Today, Earth Day, should be a day of celebration rather than a day of gloom.
Australia -- along with most other countries -- has come a long way since the first Earth Day in 1970. We have made major gains in most areas of the environment and conservation. Unfortunately we are unlikely to hear much of this success, as most advocates remain wedded to the message of environmental doom and gloom.
Thirty years ago the world was frightened into action on the environment by a plethora of apparently authoritative reports. The most famous being the Report of the Club of Rome complied by scientist at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This report predicted that the world would run out of most natural resources by the end of last century. Others, most notably Professor Paul Ehrlich, predicted famine and mass deaths from pollution, environmental degradation and depletion of resources.
None of these prophecies came to past. Virtual every commodity -- agricultural, mineral and energy -- is cheaper and more plentiful today. Indeed food is so abundant today that governments around the world pay farmers not to produce. Of the 13 major minerals, only the price of platinum has increased in real term over the last thirty years ago. Petroleum -- which the doomsayers predicted would be totally exhausted by the early 1990s, is -- both cheaper and more plentiful. The world now has over 50 years oil reserves, which is over double the known reserves in the late 1950s.
Contrary to popular opinion, air quality even in Sydney and Melbourne has improved significantly. Since the late 1980s (when data first came available) the levels of all major air pollutants have declined: nitrogen oxides has decreased by 3 per cent; carbon monoxide has decreased by 19 per cent, and lead has virtually disappeared.
The quality of our water has also improved. More households are connected to sewerage systems. The quality of sewerage treatment has improved markedly and the number of Australians who have contracted waterborne diseases from drinking water has declined.
The land area covered by forests has increased by 13 per cent since 1970 and the amount of land set aside for conservation purposes has also increased markedly.
Of course, we face major problems with soil salinity and declining water quality in some of our major river systems. We also face the lose too many plants and animal species. However, these and other problems are being tackled with over $4.5 billion being spent each year by the public and private sectors on pollution control and abatement and billions more on conservation.
Australia is not alone. As shown by the latest report of environmental indicators published by the OECD, all develop countries have made significant environmental gains over the last thirty years.
Of course there is no reason for complacency as the world still faces many environmental challenges. Pollution in many developing countries is approaching crisis point. Tropical forests are shrinking rapidly and many fish populations have or are on the verge of collapse.
Nonetheless the main message of the last thirty years is extremely positive and cause for celebration. It is that economic growth and prosperity in a democratic society fosters rather than undermines the environment.
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