Perhaps no one has summarized the situation better than
Ambassador Hurst. Speaking to the World Water Forum, he said: “The
most populous and wealthiest of the world face a moral challenge greater
than colonialism or slavery. They are failing in that challenge. Men have
lost reason in the fossil fuel economy. Materialism and self-interest are
winning out over social justice. Developed countries have been conduct-
ing a dangerous experiment. The skies do not belong to the countries of
North America or Europe—they are for all of us. Inhabitants of small
islands have not agreed that their tomorrows will be the sacrificial lambs
on the altar of the wealth of the rich. The U.S. has deliberately evaded the
Kyoto Protocol. A few important world leaders are in denial. The time
has come to put civilization on a new trajectory.”
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