Pollution--A serious concern II

　　There have been contless number of oil spills in se as and oceans, but the one that comes to mind is that o f exxon valdez. On march 24,1989, the oil tanker struck a reef in alaska's spectacular prince william sound the forever changed the balance of nature. 5000 sea otters, 300 harbour seals, 32 killer whales, more than 150 bald eagles and an estimated 250,000 waterfowl and other bir ds lay victim to the folly of a single human being.

　　How many more disasters and casualties will it take for us to realize that this earth is a gift and we shou ld protect it for our children and the future generatio n.

　　Governments and organizations should work more acti vely to promote clean air and water. The NRDC in the US is working to ban off-shore oil and gass drilling in se nstitive coastal areas. It is also pressing for effecti ve pollution controls on agriclture, logging and other sources.

　　China too is making investments in its environment. Among others, the ADB is providing loans and policy adv ice to support the fight against pollution in some of i ts worst affected areas. A new coke-oven plant is being built in taiyuan. It will replace coal and will supply the city with less-polluting gas and coke for industrie s, commericial and residential use.

　　Although governments and organizations have the pow er to make big differences in changing the environment, we as individuals should also be aware of our actions. Little things like recycling and not throwing trash aro und and walking or biking instead of using our cars wou ld contribute towards a collective effort to clean up t he enviroment. So maybe some day, the blanket of smog i n taiyuan and china will be lifted and the flora will b e returned to its original color-green.

　　By runjoo giri