Pitt prof says environmental movement has been successful

According to Seymour Garte, the planet may not be going to hell after all.

Garte, an… According to Seymour Garte, the planet may not be going to hell after all.

Garte, an adjunct professor in Pitt’s department of environmental and occupational health in the School of Public Health, discussed and signed copies of his new book, “Where We Stand: A Surprising Look at the Real State of the Planet,” at the Pitt book center yesterday.

While most news about the environment these days has grown increasingly pessimistic, Garte’s book offers an optimistic take on the environment and human health as well as the future for the planet.

“I am focusing on the good news in the book simply because no one else does,” Garte said.

Garte received a Ph.D. in biochemistry at the City University of New York in 1976. He has worked in the field of environmental sciences for more than 30 years and has appeared on numerous radio and television programs. His articles have been published in “Nature” and many other scientific publications.

Though his book is based on the environment as a scientific issue, Garte also addresses political, historical and philosophical concerns related to the environment. The book argues that the environmental movement has done much to improve the planet and human health as well as propagate advances in science and technology.

Garte pointed out that things were a lot worse before the environmental movement gained momentum.

“You didn’t have to look at the statistics. You just had to be alive,” he said.

Garte pointed to several positive advances humans have made for the planet, including cleaner air and water and the lowering of toxic emissions. He also said the average human lifespan is increasing and the average infant mortality rate has gone down across the globe. Nutrition and food production is also increasing, and the population growth rate is slowing.

He used the Great Lakes and the Hudson River as examples of progress made in cleaning up the Earth’s waters. Garte is thankful that he no longer sees rivers “bursting into flames,” referring to the infamous, oil-soaked Cuyahoga River which actually caught on fire several times.

Garte criticized the typical “doom and gloom” attitude of the media when discussing environmental and health issues. He used the hole in the ozone layer as an example.

When the hole was discovered, the media sensationalized it and predicted terrible results for the planet. However, when the cause of the hole, chlorofluorocarbons found in many spray bottles, were discovered, limits were put on products that contained it. Now, the hole in the ozone layer is repairing itself. Garte said that this is an example of the power humans have to reverse the damages they cause to the planet and that this triumph is neglected.

“That was a great victory. How many times do you hear about that?” Garte said.

According to Garte, scientific research and technology are the chief tools we as humans have for improving our planet. He also criticized anti-technology proponents who say it is destroying the environment.

“We shouldn’t be anti-technology. It has saved us. It will save us again,” he said.

However, Garte recognized that there are still major problems with the planet, such as global warming – he makes note of them at the end of every chapter in his book.

Though he seems to run against popular opinion in current environmental thinking, Garte is no conservative. He recognizes that global warming is a reality and that it has been made worse by human activity. He accused the Bush administration of ignoring environmental concerns even beyond the wishes of many economic interests, such as big oil.

He also feels that Al Gore deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to stop global warming.

Garte said that steps must be taken to prevent global warming and pointed to the “explosion” in the amounts of wind and solar energy as positive progress toward that goal. He said that strong economic interests are the chief perpetuator of global warming and predicts that real progress won’t be made until it is profitable for these companies to do so.

“What’s important is to remain vigilant in all these areas,” Garte said, extending his analysis to the world’s health problems and pointing out the slight increase of AIDS cases in the United States in recent years.

Garte said it is important that laws protecting the environment and global health efforts not be diluted.

Garte is also concerned with the melting of the polar ice caps and said he approaches the issue with some uncertainty.

“Is [the melting] reversible? I hope so