The hole in the ozone layer is real. In recent years, we have been in a era of rapid climate change with natural disasters from hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, severe winter storms and floods occurring more frequently. The insurance industry, with more than a vested interest, has documented that from 1990 to 1994 there was a 64 percent increase in federally certified disasters, compared to 1985 to 1989. The results of a definitive study on the impact that climate change might have on the health of the world's population has been recently published. Fresh Kills, the landfill on Staten Island serving New York City, has replaced the Great Wall of China as the earth's largest man-made structure.
Debate continues on the state of the environment and the pros and cons of government regulation.
Examples of companies taking on the responsibility for environmental action are plentiful, as reported in recent publications. The retail chain IKEA which sells office and home furniture and housewares worldwide began in 1986 requiring suppliers to reduce formaldehyde in woods products. By 1991 IKEA banned furniture made from tropical wood except from sustainably managed sources and expanded its formaldehyde ban to include textiles and treatment materials. Then in 1993, IKEA began evaluating its products' environmental impacts, investigating life cycle processes of 9,000 products they manufacture or sell. Now the 1997 IKEA catalog introduces its Eco-Plus logo on about 30 products.