Land, people, and policy: A national view

Excerpt

FOUR propositions shape attitudes and policies concerning natural resources, and three conditions provide the framework within which the resolution of natural resource conflicts can occur. Because most discussions of current and future natural resource demands tend to neglect one or more of these propositions and conditions, proposed solutions often cannot withstand the many pressures brought to bear on them.

Four propositions

The four propositions that shape attitudes and policies concerning natural resources are as follows:

Proposition 1. The economic growth and development that has characterized Western Europe, the Soviet Union, the United States, Canada, and Japan will spread much more widely over the globe during the remainder of this century.

Because of this economic growth and development, the trend toward use of modern technology around the world will continue. The benefits of this technology have been enormous to many, and modern communications are such that the many more who have not been so fortunate are aware of these benefits. They value and aspire to a longer life, individual mobility, economic security for the family, and individual development. This means improvement in agriculture, more industrialization, and more international trade. These developments will demand more natural resources, which raises questions about the …