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-mTe Canadien Champion, Tuesday, Mardi 11, 2003 * CbautÀn 487 Iaunier Ave. People must start thinking globally to save planet, says concerned university urofessor BY TIM WHITNELL Special t0 The Champion A ttimes humourous, often eamnest and occasionally controversial in his views about how humans m-istreat the Earth and each other, Alan Morgan's unwa- vering message is that people better start thinking globally to save our planet. Part ancient geological primer, part socio-eco- nom-ic4solitical commentary, the Earts sciences professor from the University of Waterloo entbralled is mosly teenaged audience with a slide show and talk on global environînental changea long ago and today and its Iasting and detrimenta] effects on the bios- phere. Mr. Morgans was the keynote speaker at Assussption Secondary School 's On The Edge - Explorissg Local Environmental Issues con- ference. Spoke to Burlington students The ambitious day-long event atracted nearly 300 students from 26 schools in Halton Region and Hamilton February 20. They attended their choice of two of 10 workshops put on by uni- versity professors and environinental activista invited froro around the GTA. In bis hour-long address Mr. Morgan educated and at ines railed on a variety of subjects rang- mg froro tbe rapid proliferation of carbon diox- ide ina the atinosphere and subsequent global wansg to the population boom and the increas- ing and unbalanced devouring of natural resources. He told the crowd that it took 100,000 years for one billion humans to populate the planes. The next billion arrived ini juat 100 years. lI is 60 years on Eartl thse cousit bas risen to about 6.2 billion people, puttissg pressure on essentials like food production and water and air quality. "If you thiaik we have probleros at the moment, wait sntil we have nisse or 10 billion people," whicb wil happen in about 30Oyears, be said. Mr. Morgan sbowed a slide of thse Caribbean island of St. Lucia, whicb lie said bas no landfill sites, witb refuse tumblissg ito thse ses and dam- agissg thse reef ecosystemn. "Onse of thse challenges you students face," he said to is audience, "is managing the water sup- __ M., K ply." Large countries are at fault too when it comes to Pollution, said Mr. Morgan. He noted Use tourist mecca Gieece bas trouble bandlmng Use 16 million plastic water boules il sellas aually. Mr. Morgan directed much of bis diadaisi for resource wastefulness and socio-economic imbalance at Use United States. "TMe 'best' cousstry ins Use world, Use US.," be said sarcastically, "bas Use same (refuse) prob- lem, it's juat Usat it bas better quality garbage. "TMe Firat World uses 80 per cent of Use world's resources but accounts for just 20 per cent of its population. I hope I don't offend but Use events of September 1 1 are partially due 60 this imbalance." Mr. Morgan conceded Uere are religlous over- tones to Use current tensions between Use US. and Iraq but said Uere are sociological circum- stances as well. "A potential war in Iraq could cost $20 billion, (money) wblicb could do a lot of good in Use world. The Americans would probably be better off to drop dollar bilas," issead of bomba. Big business, politiciens the culprits Mr. Morgan laid biasse for many of Use world's environmaentai probleros on big busi- ness, politicians, Use lIndustriai Revolution and Use consumer-oriented society. "We live ins an enclosed bubble ini space and Use faster oui businessman and politicians real- ize Uis Use better. As you go out isto business or politics," be told Use students, "please remember we ive on a finite planet. We are a transient species and bold it (Earsls) in trust" for Use next generation. "Huge bouses wiUs two (gas-guzzlissg) SUVs in Use driveway should not be a sigss of succes in life,"he added. The warming of Use oceans and Use atisos- bae id bo culan go bcto 6acools and c* ~P rogramming Schedule - Tuesday, March 11th - Monday, March 16th, 2003 5.6 &og.o.Ca 5,573km Pn! Ey WMEins 5,6 &7:5Dpm PI<Mg In EÉVWee< sE&w 5 &6pm gÇWIn! EMsY WM Eciton 56 &7 MPlgWIn! iseWeek E Mm c 56 & 74m PuW in! LaleWeà E&ms NORTHI HALTON STUDIO 53s sosa SMM se5:3p Kid Cnection 153p Oser Hem s necoon 53 Faces SavolSrmih 5eu se-AMlza 6.~ ~mtWss(s) 6 3pm sweTak fLve) 63p manStase 6 3p SeioS6swcase61 p Faces evewsfd et S ý pçs N Waj Ams sProem 8eCHsa 2003 Goe m nHsdsey 8. as ee sS(a ) 7 0 seHait onses 7 MryCs 500 Laurier Avenue Voila MtUm HHe O5in Curdamds 5) Su0pra Mss Sab nectin 80pra S msmsaee Miton, ON L9IT4R3 i.IMC'd e : 9 Co MiecSreet81s 9OU8-9306 wp e Srs 50W - oer City mess1sg fossil fuels at factories ansd in vebicles bas masskisd headed for catastrophe, Mr. Morgan said. "Eigbt out of 10 cars on our bighways canrying onily one person (the driver) bas got to change." Studiers bave sbown, be said, that carbon diox- ide levels bave risen dramatically in the atmos- phere while snowcaps and ice are meltissg in polar and moustaintop regions. "TMe ice sheets are melting ail over the place. Thse Kilimanjaro ice sheet (in Africa) will be gone ini 2020 and it is 12,000 years old. "When politicians say there is no global warm- ing tbey are lying. Permafrost is melting just 800 kms from the Nortb Pole," be said. Global warming 'real concersi' Mr. Morgan reiterated the prediction by many scientists tlsat global warmissg will make some weatber phenomena even more widespread and devastating. He sald tbe US. Mid-West and pars of Ajberta wiIl probably experience worsening periods of drought wbile hurricanes and typhoons wiIl increase in intensity. Despite the dire warnings, it's not aIl doom and gloom, sald Mr. Morgan. "We still live on an mncredibly beautiful planet (but) recyclissg bas to become commonplace and we bave to limit our water use and use no pesti- cides. We're tryissg to repair tbe ozone layer but it's goissg 10 take a long time." One Buringion student said Mr. Morgan's speech and the worksbops she attended were mnspirîssg, even if tise current message was scary. "I know some people wbo didn't have any awareness of these environmentai. issues," said OAC student Katie Wsllott. "Today opened my eyes. I don't juat live ins Burlisigton, Ontario or Canada; 1 live in the world. The biggest problem is people (bere) are not educated about otber countries and their needs." Franca lanni, a Burlington bistory/civics teacher and co-organizer of the conference, along with fellow teacher Tisa Di Clemente, said tse nearly five montha of preparation was worth t. ,The message bas to be sent that issues about Use environment begis in your backyard but it'a a global issue. One tbissg people don't under- stand is that kida are fantastic and wans to gel issvolved - they juat need direction. Now we