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Environmental science and resource management in the 21st century: Scientific perspective
Author(s) -
Cairns John
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1002/etc.5620120801
Subject(s) - perspective (graphical) , environmental ethics , agile software development , resource (disambiguation) , sociology , engineering ethics , management , engineering , computer science , philosophy , computer network , artificial intelligence , economics
Ecotoxicology in the 21st century will be part of the larger field of integrated environmental science and resource management. This already established trend has some main impetuses: (a) A definite shift is occurring from only protecting against toxic damage to ensuring robust ecosystem health or condition; (b) the modus operandi of the information age is integrative science, not fragmented science; (c) the most exciting discoveries are occurring at the interfaces of the classical disciplines; (d) the preoccupation with “end‐of‐the‐pipe” waste discharges is rapidly shifting to a system‐level or landscape‐level perspective; and (e) the professional societies that miss the beginnings of major trends can partially offset this loss by establishing close relationships with the new societies that are riding the crest of the “waves.” It will be extremely important for both individual professionals and professional societies to respond to these rapid changes. Otherwise, individuals will be left in the professional backwaters, and professional societies will be replaced by more agile young societies in the same way that SETAC had its genesis.