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The Next Millenium (r)

(written by iearn@iearn.org, 03/22/1996)

/* Written  3:01 PM  Nov  3, 1995 by peg:sthildas in igc:iearn.tc */
Discussion Topic:  The next millennium From Year 11  students,  St
Hilda's

Dear Lindsay Thanks for your response to my letter.  I too cannot
understand the reasons people have for building nuclear weapons
but what reason could be so important that the environment and, in
turn, life on earth , is placed in serious danger.  I agree that
the money used for nuclear testing would be able to be put to more
productive use, especially concerning the environment.

I feel that ignorance or apathy towards the environment is what is
letting nuclear testing and building of nuclear weapons to
continue.  This is why the first thing that has to be done is a
widespread education system, especially for our generation.  Every
school should have environmental classes and should practice
environmentally friendly activities for example strict recycling
rules, creating solar energy panels in science ....  I think that
once everyone is aware of the damage humans have done, they will
realise that we cannot continue living as we have in the past.

Once our generation becomes environmentally aware and concerned
with the environment, we will have a stronger voice.  We can
influence government policies and in turn influence public
opinion.  Then, I believe it will be possible to make the crucial
changes.  These changes are needed today. In fact they were needed
years ago but because there was not enough public support for
them, not a lot has been done.

I am in no way undermining the work of groups such as Greenpeace,
for without them we would not have the knowledge we do now.
Greenpeace was the start of what needs to become the most
powerful movement the environmental movement.

I haven't enough time to specify the changes I mentioned just now
but maybe you would like to hear my ideas some other time.

Danielle Preston

*******************

I am sure within the next 1000 years, our world would be
unrecognisable to our eyes.  Technology is changing so rapidly
that once you purchase a computer it is already out of date. I
don't think society is changing for the better.  Engineers are
making cars go that little bit faster, making them more compact in
size and making them perform more economically.  Robots are now
being used with greater frequency instead of man.  We are becoming
lazier.  This reduces employment as the use of computer technology
increases.  At the same time, the demand for greater productivity
in the workforce is increasing the levels of stress experienced by
those in employment.  Scientists may think technology is teaching
new heights but look what it is doing to our lives!

Our population is rapidly increasing and there is no way our earth
can expand with us.  If it continues at the present rate, cities
will become overcrowded, more polluted and crime and unemployment
will continue to increase.  I recently researched what life would
be like in the year 2050 and many authors believed we will move to
another planet in the future.  I regard this as highly possible.
We had everything we ever needed on this planet and so far,
nowhere else is able to offer this to us.

World peace will probably never happen.  The human race does not
learn fast enough and while there are people like Jacques Chirac
who are still prepared to use atomic energy for national security,
then we will never be totally safe.

Lara Johnstone

************

We cannot have peace throughout the world in the next millennium
without acknowledging and taking action towards bridging the
tremendous gap between the many nations of the world and their
diverse cultures, ideologies and governments.  As a student who
possesses a love of modern history, I am keenly aware of the
atrocities that have abounded during past wars.  However, the most
recurring theme that I have become aware of during my history
studies is that, history certainly does repeat itself.  It seems
that human beings do not learn a great deal from past mistakes.
Therefore I do not hold much hope for peace in the next
millennium.  There are always going to be wars throughout the
world, maybe not world wars but certainly civil wars.  And if
peace is achieved - a highly remote possibility - the legacy still
remains and continues to create divisions between cultures,
ideologies and governments.

For example, this year I have had the opportunity to befriend a
German exchange student at our school and, after getting to know
her, my friends and I were anxious to ask about how Hitler's reign
in Nazi Germany during WW11 has affected life in Germany today.
The main message communicated was that she is sick of her
generation being branded with the legacy of Hitler's mass murder
of the Jewish people during this period  just because they are
German.  She wasn't angry with us, just sad.  She also said that
the Neo-Nazi groups prevalent in Germany today and also found in
other areas of Europe such as Italy, but, due to the legacy that
Hitler left behind, the media only draws attention to Neo-Nazi
groups in Germany, when the actions of the people with the same
political persuasion in  Italy draw little comment and their
public actions should draw even more criticism.

Why does a new generation have to justify actions that took place
in their nation before they were even born?  It would seem unfair
but, as history repeats itself, I'm wondering if our generation's
descendants will have to take the blame for the actions we are
taking today.  It's certainly something to think about.  Every
action has an equal and opposite reaction.

