LTW3 U1 Part3 A

I — Interviewer B — Brian Cowles
I: So, Brian, would you agree that what we generally think of as … er … as er … natural disasters are in fact man-made? 
B:Yes, by and large … er … I mean, obviously not hurricanes or earthquakes, but take flooding, for example. I mean, practically every year, the whole of Bangladesh is flooded and this is getting worse. You know, the cause is that forests have been cut down up in Nepal and India … I mean … higher up—river in the Himalayas. Trees … er … would hold rainfall in their roots, but if they’ve been cut down all the rain that falls in the monsoon season flows straight into the river Ganges and floods the whole country. The reason for flooding in Sudan is the same — the forests higher up the Blue Nile in Ethiopia have been destroyed too.
I: Well, this all sounds terribly depressing. Um … what is to be done? I mean, can anything be done, in fact?
B:Yes, of course it can … er … first, the national governments have to be forward-looking and consider the results of their policies in ten or twenty years, not just think as far ahead as the next election. Somehow, all the countries in the world have to work together on an international basis. Secondly, the population has to be controlled in some way: there are too many people trying to live off too little land. Thirdly, we don’t need tropical hardwood to make our furniture — it’s a luxury people in the West must do without. Softwoods are just as good, less expensive and can be produced on environment-friendly “tree farms”, where trees are replaced at the same rate that they are cut down.
I: And, presumably, education is important as well. People must be educated to realize the consequences … um … of their actions.
B: Yes, yes of course.
I: Well, thank you, Brian.