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Executive director : M; BOUNIAS,
Director of research INRA, associated professor of Universities.
Scientific director at the Alexandria Institute of Medicine (New
York)
While the biotope implies
-in its general definition? a determined biological milieu offering
a relatively stable habitat condition, it is obvious that the inconsiderate
technological exploitation of experimental sciences during the past
50 years has considerably modified and destabilized the milieu in
which man lives.
We must blame the misuse of science,
not science itself.
There are positive impacts that contribute to the maintaining of
human health, to some social rights acquisitions and to a certain
comfort of life.
However, there are effects that are
particularly insidious and harmful which tend to annihilate the
previous positive ones:
· Hasten application of the results from research of which
we have not evaluated enough the non-intentional effects.
· The objective of the themes emphasized by the experts from
the different secretaries of state who propose them to public research
organisms.
· Regulation insufficiently studied that lead to ecological
nonsense.
· Regulation a priori efficient but not applied or insufficiently
applied.
· Means of control of nuisances and toxics that are totally
insufficient.
· Scientific expertise that are suspicious or even contradictory
depending on occult interests.
· A system of evaluation of research and its risks that is
totally wrong or inefficient.
· A private research too often in contradiction with the
superior interests of the population.
· A lack of harmonization of the laws that manage research,
commercial exchanges and justice at the level of the states.
· A lack of efficient control of the exploitation of energetic
reserves at a world scale.
· An absence of serious controls of different pollutions:
*Pollution of the reserves of drinkable water.
*Pollution of air quality.
*Pollution of cultivable soil.
· A lack of true communication, information and training
regarding hygiene, food, social behavior and respect of the environment.
· An absence of ethics, education and knowledge of the laws
that manage society in all the high school and university course
works (except for the science fields).
· An absence of clearly defined responsibility of the political
decision process at the level of the communities, the departments,
the region and the state.
· An absence of permanent and rigorous control of the security
of chemical, nuclear and agrochemical power plants, as well as of
the public or private research labs.
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Such
a list cannot be exhaustive, it always changes, and the principle
of precaution that must be a principle of action, has
to be imperatively applied to any new concept of which it will guarantee
the effects.
The duties, rights and liberties
of citizens, as well as the constitution and functioning of the
different leading instances at
a national, European or world levels, should be the object of sustained
teachings in every country, starting from high
school and at all the other stages of academic education.
If Science's goal is to unravel the laws of the Universe, and to
lead to a harmonious development of humanity, the
environment must not be ignored or remain unknown. One of the first
vocations of science is to protect it and to respects
its constraints.
Knowledge, training, education and therefore consciousness and
responsibility are the key to success for future
generations.
Earth is a living being, hence fragile, that took billions of years
to change, following the principles of action and
reaction, of cause and effect. In fifty years, technologies have
attacked all the biotopes, forests have shrunk, deserts are
eating up the green areas, and the sources of life are getting sterile.
Meanwhile, human population is increasing in an
alarming way, while resources are getting scarce and a toxic 'cloud'
emanating from human activity covers the whole
planet.
As soon as Man as an intelligent being was born, he revealed himself
to be the most merciless predator that earth ever
saw, even for himself.
The new technologies can either generate precious tools or engender
new occult powers which birth should be
cautiously controlled.
The wild competition that monstrous
financial groups engage in against one another, can lead to effects
that are
particularly inhibiting social progress, as well as to an unequal
distribution of resources and to irreversible disasters on
the environment and human health.
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