Cengage Advantage Books: Sustaining the Earth An Integrated Approach (with CD-ROM and InfoTrac)

by Miller, G. Tyler

• ISBN13: 9780534496722
• ISBN10: 0534496725
• Edition: 7th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-10-12
• Publisher: Brooks Cole

Summary

Part I: HUMANS AND SUSTAINABILITY: AN OVERVIEW. 1. Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability. 2. Environmental Economics, Politics, and Worldviews. Part II: SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS. 3. Science, Matter, Energy, and Ecosystems: Connections in Nature. 4. Evolution and Biodiversity. 5. Community Ecology, Population Ecology, and Sustainability. 6. Applying Population Ecology: The Human Population. Part III: SUSTAINING BIODIVERSITY. 7. Sustaining Biodiversity: The Ecosystem Approach. 8. Sustaining Biodiversity: The Species Approach. Part IV: SUSTAINING KEY RESOURCES. 9. Food and Soil Resources. 10. Water Resources and Water Pollution. 11. Energy Resources. Part V: SUSTAINING ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY. 12. Risk, Toxicology, and Human Health. 13. Climate Change, Ozone Loss, and Air Pollution. 14. Solid and Hazardous Waste.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(4)
PART I: HUMANS AND SUSTAINABILITY: AN OVERVIEW
Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability	5	(11)
Living More Sustainability	5	(1)
Population Growth, Economic Growth, and Economic Development	6	(1)
Resources	7	(3)
Case Study: The Tragedy of the Commons--Degrading Free Renewable Resources	8	(2)
Pollution	10	(1)
Environmental Problems: Causes and Connections	11	(3)
Is Our Present Course Sustainable?	14	(2)
PART II: SCIENCE AND ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES
Science, Matter, Energy, and Ecosystems: Connections in Nature	16	(30)
The Nature of Science	16	(2)
Matter and Energy	18	(6)
Earth's Life-Support Systems: From Organisms to the Biosphere	24	(6)
Case Study: What Species Rule the World? Small Matters	24	(1)
Case Study: Have You Thanked the Insects Today?	24	(6)
Energy Flow in Ecosystems	30	(5)
Soils	35	(3)
Matter Cycling in Ecosystems	38	(8)
Evolution and Biodiversity	46	(17)
Evolution and Adaptation	46	(2)
Ecological Niches and Adaptation	48	(2)
Spotlight: Cockroaches: Nature's Ultimate Survivors	48	(2)
Speciation, Extinction, and Biodiversity	50	(2)
What Is the Future of Evolution?	52	(2)
Biomes: Climate and Life on Land	54	(4)
Life in Water Environments	58	(5)
Community Ecology, Population Ecology, and Sustainability	63	(14)
Types of Species	63	(3)
Case Study: Why Are Amphibians Vanishing? Warnings from Frogs	63	(2)
Case Study: Why Are Sharks Important Species? Culling the Ocean and Helping Improve Human Health	65	(1)
Species Interactions	66	(2)
Ecological Succession: Communities in Transition	68	(2)
Population Dynamics and Carrying Capacity	70	(2)
Human Impacts on Natural Systems: Learning from Nature	72	(5)
Connections: Ecological Surprises	75	(2)
Applying Population Ecology: The Human Population	77	(24)
Factors Affecting Human Population Size	77	(5)
Case Study: Should the United States Encourage or Discourage Immigration? An Important Issue	81	(1)
Population Age Structure	82	(2)
Solutions: Influencing Population Size	84	(3)
Case Studies: India and China	87	(2)
Population Distribution: Urban Growth and Problems	89	(3)
Urban Environmental and Resource Problems	92	(2)
Case Study: How Do the Urban Poor in Developing Countries Live? Life on the Edge with Ingenuity and Hope	94	(1)
Transportation and Urban Development	94	(3)
Making Urban Areas More Livable and Sustainable	97	(4)
Case Study: How Has Curitiba, Brazil, Become One of the World's Most Sustainable Major Cities? Innovative Solutions to Urban Problems	99	(2)
PART III: SUSTAINING BIODIVERSITY
Sustaining Biodiversity: The Ecosystem Approach	101	(25)