Chantal Fox

************************

Dear Dan, Thank you for the reply you sent me on the next
millennium.  Although legislation and the limiting of dumping has
occurred to prevent ocean pollution, the fact remains that
disasters still happen.  Only recently an oil spill threatened the
Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia.  This is a unique
marine environment.  This spill could  have cost Australia
millions of dollars in tourism however that loss would be nothing
compared with the major loss of Reef itself, if the spill had not
been contained.  Our government is just a guilty of making
mistakes as are governments of other nations.  World leaders need
to learn from each other's mistakes, not just their own.  The
desire for power and the insatiable greed of some people are the
largest contributing factors in world problems.  The tactics used
by some world powers are those of powerful bullies, not powerful
minds.  Don't get me wrong.  I am not against technology, but
rather the use of technology for good, not evil.

Rachael Crawley

****************

As our world approaches the year 2000, it fascinates me to think
what major problems and issues we will face in the next
millennium.   Mankind has changed so much in the past 1 000 years.
Those of European background  have come from a medieval societies.
We have explored new lands, experienced the Reformation, the
Renaissance and many wars.  We have even done what was thought to
be impossible and ventured into space.

Will we change as much in the next millennium?  What direction are
we headed in?  How far can we advance with our technology?  I
believe rapid  technological advance  is what we will be involved
in,  in the next few decades, at least.  One problem to be
addressed in the next 1 000 years is the continuing population
explosion.  The world has more than enough people  to ruin the
environment.  Although people are becoming more environmentally
aware,  strong measures will have to be taken to ensure that the
pace of population growth keeps pace with environmental
protection.

Anna Davidson

********************

Looking back over the past century, we can clearly acknowledge the
impact of technological advancements which have made it possible
for space travel, telecommunications, safer working conditions and
more comfortable lifestyles.  The impact of the technological
revolution will impact more on our generation than on past
generations.  However, our present technology will seem very
primitive to future generations over the next 1000 years.  The
rapid acceleration in the invention and use of modern technology
will lead to little need for human employment as we know it today.
It is difficult to predict the future.  It is a question left to
our imagination.  But, surely we can exert some control of the
speed and direction of technological change.

Amy Gibbs

**********************

In my mind, a crucial issue for the next 1000 years is population
growth.  This problem will hit us hard and fast, should we let
apathy settle in.  I know that there are many ethical and moral
problems involved in this issue however if the world population
was to grow out of all proportion many of these same problems we
are actually trying to avoid would come back.  Humans have been
responsible for nearly all modern day problems:  the ozone layer,
war, famine..... However, magnify these problems by the huge and
growing number of humans and you get a serious crisis which could
threaten human existence in the next 1 000 years.  In the natural
world if habitat has become unbalanced or there are plague
proportions of any animal, nature has a way of correcting that
balance.  Humans, however, have managed to achieve an artificial
state where areas are populated way beyond this natural balance.
This is a great credit to human ingenuity and technology however
the world population cannot go on growing indefinitely.  Nature
WILL find some way of sorting it out.  Perhaps it is already
happening with the increase in environmental disasters and
epidemics like abola and the plague which recently broke out in
Southern Africa and in India.  I am worried that such problems are
not faced now, future lifestyles will be seriously change for the
worse.

Desiree St John

***************************

In the next millennium, technology will be greater.  Various
industries are continually advancing in their use of technology.
Various services that can be used from home are available that
were not previously available.  We are now able to shop from home
via computer technology and  to know who is calling us on the
telephone before lifting the receiver just to name a couple of
examples.  All this technology is fine but with it comes a loss of
privacy as the government and the community can gain increasing
access to personal information about us.  Computers have spawned a
whole range of new crimes.  What will it be like for future
generations?  Being able to organise more without leaving the
comfort of your own home could lead to a breakdown in the
development of inter personal relationships and lead to the
disintegration of some of the social functions of society.

Debra Wilson

*******************************

In my opinion, the next millennium will be based on technology,
especially bio-technology.  It seems people are not realising the
fact that with the increase in technology, the environmental
conditions are being affected greatly and are deteriorating.
Moreover, for the advance in technology, environmental resources
are being used up to the utmost which means that there may not be
sufficient resources left for the basic needs of the world's
population.  As we all know, the world's population is increasing
dramatically.  People should realise that.  Unfortunately Malthus'
Theory is very accurate.  It states that while the population is
increasing geometrically, the earth's resources are increasing
only mathematically.  Therefore, in order to conserve the earth's
resources, the human population should be decreased.  And now with
the advance in biotechnology, where men are playing God, are
experimenting on frozen embryos, which may enable women who cannot
conceive able to, this again is increasing the world's population.
In my opinion, we may not even reach the next millennium if the
earth's resources are continually being depleted by the
advancement of technology.

Anju Kumar