By adopting the control strategy, the nation's environmental program has created a built-in antagonism between environmental quality and economic growth.
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of addressing corporate control over production in the pursuit of environmentalism.
Barry Commoner's quote highlights the critical connection between environmentalism and corporate power. He suggests that the modern environmental movement sheds light on the necessity of challenging the dominance of corporations in controlling production systems, which often leads to practices detrimental to the environment. By confronting these corporate interests, environmentalists can work towards sustainable systems that prioritize ecological wellbeing over profit.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about corporate responsibility in environmental efforts, you could use this quote to emphasize the urgent need for corporate engagement.
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.
We are in an environmental crisis which threatens the survival of this nation, and of the world as a suitable place of human habitation.
The first law of ecology is that everything is related to everything else.
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.
Sooner or later, _x000D_ wittingly or unwittingly, _x000D_ we must pay _x000D_ for every intrusion _x000D_ on the natural environment.
Similar quotes
I do care a great deal about the environment but my real work and my greatest challenge is trying to overcome deceits that end up jeopardizing public health and safety.
Government-mandated and -subsidized ethanol from corn will go down in history as the "Iraq War" of environmental solutions: ill-considered, costly, and disastrous.
For the record, I am sticking with my claim that the simultaneous degradation of air quality, water quality, water supply, food safety, soil quality, and other environment-related variables is the main challenge to China's continued development.
I think history shows that countries have to have some kind of a threshold level of economic success before they begin to have the means and the will to focus on the environment.
Will the new environmental leaders fight for eco-equity in this new "green economy" they are birthing?
I wish America would spend even half as much time complaining about plastics in our oceans as we do about actresses' plastic surgery.