Sustaining The Earth W/Infotrac

by Miller

• ISBN13: 9780534385354
• ISBN10: 0534385354
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-04-04
• Publisher: Brooks Cole

Table of Contents

Environmental Issues, Their Causes, and Sustainability	1	(16)
Living More Sustainably	1	(3)
Spotlight: Cast of Players in the Environmental Drama	2	(2)
Population Growth, Economic Growth, and Sustainable Economic Development	4	(2)
Spotlight: Current Exponential Growth of the Human Population	5	(1)
Resources	6	(4)
Connections: Free-Access Resources and the Tragedy of the Commons	8	(2)
Pollution	10	(1)
Environmental and Resource Problems: Causes and Connections	11	(2)
Is Our Present Course Sustainable?	13	(4)
Solutions: Some Guidelines for Working with the Earth	14	(3)
Science, Matter, Energy, and Ecology: Connections in Nature	17	(59)
Science and Environmental Science	17	(2)
Matter and Energy	19	(6)
Earth's Life-Support Systems: From Organisms to the Biosphere	25	(9)
Spotlight: Have You Thanked the Insects Today?	27	(1)
Connections: Microbes: The Invisible Rulers of the Earth	27	(7)
Connections: Roles of Species in Ecosystems	34	(7)
Spotlight: Cockroaches: Nature's Ultimate Survivors	35	(2)
Connections: Why Are Amphibians Vanishing?	37	(1)
Case Study: Why are Sharks Important Species?	38	(3)
Connections: Food Webs and Energy Flow in Ecosystems	41	(4)
Connections: Matter Cycling in Ecosystems	45	(6)
Life on Land and in Water Environments	51	(10)
Population Dynamics, Evolution, and Biodiversity	61	(7)
Ecological Succession	68	(2)
Connections: Ecological Surprises	70	(1)
Human Impacts on Ecosystems: Learning from Nature	70	(6)
Solutions: Principles of Sustainability: Learning from Nature	71	(5)
The Human Population: Size and Distribution	76	(26)
Factors Affecting Human Population Size	76	(4)
Population Age Structure	80	(2)
Solutions: Influencing Population Size	82	(5)
Case Study: Immigration in the United States	83	(4)
Case Studies: Slowing Population Growth in India, China, and Thailand	87	(2)
Population Distribution: Urbanization and Urban Transportation Systems	89	(5)
Case Study: Mexico City	91	(1)
Spotlight: The Urban Poor	92	(2)
Urban Environmental and Resource Problems	94	(3)
Pro/Con: Good and Bad News About Motor Vehicles	95	(2)
Solutions: Curitiba, Brazil	97	(1)
Solutions: Making Urban Areas More Livable and Sustainable	97	(5)
Energy	102	(41)
Evaluating Energy Resources	102	(3)
Improving Energy Efficiency	105	(7)
Connections: Using the Internet to Save Energy and Paper and Reduce Global Warming	112	(1)
Using Solar Energy to Provide Heat and Electricity	112	(10)
The Solar-Hydrogen Revolution	122	(3)
Spotlight: Producing Hydrogen from Green Algae Found in Pond Scum	125	(1)
Geothermal Energy	125	(1)
Nonrenewable Fossil Fuels	126	(6)
Case Study: The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill	127	(2)
Pro/Con: Should Oil and Gas Development Be Allowed in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge?	129	(3)
Nonrenewable Nuclear Energy	132	(7)
Case Study: The Chernobyl Nuclear Power-Plant Accident	136	(1)
Case Study: Underground Storage of High-Level Radioactive Wastes in the United States	137	(2)
Solutions: A Sustainable Energy Strategy	139	(4)
Sustaining Terrestrial and Aquatic Biodiversity: The Ecosystem Approach	143	(32)
Biodiversity and Conservation Biology	143	(1)
Public Lands in the United States	144	(2)
Managing and Sustaining Forests	146	(6)
Spotlight: What Is the Economic Value of the Earth's Ecological Services?	147	(5)
Forest Resources and Management in the United States	152	(3)
