A Message to our 3.5 billion neighbours on planet earth

"S.O.S. Environment" is the theme of this special issue inspired, on the one hand, by a warning from 2,200 scientists presented a few weeks ago to U.N. Secretary-General U Thant, and, on the other, by the discussions at a world symposium on social aspects of environmental disruption, held in Tokyo last year under the auspices of the International Social Science Council, with Unesco's support.