Depletion of Ozone Layer

The article was an excellent piece of reporting except that it promulgated two dangerous fallacies. One was, “Meanwhile, there is little the average person can do except use a little more sunblock when going outdoors.” Not so. The average person will soon become aware that a dangerous increase in ultraviolet light as a result of damage to the ozone layer threatens us all not only with a severe increase in cancer, but with serious damage to the biosphere and its food chain, which could conceivably lead to such complications as widespread famine. Knowing this, “the average person” will be motivated--I hope--to take several steps. We can pressure Congress for much stricter controls than the painfully inadequate treaty just endorsed by the Senate; we can write letters to the EPA and to the Administration calling for more timely action; we can write to the embassies of foreign countries who contribute to CFC pollution.

The second fallacy in the article is “CFCs . . . are so firmly entrenched in the U.S. and world economies that it will be several decades before their use can be completely halted.” This is only true if we make it true. When we state that something is necessary to the world economy, we usually really mean that it’s a convenience for industry. If, on the other hand, we insist that concerns for the “world economy” are secondary to concerns for the health and safety of the world’s occupants, we can agree to simply accept as necessary any ill effects on the economy, and ban CFCs completely and immediately.

JOHN SHIRLEY

Thousand Oaks