Forest list archive: msg00099

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Mr. Wong's Comments



---------- Forwarded message ----------

This message was originally submitted  by kforbes@USAID.GOV to the FOREST list
In-Reply-To:
Date:    Thu, 7 Aug 1997 08:54:38 +0800
From:    Nelson Wong <nelson@mtc.com.my>
Subject: Re: Fwd:  Wood Chip Industry Feeling Mounting Pressure from Citizens
URL:     http://www.metla.fi/archive/forest/1997/08/msg00028.html


------------------------ Original message -------------------------
Date: Thu, 07 Aug 1997 10:04:10 -0400 (EDT)
From: Keith Forbes <kforbes@usaid.gov>
Subject: Mr. Wong's Comments
Message-id: <vines.4Lh8+NLRunA@BARRB0204.usaid.gov>


Dear list,

I am rather stunned by the tone and content of Mr. Wong's comments.  I must
challenge his notion that calling for a study of the impacts of the
wood-chipping industry is equivalent to saying that wood chips should not
be produced at all.  He makes this claim by stating that we would have no
paper and wood pulp and, consequently, no paper for books and magazines.  I
would challenge Mr. Wong to show us the logic in this assertion.  The only
way this makes sense is if he suspects/knows that studying the ecological
impacts of wood chipping would lead to the end of the industry, and if this
is so, I would be very interested in the reasons behind this suspicion.

Also, the attack on ALL environmental organizations is rather uncalled for
and uninformed.  There are numerous researchers and technologists in these
organizations and I would advise Mr. Wong to look over the composition of
these organizations before making such crass comments.

Finally, the onus is very much not upon environmentalists to be able to
communicate with the business world in business terms, but the DUTY of
business people or anyone who pursues possibly environmentally damaging
land uses to explain the impacts to society.  I think Mr. Wong feels that
environmentalists are annoying stumbling blocks to business, but business
people create their own stumbling blocks when they regard their profits as
more important than the environment which belongs to us all.

Regards,

Keith Forbes
USAID
Washington DC

COMMENTS ARE MY OWN ONLY.
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