Remarks by Ralph Nader on the Passing of Barry Commoner

Given the pioneering range and depth of his activities, Dr. Barry Commoner should be considered the greatest environmentalist of the 20^th century. Scientist, networker, community and international organizer, best-selling author, operational advocate, and presidential candidate, Commoner lived by what he called the law of ecology – that “everything is connected to everything else.” To him, nuclear bomb testing, poverty, the choice of production technologies, corporate power, money in politics, worker health and safety, and scientific irresponsibility were all part of the connected pattern of events that threaten the Earth and its people. His great work is reflected in his many campaigns that succeeded and in raising public consciousness to the silent violence of toxic pollution. His beautifully written books – The Closing Circle, The Poverty of Power, and Making Peace with the Planet – will extend his legacy to future generations. He was our generation’s renaissance man.

– Ralph Nader