Barry Commoner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Barry Commoner
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Commoner in 1980
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| Born | May 28, 1917 |
| Died | September 30, 2012 (aged 95) Manhattan, New York, United States
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| Education | Columbia University Harvard University |
| Occupation | Biologist |
| Spouse(s) | Gloria Gordon (divorced; 2 children) Lisa Feiner (m. 1980) |
| Awards | Newcomb Cleveland Prize (1953) |
Barry Commoner (born May 28, 1917 – died September 30, 2012) was an American biologist, university professor, and politician. He was a leading ecologist and helped start the modern environmental movement. He directed the Center for Biology of Natural Systems. He also ran for president of the United States in 1980. His research on radioactive fallout from nuclear weapons tests helped lead to the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963.
Contents
Early Life
Commoner was born in Brooklyn, New York, on May 28, 1917. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Russia. He earned his first degree in zoology from Columbia University in 1937. He then received his master's and doctoral degrees from Harvard University in 1938 and 1941.
Career and Environmental Work
After serving in the US Navy during World War II, Commoner moved to St. Louis, Missouri. He worked as an editor for Science Illustrated from 1946 to 1947. In 1947, he became a professor of plant physiology at Washington University in St. Louis. He taught there for 34 years.
In 1966, he started the Center for the Biology of Natural Systems. This center focused on studying "the science of the total environment." Commoner also helped create the Journal of Theoretical Biology in 1961.
In the late 1950s, Commoner became well-known for speaking out against nuclear weapons testing. He was part of the Baby Tooth Survey team. This study showed that Strontium 90, a radioactive substance, was present in children's teeth. This was a direct result of nuclear fallout from weapons tests.
In 1958, he helped start the Greater St. Louis Committee on Nuclear Information. He also created a newsletter called Nuclear Information, which later became Environment magazine. Commoner wrote several books about the harmful effects of nuclear testing in the atmosphere. In 1970, he received the International Humanist Award.
Important Environmental Books
The Closing Circle
In 1971, Commoner wrote a popular book called The Closing Circle. In this book, he suggested that the US economy should be changed to follow the rules of nature. For example, he argued that polluting products, like certain detergents, should be replaced with natural ones, like soap.
This book was one of the first to introduce the idea of sustainability to many people. Commoner believed that harmful technologies were the main cause of environmental damage. He disagreed with others who thought that too many people (overpopulation) was the biggest problem. He argued that social development would naturally lead to slower population growth and less environmental harm.
Commoner's four laws of ecology from The Closing Circle are still very important:
- Everything is connected to everything else. This means all living things are part of one big system. What affects one part affects all.
- Everything must go somewhere. In nature, nothing is truly "waste." Things we throw "away" don't really disappear.
- Nature knows best. People often try to improve nature with technology. But Commoner said such changes are "likely to be detrimental to that system."
- There is no such thing as a free lunch. Using natural resources will always have a cost.
The Poverty of Power
Commoner published another popular book in 1976, The Poverty of Power. In this book, he talked about three big problems in the United States in the 1970s: the environment, energy, and the economy. He called them the "three e's."
He argued that these three issues were connected. Industries that used a lot of energy also caused the most harm to the environment. Relying on energy sources that run out, like oil, made energy expensive and hurt the economy. Commoner suggested that these problems were caused by the economic system and could only be solved by changing it.
Making Peace with the Planet
In 1990, Commoner wrote Making Peace With the Planet. In this book, he looked at the ongoing environmental crisis. He argued that the way we make goods needs to be changed.
Poverty and Population
Commoner studied the link between poverty and population growth. He believed that fast population growth in developing countries happened because they didn't have good living standards. He observed that poverty "initiates the rise in population" before it slows down.
He argued that developing countries were still affected by colonialism. These countries were, and still are, like "colonies of more developed countries." Western nations built roads and provided services in these countries. But this was often part of taking their labor and natural resources. The wealth created in developing countries was often "shipped out" to the colonizing nations. This allowed richer nations to develop more, while poorer ones struggled.
Commoner believed that richer nations need to help exploited countries develop. He said they need to "achieve the level of welfare" that developed nations have. He saw this as the only way to balance population growth in these developing countries.
His main idea was that poverty is the main cause of the population crisis. He concluded that if rich nations became rich by exploiting poor nations, then the only way to solve the problem is to "redistribute [the wealth], among nations and within them."
2000 Dioxin Arctic Study
In September 2000, Commoner led a study published by the North American Commission on Environmental Cooperation. The study found high levels of dioxin in the breast milk of Inuit women in the Arctic region of Nunavut, Canada.
The study used computer models to trace where the dioxins came from. It found that the pollution in the Arctic came from the United States. Out of 44,000 sources of dioxin pollution in the U.S., only 19 were causing more than a third of the pollution in Nunavut. Among these 19, the Harrisburg incinerator was the top source.
Commoner received the 2002 Joe A. Callaway Award for Civic Courage for his work.
Influence
Commoner's work had a big impact on the Environmental movement. In February 1970, Time magazine featured a section on the "environmental crisis." They called Commoner the "Paul Revere of ecology." This was because of his work on the dangers of nuclear fallout and other pollution.
Time's cover was a "call to arms" to get people to care about the environment. The next month, the first Earth Day took place. Twenty million Americans peacefully protested for environmental reform. Commoner's publications also influenced the Nixon administration. In June, the administration announced the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Clean Air Act of 1970.
Environmental Activism
In 1969, Commoner helped start the Missouri Coalition for the Environment. This is a group of citizens who advocate for the environment. His early guidance helped this group win many lawsuits to protect nature.
In 1980, Commoner founded the Citizens Party. He wanted this party to spread his ecological message. He ran for president of the United States in the 1980 US election. His running mate was La Donna Harris. Commoner received 233,052 votes (0.27 percent of the total).
After his presidential campaign, Commoner returned to New York City. He moved the Center for the Biology of Natural Systems to Queens College. He retired from that position in 2000. At the time of his death, Commoner was a senior scientist at Queens College.
Personal Life
After World War II, Commoner married Gloria Gordon, a psychologist. They had two children, Frederic and Lucy Commoner. Later, they divorced. In 1980, he married Lisa Feiner, a public-TV producer.
Death and Legacy
Barry Commoner died on September 30, 2012, in Manhattan, New York.
He was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He also has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. In 2014, the Center for Biology of Natural Systems at Queens College was renamed The Barry Commoner Center for Health and the Environment.
Works
- Books
- Science and Survival (1966) - about how science and technology relate to environmental dangers.
- The Closing Circle: Nature, Man, and Technology (1971).
- The Poverty of Power: Energy and the Economic Crisis (1976).
- The Politics of Energy (1979).
- Making Peace With the Planet (1990).
- Reports
- "Long-range Air Transport of Dioxin from North American Sources to Ecologically Vulnerable Receptors in Nunavut, Arctic Canada", (2000) - a report on dioxin pollution in the Arctic.
See also
In Spanish: Barry Commoner para niños
