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KH-40-01-117-EN-C
Let me tell you
a secret
about the environment
OFFICE FOR OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS
OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
L-2985 Luxembourg
European Commission
European Commission
Let me tell you a secret
about the environment
Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities
2001 — 20p. — 16,2 x 22,9 cm
ISBN 92-894-1714-5
Script: Benoît Coppée
Illustrations: Nicolas Viot
Technical production: Qwentès
More information about environment policies can be found at the DG Environment website on
the Europa Server: http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment
Copies of this publication are available free-of-charge while stocks last from:
Information Centre (BU-9 0/11)
Environment Directorate-General
European Commission
200 rue de la Loi
B-1049 Brussels
Fax: (32-2) 299 61 98
E-mail: [email protected]
The sun rises over the Merlin City rubbish dump.
A faint sound is heard. Lila the fox pricks up her
ears, trying to figure out what it is. No, it's not a
bird. There it is again ? It seems to be coming from
that cupboard over there. Lila moves nearer.
The cupboard door is slightly ajar. First a small shoe
appears. Lila gets curious. Then a leg emerges.
Lila wonders what on earth it can be.
The little leg turns into a little child.
Oh… Gently, Lila moves closer.
A great deal of additional information on the European Union is available on the Internet.
It can be accessed through the Europa server (http://europa.eu.int).
Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2001
© European Communities, 2001
Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
Printed in Belgium
Printed on recycled paper
1
- My… My name’s Tom, says the child. I… I hid
myself in a cupboard… And then…
Where am I ?
- You're in the Merlin City dump, says Lila.
- The dump ?
Tom looks around.
- Wow ! Mummy must be worried sick.
How am I going to find my way home ?
Lila's eyes look strong but gentle. They seem to say,
“I’m going to help you, Tom”.
Lila turns her big brown eyes towards the child and
says:
- Grown-ups are a bit weird. Your cupboard is still
perfectly good. Why did they throw it away ?
- My Mum said it was too old. Dad bought a new
one. I wanted to sleep in my favourite cupboard
one last time.
And so… here I am !
Lila points with her paw towards Merlin City, which
lies under a blanket of grey smoke.
- I’m frightened, said the fox. Humans produce too
much, a lot of things that are no use at all.
The huge cloud of grey smoke you can see over
the city comes from all those factories, busy
making too many things, Tom. Oh…
There are tears in Lila’s eyes. The landscape becomes
blurred. She hugs Tom. He can hear her heart
beating.
2
3
- Look, Tom. I think Merlin City is going to
suffocate soon. Just smell the water in this
stream. Yuck ! It smells like hundreds of rotting
fish. What’s happened to the lovely scent of the
flowers ? I’m scared, Tom…
Foxes are sensitive animals. And what's more, they're
always right.
Lila loosens her grip.
- Come on, Tom. Let’s go look for your Mum.
To get out of the dump you have to crawl through a
tiny hole in the fence. Lila squeezes through.
Suddenly, she senses danger.
She stands up.
- Look out ! she yells.
But it’s too late. There's a man standing there.
It's the man who looks after the dump. Lila hides
behind a washing machine. Tom stumbles, then he
feels two large hands holding his arms very tight.
The man lifts him up.
- What are you doing here, you little wretch ?
It’s strictly forbidden to come in here! he says
harshly.
His bright red cheeks look as if they're going to
explode. His eyes look really angry.
4
5
- What on earth are you doing here ?
- I… I got thrown away with the rubbish from
Merlin City. I've got to find my Mummy.
I’m sure she’ll be worried about me !
The man lowers Tom to the ground. He sits down on
an old washing machine. His expression changes,
and now he suddenly looks kind. But no, he looks
more sad than anything else. Something seems to be
bothering him. He looks around at the dump.
Lila and Tom swear to tell everyone. The man takes a
deep breath and then he begins…
- If people aren't careful about what they throw
away, the water, the air and the ground will
become so polluted that it will be impossible for
us to survive !
- They’ve even started throwing children away now ?
He looks worried.
- No, it was an accident ! I fell asleep in the
cupboard. Honest !
- I believe you, little boy. All the same…
Lila comes over.
- You look sad, sir ?
The man is lost in thought for a moment. What he
has to say is very important. What he has to say
affects all human beings.
- I’m going to tell you a BIG secret. Normally you
shouldn’t tell a secret to anyone, should you ?
But I would like you to tell everybody my secret.
You have to tell everybody !
Promise me you will !
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7
- Oh ! says Tom. That can’t be possible !
- Yes it is, little boy. People throw everything away.
They get rid of their things any old way. All kinds
of machines. Medicines. Paint. You name it.
Their rubbish is full of poisons. And those poisons
are contaminating the Earth. We're poisoning the
ground, the air… and the water. What we are
doing is…
The man can't bring himself to say it.
- Mister, do you mean we are… killing ourselves ?
asks Tom.
