Abstract
In a time span of just a few generations man has significantly altered the surface of the earth and affected the major global biogeochemical cycles. Natural ecosystems are replaced by agricultural monocultures and man-made infrastructures, resources are exploited faster than they are renewed, and waste products accumulate in air, water and soils. As a result, ecosystems are degraded, life support processes are threatened, and biodiversity, being the key factor in maintaining biospheric resilience, decreases at an alarming rate.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bennett, G. (ed.), 1991, Towards a European ecological network, Institute for European Environmental Policy, Arnhem.
Braat, L.C., S.W.F. van der Ploeg and F. Bouma, 1979, Functions of the natural environment, an economic-ecological analysis, Institute for Environmental Studies, IVM-VU publ. no. 79-9, Amsterdam.
Buitenkamp, M., H. Venner and T. Wams, 1992, Actieplan Nederland duurzaam, Vere-niging Milieudefensie, Amsterdam.
Dieren, W. van and M.G.W. Hummelinck, 1979, Nature’s price, the economics of Mother Earth, Marion Boyars Ltd., London, Boston.
Ehrlich, P.R., 1985, The concept of human ecology: a personal view, IUCN Bulletin, Vol. 16(4–6), pp 60–61.
Ehrlich, P.R., A.H. Ehrlich and J.P. Holdren, 1977, Ecoscience: population, resources, environment, W.H. Freeman and Company, San Francisco.
Fishman, J. and R. Kalish, 1990, Global alert: the ozone pollution crisis, Plenum Press, New York.
Groot, R.S. de, 1992, Functions of nature: evaluation of nature in environmental planning, management and decision making. Wolters-Noordhoff, Groningen.
IPCC, 1990a, Climate change: the IPCC scientific assessment, Report of Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, edited by J.T. Houghton, G.J. Jenkins and J.J. Ephraums, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
IPCC, 1990b, Climate change: the IPCC response strategies, Report of working group III of the intergovernmental panel on climate change, World Meteorological Organisation/United Nations Environment Programme.
IPCC, 1992, Climate change 1992: the supplementary report to the IPCC scientific assessment, edited by J.T. Houghton, B.A. Callander and S.K. Varney, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
IUCN, UNEP and WWF, 1991, Caring for the Earth: a strategy for sustainability, International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Gland.
Johansson, T.B., H. Kelly, A.K.N. Reddy, R.H. Williams and L. Burnham (eds), 1993, Renewable energy: sources for fuel and electricity, Island Press, Washington DC.
Leggett, J. (ed.), 1990, Global warming: the Greenpeace report, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Lovelock, J.E., 1979, Gaia: a new look at life on Earth, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Lovelock, J.E., 1988, The ages of Gaia: a biography of our living Earth, W.W. Norton & Company, New York, London.
McKibben, B., 1991, The end of nature, Random House, New York.
McNeely, J.A., 1988, Economics and biological diversity: developing and using economic incentives to conserve biological resources, International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Gland.
Maarel, E. van der and P.L. Dauvellier, 1978, Naar een Globaal Ecologisch Model (GEM) voor de ruimtelijke ontwikkeling van Nederland, Vol. 1 and 2, Ministerie van Volkshuisvesting en Ruimtelijke Ordening, Staatsuitgeverij, Den Haag.
NASA, 1988, Earth system science, overview, Report of the Earth System Science Committee, NASA Advisory Council, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington DC.
Oosterhuis, F.H., A.J. Gilbert, V.M. Sol, J.F. Feenstra and H.M.A. Jansen, 1992, Con-ceptualisering van het begrip “verspilling”, Ministerie van Volksgezondheid, Ruimtelijke Ordening en Milieubeheer, Publikatiereeks Milieustrategie no. 1992/18.
Pearce, D. and A. Markandya, 1987, The benefits of environmental policy: an appraisal of environmental improvement and the economic cost of environmental damage. An earlier version of this paper was prepared for the OECD workshop on the Benefits of Environmental Policy and Decision Making, Avignon, 8–10 October 1986.
Schlesinger, W.H., 1991, Biogeochemistry: An analysis of global change, Academic Press, San Diego/London.
Simmons, L.G., 1991, Earth, air and water: resources and environment in the late 20th century, Edward Arnold, London.
SNM and VMD, 1990, Het broeikaseffect, erop of eronder, Stichting Natuur en Milieu en Vereniging Milieudefensie, Uitgeverij Milieudefensie, Amsterdam.
Sol, V.M. and S. Rosdorff, 1993, Compacte stad en milieu: een spanningsveld? Instituut voor Milieuvraagstukken, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam.
Stockholm Environment Institute, 1990, Targets and indicators of climate change, edited by F. Rijsberman and R.J. Swart.
Stortenbeker, C.W., 1990, Op weg naar het Paaseiland scenario? De mens en zijn na-tuurlijk milieu in de 21ste eeuw. In: Commissie Lange Termijn Milieubeleid, Het Milieu: Denkbeeiden voor de 21ste eeuw, Kerckebosch, Zeist, pp 308–336.
UNCED, 1992, The Rio Declaration on Environmental Development, United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, 3–14 June 1992.
UNCED, 1992, The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, 3–14 June 1992.
Wereld Natuur Fonds, 1992, Hoe komen we aan de grand? Panda November 1992, pp 12–13.
Westbroek, P., 1991, Life as a geological force, W.W. Norton & Company, New York.
Weterings, R.A.P.M. and J.B. Opschoor, 1992, The ecocapacity as a challenge to technological development. Advisory Council for Research on Nature and Environment. RMNO publ.no. 74a, Rijswijk.
Wilson, E.O., 1989, Threats to biodiversity. Scientific American 261(3), pp 60–69.
WRI, 1992, World Resources 1992–93: A guide to the global environment. World Resources Institute, in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme and the United Nations Development Programme, Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1994 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Vellinga, P., de Groot, R., Klein, R. (1994). An ecologically sustainable biosphere. In: The Environment: Towards a Sustainable Future. Environment & Policy, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0808-9_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0808-9_12
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-0-7923-2656-4
Online ISBN: 978-94-011-0808-9
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive