Barry Commoner became a renowned environmentalist for his widely distributed books. He succeeded in explaining to the American public the danger of a frivolous attitude to the environment in American society. Commoner's famous laws are a summary of the conclusions that the researcher made over the long years of his professional career.
Commoner Biography
The future scientist Barry Kommoner was born in 1917 in New York, in a family of emigrants from the Russian Empire. He decided to devote his life to science. The young man entered Harvard University, where he graduated in 1941. The young specialist received a doctorate in biology. While still at university, he became interested in studying the problem of the destruction of the ozone layer.
Research scientist formed the basis of several of his books on ecology. In them, including the laws of Kommoner, which became the visiting card of the researcher, were published. Some books of the scientist were published even in the Soviet Union. At first glance this may seem strange, but Kommoner was a great fit for the USSR. The fact was that the American ecologist adhered to socialist views. The combination of left-wing ideology and environmental studies became the foundation for his books The Closing Circle and Technology of Profit. They also have the laws of Commoner.
Capitalism harms ecology
Commoner believed that modern industrial technology, as well as intensive fuel production, were a threat to all of humanity. Environmental pollution is growing due to the desire of entrepreneurs and the state to maximize profits. The laws of Ecology Commoner criticize the capitalist system, in which nature suffers the most.
Also, the scientist tried to convey to his readers the idea that the damage done could no longer be repaired. A person has no opportunity to restore a lost ecosystem. Therefore, the laws of the Commoner were based on the fact that it is necessary to prevent possible harm, and not to heal the wounds already inflicted by society.
Alternative energy sources
The American ecologist not only pointed to the shortcomings of modern production. He also proposed solutions to overcome this situation. Commoner was an active supporter of the use of renewable energy sources. First of all, it is of course sunlight.
Kommoner's ideas were expressed in the 70s. Today, one can personally witness the implementation of many of his projects. Solar panels, windmills - all this has become routine sources of energy for rich countries. These technologies are used not only in large enterprises, but even in the homes of ordinary citizens. The market for solar panels in the US and Europe today is growing at the fastest pace.
Redistribution of goods
Kommoner's famous environmental laws also refer to the social problems that caused environmental pollution. The twentieth century has further widened the gap between rich and poor countries. In some states there is rapid technological progress; in others, life is changing extremely slowly.
These economic phenomena gave rise to the term "third world countries." This is mainly Africa. On the other hand, in Asia there is a huge problem associated with overpopulation. Giant Chinese cities are world leaders in the release of smog and other harmful substances into the Earth’s atmosphere.
The laws of Barry Commoner are based on socialist ideas. The scientist suggested distributing world wealth. According to his idea, the extra funds of wealthy societies should go to improve the lives of countries with low living standards. This would avoid the enormous environmental problems in these regions. Due to overpopulation, rivers become shallow, subsurface resources are scarce, and stable natural connections and chains are being destroyed.
“Everything is connected with everything”
There are 4 laws of Commoner. The first of them is called "Everything is connected with everything." What is his logic? The commander in his books tried to explain that everything that happens in nature is closely interconnected. If a person harms one part of the environment, then he naturally hits the rest.
Kommoner's law “Everything is connected with everything” is also called the law of dynamic internal equilibrium. This principle says that even small changes made by a person in the world around him, over time, develop into a catastrophe.
Consider an example. A company specializing in the sale of wood is intensively cutting down forests. How can this affect the rest of nature? With a decrease in the number of trees, the volume of free oxygen also decreases. In addition, additional emissions of nitric oxide into the atmosphere occur, which depletes the ozone layer. Finally, the last link in this chain will be the amplification of ultraviolet radiation, which is harmful to all living organisms.
Darwin and buckwheat
It should be noted that the basic laws of the ecology of Commoner were formulated by him thanks to the knowledge of the work of his predecessors. As you know, the scientist was a biologist in his specialized education. He studied Darwin theory a lot and was familiar with the biography of his famous predecessor.
