World News and Trends: Playing God with the earth
The research journal Science recently documented some of the enormous impact mankind has had on the planet.
"We are tinkering with our life support systems" and "we don't realize the consequences of what we are doing," cautions Jane Lubchenco, former president of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science and contributor to the magazine's 31-page report.
The report states:
Humans have altered or cleared 40 to 50 percent of the earth's land surface, drastically altering the plant and animal communities in those areas.
Because of land conversion and competition from invading species, 18 percent of mammals, 11 percent of birds, 8 percent of plants and 5 percent of fish species are threatened with extinction.
One fourth of all bird species are already extinct.
Of the world's fisheries, 66 percent are being used to their maximum or depleted faster than they are being replaced.
Fossil fuel burning adds some 5.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere every year.
Man consumes half of the world's usable fresh water, using most of it for farming. We have built 36,000 dams worldwide, and 98 percent of all U.S. rivers have been diverted or dammed.
Several major rivers, including the Nile, the Ganges and the Colorado, are mostly used up before they reach their mouths. (Sources: Science, Knight-Ridder News Service.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: January - February 1998
Course Content
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
Scott Ashley
Scott Ashley was managing editor of Beyond Today magazine, United Church of God booklets and its printed Bible Study Course until his retirement in 2023. He also pastored three congregations in Colorado for 10 years from 2011-2021. He and his wife, Connie, live near Denver, Colorado.
Mr. Ashley attended Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, graduating in 1976 with a theology major and minors in journalism and speech. It was there that he first became interested in publishing, an industry in which he worked for 50 years.
During his career, he has worked for several publishing companies in various capacities. He was employed by the United Church of God from 1995-2023, overseeing the planning, writing, editing, reviewing and production of Beyond Today magazine, several dozen booklets/study guides and a Bible study course covering major biblical teachings. His special interests are the Bible, archaeology, biblical culture, history and the Middle East.