Human Impacts on Biodiversity	101	(2)
Public Lands in the United States	103	(2)
Case Study: How Should U.S. Public Lands Be Managed? An Ongoing Controversy	103	(2)
Managing and Sustaining Forests	105	(5)
Forest Resources and Management in the United States	110	(2)
Case Study: How Should U.S. National Forests Be Managed? Another Controversy	110	(1)
Individuals Matter: Butterfly in a Redwood Tree	111	(1)
Tropical Deforestation	112	(3)
Individuals Matter: Kenya's Green Belt Movement	115	(1)
National Parks	115	(2)
Case Study: National Parks in the United States	115	(1)
Case Study: Reintroducing Wolves to Yellowstone	116	(1)
Nature Reserves	117	(4)
Case Study: What Has Costa Rica Done to Protect Some of Its Land from Degradation? A Global Conservation Leader	118	(2)
Case Study: How Much Wilderness Has Been Protected in the United States? Fighting for Crumbs and Losing	120	(1)
Ecological Restoration	121	(1)
Case Study: Ecological Restoration of a Tropical Dry Forest in Costa Rica	122	(1)
Sustaining Aquatic Biodiversity	122	(2)
What Can We Do?	124	(2)
Sustaining Biodiversity: The Species Approach	126	(20)
Species Extinction	126	(4)
Case Study: The Passenger Pigeon: Gone Forever	126	(4)
Importance of Wild Species?	130	(2)
Case Study: Why Should We Care about Bats? Ecological Allies	131	(1)
Causes of Premature Extinction of Wild Species	132	(7)
Case Study: How Do Human Activities Affect Bird Species? A Disturbing Message from the Birds	134	(3)
Case Study: The Termite from Hell	137	(2)
Protecting Wild Species: The Legal Approach	139	(3)
Protecting Wild Species: The Sanctuary Approach	142	(1)
Case Study: What Has the Endangered Species Act Accomplished?	142	(1)
Reconciliation Ecology	143	(3)
Case Study: Using Reconciliation Ecology to Protect Bluebirds	144	(2)
PART IV: SUSTAINING KEY RESOURCES
Food, Soil, and Pest Management	146	(25)
How Is Food Produced	146	(4)
Case Study: Industrial Food Production in the United States: A Success Story	149	(1)
Soil Erosion and Degradation	150	(2)
Case Study: How Fast Is Soil Eroding in the United States? Some Hopeful News	150	(2)
Soil Conservation	152	(2)
Food Production, Nutrition, and Environmental Effects	154	(2)
Increasing Crop Production	156	(8)
Connections: Some Environmental Consequences of Meat Production	160	(4)
Protecting Food Resources: Pest Management	164	(5)
Individuals Matter: Rachel Carson	165	(1)
Spotlight: How Successful Have Synthetic Pesticides been in Reducing Crop Losses in the United States?	166	(1)
Connections: What Goes Around Can Come Around	167	(2)
Solutions: Sustainable Agriculture	169	(2)
Water Resources and Water Pollution	171	(30)
Water's Importance, Use, and Renewal	171	(3)
Case Study: Freshwater Resources in the United States	173	(1)
Water Resource Problems: Too Little Water and Too Much Water	174	(4)
Case Study: Water Conflicts in the Middle East--A Growing Problem	175	(1)
Case Study: Living on Floodplains in Bangladesh--Danger for the Poor	176	(2)
Supplying More Water	178	(4)
Case Study: The California Water Transfer Project--Bringing Water to a Desert	179	(1)
Case Study: The Aral Sea Disaster---A Glaring Example of Unintended Consequences	180	(2)
Reducing Water Waste	182	(4)
Types, Effects, and Sources of Water Pollution	186	(1)
Pollution of Freshwater Streams, Lakes, and Aquifers	187	(5)
Case Study: Pollution in the Great Lakes---Hopeful Progress	190	(2)
Ocean Pollution	192	(3)
Case Study: The Chesapeake Bay---An Estuary in Trouble	192	(3)
Preventing and Reducing Surface Water Pollution	195	(3)
Case Study: How Successful Has the United States Been in Reducing Water Pollution from Point Sources? Good and Bad News	197	(1)
Solutions: Using Wetlands to Treat Sewage	198	(1)
Drinking Water Quality	198	(3)
Case Study: Is Bottled Water the Answer? Solution or Expensive Rip-off?	199	(2)
Energy	201	(37)
Evaluating Energy Resources	201	(3)
