Tragedy and Solidarity.

• Position: Editorial - Christopher Flavin, WorldWatch Institute - Brief Article - Editorial - Column

As I sat down to begin writing this editorial on the morning of September 11, word of the day's events suddenly began to filter in via television and the Internet, radically changing the world we watch--and in which we all live and work.

The immediacy and enormity of the tragedy in New York City, Pennsylvania, and just across the Potomac River from our Washington offices have weighed heavily on all of us at Worldwatch--and have made it difficult to focus on the work that lies ahead. A week after the attack, I traveled to New York on business. The sight of the vast, smoking ruins, and the gargantuan scale of the recovery effort, which was visible throughout Manhattan, were vivid reminders of the magnitude of the tragedy the world has suffered.

Adversity often brings out the best in people, and our sadness and unease have been leavened by the messages of sympathy and condolence that have flowed in from our partners and friends around the world. From countries ranging from Germany and Japan to Brazil, Indonesia, and Iran, we have felt individuals reaching out to us--and to everyone in the United States--with reassuring sympathy.

For a moment, all of the tensions of international relations, and the problematic nature of U.S. participation in global treaties and institutions, have been set aside in favor of a more universal human concern. We are reminded once again not only that this is one world ecologically, but that we are one people as well.

We recognize the danger that these acts of senseless terrorism will lead to a breakdown of the already fragile international efforts to cooperate on the world's pressing social...