley, Lawrence D. Hills, Brian Johnson, S. G. Lawrence, Jean Liedloff, Andrew MacKillop, John Papworth, Graham Searle, Robert Waller, Richard Willson. All communications should be sent to The Editors , Ecologist , 73 Mole s wort h Street , Wadebridge , Cornwal l PL27 7DS. Telephone Wadebridg e 2996/7 . All advertising enquiries t o Interpress, 19 Anne Boleyn's Walk, Cheam, Surrey. Tel. 01-642 5826. Published by Ecosystems Ltd., registered office 73, Molesworth Street, Wadebridge, Cornwall, PL27 7DS and distributed by the Hachette Group, Continental Publishers and Distributors Ltd., 4 Regent Place, London W1R 6BH ; Telephone: 01 -734 5259; Telegrams: Alibrairi London W1 ; Telex 25114. Subscriptions to : The Ecologist, 73, Molesworth Street, Wadebridge, Cornwall PL27 7DS. Printed by The Garden City Press Ltd., Pixmore Avenue, Letchworth, Hertfordshire SG6 US .

©Ecologist, July 1973

242

Eco-power continued from page 241 meeting in Washington on March 1st jointly chaired by the (black) chairman of the National Tenants Organisation and the (white) ExecutiveDirector of the powerful Wilderness Society, we heard representatives of the "heavy" United Steelworkers of America, the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers and the United Auto Workers Union present a joint statement with the Environmental Defense Fund on occupational safety and health.

The true horror of the American occupational health story was recently documented in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare's first annual report to Congress, called for under the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1970. This report estimated that at least 100,000 workers die in the USA each year as a result of prolonged exposure to contaminants in the work-place environment. This does not include the 14,000 workers who die annually of job-related injuries. The 1970 Act was a legislative landmark in its attempt to get a uniform nation-wide basis for safe and healthy working conditions. But in 1971 and '72 it was subjected to a major attack. I t is another example of the old American trick of noisily trumpeting a generous, far-reaching piece of legislation then switching to pianissimo piccolos when it comes to backing it with money. There is, for example, less than one Federal Industrial Hygienist to each million workers covered by the law.

A five-point proposal fielded at the meeting by the steel and auto workers and the Environmental Defense Fund demands inclusion of all employers— large and small—in the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Programme. I t also calls for aid to workers thrown out of a job due to enforcement of environmental measures, so as to prevent environmental blackmail by employers, and asks support for full coverage of all occupational diseases by Workmen's Compensation. Al l the member organisations of the Urban Environment Conference present agreed to support this statement.

First environmental strike Next it was the turn of Anthony Mazzochi of the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers' Union. He called for support for his Union in its environ-

continued on page 244

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