Planet Earth —our common home

Ecology is a science which is concerned with the interrelations of or­ganisms and their "environment, that is with everything that surrounds them.

The ecologists are faced by a lot of problems in the modern world — the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, the soil we stand on, the great projects we construct...

There are about 6 billion people in the world at present. The popula­tion is growing very fast and scientists believe that in a few decades it will be too big for the earth to support.

The Earth is being constantly damaged in different ways. Speaking about the growth of population we have to admit the increase of indus­tries and their harmful effects on the environment — the pollution of air from choking factory chimneys and the pollution of water because of in­dustrial wastes.

Among the other serious problems which our planet is facing are: the increasing consumption of energy and water, the pollution of air by car exhausts, the increasing hole in the atmospheric ozone layer, the rivers that are poisoned by industrial and agricultural chemicals, the for­ests that are felled and vast forest territories that are devastated by fire and acid rains.

Besides, armed conflicts and local wars add to the critical situation

on the planet.

The Earth is just a huge spaceship and mankind is its crew. Can quarrels and killings among the crew be permitted? What will then hap­pen to the spaceship? What will happen to mankind?

If we realize the coming danger, we'll see that we should find solu­tions to all the problems to survive.

What should be done to change the situation for the better?

• We must change people's attitude towards the environment.

• We should stop the pollution of air and water.

• We must save more energy and water and try to use other sources of energy (solar and tidal energy, the energy of the wind, subterranean hot waters, etc.).

• We must protect the ozone layer from harmful industrial products.

• We should prevent animals from extinction.

These and many other steps should be taken already now to make our planet a safer and better place to live in. We, human beings, must act.