Sustaining the Earth (International Version) An Integrated Approach

by Miller, G. Tyler

• ISBN13: 9780534371081
• ISBN10: 0534371086
• Additional ISBN(s): 9780534385361
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-05-07
• Publisher: Brooks Cole
• More Book Details

Table of Contents

Environmental Problems and Their Causes	1	(17)
Living Sustainably	1	(3)
Population Growth and the Wealth Gap	4	(3)
Resources	7	(3)
Pollution	10	(3)
Environmental and Resource Problems: Causes and Connections	13	(2)
Solutions: Working with the Earth	15	(3)
Science, Matter, Energy, and Ecology: Connections in Nature	18	(56)
Science and Environmental Science	18	(2)
Matter and Energy	20	(6)
Earth's Life-Support Systems: From Organisms to the Ecosphere	26	(9)
Connections: Have You Thanked the Insects Today?	29	(6)
Connections: Roles of Species in Ecosystems	35	(4)
Spotlight: Cockroaches: Nature's Ultimate Survivors	35	(3)
Case Study: Why We Need Sharks	38	(1)
Connections: Energy Flow in Ecosystems	39	(4)
Connections: Matter Cycling in Ecosystems	43	(6)
Life on Land and in Water Environments	49	(9)
Population Dynamics, Evolution, and Biodiversity	58	(6)
Ecological Succession	64	(2)
Human Impact on Ecosystems: Learning from Nature	66	(8)
Connections: Ecological Surprises	68	(2)
Spotlight: Principles for Understanding and Working with the Earth	70	(4)
The Human Population: Size and Distribution	74	(22)
Factors Affecting Human Population Size	74	(4)
Population Age Structure	78	(2)
Case Study: The Graying of Japan	80	(1)
Solutions: Influencing Population Size	80	(6)
Case Study: Immigration in the United States	81	(5)
Case Studies: Slowing Population Growth in India, China, and Thailand	86	(2)
Population Distribution: Urbanization and Urban Problems	88	(8)
Case Study: Mexico City	89	(7)
Energy	96	(45)
Evaluating Energy Resources	96	(2)
Improving Energy Efficiency	98	(9)
Renewable Solar Energy Resources	107	(10)
Individuals Matter: Gaviotas: A Solar Village in Colombia	109	(8)
Individuals Matter: A New Car Fuel That's Mostly Water	117	(1)
The Solar--Hydrogen Revolution	117	(3)
Geothermal Energy	120	(1)
Nonrenewable Fossil Fuels	121	(5)
Nonrenewable Nuclear Energy	126	(10)
Spotlight: The Soviet Nuclear-Waste Legacy	133	(3)
Solutions: A Sustainable Energy Future	136	(5)
Biodiversity: Sustaining Ecosystems---Forests, Rangelands, Parks, and Wilderness	141	(30)
Biodiversity, Conservation Biology, and Ecological Integrity	141	(1)
Public Lands in the United States	141	(3)
Managing and Sustaining Forests	144	(5)
Spotlight: How Much Is a Forest Worth?	146	(3)
Forest Resources and Management in the United States	149	(4)
Solutions: How Can U.S. Federal Forest Management Be Improved?	152	(1)
Tropical Deforestation and the Fuelwood Crisis	153	(7)
Spotlight: How Farmers and Loud Monkeys Saved a Forest	158	(1)
Individuals Matter: Biocultural Restoration in Costa Rica	159	(1)
Managing and Sustaining Rangelands	160	(4)
Individuals Matter: The Eco-Rancher	163	(1)
Managing and Sustaining National Parks	164	(3)
Case Study: Who's Afraid of the Big Gray Wolf?	165	(2)
Protecting and Managing Wilderness and Other Biodiversity Sanctuaries	167	(4)
Biodiversity: Sustaining Wild Species	171	(24)
Why Preserve Wild Species?	171	(2)
Spotlight: Biophilia	173	(1)
The Rise and Fall of Species	173	(5)
Spotlight: Is There Really an Extinction Crisis?	174	(4)
Causes of Depletion and Premature Extinction of Wild Species	178	(7)
Solutions: Protecting Wild Species from Depletion and Extinction	185	(4)
Spotlight: Has the Endangered Species Act Been a Failure?	187	(1)
Case Study: Should Oil and Gas Development Be Allowed in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge?	188	(1)
Solutions: Wildlife Management	189	(2)
Solutions: Fishery Management	191	(1)
Connections: What Should Be Done About Snow Geese?	192	(1)
Case Study: The Whaling Industry	192	(3)
Biodiversity: Sustaining Soils and Producing Food	195	(32)
Soil and Soil Erosion	195	(7)
Solutions: Soil Conservation	202	(4)
Case Study: Slowing Soil Erosion in the United States	205	(1)
How Food Is Produced	206	(3)
World Food Problems and Challenges	209	(4)
Solutions: Saving Children	213	(1)
Solutions to World Food Problems	213	(6)
Case Study: Can China's Population Be Fed?	214	(1)