Nonrenewable Fossil Fuels	204	(7)
Nonrenewable Nuclear Energy	211	(9)
Case Study: What Happened to Nuclear Power? A Fading Dream	213	(2)
Case Study: What Should We Do with High-Level Radioactive Waste? A Dangerous and Long-Lasting, Unintended Consequence	215	(1)
Case Study: Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Accident	216	(1)
Case Study: What Should the United States Do with Its High-Level Radioactive Wastes? Controversy over Desert Burial	217	(3)
Improving Energy Efficiency	220	(5)
Case Study: Are Hybrid and Fuel-Cell Cars the Answer? New Options	222	(3)
Using Renewable Energy to Provide Heat and Electricity	225	(7)
Geothermal Energy	232	(1)
Hydrogen	232	(2)
A Sustainable Energy Strategy	234	(4)
Individuals Matter: Producing Hydrogen from Green Algae Found in Pond Scum	235	(3)
PART V: SUSTAINING ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Risk, Toxicology, and Human Health	238	(15)
Risks and Hazards	238	(1)
Case Study: What Is the Biggest Killer? Puffing Life Away	238	(1)
Toxicology: Assessing Chemical Hazards	239	(3)
Chemical Hazards	242	(2)
Case Study: What Effects Can Some Chemicals Have on Immune, Nervous, and Endocrine Systems? Possible Harm from Small Doses	243	(1)
Biological Hazards: Disease in Developed and Developing Countries	244	(4)
Case Study: Are We Losing Ground in Our Struggle against Infectious Bacteria? Growing Germ Resistance to Antibiotics	244	(1)
Case Study: The Global Tuberculosis Epidemic--A Growing Threat	245	(1)
Case Study: How Serious Is the Global Threat from HIV and AIDS? A Rapidly Growing Threat	246	(1)
Case Study: Malaria: A Deadly Parasitic Disease That Is Making a Comeback	247	(1)
Risk Analysis	248	(5)
Climate Change, Ozone Depletion, and Air Pollution	253	(34)
Atmosphere, Weather, and Climate	253	(3)
Climate Change: How Serious Is the Threat?	256	(4)
Factors Affecting the Earth's Temperature	260	(2)
Possible Effects of a Warmer World	262	(2)
Dealing with the Threat of Global Warming	264	(5)
Ozone Depletion in the Stratosphere	269	(3)
Protecting the Ozone Layer	272	(1)
Individuals Matter: Ray Turner and His Refrigerator	272	(1)
Types and Sources of Air Pollution	273	(8)
Case Study: Are You Being Exposed to Radioactive Radon Gas? Test the Air in Your House	281	(1)
Harmful Effects of Air Pollution	281	(1)
Preventing and Reducing Air Pollution	282	(5)
Case Study: Should We Use the Marketplace to Reduce Pollution? Emissions Trading	283	(4)
Solid and Hazardous Waste	287	(20)
Wasting Resources	287	(1)
Case Study: How Much Solid Waste Does the United States Produce? Affluenza in Action	287	(1)
Producing Less Waste	288	(1)
The Ecoindustrial Revolution and Selling Services Instead of Things	289	(3)
Individuals Matter: Ray Anderson	291	(1)
Reuse	292	(1)
Recycling	293	(3)
Case Study: Is It Feasible to Recycle Plastics? Some Problems	295	(1)
Burning and Burying Solid Waste	296	(2)
Hazardous Waste	298	(4)
Case Study: Lead	302	(1)
Achieving a Low-Waste Society	303	(4)
PART VI: SUSTAINING HUMAN SOCIETIES
Economics, Politics, Worldviews, and the Environment	307
Economic Resources and Environmental Problems	307	(2)
Using Economics to Improve Environmental Quality	309	(4)
Reducing Poverty to Improve Environmental Quality and Human Well-Being	313	(1)
Solutions: Microloans to the Poor	314	(1)
Politics and Environmental Policy	315	(3)
Case Study: How Is Environmental Policy Made in the United States? A Complicated and Thorny Process	318	(2)
Case Study: Environmental Action by Students in the United States--Making a Difference	320	(1)
Global Environmental Policy	321	(2)
Environmental Worldviews and Ethics: Clashing Values and Cultures	323	(1)
Living More Sustainably	324
Appendixes
1 Units of Measurement	1	(2)
2 Major Events in U.S. Environmental History	3	(6)
3 Brief History of the Age of Oil	9
Glossary	1	(1)
Index	1