History :: Who was Barry Commoner ?

Who was Barry Commoner ?

Barry Commoner died on September 30, 2012 in Manhattan, New York.

In his 1971 book The Closing Circle, a bestseller, Commoner suggested
that the American economy should be restructured to conform to the
unbending laws of ecology.

For example, he argued that polluting products (like detergents or
synthetic textiles) should be replaced with natural products (like
soap or cotton and wool).

This book was one of the first to bring the idea of sustainability to
a mass audience.

One of Barry Commoner's lasting legacies is his four laws of ecology,
as written in The Closing Circle.

The four laws are:

1. Everything is Connected to Everything Else. There is one ecosphere
for all living organisms and what affects one, affects all.

2. Everything Must Go Somewhere. There is no "waste" in nature and
there is no "away" to which things can be thrown.

3. Nature Knows Best. Humankind has fashioned technology to improve
upon nature, but such change in a natural system is, says Commoner,
"likely to be detrimental to that system."

4. There Is No Such Thing as a Free Lunch. Exploitation of nature will
inevitably involve the conversion of resources from useful to useless
forms.


Barry Commoner published another bestseller in 1976, The Poverty of Power.

In that book, he addressed the "Three Es" that were plaguing the
United States in the 1970s:

1. First there was the threat to environmental survival;

2. then there was the apparent shortage of energy;

3. and now there is the unexpected decline of the economy.

He argued that the three issues were interconnected:

1. the industries that used the most energy had the highest negative
impact on the environment;

2. the focus on non-renewable resources as sources of energy meant
that those resources were growing scarce,

3. thus pushing up the price of energy and hurting the economy.

Barry Commoner (May 28, 1917 – September 30, 2012) was an American
biologist, college professor, and politician.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Commoner

In other ecology news today ::

Climate change and ocean acidification is killing off coral reefs
around the world.

One of the worst hit reefs if the magnificent Great Barrier Reef, off
of Australia, half of which has died off in the last 30 years, a new
study suggests.

Several human interventions could save the reef, Les Kaufman told LiveScience:

"The problem is entirely soluble, and coral reefs can be saved through
concerted effort over this and the following two or three
generations," said Kaufman. "There is absolutely no excuse for failure
to do this, and if we do fail our generation will forever be
remembered for unimaginable, unforgivable stupidity and sloth."

Read more:
http://www.businessinsider.com/half-of-the-great-barrier-reef-died-30-years-2012-10