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Once considered a marginal or even irrelevant issue, in recent years, the environment has come to occupy an increasingly important place on the political, social and economic agenda. Environmental conflicts are often due to conflicting political and economic interests and can have major social repercussions. Until recently, little economic value was attached to drinking water; the same was true of arable land, energy generation and most natural resources. Pollution was regarded as a minor problem. Today, the economic and social value and costs of the environment are seen as incalculable and growing. Soil, food, water and air pollution have led to a significant increase in disease, and the cost of the ensuing environmental clean–up can be exponential. While the solutions are necessarily biological, they can have considerable economic consequences, too ; Postprint (published version)