Caring for our fragile planet has always been at the top of women's priority list of actions for daily survival. Because of women's activism on the issue of environment, the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) and the NGO Global Forum which will be held simultaneously in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June 1992, cannot go on without paying attention to the women's agenda.

It is this pressing and immediate issue of environment that we are addressing in Women in Action 4/91. We know that women play a crucial role in making the earth safe not only for us today but also for future generations. We also know that women have taken the matter into their hands and are doing something about it.

In our last issue for the year, we are featuring the different women's actions for ' the environment -- actions that have led to the formation of the Chipko movement in India and the Green Belt movement in Kenya. It is not only in these environmental movements where women have made a difference; women have actively participated in conferences on women and environment. We have a report from the Healthy Planet Congress held recently in Miami. We also have updates on UNCED and the Global Forum in Rio.

We have tried to cover a variety of environmental-related problems such as the water pollution in Malacca, Malaysia and the Danube river in Bulgaria, Africa's food crisis in the villages and population control problems. There are many more. And the implications are life-threatening to all of us.

We can no longer be complacent about the problem. We need to be doers and contribute in whatever way we can, whether through organized activities or as individuals, to saving our planet. Women need to speak out and act...now