Introduction to Part I

Abstract

The problems of environmental protection are becoming more and more urgent and acute, a development closely related to the development of social production. This we conceive as the process of interaction between society and nature. Since the Second World War, world production has increased many times. From 1951 to 1981, the industrial production of the whole world increased by a multiple of 6.4; in socialist countries by one of 15.0; in developed capitalist countries by 4 and in the developing countries by 7.5. Consequently, consumption has also increased. The absolute growth of real consumption was very considerable, as a result of the demographic explosion. This was due, in turn, to advances in medicine, decreased morbidity and lower mortality rates. The population of the world — more than 1½ billion at the beginning of the century — increased over 80 years by 3 billion and now numbers 4.5 billion.