It's surprising that we haven't even begun to understand how our ecosystem works. If we don't know the components that go into the intricate system of our Earth, how can we know the repercussions of what we create and add to our environment? I have to admit I've jumped on the organic/green movement ever since I had kids, so I feel more convicted about my footprint on the Earth. It's just interesting to think of the reaction on the planet that a synthetic item has.
http://www.the-scientist.com//?articles.view/articleNo/34448/title/Opinion--Biodiversity-Impacts-Humanity/
The "failure"--or more likely, "learning experience"--of the Biosphere II only makes me all the more thankful that we still live on an ecosystem that is efficient for our survival. Frankly, I am not as surprised to find that we still don't know ALL the factors that constitute a successful ecosystem. We are still discovering so many new things everyday. And our ecosystem is complex--extremely so--as you have referred to it as "intricate." I think there will be always living habits--no matter how many discoveries man makes--that will be detrimental to our ecosystem, our health, etc. The "new" discoveries many years ago to improve our living habits, etc. have been many times overridden by the recent findings that these attempts to improve weigh more to be detrimental than beneficial. For example, the hybrid car battery--I think--has been found to be composed of materials that is harmful to our ecosystem. Same for the fluorescent light bulbs.
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