8
- Yes. If we don’t do something about it, that’s
what could happen. But it’s not too late. We ALL
have to help.
None of them speak for a while. Lila can’t believe her
ears. Tom is frowning furiously.
The man goes on:
- For our own health, we need a healthy planet.
If the Earth gets sick, we all get sick !
Really ! said Tom. But… Oh, if only Mum knew all
this !
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The man looks towards the sky.
- I have another secret to tell you.
A very important, hidden secret.
The man sits down. His hands are trembling slightly.
He says:
- Terrible things are happening high above us, way
up in the sky. You can't see them. You can't smell
them. You can't touch them. But they're there,
and they're very worrying.
- What ? said Tom and Lila.
10
- High above us, way up in the sky, the Earth is
surrounded by a huge layer of gas. That gas
protects us. It filters the good and bad rays of
sunlight, because the sun sends us harmful rays
too. Those harmful rays can cause terrible
illnesses. We're using too many products that
damage this layer around the Earth. It's in a bad
shape. It's got a hole in it now !
- A hole ? says Tom, looking worried.
- Yes. If we don’t try to mend the hole, we could
end up getting lots of harmful rays of sunshine
some day !
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Lila frowns. Tom is thinking hard. He's staring up at
the clouds. Suddenly he says:
- Right ! I’m going home to my Mum !
- Wait, said the man. I want to tell you another
secret.
- NO ! I've had ENOUGH ! shouts Lila. Your secrets
are scaring us to death ! We want to hear about
nice things ! Flowers and things like that !…
The man gets to his feet. He stares at his hands a
while, then he looks at Tom, and then at Lila.
He says:
- Too bad… I thought you were old enough to hear
some serious secrets … Too bad… I was wrong.
The thing is… oh well,…
The man picks up a stone. He throws it into a
puddle. It makes a splash. Lila turns towards Tom.
She squeezes her lips, then opens them.
- Maybe we'd better listen to his secret ?
- Yes, alright !, answers Tom. OK ! I’ll listen to the
secret ! I WANT to hear the secret ! Because I
WANT to know everything ! EVERYTHING !
But be quick !
12
13
The man draws closer to Tom. He says:
- You have to be brave to hear the last secret.
- I AM brave ! cries Tom.
- Me too ! says Lila.
- You both sound very grown-up, smiles the man.
Here’s the third secret. We are sending too much
pollution up into the air and the pollution is
creating a kind of greenhouse overhead.
The heat from the Earth can no longer escape
into the universe. And the heat is heating up the
planet.
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- It won’t be so cold then ! points out Lila.
- It mightn't be so cold, agrees the man, but
glaciers and icebergs could start melting.
The seas and the rivers could rise.
Whole countries could be submerged.
It’s very serious.
- The cloud of pollution could be broken up !
suggests Tom.
- Yes, that’s right.
- It’s impossible ! argues Lila. You can’t ask humans
to stop driving cars ! They need all those
factories !
Oh…
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- NO ! says Tom. No, I’m not standing for that !
There has to be a way ! We have to dream up
new ways of running factories ! I’ll invent new
things when I grow up. I’ll invent a petrol-free
engine. From now on I’ll go to school by bike, or
by bus ! I'll…
Tom is interrupted. A loud noise shatters the peace
and quiet. VROOM ! A car rushes into the dump at
top speed, throwing up a huge cloud of red and
brown dust. The car screeches to a halt.
Two pairs of panic-stricken eyes emerge from the
cloud of dust.
- TOM ? TOM ? Where are you ? It’s your Mummy,
darling ? To-om…
- TOM ? It’s us ! It’s Daddy !
- OH ! MUM… ! MUMMY ! DADDY…
And Tom rushes towards his mother. His dad seems
to be overcome with emotion.
- Mummy, Daddy, these are my friends !
- Friends ?
- Yes, Lila and the man… Come on… They’ve been
looking after me… They’re…
Tom turns around, but… Lila and the man have
disappeared.
- Honest, says Tom. They were there…
With Lila, I… That is…
- Lila ?
- Yes, the fox ! And the man… The man who looks
after the dump… Where have they gone ?
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- There’s nobody there ! says his dad.
- But…
- Let’s go home ! suggests his mother.
Tom goes over to his dad and whispers a
few words in his ear.
His dad smiles at him.
- All right ! he says.
They drive off towards Merlin City. On the
roof is Tom’s favourite cupboard ! Meanwhile,
Lila is standing on top of the rubbish dump,
feeling a bit down. She's just lost a friend.
The old man is feeling sad too.
- Tom had to leave us, Lila, he says.
He has an important task now !
- An important task, whispers Lila.
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The car disappears over the horizon. Tom
looks out the window, up at the sky.
- Dad, Mum, do you want to know the three
secrets ?
- Three secrets ?…
Go on, Tom, we’re listening…
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