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Scripps Howard News Service, November 21, 1992 • Scientists r~pped as alarmists mO ecology warning 3v Mark Sohhnkrnann ST .O'JM1] POST eISPATCH 0 • Scientists who issued a "waxning to humani:Y" about ecological dete- rioration were criticized Thursday as and-development alarmists who fai: to strike a balance between the en•: ironment and economic well- e:ng. '7t's the usual hrne we've come to etioecr" from the Union of Con- ce:red Scientists, said Candace CcandaR, executive director of the >cierce and En•rironmemal Policc t'n'-'Cct a research croup. '1'hese i,i:Ids of tactlcS d0litue to the reaiftr and extent of our ;ro;,,:ro_ntai orobiems m:d even r=> ta bring anour effective cost- ~ t_~ VC' S Chamoer of Commerce, . 'lratic:tal As=-ociatior, of AIanu- .,- urers, the American Petroieum "n=;::vte an~ the Xc;ional Coal .:sso- ; ^n also criticixed the warning. . e carous organizations ob- c[ed m.he seience groep *s charge ::ic'. :.5- basines_ nursues short- .. r. profi at the e!:psnse of the en- .~ anment an ,~ its recommendation ..,.a the buntin-1 of fossil fuels be _rtailed. T ~e Ur:io:. of Concerned Scien- -:ss warned Wednesday that Earth ~tuld be "irretrievably mutilated" the ne::; fev decades unless dam- ac::g activities are phased out. .':ore than '-.500 researchers around the worll endorsed the statement. -ne union cited world population yrov; th and increasing threats to the atmosphere. water suppiy. oceans, soii, forests, antmals and plants. It cziied for cur;ailment of the cutting o.` forests, expansion of conserve- tioc and recycling, and stabilization of population. Michael Baroody senior vice president of the National Associ- atmn of Manufacturers, said the re- po:z ignored tne 51.5 trillion tbat the United States nas spent on environ- menta: improvements over the past 20 years. Moreover, Mn Baroody said. "The ven-environmentay prog- ress I just talked about eame be- cause of changes in processes by American industry and technologi- cal developments by American in- dus-try" \Ir. Baroody said t-he onl} way to pay for environmental protection is by continued economic growth. P-nd that growth depends, at [east for now, on the use of fossil fuels. John Grasser, a coal association spokesman, said industry has worked with government in recent years to clean up the water and air, but "you've got to look at the trade- offs" because mocing oo quickly can spur industry shutdowns and costjobs. Harvey Alter, a chemist who man- ages resources polic3' for the na- tional Ctamber of Commerce, said a,-rpnre, including busi=se is con- cer ned about the en-virennteat. "But we have to manage the envi- ronment like we manage everything else" Jir, Alter said. "Some people would put the enviranment ahead of people. I don't think the majority of our population would agree:' S. Fred Singer. director of the Sci- ence and Environmental Policv Pro7ect. said the U.S. enviroament is imnrovinz and nopularwn growth is stabilizing. He added that various parts of the world have problems, but that most are loral in nature - such as a Iack of spa_ce for garbage in the Unite tates. Mr. SineerS a former professor of environmental sciences at the Uni- versitv of l'ireinia. said the con- cerned scientists umon's statement was batt oi a "numbers 2ame:' He said the group m.ant ave been trein to offset the I'-eidelberg Anneal. a statement st .ed by 1,800 scientists lasn•eac whtc : saz "aae- guate y manage sctence ana e- noloet-" are "tnispensa e6f woS"s"'m overcoming problems such as nver- 1 olation, starvation anc a•or - dtseases. -Nir. Singer said that the appeai amounted to "a revolt bv_ scientists jired of seeing science constantly politicized, used and mistreated." • Distributed by Scrippr Howard News Service. - - Appeared in: St. Louis Post-Dispatch Washington Times and other newspapers