Environmentalists not ignorant

It is unfair for Mr. Coelho (The Jakarta Post Aug. 4, 1995) to depict environmentalists as superstitious and ignorant. Although some people are indeed swayed by the photo of a "cuddly animal," their sentiments are justified by scientific documentation.

Environmental destruction is undeniably real. An overwhelming number of surveyed scientists believe that the Greenhouse Effect is currently changing global temperatures. Satellite photos have documented vast desertification and deforestation. All over the world cancer rates are rising and species are becoming extinct at an alarming rate. Few scientists alive debate this facts.

But let us not pray to the twin gods of Science and Progress. While it is certainly true that people should be better educated in the sciences, it must also be remembered that proponents of "science" have helped to create many of Earth's problems. Now it is time for science to create environmental solutions.

DYLAN CLARK

Bandung, West Java