Saving the Environment Women at the Wheel.

• Author: Domoto, Akiko

The occurrence of what we now refer to as the "industrial revolution" was unprecedented in human history. With the compartmentalization and specialization of knowledge came exciting scientific discoveries and rapid technological advancements. The development of the steam and internal combustion engines, and the discovery of bacteria and viruses, led to extraordinary improvements in the well-being of a significant proportion of world's population.

From the very start, the rise of modern industry and science had its dark side, but the true extent of that dark side did not become evident until the latter half of this century. Localized pollution and the disappearance of animal habitat in the late eighteenth century have given way to environmental problems on a global scale: the thinning of the ozone layer; depletion of fish stocks; the pervasive presence of persistent organic pollutants in human and animal populations; the loss of biodiversity; and the rapid shifts in the earth's climate. While localized environmental problems can, to an extent, be solved by media-specific legislation and technology, problems that are planetary in scale require a sweeping shift in the way we legislate, govern, produce and learn.

This shift has already begun. The collapse of the Berlin Wall brought with it the collapse of a world view dominated by the exigencies of a nuclear balance and an East-West stand-off. With a rapidity that astounded politicians, academics and citizens alike, the world stage was turned on its head. The script was rewritten to include the environment, refugees and women. Even the actors changed; global citizens began to steal the spotlight from national leaders and demand that a broad range of issues finally be dealt with.

The challenge now is to push that shift forward to keep the environment and people in the spotlight. To do so will require an holistic vision of the problems facing humankind and of the solutions necessary to address them. Rising flows of refugees cannot be stemmed without addressing the political and population pressures that often underpin them. These pressures, in turn, require attention to the position of women in their societies and families, to the burdens humans place on the environment, and to the uneven and unsustainable manner in which natural resources are consumed. An approach that recognizes the linkages between the myriad of social and environmental problems facing us today is the only approach that can...