Solutions: Certifying Sustainably Grown Timber	153	(2)
Solutions: How Can U.S. Federal Forest Management Be Improved?	155	(1)
Tropical Deforestation and the Fuelwood Crisis	155	(7)
Solutions: The Incredible Neem Tree	156	(4)
Individuals Matter: Kenya's Green Belt Movement	160	(1)
Individuals Matter: Ecological Restoration of a Tropical Dry Forest in Costa Rica	161	(1)
Managing and Sustaining Rangelands	162	(2)
Spotlight: Endangered Riparian Zones	162	(2)
Individuals Matter: The Eco-Rancher	164	(1)
Managing and Sustaining National Parks	164	(3)
Case Study: Who's Afraid of the Big Gray Wolf?	166	(1)
Protecting and Managing Nature Reserves	167	(4)
Solutions: The Nature Conservancy	167	(3)
Solutions: Biosphere Reserves	170	(1)
Case Study: The U.S. National Wilderness Preservation System	171	(1)
Sustaining Aquatic Biodiversity	171	(4)
Sustaining Biodiversity: The Species Approach	175	(26)
Species Extinction	175	(4)
Case Study: The Passenger Pigeon: Gone Forever	178	(1)
Case Study: Bats Are Getting a Bad Rap	179	(1)
Why Preserve Species?	179	(3)
Spotlight: Is There Really an Extinction Crisis?	180	(2)
Connections: Biophilia	182	(1)
Causes of Depletion and Premature Extinction of Wild Species	182	(8)
Case Study: The Plight of Migrating Birds	184	(2)
Connections: Deliberate Introduction of the Kudzu Vine	186	(1)
Case Study: The Termite from Hell	187	(3)
Solutions: Protecting Wild Species from Depletion and Extinction	190	(4)
Spotlight: Accomplishments of the Endangered Species Act	192	(2)
Wildlife Management	194	(1)
Fishery Management	195	(2)
Connections: What Should Be Done About Snow Geese?	196	(1)
Case Study: Should Commercial Whaling Be Resumed?	197	(4)
Spotlight: Near Extinction of the Blue Whale	198	(3)
Biodiversity: Sustaining Soils and Producing Food	201	(37)
Soil and Soil Erosion	201	(7)
Case Study: The Dust Bowl	207	(1)
Solutions: Soil Conservation	208	(3)
Case Study: Slowing Soil Erosion in the United States	211	(1)
How Is Food Produced?	211	(4)
Individuals Matter: Perennial Crops on the Kansas Prairie	215	(1)
Food Production, Nutrition, and Environmental Effects	215	(4)
Solutions: Saving Children	218	(1)
Solutions to World Food Problems	219	(8)
Case Study: Can China's Population Be Fed?	220	(2)
Spotlight: Shrinking the World's Genetic Plant Library	222	(3)
Connections: Some Environmental Consequences of Meat Production	225	(2)
Spotlight: How Useful Is International Food Aid?	227	(1)
Protecting Food Resources: Pesticides and Pest Control	227	(7)
Individuals Matter: Rachel Carson	229	(2)
Spotlight: How Effective Have Synthetic Pesticides Been in Reducing Crop Losses?	231	(1)
Connections: What Goes Around Can Come Around	232	(2)
Solutions: Sustainable Agriculture	234	(4)
Risk, Toxicology, and Human Health	238	(16)
Risks and Hazards	238	(1)
Toxicology	238	(3)
Spotlight: What Is the Biggest Killer?	239	(2)
Chemical Hazards	241	(2)
Connections: Are Hormone Disrupters and Mimics a Health Threat?	243	(1)
Biological Hazards: Disease in Developed and Developing Countries	243	(4)
Spotlight: Are We Losing the War Against Infectious Bacteria?	244	(3)
Risk Analysis	247	(7)
Solutions: Improving Health Care in Developing Countries	247	(7)
Climate Change, Ozone Depletion, and Air Pollution	254	(39)
Atmosphere, Weather, and Climate	254	(4)
Global Warming: How Serious Is the Threat?	258	(4)
Factors Affecting Changes in the Earth's Average Temperature	262	(3)
Some Possible Effects of a Warmer World	265	(1)
Solutions: Dealing with the Threat of Climate Change	266	(3)
Solutions: Energy Efficiency to the Rescue	267	(2)
Ozone Depletion in the Stratosphere	269	(4)
