We seem to think, however, that economic development and preservation of the environment cannot go hand in hand. For most countries, economic development comes first, at the expense of the environment. It is high time everyone came to grips with the consequences of overusing the earth's resources, including the misuse of land in the pursuit of economic wealth.

不过，我们似乎认为经济发展与环境保护无法同时兼顾。对大部分国家来说，经济发展是第一位的，为此可以不惜牺牲环境。然而，我们已过度使用了地球的资源，包括为了追求经济繁荣而滥用的土地，如今该是我们认真面对这个后果的时候了。