This committee knows that human activity is placing unsustainable burdens on the ecosphere. The evidence of global climate change caused by human produced greenhouse gas emissions is the most obvious example, but ozone depletion, desertification in Africa, and the world wide loss of groundwater reserves are other examples where human activity is changing the face of the planet, perhaps irrevocably. Second, the resurgence in public concern with environmental issues and a shift in public values in favour of increased environmental action. Third, the marketplace is learning that environmentally unsound business practices are unsustainable and unacceptable to consumers. The real leaders in the business community have learned that environmental change is necessary in order to remain competitive.
Good ecology equals good business.
These three trends require all of us to look at the environment in new ways. And it provides a tremendous opportunity for change and calls for us to develop a new architecture of environmental management. Knowledge begins with solid science, which must be the basis of our environmental policies. If we don't have the science right, we won't get the policy right. Not only do we need the scientific research to discover the facts, we need to make this knowledge available to people who need it - consumers, government policy makers, businesses, and others.