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  3. Whoever coined the phrase "save the planet" is a public-relations genius. It conveys the sense of imminent catastrophe and high

Whoever coined the phrase "save the planet" is a public-relations genius. It conveys the sense of imminent catastrophe and high

admin2010-07-14  18
问题     Whoever coined the phrase "save the planet" is a public-relations genius. It conveys the sense of imminent catastrophe and high purpose that has wrapped environmentalism in an aura (光环) of moral urgency. It also typifies environmentalism’s rhetoric excesses, which, in any other context, would be seen as wild exaggeration or simple dishonesty.
    Up to a point, our environmental awareness has checked a mindless enthusiasm for unrestrained economic growth. We have sensibly curbed some of growth’s harmful side effects. But environmentalism increasingly resembles a holy crusade addicted to hype (天花乱坠的广告宣传) and ignorant of history. Every environmental ill is depicted as an onrushing calamity that—if not stopped—will end life as we know it.
    Take the latest scare: the greenhouse effect. We’re presented with the horrifying specter (幻像) of a world that incinerates (火化) itself. Act now, or sizzle later. Food supplies will wither. Glaciers will melt. Coastal areas will flood. In fact, the probable losses from any greenhouse warming are modest: 1 to 2 percent of our economy’s output by the year 2050, estimates economist William Cline. The loss seems even smaller compared with the expected growth of the economy (a doubling) over the same period.
    No environmental problem threatens the "planet" or rates with the danger of nuclear war. No oil spill ever caused suffering on a par with today’s civil war in Yugoslavia, which is a minor episode in human misery. The great scourges of humanity remain what they have always been: war, natural disaster, crushing poverty and hate. On any scale of tragedy, environmental distress is a featherweight.
    This is not an argument for indifference or inaction. It is an argument for perspective and balance. And it does not follow that anyone who disagrees with me is evil or even wrong. On the greenhouse effect, for instance, there’s ample scientific doubt over whether warming would occur over decades. Unfortunately, the impulse of many environmentalists is to simplify. Doomsday scenarios are developed to prove the seriousness of environmental dangers.
    The rhetorical overkill is not just innocent excess. It clouds our understanding. For starters, it minimizes the great progress that has been made, especially in industrialized countries. The worst sin of environmental excess is its bias against economic growth. The cure for the immense problems of poor countries usually lies with economic growth. A recent report from the World
Bank estimates that more than 1 billion people lack healthy water supplies and sanitary facilities. The result is hundreds of millions of cases of diarrhea (腹泻 ) annually and deaths of 3 million children. Only by becoming wealthier can countries correct these conditions.
The author argues that compared with war or natural disasters, environ mental problems
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答案bring about much lighter distress to human beings
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