Environmental quality was drastically improved while economic activity grew by the simple expedient of removing lead from gasoline - which prevented it from entering the environment.
Barry CommonerRead
By adopting the control strategy, the nation's environmental program has created a built-in antagonism between environmental quality and economic growth.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the conflict between environmental preservation and economic development.
Barry Commoner suggests that when a nation prioritizes control strategies in its environmental policy, it inherently creates a tension between the goals of improving environmental quality and pursuing economic growth. This statement reflects a fundamental debate regarding the balance between ecological sustainability and industrial expansion, indicating that these two objectives may often be at odds with each other.
Themes
EnvironmentEconomic GrowthSustainabilityConflictPolicy
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech on sustainability, this quote could be used to illustrate the challenges faced by policymakers.
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Despite the dazzling successes of modern technology and the unprecedented power of modern military systems, they suffer from a common and catastrophic fault. While providing us with a bountiful supply of food, with great industrial plants, with high-speed transportation, and with military weapons of unprecedented power, they threaten our very survival.
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Sooner or later, _x000D_ wittingly or unwittingly, _x000D_ we must pay _x000D_ for every intrusion _x000D_ on the natural environment.
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