Greenpeace - Our Radiant Planet



4. FROGS DON'T WEAR SUN GLASSES

Warnings and education campaigns for sun avoidance are okay for humans, but what about the frogs laying their eggs in high mountain ponds and streams as they have for millennia, or the phytoplankton in the seas seeking the sun to run their photosynthetic production, or the trees rooted in the earth and stretching their leaves or needles skyward to the sun? They cannot avoid the noonday sun, or slip on a shirt or hat, or use sunscreen, or be brought indoors. They must be protected from further exposure to UV-B radiation. This can only be accomplished through a concerted human effort to eliminate the release of those chemicals which destroy the ozone layer.

UV-B IMPACTS ON HUMAN HEALTH AND WELFARE


Increases in UV-B Radiation:

  • Initiate and promote malignant and non-malignant skin cancers;
  • Suppress the immune system to various bacteria and viruses;
  • Cause eye damage including cataracts;
  • Enhance severity of sunburn and skin aging;
  • Increase the risk of allergic and toxic dermatitis;
  • Activate certain disease bacteria and viruses;
  • Increase cost of health care;
  • Impact prominently on indigenous populations;
  • Reduce yield in many significant food crops;
  • Reduce fisheries yield.
  • Destroy outdoor equipment and materials


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