International Journal of Environmental Health
Vol 2, No 1, June 1990. Editorial by Fred O’Brien
“No man is an island, entire of itself: Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or thine own were; any nan’s death deminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” John Donne
Environmental degradation is vigorously impelled by egotism, greed and selfishness and appears spontaneously in societies fragmented by dominating structures and mechanisms. The fact that deplorable environmental conditions played a significant role in encouraging a new spirit of solidarity sweeping across Europe, and that environmental improvement is seen as a major priority in the new democracies emerging cannot be disputed and points to a significant sign of our times. Fragmented knowledge creates a veritable ‘Tower of Babel’ effect and is environmentally destructive.