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Remarks by Chargé d’Affaires Richard W. Nelson
CARPE Journalism Workshop
U.S. Embassy, Yaounde
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
CARPE Representative Antoine Eyebe,
Esteemed guests and speakers,
Journalists and friends of the environment,
Welcome to the American Embassy.
Over the past half century, the world has changed quite a bit. Today we have more knowledge, societies have undergone advances in technology and communication, and science has increased our understanding of the world. And now, we live in a period when many are saying that the earth itself has indeed changed and will continue to change.
I remember the first time we saw a picture of the earth from outer space. Before that, the earth was something that surrounded us, vast and mysterious. And then one day, we could see it as a lonely inhabited world in the midst of a dark and empty cosmos.
In the 1960s, environmental awareness consisted of cleaning up trash and removing advertising from the highways. Then the American writer Rachel Carson wrote a book called “Silent Spring,” and we became aware of the impact of toxic waste and pesticides on the environment. Today, that insight has been tempered by the need to use pesticides judiciously to combat the scourge of malaria and other afflictions. We are aware that we human beings exist in a partnership with nature that is sometimes fragile, but we also recognize that development is necessary to feed a growing population and provide the necessities of life.
Even the way we speak about the world has changed. Words like environment, ecology, ecosystem, balance of nature, and sustainable development have replaced words like nature, conservation, and others that reflected a vocabulary that saw the environment as something to be conquered rather than preserved. Some would say that it is no longer nature that controls us, but rather we who control nature. Others would say that is premature and arrogant.
A half-century ago, it would have been difficult to convince an editor that issues concerning the environment made big news. Now, environmental reporting has become a mainstay of the media. It is front-page news in major newspapers and magazines; television reporting and nature programs are everywhere; and books and movies about the environment are best-sellers.
But for all the advances we have made, there is still much we do not know about the world we live in, how it affects us, and how we affect it. That is something we have to keep in mind, because environmental issues today are not only big news – but also big politics. That makes it easy to lose sight of the fact that environmental issues are not just matters of opinion, but of science and social policy. For all our advances, we need to remain humble in the face of nature.
We need to base our policies on good science and good information that balance ecological awareness with social needs. You, as journalists, play a critical role in determining how we see the world, and how our policies affect it. In doing so, you have taken on a great responsibility to seek what is true, and to faithfully convey that information to the public. This means not only that you must be informed, but also that you must question the information you receive and keep in mind that we are all fallible.
United States environmental policy is based on the premise that innovation and technology provide better answers to our problems than do costly restrictions on development that only harm people in the end. The United States has taken a leadership role in developing a better understanding of our environmental options, because environmental stewardship is critical to the promise of a better life for people all over the world.
In the United States, business, industry, and science play critical roles in shaping national strategies for greater energy conservation and wiser resource management and disposal. New technologies offer the possibility of renewable energy sources that do not contaminate the air and the water, or release greenhouse gases and destroy Earth’s protective ozone layer. New technologies also promise ways in which we may more efficiently utilize traditional energy resources. Such technological innovation and development demand participation of the broad reach of society, and President Bush advocates “a new environmentalism for the 21st century” where “citizens and private groups play a crucial role.” The President has stated that “Our challenge is to work in partnership.”
These partnerships address critical issues like energy, water resources, and biodiversity. Some, like the world’s largest climate and global change research program, are prominent because of their magnitude; others are notable for their mobilization of private resources to strengthen cooperation among nongovernmental organizations, the business sector, and government.
The United States has made remarkable progress over the past 30 years in reducing pollution and protecting the environment within its borders. During this time, the U.S. economy grew by 187 percent, population grew by 39 percent, and energy consumption increased by 47 percent, yet air pollution decreased by 48 percent.
The Government of Cameroon, as it fosters greater development and wise use of natural resources, works closely with the United States and other international partners to preserve its rich natural heritage. The Embassy has encouraged many environmental programs in Cameroon. CARPE, supported by USAID, is our most important partner in this endeavor.
I want to thank CARPE for taking the initiative to bring you here to examine these issues. And I encourage you to explore the materials we have provided here to better understand the policy issues we all face. You serve a vital role in bringing this information to the public, and we stand ready to assist you in your efforts to improve your environmental reporting.
Thank you