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Astraea News and ViewsJune Round-up
Lord Keynes is quoted as saying, "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?" The success of the Live 8 concerts, which were watched by 3.8 billion people, claims the biggest mandate for change ever assembled in history. It is time for us to change our minds. Click here to enjoy a tune while you read: Chumbawumba's Not In My Name ... (~4 MB) PerspectiveBiology is the science of breakthroughs today. A number of interactions prompt this view, from biomimicry in IT to Intelligence in Nature (Narby), but the shining light is in the field of genetic engineering where recent discoveries have changed our view of DNA and evolution. Two discoveries in particular are of note: Personal characteristics are derived from, not 20 or so bits of DNA as taught till recently, but from several thousand some of which emerge depending on environmental conditions and from the interaction with RNA. The coding of characteristics has been embedded in DNA for millennia and characteristics emerge depending on evolutionary conditions, not just the genes themselves. This changing understanding compounds the risk associated with inter-species gene-splicing (i.e. GM food, which has not yet even been proven economically) and suggests that biological and psychological emergence of enlightened humanity could occur in a practical time frame. The best description of the state of science to day has been Darwin's Watch by Pratchett, Cohen and Stewart. One of Astraea's founding principles was to focus on education so it is encouraging to see formal attention to education increasing. It has a long way to go; we know the liabilities of the traditional system, whether public or private, of treating everyone the same, focusing on rote instead of thinking and transferring old science instead of new. But movement is discernible. In June two big trends were highlighted: the rapid growth of the private education market as parents attempt to remedy the failings of the public system and home life, and the high correlation between wealth and education (coincidentally being addressed by the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal). Education was also raised with us on a micro-scale: We participated in an open space on education, we became involved with two initiatives to bring "big picture" education to main stream executive programmes, my brother launched YouTurn which delivers practical one hour intense courses for homeowners and parents, and in the second week of July we will deliver a new training course. While it may be proven that "education works", not everyone buys the rationale. But what is newly emerging is the extent of institutional recognition of the need to rejuvenate education and the breadth and depth of technology and infrastructure to do so. And in recognition of the need for poverty alleviation, let's quote PestalozziWorld: "a trained mind can conquer hunger"! It appears that professional managers have taken over the role of monarchy in our psyche. They control the resources we use and get the media attention of kings. In 1974 the top 100 CEOs' pay was 39x the average, today it is over 1,000x the average! Inequality is desperate. In 2001 1% of US households earned 20% of the income and owned a third of the assets! For perspective, I recently had the pleasure of sitting next to a 93 year young woman on a plane trip. She earned $ 2 a day in depression America (like China today!), and could not afford school. Her grandchildren are all accomplished today, but we should remember that our perception of our own histories is often conveniently mis-remembered. There were over 50,000 sweat shops in New York. And today's illusions are not much better - 4,500 out of 7,000 work shops in New York today only pay $ 2 an hour. Religion keeps appearing on the agenda. It has been always in the background because of modern wars - Ireland, Middle East, terrorism and recently Iraq. It was on people's minds with the changing Pope. But it appears that religion's grasp of political influence has grown beyond expectations. The principal cause is the increasingly rich and active evangelical movement in America which is influencing government policy, and America influences the world. The southern baptist and evangelical movements have policies and principles founded on unsound doctrine and contrary to scientific fact and prudence (e.g. creationist). One aspect is healthy - that people are paying more attention to their spiritual practice and ethics. Unfortunately, politics has infested religion and it appears religion is increasingly intertwined with policy and even process. It is not surprising that spirituality has a place in American society, after all its native culture was deeply spiritual and many of the first immigrants came to America to experience religious freedom. However, it is surprising that fundamental doctrine of specific sects is now felt in the administration; because America was founded as a secular nation. It is not one today. GeopoliticsIn June rich countries agreed to forgive nearly $ 300 billion of debt owed by African countries, conditional upon it being used ethically. This is a start, but is a small contribution by us - it is the annual agricultural subsidy in Europe, a subsidy that keeps emerging economies' agricultural production out of Europe, makes European agriculture uncompetitive and contributes to biodiversity loss in Europe. The G8 in July will focus global attention on these issues. Reducing the debt burden for some of Africa's poorest countries will
in no way "make poverty history". That is because the moral question of
our time has little to do with public money and everything to do with
private capital. The Shell Foundation's recent report Enterprise
Solutions to Poverty edited by Kurt Hoffmann offers some guidance
on opportunities.
