Abstract
The first questions to ask are, what kind of matter are we considering and what do we mean by stability?
Two conflicting views dominate our perception of man’s long-term future. The “catastrophists” believe that the Earth’s resources will soon be exhausted … the “cornucopians” argue that most of the essential raw materials are in infinite supply.
A.M. Weinberg (1915– )
All things from eternity are of a like form and come round in a circle.
Marcus Aurelius (“Meditations”) (121–180)
Don’t drink the water and don’t breathe the air.
T. Lehrer (“Pollution”, 1965, from P. Ehrlich “Ecoscience”)
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Taube, M. (1985). The Eternal Cycle of Matter on the Earth. In: Evolution of Matter and Energy on a Cosmic and Planetary Scale. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-95453-5_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-95453-5_5
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