COMMUNICATING ABOUT STEALTH DISASTERS

Abrupt natural disasters, such as earthquakes or hurricanes, grab media attention and public interest for relatively short times. How can we communicate information to peers, the public and policy makers about the less attention-grabbing “stealth disasters” that face us in the coming decades? How can we do this without being pessimistic nags? Enlisting the help of engaged members of the media is a necessary first step. I define a “stealth disaster” as a damage to the planet that is not recognized by a sudden onset, but yet endangers future generations and the planetary ecosystems in the fairly near term. Degradation of water quality, loss of soils, human-caused damage to the ecosystems, fouling of the oceans and atmosphere—these are a few examples of stealth disasters. In contrast to abrupt natural disasters which are increasingly severe because of the acts of humans, stealth disasters are almost solely caused by humans. Most of the potential stealth disasters are caused by the population explosion, consumption, and blatant disregard of nature's warning signals, and any number of them can disrupt the stability of civilized societies and ecosystems. They approach more slowly than the abrupt onset events, often unacknowledged, until it is potentially too late to change directions to avert serious consequences. An example of a potential stealth disaster that may be averted is the ozone hole that was created by the widespread use of CFC's. Reduced use of CFC's initiated by the Montreal Protocol has had a significant effect. On the other hand, the climate change problem was ignored for so long that it is now generally agreed that substantial changes are inevitable. There are formidable challenges in the realms of science, engineering, policy and human behavior in the near future. These challenges must be met if we are to find a path to sustainability, and failure to solve even one of the stealth disasters can threaten stability. Communicating these challenges to our peers is not always easy, but is definitely easier than communicating them to the public and to the policy makers that represent the public. We need the help of informed and engaged members of the media.