By adopting the control strategy, the nation's environmental program has created a built-in antagonism between environmental quality and economic growth.
Barry CommonerRead
The first law of ecology is that everything is related to everything else.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the interconnectedness of all elements in the ecosystem.
Barry Commoner's quote emphasizes the complexity and interdependence of ecological systems, suggesting that every element within an ecosystem—a species, a plant, or even human beings—affects one another. This understanding is foundational for ecological science and advocates for a holistic view of environmental conservation, urging us to recognize our role and responsibility in maintaining these delicate relationships.
Themes
EcologyInterconnectednessEnvironmentEcosystemNature
In practice
Example use cases
During a presentation on environmental protection, one might use this quote to illustrate the importance of conservation efforts.
More from Barry Commoner
All quotes →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.
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We are in an environmental crisis which threatens the survival of this nation, and of the world as a suitable place of human habitation.
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What is new is that environmentalism intensely illuminates the need to confront the corporate domain at its most powerful and guarded point - the exclusive right to govern the systems of production.
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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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