Economics as Mechanics and the Demise of Biological Diversity
Author(s)
Norgaard, Richard B.
Abstract
Macro explanations of the loss of biodiversity have emphasized how higher population levels have forced the transformation of relatively undisturbed areas, and how industrial pollutants and energy intensive agriculture have put new and relatively uniform selective pressures on species. This paper explores how a third macro phenomenon – social organization based on specialization and exchange – has contributed to the demise of biological diversity.
