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Linking Science and Technology to Society's Environmental Goals (1996) / Chapter Skim
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Barry Gold, U.S. Department of the Interior
Pages 413-418

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 413...
... It's important because it acknowledges the legitimate role that societal goals must play in shaping environmental research priorities, as well as the role that research results play in shaping society's goals for the environment. Dialogue such as this one can help ensure that environmental science and technology activities are relevant to society's needs and aspirations.
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From page 414...
... Healthy ecological systems provide goods in the form of food, raw materials, sources of energy, medicinal plants, and genetic resources among others. They also provide services, such as maintaining hydrological cycles, cleansing water and air, pollinating crops and other important plants, storing and cycling essential nutrients, providing sites for tourism and recreation, regulating climate, maintaining the composition of the atmosphere, generating and maintaining soils and reefs, naturally controlling disease vectors, and absorbing detoxifying pollutants.
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From page 415...
... Federal agencies, state agencies, museums and universities, private corporations, and nongovernmental organizations all spend money to collect data and conduct research on biological resources and ecological systems. These efforts do not add up to coherent views of the biota of even places we've studied intensively, like South Florida, yet alone the entire United States.
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From page 416...
... Key driving forces generating change in ecosystem structure and function include natural and environmental perturbations and anthropogenic stresses, such as extractive and nonextractive uses, habitat destruction, and impacts from contaminants and pollutants. The NBS both conducts tactical research on issues already identified as serious problems and undertakes strategic research aimed at addressing emerging and future problems.
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From page 417...
... So my final recommendations to the forum are: Recognize the increasingly ecological nature of environmental problems, foster integrated ecological research where appropriate, and don't ignore the role of the private sector in establishing the boundaries within which individuals and households will make environmental decisions.
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Key Terms

  • national biological
  • biological service
  • human population
  • societal goals
  • train wrecks

  • environmental change
  • nongovernmental organizations
  • driving forces
  • private corporations
  • management decisions

  • secretary babbit
  • related capabilities
  • rallied public
  • nbs research
  • species issues

  • unintended threats
  • multiple species
  • clean air
  • environmental quality
  • single resource

  • unified attempt
  • rigorous standards
  • shaping environmental
  • health arena
  • seemingly unrelated

  • tactical research
  • cleansing water
  • ecological research
  • hydrological cycles
  • various drivers


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