Relief for the planet

On Friday President Václav Klaus will release his latest book Modrá planeta v ohrožení (Blue Planet in Danger), which attacks what the author calls global warming alarmism. "Ecologists say the planet must be saved. Saved from what? From whom? I know one thing for sure: We must save it – and us – from them," Mladá fronta Dnes quotes Klaus as writing.

Meanwhile, in Brazil, a TV advertisement encourages people to save water by urinating in the shower. The cartoon spot (see below) depicts various characters — including Gandhi, Alfred Hitchcock, an alien and King Kong — peeing in the shower. Campaign sponsor SOS Mata Atlântica estimates that the practice could save 4,380 litres of water a year.

What to do you think?

• Is Klaus right? Do ecologists themselves pose a greater threat than climate change?
• If nature called while you were in the shower, would you answer?
• Would one less flush less a day make any difference to the environmnent?

Please send us your comments using the form below.

Barbara Bindasová is a staff writer and translator at the Monitor. She is a graduate student of literature at Charles University.
You can reach her at barbara@praguemonitor.com. See more of her stories here.