Book Description

This book is a record of the proceedings of a remarkable symposium that took place on the Black Sea in September 1997. It was held under the auspices of The Ecumenical Patriarch, His All Holiness Bartholomew I, and His Excellency Mr Jacques Santer, President of the European Commission. It was the second in a series of symposia on the theme of 'Religion, Science and the Environment'. The first symposium, entitled 'Revelation and the Environment', took place on the Aegean Sea in 1995, to celebrate the 1,900th anniversary of the Book of the Apocalypse.Over a period of ten days, more than 400 distinguished scientists, environmentalists, religious leaders and policy-makers from 35 countries discussed the environmental problems facing the Black Sea — a unique environment, sadly degraded by the imprint of humankind and causing profound changes in the economy and life-style of the 160 million people in the area. The book offers ideas to help restore the environmental balance of this much-threatened region. At the same time, it looks at the Black Sea as a paradigm for the world's closed sea problems and demonstrates the value and potential of an integrated approach to global environmental stewardship.