The following websites offer more information: Make
Poverty History, G8
Special Report, G8 Alternatives. The EU budget discussion has highlighted the principal contention between the "socialist" and "capitalist" forces. The socialist forces like things the way they are because they benefit from the more efficient productivity of the capitalist sector. Take EDF, the French National Electric Company, as a proxy for socialist policy. There, the workers are guaranteed lifetime employment and a 90% discount on their electric bills, EDF contributes 1% of their revenue into a "social benefits council" which uses its half-billion dollar budget, vacations and other perks to control the 110,000 employees of EDF and apparently to support the Communist Party. Here's what the union members get:
Gave-Kal research notes:
Gav-Kal point out that: This contrast helps us understand why France is so reluctant to let go of its agricultural subsidies. Donald Tsang was appointed new Chief Executive of Hong Kong, a positive move. Mr Tsang enjoys public support of more than 70%, a stark contrast to the unpopular Tung Chee-hwa. A flamboyant dresser, famed for his colourful bowties, he is seen as approachable and decisive. But, given his close ties with Beijing, he is unlikely to press for any substantial political change in Hong Kong. It was not surprising to see that Ireland today is the richest country in the European Union after Luxembourg. We have seen a massive growth in infrastructure, housing and availability of consumer goods and services in the past five years. This combined with a low population density, temperate climate and beautiful countryside make living here pleasant. And the outlook is reasonable as it appears that institutional attention is moving on from resurrecting an economy to enlightening a society. Thanks to Mark Felt for Watergate. The 91 year old owned up about being the pigeon that spoke to Woodward and Bernstein. As number 2 at the FBI he must have had strong connections, but was still reluctant to disclose his identity illustrating the insidious hold of corruption in government at the time. Risk and TerrorThere has been much emotional debate in the US about the treatment of prisoners. Two worthy articles encourage critical thought about civilised society's obligation to remove coercion from the equation of human social interaction. The New York Times report by Joseph Lelyveld, Interrogating Ourselves, begins as follows: The Silence After Abu Ghraib Its not just America that deserves a reputation for abuse. Korea
is now trying to reform its armed forces after three conscripts were killed
by bullying by superiors. The culture of Korea is very traditional and
male strength and courage are seen to be required to receive basic respect
- this culture has imbued the armed forces so training camp is brutal.
And because all Koreans are required to serve in the army, everyone is
subjected to this discipline. Since the Korean War in the 1950s, all able-bodied
South Korean men are required to serve between 24 and 28 months national
service in the 680,000-strong armed forces, so everyone is subjected to
this degrading experience. pictures of the horrendous abuse awaiting recruits
have outraged the country so much that its G8 member states are undermining their commitments
to poverty reduction, stability and human rights with irresponsible
arms exports to some of the world's poorest and most conflict-ridden countries,
according to new research. G8 weapons have been exported to countries
including Sudan, Myanmar (Burma), the Republic of Congo, Colombia and
the Philippines. On the eve of a meeting of G8 foreign ministers in London
(23-24 June), a new
report reveals how the G8 countries -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy,
Japan, Russia, the UK and the USA -- are still By mid-June the price of oil had risen off recent lows
in May to resume its upward trend. OPEC is finally adjusting its
target price band from around $ 28 per barrel to a $ 30 - 50 range, which
may be optimistic given the range for the last 12 months:
The price is already touching $ 60. The recent merger notions concerning Unocal, Chevron and CNOOC have raised the spectre of ethical governance because the Chevron is using the "scare" of energy security as the principal reason they should be allowed to pay less than CNOOC. The reality is that Chevron buying Unocal will increase the retail price for US consumers and not really impact supply of raw materials. Energy security is available through alternative fuels only, whose development the US could lead by a significant margin if this strategy became policy. London could see a quarter of its electricity come from 270 wind turbines in what would be the world's largest offshore wind farm, Shell and several energy partners said Tuesday in applying for permits to build the $2.7 billion project. The London Array project would place the turbines on offshore platforms where the Thames River meets the North Sea around 60 miles outside London. The turbines would generate around 1,000 megawatts and connect into Britain’s national grid to supply power for more than 750,000 homes, helping meet Prime Minister Tony Blair’s target of generating 10 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2010. And on the other side of the pond the newly reconstructed Stillwell Avenue subway station in Brooklyn, New York has become the city's first solar-powered train terminal, and one of the most environmentally responsible mass transportation sites built in the U.S. The 76,000-square foot state-of-the-art solar roof, manufactured by RWE Schott Solar, is expected to contribute approximately 250,000 kilowatt hours a year to the station's non-traction power needs. Toyota has also introduced "the first performance hybrid SUV", an attractive beast that is virtually silent in city traffic when it can run on electric