The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Classified York Region Media Group community newspapers The Sunâ€"Tribune. published every Thursday and Saturday. is a division of the Metroiand Media Group Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. Metroland is comprised of 100 community publications across Ontario. The York Region Newspaper Group also includes The Uberal. sewing Richmond Hill and Thomhill, Vaughan Citizen,'lhe Era-Banner (Newmanret/Aurora), Markham Economist The Sun-Tfibum welcomes your let- ters. All submissions must be less than 400 words and must include a daytime telephone number, name and address The Sunm'ibune reserves the right to publish or not publish and «3 edit for clar- ity and space. Lettm to the Editor, The Sun-ng 6290 Mala St. W. 0N LM l8? MWTribune Sun, Georgina Advocate, York Region Business Tunes. North of the City, yorkregionoom and York Region Printing. Mike Banuille mbanuilleOyrmg.com Fax cnormanC’yrmg.con2 dandrewsévyrmgrz strmmmon Circulation Supervisor Carolyn Norman Burrow Editor Jim Mason jmasonermg.com Awmsmc Retail Manager Manager Da wna Andrews jmpsonflrmgmom DISTRIBUTION 905-640-2612 PRonucnon 905-640-2612 us 905-640-8778 ADVERTISING 905-640-2612 ficd: lâ€"800~743-3353 us 905-640-8778 LETTERS POLICY INTERACTIVE MEDIA Marketing Advertising EDITORIAL f we were to judge our priorities by the amount of space devoted to stories in the news, we’d have to figure that the World Cup, controversy at a hot-dogâ€"eating contest, and the shenanigans of Paris and Lindsay were the most important issues. Meanwhile, news about vanishâ€" ing species, climate change, and loss of topsoil appears briefly, often buried in the B section of the newspaper, before vanishing. It's been this way for a while. Back in 1992? some of the world's most prominent scientists issued an urgent warning about imminent ecological collapse. The World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity, signed by 1,700 top scien- tists from 71 counm'es, including 104 Nobel laureates, began with the stateâ€" ment: “Human beings and the natural world are on a collision course." Major TV networks and newspa- pers ignored the warning. Yet the same news media continue to play up the pronouncements of economic pundits who weren’t even able to anticipate the 2008 economic meltdown. I have long maintained that what distinguishes us from other animals is our ability to use our accumulated knowledge. experience and insight to look ahead, to see where the dangers and opportunities lie, and to choose a Showing eco fees not helpful to anyone Let’s face it, we want our social services and we want action to improve our environ- ment. Retailers that list all the taxes and eco fees on their longer and longer receipts are saying. “Hey it’s not our fault, it’s the govemments’". We just don’t want to pay for it. It doesn’t matter folks, either you need the oil filter or you dont Seeing the 50-cent eco fee on the bill is like waving a red cape in front of a bull. Most of us don’t care what the components of a final cost are; we just want to know what we have to pay. It's OK to show optional C Is like set-up fees, extended w rrantees and delivery charg' es but for all the rest just tell me the final cost of the item. Protecting the planet is a sacred and scientific duty lETTERS TO THE EDITOR nwinn pm fun: not NI] England has the right idea. The listed price in the window or in the ad is the price you pay â€"â€" period. The government should take steps terincouriage this. Wouldn't it be nice to shop for a vacation and not have to search the fine print for the extra taxes and fees you have to add to the big bold deceptive advertised price? Loading all the extra taxes and fees into the published price would actually empower consumers to shop smarter and put extra pressure on retailers to be competitive. > What do you think of this issue or others? Eâ€"mail letters to the editor to sbolan@yrmg.com path that allows us to avoid the hazards and exploit the opportunities. Foreâ€" sight has been the key to our enormous success as a species. Yet today, we are turning our backs on this great survival attribute as we ignore the perilous warnings of scienv tists while focusing on the latest shift in the Dow Jones average, the value of the Canadian dollar (to four decimal points) and the activities of Donald "hump and Steve Jobs. TWO years before the World Scien- tists’ Wamlng. astronomer Carl Sagan presented a remarkable appeal from scientists to religious leaders at the Global Forum of Spiritual and Parlia- mentary Leaders on Human Survival in Moscow. David Suzuki with Faisal Moula L. CAMPBELL MARKHAM 'Simj’W‘LTribune It was signed by 32 Nobel ning and other scientists and is well worth quoting at length: A “The Earth is the birthplace of our species and, as far as we know, our only home. When our numbers were small and our technology feeble, we were powerless to influence the environment of our world. But today, suddenly our numbers have become immense and our technology has achieved vast, even awesome, powers. Intentionally or inadvertently, we are now able to make devastating changes in the global envi- ronment, an environment to which we and all other beings with which we share the Earth are meticulously and exqui- sitely adapted.” PUBLISHER Ian Proudfoot The appeal listed numerous threats. including “depletion of the protective ozone layer; a global warming unprec- edented in the last 150 millennia; the obliteration of an acre of forest every second; the rapid-fine extinction of spe cies; and the prospect of a global nuclear war which would put at risk most of the population of the Earth." It also called on spin'tual leaders to view the situation as a common cause: “Problems of such magnitude, and solu- tions demanding so broad a perspec- tive, must be recognized from the outset as having a religious as well as a scientif- ic dimension. Mindful of our common responsibility, we scientists. many of us Stou/fuille 6290 Main St. Stouflville. 0N. MA 167 wwwwmregiomcom long engaged in combating the envi- ronmental crisis, urgently appeal to the world religious community to commit, in word and deed, and as boldly as is required, to preserve the environment of the This remarkable document ends with a moving statement about an underlying congruence of science and religion: “As scientists, many of us have had profound experiences of awe and reverence before the universe. We understand that what is regarded as sacred is more likely to be treated with care and respect. Our planetary home should be so regarded. Efforts to safeguard and cherish the environment need to be infused with a vision of the sacred. At the same time, a much wider and deeper understanding of science and technology is needed. If we do not understand the problem, it is unlikely we will be able to fix it. Thus, there is a vital role for both religion and science." Emma m Cum Debora Kelly At the conference, 271 spiritual lead- ers from 83 countries â€" patriarchs, lamas, chief rabbis, cardinals. mullahs. archbishops and professors of theolâ€" ogy â€" added their names to the docuâ€" ment. Now, 20 years later, we must regain our foresight and remember these powerful warnings from scientific and religious leaders. They’re even more relevant today. BUSINESS MANAGER Robert Lazar/co DIRECIDR, OPERATIONS Barry Black Dumcmn. REGIONAL Pnonucrs, Cussmnn, TODAY‘S Hones Debra Weller DInchn. Amnmsmc, DISTRIBUTION Nicole Fletcher