Policies on Energy Efficient and Environmentally Sound Technologies Principle of Adaptability The term adaptation means the “genetically determined structural or functional characteristic of an organism that enhances its chances of reproducing and passing on its genes”10. It enables the natural systems to persist by adapting to change. This principle implies that human society “must adapt to changes it has created through cultural changes -- changes in our ethics and our way of living and conducting business”11. Hence, human beings should not continue the excessive and destructive patterns of consumption in the face of the current environmental crisis. Principle of Renewable Resource Use The environment has renewable resources like water, plants, animals, sunlight and wind. The fundamental ecological processes renew these resources. In contrast, the non-renewable resources refer to those that are present in the environment in limited quantities. The fundamental ecological processes are not capable of renewing or increasing the quantity of such resources. The principle of renewable resource use implies that human society should constantly seek better ways of using renewable resources than the non-renewable resources. This means that extraction of renewable resources should be equal or less than the capacity of these resources to regenerate and must not destroy biological diversity. 2.2 Relationship between Environmental Protection
Ecological
Principles and
the
Principles
of
The ecological principles are the immediate bases of the general principles of environmental protection, namely, the ecocycle society principle, principle of critical loads, precautionary principle, substitution principle, best available technology principle, polluter pays principle, extended product responsibility principle, and the sustainable development principle. A brief discussion of these principles is presented below. Ecocycle Society Principle The ecocycle society principle applies the principle of "cyclic material management" in order to reduce and close the flows of materials to the extent that: •
10 11
The materials that society produces can be incorporated to the natural cycle without impairing the natural capacities and services (Principle of Recycling or Reuse);
Chiras, 578. Ibid., inside back cover.
Alan S. Cajes
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