Earth, Inc.

Conclusion

Building the Ecosystem

Nature is amazingly productive. It has evolved millions of species from a handful of basic elements. It builds virtuous value cycles in which those millions of species fill the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers, and product and waste alike are integrated and recycled. It leverages those cycles through reproduction and speciation, and shares survival know-how through DNA. It taps into inherently renewable energy sources and builds internal systems for autonomous access and use of that energy. And no matter what, it ensures that all essential functions are fulfilled so its systems and cycles are always serviced. This is what makes the biosphere’s innovation and productivity dwarf our own.

Natural systems, ...