Continuity is at the heart of conservatism: ecology serves that heart.

However, I think the major opposition to ecology has deeper roots than mere economics; ecology threatens widely held values so fundamental that they must be called religious.

The rational man finds that his share of the cost of the wastes he discharges into the commons is less than the cost of purifying his wastes before releasing them.

Moreover, the practical recommendations deduced from ecological principles threaten the vested interests of commerce; it is hardly surprising that the financial and political power created by these investments should be used sometimes to suppress environmental impact studies.

The optimum population is, then, less than the maximum.

But as population became denser, the natural chemical and biological recycling processes became overloaded, calling for a redefinition of property rights.