Solutions: Growing Perennial Crops on the Kansas Prairie	215	(4)
Spotlight: How Useful Is International Food Aid?	219	(1)
Protecting Food Resources: Pesticides and Pest Control	219	(6)
Connections: The Pesticide Treadmill	221	(1)
Connections: The Circle of Poison	222	(1)
Solutions: Along Came a Spider	223	(2)
Solutions: Sustainable Agriculture	225	(2)
Risk, Toxicology, and Human Health	227	(17)
Types of Hazards	227	(1)
Spotlight: What Is the Biggest Killer?	228
Toxicology	227	(4)
Chemical Hazards	231	(1)
Connections: Are Hormone Disrupters a Health Threat?	232	(1)
Biological Hazards: Disease in Developed and Developing Countries	232	(5)
Spotlight: Are We Losing the War Against Infectious Bacteria?	234	(2)
Solutions: Improving Health Care in Developing Countries	236	(1)
Risk Analysis	237	(7)
Pro/Con: Genetic Engineering: Savior or a Potential Monster?	240	(1)
Spotlight: How Useful Are Risk Assessments and Risk--Benefit Analyses?	241	(3)
Air, Climate, and Ozone	244	(36)
Atmosphere, Weather, and Climate	244	(3)
Global Warming: How Serious Is the Threat?	247	(7)
Some Possible Effects of a Warmer World	254	(2)
Solutions: Dealing with Possible Global Warming	256	(2)
Solutions: Energy Efficiency to the Rescue	257	(1)
Ozone Depletion: Is It a Serious Threat?	258	(5)
Pro/Con: Is Ozone Depletion a Hoax?	261	(1)
Connections: The Cancer You Are Most Likely to Get	262	(1)
Solutions: Protecting the Ozone Layer	263	(1)
Individuals Matter: Ray Turner and His Refrigerator	263	(1)
Types and Sources of Outdoor and Indoor Air Pollution	264	(10)
Effects of Air Pollution on Living Organisms and Materials	274	(1)
Solutions: Preventing and Reducing Air Pollution	275	(5)
Water	280	(32)
Water's Importance and Unique Properties	280	(1)
Supply, Renewal, and Use of Water Resources	281	(2)
Water Resource Problems: Too Little Water and Too Much Water	283	(4)
Solutions: Supplying More Water	287	(9)
Case Study: Mining Groundwater: The Shrinking Ogallala Aquifer	292	(3)
Spotlight: Running Out of Water in Las Vegas	295	(1)
Water Pollution Problems	296	(10)
Individuals Matter: Using UV Light and Horseradish to Purify Water	297	(2)
Individuals Matter: Tracking Down the Cell from Hell	299	(5)
Case Study: The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill	304	(2)
Solutions: Preventing and Controlling Water Pollution	306	(6)
Solid and Hazardous Waste	312	(20)
Wasting Resources: The High-Waste Approach	312	(1)
Producing Less Waste and Pollution: Reducing Throughput	313	(4)
Solutions: An Ecoindustrial Revolution: Cleaner Production	316	(1)
Reuse, Composting, and Recycling	317	(4)
Solutions: What Kind of Grocery Bags Should We Use?	318	(2)
Case Study: Recycling Aluminum	320	(1)
Individuals Matter: Source Separation Recycling in Some Georgia Schools	321	(1)
Pro/Con: Does Recycling Make Economic Sense?	322
Detoxifying, Burning, Burying, and Exporting Wastes	321	(6)
Case Studies: Lead and Dioxins	327	(2)
Hazardous-Waste Regulation in the United States	329	(1)
Solutions: Achieving a Low-Waste Society	329	(3)
Solutions: How Can the Superfund Law Be Improved?	330	(2)
Environmental Economics, Politics, and Worldviews	332
Economic Systems and Environmental Problems	332	(4)
Solutions: Using Economics to Improve Environmental Quality	336	(3)
Solutions: Reducing Poverty	339	(1)
Solutions: Converting to Earth-Sustaining Economies	340	(2)
Connections: Jobs and Environment	341	(1)
Case Study: How Is Germany Investing in the Future and the Earth?	342	(1)
Politics and U.S. Environmental Policy	342	(6)
Individuals Matter: Environmental Careers	344	(1)
Solutions: Election Finance Reform	345	(1)
Individuals Matter: Environmental Action on Campuses	346	(1)
Case Study: The Wise-Use Movement	347	(1)
Global Environmental Policy	348	(1)
Environmental Worldviews: Clashing Values and Cultures	349
Connections: Why Should We Care About Future Generations?	352	(1)
Individuals Matter: Mindquake: Evaluating One's Environmental Worldview	353	(1)
Connections: Learning from the Earth	354
Appendixes
1 Publications, Environmental Organizations, and Federal and International Agencies	A1
2 Units of Measurement	A5
3 Major U.S. Resource Conservation and Environmental Legislation	A6
4 Individuals Matter: Working with the Earth	A7
Further Readings	A9
Glossary	G1
Index	I1