2
occurred when the number of species was reduced
significantly and even at the end of the Permian
extinction threatened with the complete elimination of life on Earth. (Around 95% of marine
species became extinct.) Extinctions were
always associated with changes in the physical
(abiotic) environment due to global volcanism,
ocean closures (subduction) as a result of plate
movement, or impact events, etc. Life, however,
survived every change and it evolved and differentiated with an accelerated pace as it wanted to
compensate losses.
Finally, extremely rich life was formed occupying all areas on the surface of the Earth and
occurring even in the deepest ocean trenches and
in several kilometres deep in the Earth’s crust
carrying out intense metabolism with its environment. This living being—habitat interaction is so
close that living creatures together with their
habitat are regarded to be an individual sphere
called biosphere.
The third period in the development of the
environment on the Earth is associated with the
occurrence and socialisation of humanity. The
question is from when human activity causes
effects on the environment that would result in
global change. The excellent physicist Paul Davis
considers the appearance of Homo sapiens an
important event not only on Earth but in the
development of the Universe as well. In his opinion via conscious beings the Universe got consciousness as well (Davis 1998). The fact that
humans are able to understand the laws of the
Universe and on the basis of them humans are
able to alter the environment consciously is a
qualitative change in nature. The authors of the
present book consider the time when humanity
influenced the environment so that the development of the global Earth system was affected. In
the opinion of the authors this started when
human civilizations appeared, i.e. humans have
changed the surface of the planet and influenced
global natural processes for 5000 years. This
time period is considered to be the third phase in
the development of the Earth system and the
authors call it the period of socialised Earth.
Regarding this period of 5000 years the last
100 years brought changes greater than those
over the previous 4900 years. In the twentieth
century the number of people on Earth increased
fourfold while the quantity of produced goods
increased 16-fold while deterioration of natural
values became immense. Human activities transformed our planet to a degree that some scientists
regard recent decades a new geological age called
Anthropocene (Crutzen and Stoermer 2000;
Steffen et al. 2011; Arias-Maldonado 2015).
Environmental pollution and damage are so
extensive that human health is increasingly
endangered while the overuse of natural resources
made the undisturbed supply for future generations doubtful. More and more people started to
consider the idea of the sustainable development
of the society.
1.2
Sustainable Development
The following—classic—definition is given in
the report of the World Committee on
Environment and Development of the UN
(WCED) led by G.H. Brundtland in 1987:
Sustainable development ensures
that it meets the needs of the present compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
own needs.
The above definition is explained in detail in
the report stating among others that in a world
where poverty and inequality are common economic and other crises will always occur. Yet
poverty and inequality are widespread today
within both developed and less developed countries and between rich and poor countries. (And
indeed, we fight against economic and other
problems.) Poor countries have the right to
“develop”, i.e. to produce more goods, to provide
higher-level services, to free their citizens living
in abject poverty out of the bonds of poverty. This
interpretation of development identifies it with
growth. Almost all widespread economic parameters suggest growth as the measure of development to people although in recent years even
public economy considers the importance of
quality parameters (e.g. GPI = Genuine Progress
Indicator, Talberth 2008, see later).
1 Introduction
occurred when the number of species was reduced
significantly and even at the end of the Permian
extinction threatened with the complete elimination of life on Earth. (Around 95% of marine
species became extinct.) Extinctions were
always associated with changes in the physical
(abiotic) environment due to global volcanism,
ocean closures (subduction) as a result of plate
movement, or impact events, etc. Life, however,
survived every change and it evolved and differentiated with an accelerated pace as it wanted to
compensate losses.
Finally, extremely rich life was formed occupying all areas on the surface of the Earth and
occurring even in the deepest ocean trenches and
in several kilometres deep in the Earth’s crust
carrying out intense metabolism with its environment. This living being—habitat interaction is so
close that living creatures together with their
habitat are regarded to be an individual sphere
called biosphere.
The third period in the development of the
environment on the Earth is associated with the
occurrence and socialisation of humanity. The
question is from when human activity causes
effects on the environment that would result in
global change. The excellent physicist Paul Davis
considers the appearance of Homo sapiens an
important event not only on Earth but in the
development of the Universe as well. In his opinion via conscious beings the Universe got consciousness as well (Davis 1998). The fact that
humans are able to understand the laws of the
Universe and on the basis of them humans are
able to alter the environment consciously is a
qualitative change in nature. The authors of the
present book consider the time when humanity
influenced the environment so that the development of the global Earth system was affected. In
the opinion of the authors this started when
human civilizations appeared, i.e. humans have
changed the surface of the planet and influenced
global natural processes for 5000 years. This
time period is considered to be the third phase in
the development of the Earth system and the
authors call it the period of socialised Earth.
Regarding this period of 5000 years the last
100 years brought changes greater than those
over the previous 4900 years. In the twentieth
century the number of people on Earth increased
fourfold while the quantity of produced goods
increased 16-fold while deterioration of natural
values became immense. Human activities transformed our planet to a degree that some scientists
regard recent decades a new geological age called
Anthropocene (Crutzen and Stoermer 2000;
Steffen et al. 2011; Arias-Maldonado 2015).
Environmental pollution and damage are so
extensive that human health is increasingly
endangered while the overuse of natural resources
made the undisturbed supply for future generations doubtful. More and more people started to
consider the idea of the sustainable development
of the society.
1.2
Sustainable Development
The following—classic—definition is given in
the report of the World Committee on
Environment and Development of the UN
(WCED) led by G.H. Brundtland in 1987:
Sustainable development ensures
that it meets the needs of the present compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
own needs.
The above definition is explained in detail in
the report stating among others that in a world
where poverty and inequality are common economic and other crises will always occur. Yet
poverty and inequality are widespread today
within both developed and less developed countries and between rich and poor countries. (And
indeed, we fight against economic and other
problems.) Poor countries have the right to
“develop”, i.e. to produce more goods, to provide
higher-level services, to free their citizens living
in abject poverty out of the bonds of poverty. This
interpretation of development identifies it with
growth. Almost all widespread economic parameters suggest growth as the measure of development to people although in recent years even
public economy considers the importance of
quality parameters (e.g. GPI = Genuine Progress
Indicator, Talberth 2008, see later).
1 Introduction