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People have always used nature's resources for their own benefit, first as clothes and food, later in the Stone Age as tools and so on. Since the beginning of industrialization the demand of resources has grown enormously, even up to the point where nature lost its balance. At the same time the acts of people resulted in waste, exhaust gases, extinctions of animals and many other facts that weakened nature's abilities to survive. As Victor Hugo pointed out in the 19th century: <*> . People weren't ready to take responsibility of their own actions. The most important for these greedy people was "development" and their own advantage. But I am happy to be able to claim that Victir Hugo's words don't apply to the modern world anymore. Humanity has opened its eyes and looked around and realized that the same kind of destruction can't go on any longer .
Realizing the frightening condition of nature and the environment didn't, though, happen solely on the grounds of saving nature for its own sake. Having the ability to predict the future, it didn't require very much of people to see that if we continued to use resources in the same rapid speed, there would soon be non left to use. Scientists say, for example, that the oil wells known at the moment will be sufficient only for a couple of more centuries. If all the whales were to be hunted now, no more could be used nor admired in the 21st century. People realized also that dumping areas can't be extended forever, nor the ozone layer destroyed, or the world would become incapable of supporting people as much as other living things. So, ultimately the preserving of nature and saving of resources are derived from the primitive and selfish desire of humans to survive. Not that this fact is supposed be accusing anyone; the main point is that something is done and public awareness is being raised. Of course, I am not saying that there aren't also those who are sincerely concerned of nature itself .
Voluntary work is the salt of nature conservation. The most valuable work is done by those who set their heart and mind to it. But it isn't enough, everybody must be aiming at the same goal in order to achieve the right results. It is delighting how quickly people have nowadays picked up the enthusiasm to recycle paper and used bottles, cut down the use of freons, get a catalyzer to their cars, use unleaded petrol and so on. The industry has also been along in the stream, and now previously polluted waters are fresh and smoke coming from chimneys is lot less black than before. But there are still the ruthless, indifferent people who go on harpooning whales and cutting down the irreplacable jungles in Brazil. They are the black sheep of humanity who still refuse to take the resposibility and who would leave a world reminding of a junkyard to the next generation. Let's hope that the whole world will soon wake up to see the damage done, before it's too late .
Nevertheless, most people of the civilized world still belong to the white sheep. We are yet only in the beginning of the path, but at least the direction is right. There is a long way to go to reach even a satisfying situation. But we have finally understood that the world and its resources are not only our property. It belongs to the nature and to all of its residents, and we have no right to use it up at their expense and for their harm .
