Fate, resource sustainability

Wetzel, R. G. 2002. Origins, fates, and ramifications of natural organic compounds of wetlands. In Proceedings of a conference on sustainability of wetlands and water resources How well can riverine wetlands continue to support society into the 21st century (M. M. Holland, M. L. Warren, and J. A. Stanturf, Eds.), pp. 183-189. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-50, U.S. Dept, of Agriculture, Forest Service, Asheville, NC. 

Soil is the most diverse ecosystem and Earth s most important resource in sustaining all life in the terrestrial environment. Physical, chemical, and biological processes are not independent but rather, interactive with each other. The interactions at physical-chemical-biological interfaces govern the mechanisms of transformations, speciation, dynamics, bioavailability, toxicity, and fate of metals and metalloids in soil and related environments. 

For two decades there has been growing concern about the management of the resources of our planet to ensure a sustainable quality of life in the future. There are two aspects. One is that there is a finite limit to the non-renewable resources available. The other is the fate of products and their components. Detrimental effect of chemicals on the ozone... 

It is commonly believed that the natural resources of the earth are being used up, and that our fate as a species on this planet depends in a critical way on the conservation of these resources. Shortly after Commoner [4] and Meadows and Meadows [6] came up with proposals for zero growth , many countries in the developed world experienced cycles of less than zero growth and found it very unpleasant. The new watchword then became sustainable growth , but no one determined how to measure it. Furthermore, there is no consensus on what is sustainable, or indeed how to define growth . 

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