UN General Assembly
1980

47. In this connection, I wish to say a word on the environment. The excessive exploitation of nature in this century has resulted in damage of still unknown consequences. Only over the past decade has it been recognized that measures must be taken to preserve the ecological balance. We must adopt a much more serious approach to our environmental problems. We must also try to integrate the concerns of environmentalists into our existing systems. We must see to it that these concerns are duly taken into consideration at the national and international levels. This is a responsibility which the Organization must not shirk. 48. The challenge all of us must face, whether we be statesmen or diplomats, scientists or philosophers, is that of combining our forces in order to create, step by step, a more human and more peaceful world order. We have no other choice if we wish mankind to survive.