alone, and has 3.6 litre V6 power on call. Climate Change and EnvironmentA leaked copy of a document on climate change being drafted for the G8 summit suggests it has been watered down. A version of the communique leaked in May treated climate change as a fact and pledged money to energy projects. In the new version the words "our world is warming" appear in square brackets, meaning at least one country disagrees, and all financial pledges have gone. Until now it was thought that El Nino conditions - which cause changes in rainfall patterns, with far-reaching effects, including serious flooding and droughts - could not be maintained permanently. But scientists from the University of California, whose research was published in the journal Science, said coupled systems of oceanic and atmospheric circulation that drive the global climate were capable of dramatic shifts. "Global Warning” was published by the Meridian
Programme (see: meridian.org.uk) at the beginning of June 2005 and launched
on the eve of the United Nations World Environment Day during a Symposium
on Climate Emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide rose in the European Union by 1.5% in 2003 after falling in 2002, the European Environment Agency reports. Italy, Finland and the UK were named as the worst offenders while cold weather was blamed for a rise in the use of fossil fuels to heat homes and offices. Some commentators now doubt the EU can meet its promise to cut emissions by 8% of 1990 levels by 2012. Friends of the Earth called the new figures "shocking". "The blame goes mostly to national economy and industry ministers, who constantly block any attempts to introduce mandatory targets for renewable energies, energy efficiency rules or fuel consumption standards for cars," Jan Kowalzig said. Carbon dioxide emissions have risen by 3.4% since 1990, according to the EEA figures. The Copenhagen-based EEA said emissions in the 15 old EU member states increased by 53 million tonnes, or 1.3%, in 2003, after a drop in 2002. According to its figures, between 2002 and 2003, Italy, Finland and the UK saw the largest emission increases in absolute terms - 15 million tonnes, eight million tonnes and seven million tonnes respectively. Those of you who are aware of the gross environmental cost of flying may be interested to see the My Climate website where you can commit to various efforts to combat the causes of global warming ITA quick roundup of some interesting facts that show how the internet is making the noosphere a reality and transforming economic and social relationships. Skype (VOIP) has 41 million users and contributes to the 15% drop in revenues of AT&T and MCI. Open source software is established - by one recent survey over half of businesses have replaced servers with Linux versions already. eBay has demonstrated an alternative model to retail shops. Online trading has brought transaction costs close to zero. Consumers share information and views requiring more authentic marketing. The principal source of revenue for Google, the largest media company, is advertising. the overall picture is of declining transaction costs, increasing information and virtual communities that have political power outside traditional, national boundaries. An open source VOIP has been launched. See Gizmo here. Virus writers have adopted a new tactic to try to make sure their malicious programs reach as many victims as possible. Instead of releasing Windows viruses intermittently, many creators of worms and trojans are pumping them out with increasing frequency. For a while new variants of one virus, called Mytob, were appearing every hour. Some viruses appear in hundreds of different guises. This tactic is designed to fox security firms that use software to scan e-mail attachments for the signatures of known viruses. The variants are appearing far faster than firms can analyse them and update their scanners to spot the malicious code. The tactic seems to be paying off. Currently, Mytob variants are filling 14 of the positions in the Top 20 threats list collated by security firm Sophos. So the best defense remains GETTING RID OF WINDOZE! It is embarrassing to raise a voice against those educated and responsible for IT security, i.e. CTOs etc, but why do they insist on committing their companies to ever spiraling costs of security and software updates when a solution is available. Perhaps it is like the US health care system in which the professionals are compensated for keeping the dead alive, the CTO's get their padded salaries because of the poor design and performance of the infrastructure they are supposed to maintain. Some 100 leading consumer sites were assessed by web-testing firm SciVisum, who noted that 10% do not follow code practice, though the site might work with IE. Web developers who create code around the web standards recommended by the World Wide Web stand to gain more than just friends among the alternative browser community, but also will make it easier for disabled people to use, which leads to a CSR and open information issue which can affect the business reputation. Simplifying things by separating content from presentation will have a third benefit in that it will make it easier for sites to be picked up by search engines. Alternative browsers, like Mozilla, Firefox and Opera are gaining in popularity. Mozilla and Firefox are proving popular because they have far fewer security holes than IE and has innovations lacking in IE. Its share of the browser market grew to 8% in May, up from 5.59% at the beginning of the year, according to US-based analysts NetApplications. Microsoft is working on a new version of IE, largely in response to the success of Firefox. The World Money Laundering Report Online highlighted a potential problem with Google's principle way of generating revenue - how context sensitive ads are a potential risk.
