About a year ago, biologists woke up to a startling phenomenon: Amphibians -- frogs, toads, salamanders and newts -- were vanishing. No one knows why, but the results are pretty uniform across the world. Many people will not spare much anguish for the amphibians, but the fate of the frog is worth pondering today. Not only because June 5 is World Environment Day, but because amphibians breathe through their skin, which makes them especially sensitive to changes in the environment. Think of the amphibian as augury for the future that awaits us all.

That "all" is important. All too often, environmental degradation is considered a problem for the have-nots, who are especially hard-hit by resource shortages. For example, one-half the people living in developing countries suffer from diseases caused directly or indirectly by contaminated water. Cleaning up those supplies would prevent 3.35 billion cases of illness and 5.3 million deaths each year.

The magnitude of the problems and the scale of the challenges are intimidating. Since one person cannot make a difference, many people do not even try. That sort of thinking is the biggest threat to our future.