Connections: The Cancer You Are Most Likely to Get	272	(1)
Individuals Matter: Ray Turner and His Refrigerator	273	(1)
Solutions: Protecting the Ozone Layer	273	(1)
Types and Sources of Outdoor and Indoor Air Pollution	274	(11)
Effects of Air Pollution on Living Organisms and Materials	285	(1)
Solutions: Preventing and Reducing Air Pollution	286	(7)
Water Resources and Water Pollution	293	(38)
Water's Importance and Unique Properties	293	(1)
Supply, Renewal, and Use of Water Resources	293	(4)
Water Resource Problems: Too Little Water and Too Much Water	297	(3)
Connections: Living Dangerously on Floodplains in Bangladesh	300	(1)
Solutions: Supplying More Water	300	(6)
Case Study: The Aral Sea Water Transfer Disaster	302	(3)
Case Study: Mining Groundwater: The Shrinking Ogallala Aquifer	305	(1)
Solutions: Wasting Less Water	306	(4)
Solutions: The Promise of Drip Irrigation	309	(1)
Spotlight: Running Out of Water in Las Vegas, Nevada	310	(1)
Types, Effects, and Sources of Water Pollutants	310	(2)
Pollution of Freshwater Streams, Lakes, and Aquifers	312	(6)
Individuals Matter: Tracking Down the Pfiesteria Cell from Hell	316	(2)
Ocean Pollution	318	(4)
Solutions: Preventing and Reducing Surface Water Pollution	322	(5)
Case Study: Hurricanes, Hog Farms, and Water Pollution in Eastern North Carolina	322	(4)
Solutions: Using Wetlands to Treat Sewage	326	(1)
Solutions: Achieving a More Sustainable Water Future	327	(4)
Solid and Hazardous Waste	331	(23)
Wasting Resources	331	(1)
Producing Less Waste and Pollution	332	(3)
Solutions: Doing More with Less: Increasing Resource Productivity	334	(1)
Solutions: Cleaner Production and Selling Services Instead of Things	335	(2)
Individuals Matter: Ray Anderson	336	(1)
Reuse	337	(1)
Solutions: What Kind of Grocery Bags Should We Use?	337	(1)
Recycling	338	(4)
Solutions: Using Composting to Recycle Biodegradable Wastes	340	(1)
Case Study: Recycling Aluminum	341	(1)
Pro/Con: Does Recycling Make Economic Sense?	342	(1)
Detoxifying, Burning, Burying, and Exporting Wastes	342	(5)
Case Studies: Lead and Dioxins	347	(2)
Hazardous-Waste Regulation in the United States	349	(2)
Spotlight: Using Honeybees to Detect Toxic Pollutants	349	(1)
Solutions: How Can the Superfund Law Be Improved?	350	(1)
Solutions: Achieving a Low-Waste Society	351	(3)
Environmental Economics, Politics, and Worldviews	354	(1)
Economic Systems and Environmental Problems	354	(5)
Solutions: Using Economics to Improve Environmental Quality	359	(5)
Solutions: Shifting the Tax Burden from Wages and Profits to Pollution and Waste	363	(1)
Reducing Poverty to Improve Environmental Quality and Human Well-Being	364	(1)
Solutions: Microloans to the Poor	365	(1)
Making the Transition to Environmentally Sustainable Economies	365	(2)
Connections: Jobs and the Environment	366	(1)
Politics and Environmental Policy	367	(6)
Individuals Matter: Environmental Careers	369	(3)
Solutions: Election Finance Reform	372	(1)
Global Environmental Policy	373	(2)
Individuals Matter: Environmental Action on Campuses	374	(1)
Environmental Worldviews: Clashing Values and Cultures	375	(3)
Case Study: Biosphere 2: A Lesson in Humility	378	(2)
Connections: Why Should We Care About Future Generations?	380	(1)
Individuals Matter: Mindquake: Evaluating One's Environmental Worldview	381	(1)
Connections: Learning from the Earth	382
Appendixes
1 Units of Measurement	1	(1)
2 Major Events in U.S. Environmental History	2	(4)
3 Major U.S. Resource Conservation and Environmental Legislation	6	(1)
4 Individuals Matter: What Can You Do?	7
Glossary	1	(1)
Index	1