Key-note address delivered at the Geographical Association of Zimbabwe’s 1991 Conference on Global Environmental Issues with Special Reference to Zimbabwe.It is very recently in the history of humanity that we have begun considering environmental issues on a global scale. This is not only because we have recently realized that humanity is making a significant impact on the global environment, but mainly because it has been very difficult to get the complete subject in view. At the scale of the individual person, the global environment is a very large thing that cannot be fully understood from an Earth-bound perspective. This problem is analogous to that of trying to appreciate and understand the artistry of a large oil painting or tapestry, when standing only a few inches away from it. We no longer have this excuse, however, because modern man is now able to step back and see the full picture. In the present stage of the space-age it is possible to view the entire planet Earth in exquisite detail, like a small organism under a microscope
