§ 9.1. Background.
(a) The Commonwealth needs a plan to address the diverse resource and environmental problems of this Commonwealth, the limitations of past environmental protection strategies, the complex environmental problems associated with the emerging character of the Commonwealth constitutional responsibility for the protection and preservation of environmental values. The legislature passed the act of December 3, 1970 (P. L. 834, No. 275) establishing a mandate for action through the development of an Environmental Master Plan for this Commonwealth.
(b) In response to the various needs for action, the legislative mandate to ‘‘prepare a master environmental plan’’ suggests that a more comprehensive approach toward environmental protection based on a better understanding of the environment and human relationships to the environment is needed. A broad approach is necessary because traditional programs for environmental protection have been inadequate for the following reasons:
(1) Narrow program concerns provide solutions which may cause problems in other areas of the environment.
(2) Interrelated character of the environment makes it impossible to impact only a single part of the total system.
(3) Incomplete knowledge about the complex workings of the environment increases the potential for unintended or irreversible consequences.
(4) Preoccupation with short term goals and satisfaction of continually growing demands precludes an analysis of the long term impacts of current activities on a limited resource base.
(c) A broader view of the total environment recognizes man as a member of the biotic community. His social and economic activities are as much a part of the whole environment as the forests, mountains and streams. However, human survival, the survival of all other living things, and the general well-being of society depend upon the health and maintenance of the natural environment, clean air, pure water and the protection of the complex ecological relationships.
(d) The environment is generally described as the biosphere, the periph- eral portion of earth including the upper crust of the earth, the land surface, water, and a 25-mile-high band of atmosphere surrounding the earth. All living things are dependent upon this finite environment for survival. The interrelated and dynamic web of life support processes and resources within the environment must continue to function for the good of the overall biotic community, or the survival of all living things is jeopardized. The interaction of biological, chemical and physical processes over millions of years has created environmental conditions enabling the earth to support an abundance and diversity of life. The overall complexity of the environment emanating from the diversity of biological organisms, habitats and physical conditions provides a means for resisting dramatic changes that could ultimately result from small but potentially dangerous stresses. The capacity of the environment to accommodate growth, resource consumption and degradation is limited. Exceeding the capacity of the environment may disrupt vital ecologic processes which in turn could threaten the survival of many organisms, including man.
(e) In the past 100 years the scope and magnitude of human activities have resulted in extensive population growth, unprecedented resource consumption and degradation of the natural environment. While shaping and changing the environment to suit their needs, humans must recognize that they are still members of the biotic community and are completely dependent upon a healthy environment for survival. In order to plan for the protection of the environment and the long term survival of society ‘‘a master environmental plan’’ must be based upon an ecologically sensitive philosophy which recognizes the values of the environment that must be respected by humans during their pursuit of social and economic goals.
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