Barry Commoner Quotes

A collection of quotes by Barry Commoner.

Barry Commoner was an American scientist, environmentalist, and writer, best known for his advocacy and activism related to environmental issues. He was born on May 28, 1917, in Brooklyn, New York, and passed away on September 30, 2012, in New York City.

Commoner studied at Columbia University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in zoology and a doctorate in cellular biology. He later became a professor of environmental science at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. As a scientist, he focused on the effects of radiation on living organisms and conducted important research on the environment and the human impact on it.

However, Barry Commoner's real influence and recognition came from his work as an environmentalist and activist. During the 1960s and 1970s, he became a prominent figure in the environmental movement, advocating for more sustainable practices and raising public awareness about the dangers of pollution and nuclear weapon testing.

Commoner published numerous books, including his influential work titled "The Closing Circle: Nature, Man, and Technology," which emphasized the interconnectedness of ecological systems and called for greater responsibility and policy changes to safeguard the environment.

Throughout his life, Barry Commoner tirelessly campaigned for ecological awareness and the need to address environmental problems from a holistic perspective. His contributions to environmentalism continue to inspire generations of activists and scientists to work towards a more sustainable and healthy planet.

The weapons were conceived and created by a small band of ph

The weapons were conceived and created by a small band of physicists and chemists they remain a cataclysmic threat to the whole of human society and the natural environment.

Earth Day 1970 was irrefutable evidence that the American pe

Earth Day 1970 was irrefutable evidence that the American people understood the environmental threat and wanted action to resolve it.

The environmental crisis is a global problem, and only globa

The environmental crisis is a global problem, and only global action will resolve it.

By adopting the control strategy, the nation's environmental

By adopting the control strategy, the nation's environmental program has created a built-in antagonism between environmental quality and economic growth.

What is needed now is a transformation of the major systems

What is needed now is a transformation of the major systems of production more profound than even the sweeping post-World War II changes in production technology.

Environmental pollution is an incurable disease. It can only

Environmental pollution is an incurable disease. It can only be prevented.

The age of innocent faith in science and technology may be o

The age of innocent faith in science and technology may be over.

The modern assault on the environment began about 50 years a

The modern assault on the environment began about 50 years ago, during and immediately after World War II.

Environmental quality was drastically improved while economi

Environmental quality was drastically improved while economic activity grew by the simple expedient of removing lead from gasoline - which prevented it from entering the environment.

Environmental concern is now firmly embedded in public life:

Environmental concern is now firmly embedded in public life: in education, medicine and law in journalism, literature and art.

World War II had a very important impact on the development

World War II had a very important impact on the development of technology, as a whole.

My entry into the environmental arena was through the issue

My entry into the environmental arena was through the issue that so dramatically - and destructively - demonstrates the link between science and social action: nuclear weapons.

The wave of new productive enterprises would provide opportu

The wave of new productive enterprises would provide opportunities to remedy the unjust distribution of environmental hazards among economic classes and racial and ethnic communities.

In every case, the environmental hazards were made known onl

In every case, the environmental hazards were made known only by independent scientists, who were often bitterly opposed by the corporations responsible for the hazards.

What I have experienced over time is that environmental prob

What I have experienced over time is that environmental problems are easier to deal with in ways that don't go into their interconnections to the rest of what we are.

The most meaningful engine of change, powerful enough to con

The most meaningful engine of change, powerful enough to confront corporate power, may be not so much environmental quality, as the economic development and growth associated with the effort to improve it.

As the earth spins through space, a view from above the Nort

As the earth spins through space, a view from above the North Pole would encompass most of the wealth of the world - most of its food, productive machines, doctors, engineers and teachers. A view from the opposite pole would encompass most of the world's poor.

It reflects a prevailing myth that production technology is

It reflects a prevailing myth that production technology is no more amenable to human judgment or social interests than the laws of thermodynamics, atomic structure or biological inheritance.

The environmental crisis arises from a fundamental fault: ou

The environmental crisis arises from a fundamental fault: our systems of production - in industry, agriculture, energy and transportation - essential as they are, make people sick and die.