Integral Systems and LOHASdance as though
no one is watching you Meditating monks are giving clues about how the brain's basic responses can be overridden, researchers say. "Meditation is a way of tapping into a process of manipulating brain activity" increasing evidence and technology available to develop mental control ought to be driving the demand for these skills to be prerequisites for leaders, especially executive directors and officers of large public companies. Without mental control people in these powerful roles all too often behave like psychopaths. The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) looked at the dietary habits of over 500,000 people across Europe over 10 years. Those eating over two 80 g portions of red meat a day were a third more likely to get bowel cancer than those eating less than one portion a week. Potatoes may be healthier to eat than previously thought, after scientists found them to contain chemicals which lower blood pressure. The independent Institute of Food Research says the chemicals, called kukoamines, occurred naturally in many common types of potato. Scientists at the Norwich institute stumbled upon the chemicals while studying potatoes for other reasons. They say boiling potatoes may preserve the health benefits better than frying. The scientists were studying genetically-modified potatoes and ordinary ones to compare their chemical make-up when they discovered the kukoamines. The say they knew the chemicals existed in some Chinese herbal remedies but had not expected to find them in potatoes. As well as being known to lower blood pressure, they are also used to treat the disease known as "sleeping sickness", which is widespread in parts of Africa. Leading cereal manufacturers, Nestlé and Weetabix, are following in the footsteps of US giant General Mills by switching to whole grain as the main ingredient in their breakfast cereals. Infertility may be becoming more of a man's than a woman's problem, new figures suggest. Until now, both were level pegging - 40% of cases linked to men, 40% to women and 20% to joint problems. However, the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology found rates of an IVF treatment typically used to help male infertility have risen. It said a number of factors including declining sperm quality due to environmental toxins may be involved. Ibuprofen hit the headlines last month after research
linking the OTC drug with an increased risk of heart attack
was picked up by the media. “Medicine is an important element in the treatment
for the vast majority of people with arthritis,” said Neil Betteridge,
chief executive of Arthritis Care. “There is now much confusion and worry
over the risks associated with many of the medicines used for arthritis.”
The upshot could be that people suffering from arthritis
will increasingly turn to the better known — and well researched — natural
alternatives, such as arnica creams and gels, devil’s claw and
glucosamine sulphate. These herbal based products have been clinically
proven to provide topical relief for symptoms such as inflammation of
the joints, pain relief and joint damage, without suppressing the immune
system or damaging the stomach lining. New research carried out at the University of Aberdeen has provided further evidence that exposure to pesticides increases a person’s risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, reports New Scientist. Anthony Seaton, principal investigator of the University’s Geoparkinson Study, said that his team’s research “considerably strengthens the case for pesticides being relevant to occupational risk of Parkinson’s disease”. The Aberdeen team questioned 967 people with Parkinson’s disease and 1,989 healthy controls with similar backgrounds about several risk factors associated with the disease, including exposure to pesticides. They discovered that people with Parkinson’s were more likely to have used pesticides regularly. Users with low exposure, such as amateur gardeners, were 9% more likely than non-users to develop the disease, while high exposure users such as farmers were 43% more likely. One acknowledged shortcoming of the study was that it did not identify which pesticides were responsible. The study’s authors admit that therefore it is possible that just one or two agents were causing the problems. Manufacturers of health and nutritional products must now provide detailed research reports during product registration, and marketers must now have advertisements pre-approved, as Chinese regulators attempt to raise the quality threshold. The new rules, which take effect on July 1, apply to nutritional supplements and health products intended to serve specific benefits such as weight loss, lower blood pressure, increased immunity and improved memory. The State Food and Drug Administration lists 27 such functions. IFOAM is challenging the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) over its funding priorities. Currently, organic barely gets a look in as part of FAO’s 2006-07 $ 850 million Program of Work Budget. Agricultural biotechnology, by contrast, is already assigned substantial funding as part of the FAO budget — and other schemes. Not surprisingly, IFOAM sees a certain irony in this, since the heart of the FAO’s mandate is the goal of “achieving food security for all”. With biotechnology widely seen as one of the major global threats to food security it does appear that there are some seriously skewed priorities here. And it’s not as if IFOAM is demanding the earth — it’s calling for just 2% of FAO’s budget to be allocated to organic farming, so that