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A Need
to Nurture Nature
Hurricane Katrina has undoubtedly one of the worst natural disasters
to befall the United States. Not only has it left thousands
dead and dying in its wake but unleashed ecological and environmental
horrors, caused by continuing pollution and ecological neglect.
If the ecological and environmental damage caused by 9/11 is
any indication the impact of Katrina will be long-lasting.
The environmental damage caused by 9/11 has extended far beyond
the damage to buildings and the surroundings. The pollution
caused by the asbestos and the lead and mercury released by
the explosions and the fires continue to affect the residents
and others who live and work in the downtown community. A recent
clinical testing of a number of those who live and work downtown
- policemen, firefighters, workers and residents - found alarmingly
elevated levels of lead and mercury in more than 90% of those
tested.
On the eve of President Clinton's Global Summit, NNYN founder
Ted Kheel said that the persistent mismanagement of the nation's
busiest coastal region was one of the major causes behind the
extent of devastation caused by Katrina.
In an exclusive interview with NNYN, Dr. Mitchell Gaynor, the
author of Nurture Nature, Nurture Health (published by Nurture
Nature Foundation), says that unnatural disasters such as chemical
pollution already cause havoc among the population. When natural
disasters such as floods and hurricanes occur, the problems
caused by unnatural disasters are further compounded.
NNYN Chief Naturalist David Rosane says that urban areas especially
those that are close to the ocean continue to be vulnerable
to natural disasters because of uncontrolled development and
the absence of land preservation policies.
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