Example of Simplistic Environmental Attitude

A letter-to-the-editor writer named Joe Jablonski submitted a letter in the July 16 issue of Chemical and Engineering News. He apparently enjoyed Rudy Baum's editorial in the April 23 issue entitled, "Earth & Its People", concerning "using chemistry for the benefit of Earth and its people".
Jablonski's main point is that pressure to grow the economy will force politicians to weaken environmental laws. This would cause accelerated degradation of the environment and exacerbate the problems of resource depletion, climate change, overpopulation, inadequate food supply, and the like.

He says the Bronze Age was helpful by smelting copper and tin. Man learned to manipulate chemical bonds to create numerous new things, such as medicine, water treatment, and sanitation systems. He agrees that life is easier and more pleasurable than before the Bronze Age.

Jablonski then bemoans the fact that burning fossil fuel causes pollution and climate change (although he has no basis for this latter claim), the reliance of modern agriculture on toxic pesticides and nutrients, which contaminate the soil and water and work their way into the food chain. Modern medicine extends lifespan significantly but strains health care resources.

The doom and gloom approach to technological advances is characteristic of simplistic thinking environmentalists. Every technological advance has one or more counter disadvantages. However, the acceptance or rejection of a supposed technological advance by society is based upon society's interpretation of the relative merits and deficiencies of the technology. As Jablonski himself said earlier, life is easier and more pleasurable than before the Bronze Age.

One must take the good with the bad, considering also the remaining opportunities to reduce the effect of deficiencies. An alternative would be to reject supposed technological advances. Would Jablonski rather not have improved healthcare, in order to reduce the strain on facilities? Would he rather eliminate fertilizers and pesticides from agricultural production with subsequent increase in food costs that he would have to take from his entertainment budget?

Chemistry Olympiad Participants: National Origin

    Each year, the American Chemical Society organizes an International Chemistry Olympiad. This year is the 44th.
    The Olympiad is an international contest between teams of high school students from various countries. The American team consists of four members with two team alternatives. There were also 14 other finalists in the national decision, on which the American team was chosen.
    I was particularly interested in the names of the various participants, with respect to their national origin as Americans.
    Only one of the four team members as an English name. The other three names are Asian.
    Both alternative team members have Asian names.
    All 14 of the other finalists have Asian names.
    This country was founded by the English, with subsequent immigration from Europe in the late 1800s. The Civil War freed the slaves, which gave them 150 years to develop educationally. Asian immigration also started to erupt about 1860 and continues to the present day. Hispanic immigration has been on a par with Asians, but has started to decrease.
    I wonder why we have such a preponderance of Asians in the American portion of the Olympiad. What happened to the Europeans, Blacks and Hispanics? Are they less capable in chemistry than Asians, or has the government done something to screw up the natural distribution?