BioSociety — Introduction

Whatever one’s view of philosophy, religion, justice, or social cohesion, our common reality is that we all live on this one planet. As greenhouse gas emissions increase in the biosphere and hazardous chemicals production escalates in the newly industrializing economies we need to quickly turn the compass towards a sustainable path. The challenge is enormous but we have the models and means to learn from past mistakes and advance clean production and sustainable consumption. By applying social equity and living in harmony with our world’s biological systems we can plan a future rich in promise for our children and generations to come.

Some criteria of biological stability:

• Nature is effective — waste becomes the nutrient for another cycle.
• The system is driven by solar and renewable energy.
• All things are interconnected; the exchange of energy and materials within and between biological systems is dynamic.
• Stability is based on biological diversity.

Taking a lesson from nature and being aware of our complex human and economic systems — our production systems should promote:

• Biological and social diversity.
• The elimination of toxic inputs and waste.
• The judicious use of renewable energy and materials.
• Human sufficiency and the equality of access to resources.
• Continuous adaptation based on increased understanding of ecological realities.
• The proximity principle, which encourages the solution of environmental problems close to their source.
• The precautionary principle