230 Ecology and Applied Environmental Science
13.5 FuturE ProSPEctS
During and after the 1970s, there was a barrage of ominous predictions
that converged to the estimation that in the beginning of the 21st century,
the planet’s condition would not be livable, that environmental doom was
likely. These predictions have not been verified because the complexity of
the systems, the abilities of technology to widen the limits, and also the
social adaptation of the development process due to negative feedback from
the Malthusian concerns had not been taken into consideration. Moreover,
the holistic approaches that have been developed are strongly related to
metaphysical views; they lie at the opposite end of an integrated systemic
approach and they underestimate the systemic nature of the phenomena.
The linear relation between development and environmental burdening
(consumption of natural resources, pollution) is not stable, mainly because
society does not stand like an immobilized spectator but plays an active
role, and technology brings about significant structural changes. In the case
mined. Thus carrying capacity should not be considered as an insurmountable limit for human activities; it is significantly connected with the degree
of development of productive forces, especially technology.
Civilization would not be possible without man’s interventions on the
environment. However, the industrial era is associated with a culmination of man’s pressure upon nature; continuation of an indiscriminate
developmental course maximizes the risk of multiple destabilization of
the biosphere. The prospect of a radical change in economic and social
human behaviour does not seem realistic. However, there is an emerging
tendency on the part of more developed societies towards detachment from
super-consumerism as well as towards putting more emphasis on collaboration and solidarity. The development of environmental awareness and
the creation and expansion of an advanced environmental policy in developed countries are characteristic examples. Birth control measures and the
demographic transition that follows financial and cultural development
may lead to stabilization of the global population to tolerable levels. The
prudent use of technology can offer a satisfactory consumption level along
with parallel coping with environmental and natural resource degradation.
With the advent of the third millennium, the entry to a “meta-industrial
era” that is already visible, if not tangible, will probably be associated
with a prevalence of the reaction against environmental degradation.
Environmental protection is an increasingly important scientific and technological goal; social interest in the environment is rapidly increasing and
the environmental dimension is penetrating deeply into economy and the
various policies. In our days and in the more developed countries, the
fundamental values of freedom, equality and social solidarity that gradually led to the Rule of Law and the Welfare State tend to be enriched
13.5 FuturE ProSPEctS
During and after the 1970s, there was a barrage of ominous predictions
that converged to the estimation that in the beginning of the 21st century,
the planet’s condition would not be livable, that environmental doom was
likely. These predictions have not been verified because the complexity of
the systems, the abilities of technology to widen the limits, and also the
social adaptation of the development process due to negative feedback from
the Malthusian concerns had not been taken into consideration. Moreover,
the holistic approaches that have been developed are strongly related to
metaphysical views; they lie at the opposite end of an integrated systemic
approach and they underestimate the systemic nature of the phenomena.
The linear relation between development and environmental burdening
(consumption of natural resources, pollution) is not stable, mainly because
society does not stand like an immobilized spectator but plays an active
role, and technology brings about significant structural changes. In the case
mined. Thus carrying capacity should not be considered as an insurmountable limit for human activities; it is significantly connected with the degree
of development of productive forces, especially technology.
Civilization would not be possible without man’s interventions on the
environment. However, the industrial era is associated with a culmination of man’s pressure upon nature; continuation of an indiscriminate
developmental course maximizes the risk of multiple destabilization of
the biosphere. The prospect of a radical change in economic and social
human behaviour does not seem realistic. However, there is an emerging
tendency on the part of more developed societies towards detachment from
super-consumerism as well as towards putting more emphasis on collaboration and solidarity. The development of environmental awareness and
the creation and expansion of an advanced environmental policy in developed countries are characteristic examples. Birth control measures and the
demographic transition that follows financial and cultural development
may lead to stabilization of the global population to tolerable levels. The
prudent use of technology can offer a satisfactory consumption level along
with parallel coping with environmental and natural resource degradation.
With the advent of the third millennium, the entry to a “meta-industrial
era” that is already visible, if not tangible, will probably be associated
with a prevalence of the reaction against environmental degradation.
Environmental protection is an increasingly important scientific and technological goal; social interest in the environment is rapidly increasing and
the environmental dimension is penetrating deeply into economy and the
various policies. In our days and in the more developed countries, the
fundamental values of freedom, equality and social solidarity that gradually led to the Rule of Law and the Welfare State tend to be enriched