Sunday 21 October 2007

Barry Commoner

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Commoner

His excellent book "The Closing Circle: Nature, Man, and Technology"
opened my eyes when I read it in 1976... I was 15 then....I wish I still was...

His 4 laws of Ecology:

1. Everything is Connected to Everything Else. There is one ecosphere for all living organisms and what affects one, affects all.

2. Everything Must Go Somewhere. There is no "waste" in nature and there is no “away” to which things can be thrown.

3. Nature Knows Best. Humankind has fashioned technology to improve upon nature, but such change in a natural system is, says Commoner, “likely to be detrimental to that system.”

4. There Is No Such Thing as a Free Lunch. In nature, both sides of the equation must balance, for every gain there is a cost, and all debts are eventually paid.




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