Currently the nuclear industry in various parts of Western Europe is promoting itself as the clean form of energy. The main problems, however, refer to storage. Nuclear reactors in the major industrialized countries now operating or being built will produce thousands of cubic metres of high-level waste. The problem of a long-term repository for high-level wastes remains unsolved. High-level wastes are stored in stainless steel tanks, but there have been leaks. A process to solidify waste in glass (vitrification) is being studied, but the danger is that the glass blocks may disintegrate later on. As for underground sites, the search for stable geological sites has not been successful, and we cannot predict future geological movements; earthquakes mean there are no guarantees. Intermediate and low-level wastes are buried in shallow grounds in the US and in the UK, but in the US three sites were closed down several years ago due to contamination. Low-level waste has also been dumped into the sea.

This panorama is made infinitely worse by the fact that in Eastern Europe the dangers multiply with a large number of ageing and dangerous nuclear reactors. The entrepreneur Edward Goldsmith estimated in a recent book that there are at least 41 disasters of the Chernobyl type waiting to happen in Eastern Europe.

Patricia Pitchon: What is the Master's view on these dangers?

PP: Within how many years does the Master think we will manage to do this?

The Master: One of the first things Maitreya will advise is the closing down of the nuclear reactors and all representation of nuclear fission as a more efficient way of producing energy. From the politicians' point of view, there is power, prestige and commercial gain from nuclear energy. The average person's mind is confused by all the scientific jargon; his voice is not properly heard in the realms of power. But the voice of the people is about to become more articulate: one of the many aspects of Maitreya's mission is to act as the voice of the people, to address the problems of peace and war, starvation in the midst of plenty; to galvanize the will of the people to force politicians to address these issues. Government, today, is about power and the wielding of power, rather than about service. The problem is to shift the emphasis. What is required is the appearance of Maitreya, which is very imminent indeed. These questions have to be addressed by humanity itself, with Maitreya as a guide.

PP: Increasingly we are becoming aware of the hazards of toxic chemicals in the form of sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides and volatile hydrogens; the various sources of pollution include industry, motor vehicles, household waste, etc. What are the dangers here?

(Benjamin Creme at this point added that there is a high rate of eczema in Japan, and much of its origin is due to fish polluted with mercury and other toxins.)

PP: What about the water itself?

PP: According to reports this summer in London, unusual summer heat combined with ozone from car emissions trapped at ground level to make the air difficult to breathe, and a recent report on Inner London schools indicates that one in every five children has asthma. Are catalytic converters which reduce the level of lead important?

The Master: Yes. In Japan, where controls are strict, there have been major improvements. Already many individuals, groups and agencies have warned and informed governments; a Master need add nothing to this. Instead of putting more and more cars on the road, public transport can be made more efficient, more regular and consistent. In time, Governments will restrict the use of cars to the countryside. A new technology will lead to a more sophisticated form of public transport which will alleviate pollution. It will be silent, apparently motionless and will vibrate very little. Travel fatigue will disappear. It will be the perfect means of transport of large numbers of people between countries and between cities.

The Master: Within five to 20 years, more and more sophisticated use of this technology will transform and beautify the cities. Men have not envisaged, not even in the imagination of science fiction writers (because until now there has been no blueprint), how the light of the sun will become the fuel.

PP: Do governments know?

The Master: Some members in both governments know.

The Master: Most of the space vehicles are from Mars and Venus. The Martians are the greatest space engineers.

PP: I worry about the economy of countries like Nigeria, where 90 per cent of its revenue consists of oil exports. What is going to happen to countries which have been so dependent on oil, when the new solar fuel becomes available?

The Master: No one will be able to ëcorner the market' on this technology. It will become freely available to all.

PP: What is the Master's view about the ozone layer in the stratosphere? Is there an ozone hole over the Antarctic?

(Benjamin Creme at this point noted that Maitreya has already said that it does not exist. It is an illusion, caused by the fact that light does not stream in a direct line: imagine that you are in the dark, and there is a tennis ball. If you shine a light on it, you get the impression of a hole behind it, due to the refraction.)

The Master: There is, however, a general thinning of the ozone layer all over the earth.

At the conclusion of the interview the Master added the following:

In restoring the planet, salvation is a collective effort. Maitreya will make it clear that this is the case. I estimate that within three to five years from the moment of Maitreya's appearance an enormous transformation will be taking place. Starvation on the planet will be tackled: mass progress for the starving millions is the aim, and on a scale which we have never contemplated. That achieved, we will tackle the problems of the environment around us. The top priority is the complete transformation of our mode of living towards one that is sustainable.

We will see the end of the current economy based on unbridled growth. Men everywhere will be able to eat and live and preserve the resources of the environment.