In one of his books, Commoner recounted a curious fact from the life of the founder of the idea of evolution. Once, peasants turned to Darwin to give advice on how to increase buckwheat yield. The scientist answered quite unexpectedly. He invited the peasants to have more cats. Darwin, like Kommoner, was well aware of the interconnectedness of everything that happens in nature. He understood that new cats would exterminate field mice, regularly spoiling buckwheat crops from peasants. This story is a great illustration of what Barry Commoner wanted to say. The laws of ecology, as this example shows, are proved empirically.
"Everything must go somewhere"
The second law of Commoner affects the phenomenon of redistribution of substances in the environment. This principle, formulated by an American scientist, is called "Everything must go somewhere." In the natural state of nature, each substance has its own cycle of "life". In the environment, only that which can disappear in the future is synthesized.
The laws of Barry Commoner state that this is a natural process. And it’s hard to disagree. However, since mankind entered the modern era, it has systematically produced artificial substances, which are extremely difficult to destroy without consequences for nature. For example, these are DDT, polyethylene, etc. Resources that are extracted from the bowels of the earth can be included in the same list. Refined and used oil leaves an indelible mark on the environment. The laws of B. Kommoner and his entire theory criticize such a production. Oil, ore and other substances are converted into new compounds that cannot be dispersed in the environment.
Industrial waste management
Man can no longer abandon modern industry. At the same time, making it completely waste-free is also not possible. Therefore, the scientist proposed at least minimizing the damage that production causes to nature.
Barry Commoner's environmental laws state that, firstly, new technologies should be as low as possible. Secondly, it is necessary to create a production in which the waste of human activity could be used as raw material. Finally, thirdly, if the release of harmful products is inevitable, then society is obliged to create a reasonable system of disposal and disposal for them.
“Nature knows better”
The third law of Commoner concerns the complexity of the world. Even modern man, with all his technologies, cannot know all the interconnections within nature. The biosphere consists of millions of different creatures. It is divided into many zones. Flora and fauna of the world have evolved over billions of years. If a person intervenes in these processes, even wanting to improve the situation around him, he will only cause additional harm.
Commoner's environmental laws urge people to be careful. Active transformations of nature can lead to the fact that our whole world will be unsuitable for a normal life. Human interventions are represented by hundreds of representative cases only recently. For example, the shooting of wolves in some northern forests has led to the fact that this natural zone has lost its natural “orderlies”. In China, sparrows were massively shot. Residents of the country believed that huge flocks of these birds harm crops. When the sparrows disappeared, in their place came the insects, which there was no one to eat. Changes in the biological chain have led to even greater crop losses in China.
"Nothing is given for nothing"
This is the last law of Commoner. He has another interpretation, which states that "you have to pay for everything." The law is based on the principle that the natural system always develops at the expense of the environment. A single biosphere consists of many parts. If something new appears in it, then it will surely displace something old.
The same can be said about the technical achievements of mankind. If we create something that affects nature, this will lead to some environmental losses. The laws of ecology B. Kommoner associated with the principle of internal dynamic equilibrium, which was already mentioned in the description of the first law.
The scientist compared the transformation of nature with payment on a bill. Man will have to destroy something old in order to get something new. At the same time, he may delay the inevitable payment "on a bill", but sooner or later, you still have to pay. The fourth law has a prime example. This is agriculture. With the annual cultivation of vegetables in the same place, the level of nutrients in the soil (phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, etc.) decreases. Each time the crop is getting smaller and smaller. In the end, a person has to either leave this area or treat it with fertilizers.
Environmental technology
Commoner proposed creating a new type of production that would work in harmony with nature. These are the so-called environmental technologies. The scientist believed that such projects could be implemented if they, by their logic, coincide with the processes occurring in the biosphere or even continue them. Therefore, humanity should find out the principles by which nature maintains its balance. Already relying on these rules, society will be able to create environmentally friendly production.
An example is the situation with the processing of substances. In nature, they decompose only with the help of microorganisms. But some wastes of human life only harm the environment. Therefore, according to the Commoner, humanity should throw into the biosphere only what it can absorb. The rest must be processed artificially using modern technology. This is a matter of environmental appropriateness.