at least there is some reflection of the percentage of organic agricultural practices worldwide. Canada's parliament has approved a bill that legalises same-sex marriage, despite strong opposition from conservative MPs and religious groups. The bill was supported by 158 lawmakers in the 308-seat House of Commons, with 133 MPs voting against. Same-sex marriage is already legal in several Canadian provinces, but the bill has caused huge controversy. The move makes Canada only the third country after the Netherlands and Belgium to allow gay marriages. The bill still needs to be approved by the Liberal-dominated Senate to become a law. Spain's Senate has rejected a bill on gay marriage but MPs are likely to make it law when it returns to the lower chamber of parliament. Belgium and the Netherlands are the only EU states to have legalised gay marriage to date. Opinion polls suggest that a majority of Spaniards support the gay marriage and adoption bill. Pro-whaling nations have lost two early votes as this year's International Whaling Commission meeting began. Conservationists feared Japan, boosted by four new members, might be able to command a pro-whaling majority. But Japan lost votes on a proposal to ban the discussion of new whale sanctuaries, and a procedural motion. But a number of controversial proposals remain on the table, such as abandoning the IWC's programme on whale welfare, which looks at killing methods. If Japan is unable to command a majority here, as it had hoped, it could play its final card and leave the IWC altogether. This option would have far reaching implications for conservation and perhaps for Japan's relations with other countries such as Australia and Britain with whom it is generally on friendly terms. Conservation groups are concerned at the impact on whales and their close relatives such as dolphins and porpoises. It came into effect in 1986 after research showed that whale stocks worldwide were in serious decline, as a result of unregulated catches for meat and oil. Some statistics on whaling since the ban.
Japan abides by the moratorium on commercial whaling, but catches around 800 of the mammals each year for a programme of "scientific research", as it is allowed to under the international whaling convention. The meat from those whales ends up in the stomachs of Japanese people; and critics say the scientific programme is just commercial whaling in disguise. Iceland runs a similar, much smaller scheme, whereas Norway objected to the moratorium when it came into place, and catches several hundred whales each year. The moratorium was seen as a stop-gap measure when it came into place, and since 1990 discussions have been going on about a replacement, the Revised Management Scheme (RMS), which would allow some degree of commercial hunting on a sustainable basis. A version of the RMS will be proposed at this year's meeting; but Japan is expected to reject several of its components, such as what it regards as an over-zealous inspection regime, and present its own version instead. Ben Bradshaw, the UK fisheries minister, has accused the Japanese government of "sticking two fingers up at world opinion" in its efforts to increase its whaling quota. The Japanese have threatened to walk out of the IWC, describing the anti-whaling nations, which include Italy, Germany, the US, Britain, Australia and New Zealand, as fanatic. At the centre of the conflict is the future of the moratorium on commercial whaling introduced by the IWC in 1986, after evidence that the world's largest mammals were being driven to extinction. Every year Japan has sought to overturn the moratorium; every year it has failed to achieve the required three-quarters majority. Closer to home, Ireland continues to raise two fingers to the international community on the subject of drift net fishing which has all but wiped out the wild Atlantic Salmon. The International Herald Tribune reported in June: In the last three decades, the wild Atlantic salmon population has been slashed by two-thirds. Fragile salmon stocks are vanishing quickly in countries like Germany, France and Spain, while in some U.S. and Canadian rivers, salmon are already extinct. In just five years, from 1994-1999, the total run of Atlantic salmon in North American rivers fell from 200,000 to 80,000. Hazardous to Atlantic salmon are water pollution, dams and predators, as well as aquaculture diseases, parasites and interbreeding with farm "escapees," which weakens the wild salmon gene. But the real enemy, says Vigfusson, is the rapacious commercial drift-net fishing introduced in the 1960s, when traditional hemp nets were replaced with merciless modern filament. ... While the rest of Europe voluntarily attempts to protect wild Atlantic salmon, Ireland's drift netting continues to kill more than 200,000 salmon annually, greedily taking 51 percent of Europe's total wild salmon catch. Full article here. Following up on popular attention to Terri Schiavo, the woman at the centre of America's most contentious right-to-life case, earlier in the year, it appears that she was so brain damaged that no amount of therapy could have improved her condition. The finding by Dr Jon Thogmartin, who led a post mortem investigation after Schiavo (41), died in March, vindicated her husband's claim that she could not recover and appeared to clear him of having caused her injury in the first place. Dr Thogmartin said that her condition was consistent with a clinical diagnosis that she was in a persistent vegetative state. Neither was there evidence that the damage was caused by her having been strangled or beaten.
