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I will in this essay discuss current attitudes towards conservation of nature as well as the importance of animal rights. To me, it is a matter of course that all animals shall have rights just like we have human rights .
Man's hurrying on earth threatens more and more animal and plant species, but do we really need all these species? We all agree that biological diversity is important and forests contain bio-divrsity and provide us with oxygen. It is therefore essential to preserve the woods .
Environmental protection is a global thing and a shared responsibility. The fact that Sweden is a member of the EU makes it possible for us to take part in decisions concerning our environment. The countries within the EU work together with other developed countries in order to develop energy sources that are friendly to the environment .
During centuries, species have disappeared, new ones have come up, catastrophes have come and gone on earth. Species die out as quickly now as centuries ago, but a long time ago, climate changes were the cause. Today the man himself exterminates about hundred species each day and it happens consciously. It is, to a great extent a question of money and big industries compete .
What are then the main threats to our environment? Well, deforestation has in A problem is the whale-fishing and the seal hunting. Since there are quite few of those, people tend to react negative to it. King Karl Gustav of Sweden was strongly against the hunting in Norway a couple of years ago. I think it is good when a well known person reacts to things like this. Three years ago our former agriculture-minister, Margareta Winberg, expressed her negative feelings against the cruel transportations of animals and many of us agreed with her .
What are then the main threats to our environment? Well, deforestation has in creased and has become a major threat, the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere is depleted by man-made chemicals. Acid rain is a further threat which affects forests and lakes. The quality of water, both for drinking and bathing is another growing problem. There are also many pollutants .
Another problem is the deforestation of the rain forests. Those who do this, do not seem to understand that more than half of all living animal and plant species live there. There are also many people whose way of life is bound up with the tropical rain forests .
As I mentioned before, these devestating effects on nature are caused by economic activities which go on harming the environment .
Nuclear plants have been questioned. Some say they are cheap to run, but cause damage to the environment. One alternative is wind power stations and the government is planning to put up these on the island of Öland. This has been the subject of a debate. Öland has a unique culture nature with a great decidous forest and the inhabitants want to keep it that way. I think it is good to wait until we find something that can replace nuclear plants .
The future Sound Bridge and the planned tunnel in hall and are two projects that are supposed to save time for travellers and result in better infrastructure. Let us hope that the bridge does not cause too much damage to the environment. We all know what happened in Halland with the people living there .
How does then the EU respond to all this?
The EU stresses the importance of bio-diversity and supports nature protection, for example, the brown bear and other wild animals. A great job has also been done in order to preserve the Alps that are under threat from uncontrolled mass tourism and heavy road traffic The Union also tries to improve the quality of water and air. I think we all want our children and grandchildren to have the same right as we to clean air, clean water and green forests .
I also think it is of great importance to look after animals' interests. We are higher advanced than they are. They are in our power, but we would not exist without them. Some species are more exposed than other species. It is therefore important to help those that are under threat from extinction. There are many ways of doing that. We individuals cannot easily exert an influence on major decisions taken in the EU, but therefore we have to rey on our representatives working there. To me, thinking about the future means thinking about nature .
