From the Clyde to the Seine, we must realise all rivers have value
The Glasgow Humane Society, the world’s oldest life-saving organisation, was established on the River Clyde in 1790, based on the Enlightenment idea that all lives have value.
In 1900, its members travelled to another river, the Seine, for the World Lifesaving Championships, where they won partly because of a specially designed boat that could be rowed forwards or backwards. At that time, the river was clean enough to swim in. By the 1924 Paris Olympics, it was not.
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Hide AdIn life-saving work, speed is of the essence, but the Seine, the Clyde, the Thames and many other major rivers have become so polluted that even those not in danger of drowning prefer to make a swift exit.
Olympic swimming events were held in the Seine this year, but only after delays due to water quality concerns. It’s time to realise all rivers have value and should not be dangerously polluted – an enlightened and potentially life-saving idea for our times.
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