Environmental Control and Legislation

This chapter discusses public efforts to abate pollution. In this long, slow, and inefficient struggle, society has rarely used its best abilities but has instead shown great tolerance for waste. Obviously, abatement is not only a chemical and technical problem but involves human psychology. The rapid technological transition has caused the importance of psychological questions to steadily increase because it has caused confusion as to which process and products are still viable and which formerly valuable products are becoming obsolete and useless, and constitutes unwanted waste. Thus, it is impossible to deal with the scientific problems of environmental control legislation without first considering some important psychological factors. The handling of wastes is connected with pride and status. In all societies, the dumping of wastes and clean-up work onto others constitutes a natural and basic method of establishing one's status. The total quantity of waste produced is correlated with gross national product.