Letters

POLLUTION
Forecast for Disaster (Nov. 16) by Robbert H. Boyle is the first logical and unemotional piece I have seen on man-made pollution. His case is well researched, well thought-out, well written and convincing.
TERRENCE M. ZAJAC
Scottsdale , Ariz.

In your Feb. 2, 1970, issue you published an article called Mortgaging the Old Homestead by Lord Ritchie-Calder , which catapulted me into the environmental movement. For a number of years I served as Energy Committee chairman of the City of Cincinnati 's Environmental Advisory Task Force. In addition, I joined a speakers bureau and addressed meetings of various organizations on environmental issues. More recently, I have not been so active, but I remain a student of environmental issues and problems.

My sincere hope is that Robert H. Boyle 's Forecast for Disaster will alert many other people to become active so that the necessary steps will be taken to avert the coming debacle.
TED ISAACS
Cincinnati

I just finished reading your article and am greatly disturbed. I am concerned that by the time I reach adulthood (I am a freshman at Trinity College here in Hartford ) I will face a problem that is impossible to overcome.

In an age when the nation is worrying about whether the Soviets can nuke us before we nuke them, it is ironic that we may unwittingly be doing just what we fear nuclear war might do, i.e., destroying all life on the planet. It is time that the government stop worrying about the Strategic Defense Initiative and start worrying about whether there will be any Americans or Soviets left at the turn of the century. It is essential that the people who can pass legislation to stop this growing problem do so before it is too late.
PETER CRAM
Hartford

Until now, I hadn't realized just how serious the ozone and greenhouse-effect problems were. The issue isn't even debatable. We must stop producing chlorofluorocarbons; we can live without them. We must stop destroying the forests of the world. We must learn how to make the best of solar energy and use the sun to help us before it eventually destroys us.

I'll be getting married soon, and I want to have children. However, this information makes me stop and think. Would it be fair to bring new life into this world?
ELLEN DOLGINS
Wading River, N.Y.

I am not a scientist, but I have read many articles like Robert H. Boyle 's on the greenhouse effect and the destruction of the ozone layer. I feel that one way to slow down these two problems is to stop the outward growth of suburbia. Our woodlands and other natural sanctuaries are too quickly being turned into shopping malls and minicommunities, while inside many big cities we find large blighted areas that cry out for redevelopment. Instead of continually building out from the city, we should turn inward and rebuild.
HENRY PETER GRIBBIN
Pittsburgh

Any science magazine can tell you the same things found in Robert H. Boyle 's article. But I don't see why a sports magazine would take it upon itself to forecast that snow will be just a memory and that drought and ultraviolet radiation will kill a substantial number of Californians. Unless, of course, SI wants to make a catastrophic change of its own—from a highly readable and enjoyable sports magazine to a controversial political forum.
DESMOND HOBSON
Lakewood , Calif.

Hats off to Ryszard Horowitz for his imaginative imagery and technical skill in fashioning the dramatic photographs for Robert H. Boyle 's article. I would like to see more of his work.
ALEX BALUCH
Winter Haven , Fla.