Changing the Global Environment. Perspectives on Human Involvement

✍ Scribed by Daniel B. Botkin, Margriet F. Caswell and John E. Estes (Eds.)

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Year: 1989
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 445
• Edition: 0
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

In the last human generation we have learned that life existed on our earth for more than three billion years, yet man has done more to change the earth and its ability to support life in the last few centuries than preceding life forms have over hundreds of millions of years. And nearly all of these changes were brought about as unforeseen or unconsidered side-effects of our technologies.
The editors of this book feel that rather than accepting environmental degradation as the wages of progress, today we are seeing ''a more widely accepted idea that concern for the environment is simply good economics and planning.''
In a series of essays written by environmental, economic, and social scientists from around the world, Changing the Global Environment looks at the ecological problems facing us as we move into the next century and examines possible solutions suggested by such new techniques as remote sensing and the implementation of worldwide computer-based data systems

✦ Table of Contents

Content:
Front Matter, Page iii
Copyright, Page iv
CONTRIBUTORS, Pages ix-xi
PREFACE, Pages xiii-xvii, Daniel B. Botkin, Margriet F. Caswell, John E. Estes, Angelo A. Orio
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, Page xix
INTRODUCTION TO PERSPECTIVES ON THE BIOSPHERE, Page 1
1 - SCIENCE AND THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT, Pages 3-14, DANIEL B. BOTKIN
2 - MAN'S ROLE IN MANAGING THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT, Pages 15,17-33, LEE M. TALBOT
3 - THE IMPACT OF LIFE ON THE PLANET EARTH: SOME GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS, Pages 35,37-48, PETER WESTBROEK
4 - FROM PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES TO MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES: A STROLL THROUGH SPACE AND TIME, Pages 49,51-67, LYNN MARGULIS, RICARDO GUERRERO
5 - SUSTAINABLE USE OF THE GLOBAL OCEAN, Pages 69,71-87, G. CARLETON RAY
6 - DEFORESTATION AND THE EXTINCTION OF SPECIES, Pages 89,91-98, THOMAS E. LOVEJOY
7 - LARGE-SCALE ALTERATION OF BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTIVITY DUE TO TRANSPORTED POLLUTANTS, Pages 99,101-116, ORIE L. LOUCKS
8 - FOOD PROBLEMS IN THE NEXT DECADES, Pages 117,119-126,126a,127-134, SYLVAN H. WITTWER
9 - SOIL DEGRADATION AND CONVERSION OF TROPICAL RAINFORESTS, Pages 135,137-154, R. LAL
10 - NUCLEAR WINTER, CURRENT UNDERSTANDING, Pages 155,157-164, GEORGE F. CARRIER
INTRODUCTION TO SOME OF THE WAYS WE CAN LEARN ABOUT OUR GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT, Pages 165-166
11 - MODERN CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR ASSESSMENT AND SOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS, Pages 167,169-184, ANGELO A. ORIO
12 - THE SEARCH FOR NONRENEWABLE RESOURCES IN THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS, Pages 185,187-202, JAMES V. TARANIK
13 - REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD, Pages 203,205-212, C.K. PAUL, D.G. MOORE, M.L. IMHOFF, A.N. SELLMAN
14 - THE APPLICATION OF REMOTE SENSING IN SOUTH AMERICA: PERSPECTIVES FOR THE FUTURE BASED ON RECENT EXPERIENCES, Pages 213,215-230, WILLIAM G. BROONER
15 - GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND NATURAL RESOURCE ISSUES AT THE STATE LEVEL, Pages 231,233-240, P.G. RISSER, L.R. IVERSON
16 - THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT MONITORING SYSTEM AND THE NEED FOR A GLOBAL RESOURCE DATA BASE, Pages 241,243-256, MICHAEL D. GWYNNE, D. WAYNE MOONEYHAN
17 - THE USE OF REMOTE SENSING TO ASSESS ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF NUCLEAR FACILITIES, Pages 257,259-267,267a,267b,267c,267d,267e,267f,267g,267h, L.R. TINNEY, J.G. LACKEY
18 - LINKING ECOLOGICAL NETWORKS AND MODELS TO REMOTE SENSING PROGRAMS, Pages 269,271-282, M.I. DYER, D.A. CROSSLEY JR.
19 - OBSERVING THE EARTH IN THE NEXT DECADES, Pages 283,285-304, ALEXANDER J. TUYAHOV, JEFFREY L. STAR, JOHN E. ESTES
INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC POLICY ISSUES, Pages 305-307
20 - SUSTAINABLE FUTURES: SOME ECONOMIC ISSUES, Pages 309,311-323, DAVID PEARCE
21 - ETHICAL AND ECONOMIC SYSTEMS FOR MANAGING THE GLOBAL COMMONS, Pages 325,327-337, RALPH C. d'ARGE
22 - MANAGING NATURAL RESOURCES: THE LOCAL LEVEL, Pages 339,341-366, DAVID BROKENSHA, BERNARD W. RILEY
23 - SOCIAL VALUES AND ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY, Pages 367,369-382, TAYLER H. BINGHAM
24 - TECHNOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Pages 383,385-402, GEORGE BUGLIARELLO
25 - MANAGEMENT OF HIGH TECHNOLOGY: A CURE OR CAUSE OF GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES?, Pages 403,405-418, BRIAN W. MAR
26 - BETTER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT THROUGH THE ADOPTION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES, Pages 419,421-436, MARGRIET F. CASWELL
27 - THE SEARCH FOR EFFECTIVE POLLUTION CONTROL POLICIES, Pages 437,439-454, ALFRED ENDRES
INDEX, Pages 455-459