Managing the Anthrosphere for Sustainability

This chapter addresses management of the anthrosphere for sustainability. It is important to manage the anthrosphere sustainably for two major reasons. One of these is that the anthrosphere tends to be a voracious consumer of materials and Earth s natural capital. Therefore, it is very important to manage the anthrosphere in ways that control its appetite for consumption and conserve and preserve Earth s limited resources in the most sustainable way possible. A second reason is that the anthrosphere has a strong tendency to produce pollutants and wastes (Eigure 16.1). For this reason, a major goal of sustainability must be to manage the anthrosphere in a way that minimizes or completely eliminates wastes, especially hazardous wastes. 

The first part of this chapter addresses utilization of materials by the anthrosphere. Emphasis is placed on renewable materials, especially those from the biosphere, and on conservation and recycling of metals and other nonrenewable materials. The second part of this chapter discusses minimization of the impact of anthrospheric wastes with emphasis on elimination of hazardous wastes and treatment of wastes to make them nonhazardous. 

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