These images show the fluctuations in ozone during the Arctic winter of 2005. The top two images show the average total column ozone over the Arctic during the months of January and March, 2005, and the lower image shows total column ozone on a single day, March 11, 2005. The images are based on data collected by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aboard NASA’s Aura satellite. Astronomers believe they have discovered Earth's 'bigger cousin' orbiting a nearby star 15 light years away. The planet could be the first rocky, terrestrial world to be found circling a normal star outside the Solar System. Unlike the Earth, the planet orbits at a distance of only two million miles from its star, whipping round Gliese 876 in just two days. It is so close to the star that its day-side temperature could reach between 200C and 400C - far too hot for liquid water or any kind of Earth-like life. Activities, Books and GatheringsJune activities focused on finalising our annual returns, final preparations for Astraea Integral - Nurturing Natural Performance and rejuvenating the garden while keeping on top of the weeds! Investment performance was decent. Extracurricular reading took in Darwin's Watch which can not be recommended highly enough. It offer current science and insights relevant to frontier science (like time travel) and critical issues facing us today (like genetic engineering). Guards, Guards by Pratchett was a great fantasy story with dragons to boot; and it is a prescient parody of the Iraq War - fortunately there is a happy ending! The PestalozziWorld summer newsletter is now available. Its a tenth anniversary issue and offers updates on the Asian Village as well as other activities. The Asian Village will provide accommodation for poor students in North India. PestalozziWorld supports the education of children in developing economies and has a policy of putting all donations directly to that end, not administration. There is a reception for some Asian Pestalozzians in London on July 19th so if you would like to meet them please contact PestalozziWorld. We participated in an open space on education,
which revealed some great initiatives which are emerging across the country.
During the open space I was fortunate to (unintentionally) meet and chat
with David Holmgren. David is well grounded and a leading agent of change
- for 25 years he has pioneered permaculture design and
this is the first occasion upon which he has been persuaded to board a
plane to share his views globally (he resists traveling by plane because
of the environmental cost). He co-authored the quintessential permaculture
text with Bill Mollison. You can find him on the internet at www.holmgren.com.au.
This report has been prepared for information purposes. The information on which this report is based, has been obtained from publicly available sources and private sources which may have vested interests in the material referred to herein. Although Astraea and the distributors have no specific reasons for believing such information to be false, neither Astraea nor the distributors have independently verified such information and no representation or warranty is given that it is up-to-date, accurate and complete. Neither Astraea nor the distributors nor any of their affiliates and/or directors, officers and employees shall in any way be responsible or liable for any losses or damages whatsoever which any person may suffer or incur as a result of acting or otherwise relying upon anything stated or inferred in or omitted from this report.
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know thyself - Socrates |
The
winter of 2004-2005 saw the second highest chemical ozone destruction
ever observed over the Arctic. Polar ozone is destroyed when chlorine,
cold temperatures, and sunlight mix in the atmosphere 8-50 kilometers
above the Earth’s surface. Since ozone shields the Earth from ultraviolet
light, the high-energy light that causes sunburns and is associated with
skin cancers, low ozone levels could threaten human health.