Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Third, we should not systematically
add
materials to any natural or humanly modified
system at a rate faster than the rate at which that system can absorb and recycle
those materials. Pollution of soil, water and air from pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers,
chemical effluents and soot particles are all examples of infringing this principle.
Finally, simple social justice decrees that all people should have fair and effective
access to the natural resources of this earth in order to ensure better health, food
security and poverty alleviation. Reliable and easy access to clean and safe drinking
water is a case in point. The quotation at the head of this chapter implies that unless
reverence for all forms of life underpins our approach to natural resource management,
economics alone can never achieve ecologically sustainable use of our deserts and
their margins. White (
1967
) made the same point nearly half a century ago.
