Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
iousness of an earlier encounter with the problem was forgotten. A further
possible explanation for this failure could be that the serious nature of the
new and fateful problem was underestimated because a false analogy was
drawn between it and familiar problems that were not too intimidating. In a
modern context, we may believe our modern technological cornucopia will
always find a solution to environmental stress, resource availability and popu-
lation growth because in our memory, it always has. Paul Sabin has reminded
us that Paul Ehrlich, famous for his neo-Malthusian views on ecological lim-
its to economic growth, lost his famous 1980 wager with the “cornucopian”
economist Julian Simon on the 10-year increase in cost of five crucial metals.
2. Societies may have failed to perceive a problem even when it has arrived. In
this case, the problem was usually a slow trend in an attribute that was ob-
scured by irregular fluctuations.
3. Societies may have perceived a problem but either failed to address it or did so
ineffectively.
4. Societies may have anticipated, perceived and even tried to solve a problem but
still failed for a number of reasons. For example, the solution may have been
beyond the extant technological capacity of the society. It may have been a
matter of “too little, too late” or perhaps the attempted solution itself was dis-
astrous.
You have probably already guessed where I am going here. Each of the six issues we
studiedearlier(radioactivity,acidification,stratosphericozonedepletion,persistentorganic
pollutants, mercury and climate change) has the potential to create major environmental
and/or human health impacts. How these impacts would be mediated varies with each is-
sue, but the end results would ultimately place significant pressures on regional and, even-
tually, global ecosystems, global economics and global societies.
Not all places in the world are equally sensitive to change as a result of impact from
one or more of our studied issues. However, the scientific community and indigenous
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