The First Law Of Ecology

It Reflects A Prevailing Myth That Production Technology Is No More Amenable To Human Judgment Or Social Interests Than The Laws Of Thermodynamics, Atomic Structure Or Biological Inheritance.

The Environmental Crisis Is A Sign That The Ecosphere Is Now So Heavily Strained That Its Continued Stability Is Threatened. It Is A Warning That We Must Discover The Source Of This Suicidal Drive And Master It Before It Destroys The Environment-and Ourselves.

What The New Fertilizer Technology Has Accomplished For The Farmer Is Clear: More Crop Can Be Produced On Less Acreage Than Before. Since The Cost Of Fertilizer, Relative To The Resultant Gain In Crop Sales, Is Lower Than That Of Any Other Economic Input, And Since The Land Bank Pays The Farmer For Acreage Not In Crops, The New Technology Pays Him Well. The Cost-in Environmental Degradation-is Borne By His Neighbors In Town Who Find Their Water Polluted. The New Technology Is An Economic Success-but Only Because It Is An Ecological Failure.

Earth Day 1970 Was Irrefutable Evidence That The American People Understood The Environmental Threat And Wanted Action To Resolve It.

In General, Any Productive Activity Which Introduces Substances Foreign To The Natural Environment Runs A Considerable Risk Of Polluting It.