Within two centuries of industrial development men have intervened in natural environment to a far greater extent than in the previous millennia. Along with industrial revolution, the metabolism between human and nature underwent a revolutionary change as well. The limits of the fossil age are not only apparent in climate change. A different, yet insufficiently noticed danger for environment and health comes from advancing toxications which derive from the rapidly increasing number and amount of synthetic compounds, which interfuse all areas of life. The focus of the following paper is on how the chemical industry has been developed, in the general context of industrialisation.

This paper is an updated and revised version of the first chapters of “Ein Planet wird vergiftet”, which was published in 1992 in the rororo-aktuell (Aktuell 13013) series. The sequel to this book was published by oekom in 2008, under the title “Am Ende des fossilen Zeitalters. Alternativen zum Raubbau an den natürlichen Lebensgrundlagen” (ISBN 978-3-86581-122-6).