Book Description
Word count: 3312. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from E, published by Earth Action Network, Inc. on November 1, 1996. The length of the article is 2567 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: Population control advocates Paul and Anne Ehrlich believe that population growth is not only a problem in poor countries but in the US as well. They also say that the Earth's ability to sustain life in the future will depend on people's lifestyles and technology.

Citation Details
Title: Paul and Anne Ehrlich. (interview with population control advocates)(Interview)
Author: Jim Motavalli
Publication: E (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 1996
Publisher: Earth Action Network, Inc.
Volume: v7Issue: n6Page: p10(3)

Article Type: Interview

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description

Chemistry: Foundations and Application is an accessible four-volume set that covers chemistrys laws, processes, applications and sub-disciplines, reviews the history of the field, including modern research and practical applications, and includes biographies of scientists past and present. Varied topics that examine and explain chemistry's many branches, including inorganic, industrial, atmospheric and computational chemistry, and biotechnology allow students and general-interest readers alike to explore the myriad ways in which chemistry plays an important role in daily life.

Customer Reviews (1)

Nuclear Winter
This book is about nuclear winter, and what scientists have determined it will probably be like.Before I say anything else, let me state as clearly as possible that I am not an expert in this topic.Sometimes it isn't always clear, reading Amazon.com reviews, whether the writer is an expert or just someone who read the book.I am in the second of those categories.Let me quickly mention that I have also read Lydia Dotto's "Planet Earth in Jeopardy: Environmental Consequences of Nuclear War," and I found that to be quite helpful as well.I put some more helpful commenst on my Amazon.com review of that book.

This book is one of the scariest things I've ever read.It clued me in on entirely new things over which people should be losing sleep.Did you know that one of the major threats of nuclear war is the threat of strikes on oil refineries?Such strikes can release unbelievably quantities of sun-blocking smog into the air.Did you know that radiation caused directly by nuclear bombs is relatively insignificant, compared to the radiation that would be released if such bombs fell on reactors?Reactors have fuel rods and waste which will remain lethally radioactive for DECADES after the radiation from a nuclear war reached tolerable levels.This book is full of information like this.It is all presented quite accessibly.Also, there is a fantastic question and answer section at the end, which includes back and forth sessions between eminent scientists in related fields.This section alone is worth the price of the book.

Let me point out that the main author listed for this book is only one of many cotributors.Paul Ehrlich has a lot to say here, but it is always made clear when he is writing, or when it's someone else, e.g. Carl Sagan or Lewis Thomas.I make this point here because I wouldn't want anyone to decide against buying this valuable book, because of Ehrlich's old reputation for being an alarmist.In the 1970s, as a member of the "Club of Rome," Ehrlich made some irresponsible statements about the dangers of population growth and energy shortages.Time has shown that he actually wasn't entirely wrong, but his timetables for his predictions were often overly pessimistic.Be that as it may, Stanford University has seen fit to keep him on their faculty, so he can't be seen as wholly out to lunch.

At any rate, this book is certainly worth wrestling with.Ehrlich bends over backwards, to be as conservative and non-alarmist as possible, in his writings here.Carl Sagan, Lewis Thomas, and other contributors take the same approach.Nevertheless, as cool-headed as they are, the underlying horror of their message is unmistakable.Nuclear winter would be an unprecedentedly horrific experience, and there's basically zero chance that anyone reading this would survive it.Please buy this book, get copies for all your friends, and find a way to get involved. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

ok book
This is just an ok book,I was disappointed in it as I expected more information, the book kind of overdoes it on tropical birds, but, of course this is probably where most of the birds in jeopardy are.There is an extinct bird section that I think should have more info and be more conclusive,the artwork is ok,but not outstanding, I think this book should cost a little bit less for what you get, but there are not a lot of good books on this subject that are as affordable as this,so the choices are limited. ... Read more

Book Description

The Rocky Mountain West is largely arid and steep, with ecological scars from past human use visible for hundreds of years. Just how damaging were the past 150 years of activity? How do current rates of disturbance compare with past mining, grazing, and water diversion activities? In the face of constant change, what constitutes a "natural" ecosystem? And can a high quality of life be achieved for both human and natural communities in this region.

Rocky Mountain Futures presents a comprehensive and wide-ranging examination of the ecological consequences of past, current, and future human activities in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States and Canada. The book brings together 32 leading ecologists, geographers, and other scientists and researchers to present an objective assessment of the cumulative effects of human activity on the region's ecological health and to consider changes wrought by past human use. This combined view of past and present reveals where Rocky Mountain ecosystems are heading, and the authors project what the future holds based upon current economic and social trends and the patterns that emerge from them. The book:

• examines the biogeographic and paleoenvironmental setting and historical climate that have shaped Rocky Mountain ecosystems
• traces the direct human influences on landscapes and ecosystems over the past 150 years
• explores the cumulative effects of past, present, and projected future human activities on tundra, subalpine and montane forests, valleys, grasslands, and waters
• offers case studies that illustrate specific examples of human influence and current efforts to restore the environment

The United Nations has proclaimed 2002 as the International Year of Mountains to increase international awareness of the global importance of mountain ecosystems. The case-based multidisciplinary approach of this book constitutes an important new model for understanding the implications of land-use practices and economic activity on mountains, and will serve a vital role in improving decisionmaking both in the Rocky Mountains and in other parts of the world that face similar challenges. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A sober and comprehensive survey
Capably edited by Jill S. Baron (Ecosystem Ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory at Colorado State University, Fort Collins), and enhanced with an informative four-page Foreword by Paul R. Ehrlich (Bing Professor of Population Studies and President of the Center for Conservation Biology, Department of Biological Science, Stanford University), Rocky Mountain Futures: An Ecological Perspective is a sober and comprehensive survey of the tremendous impact human influence has had on the Rocky Mountain ecosystems. Featuring case studies, cascading effects, human-driven changes and more, this seminal and authoritative compilation of researched essays by educated authors paints an accurate and documented picture of an ecology being pushed beyond its limits, and then offers succinct, practical, and occasionally inspired ideas on what to do about it before it's too late. Rocky Mountain Futures is an essential, fundamentally critical addition to any personal, professional, governmental, organizational, academic, or community library Environmental Studies reference collection and supplemental reading list. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Clock Is Ticking, The Message Is Getting Ever More Urgent!
"Population Explosion" is a follow-up to the Ehrlich's 1968, "Population Bomb" when there were over 3.5 billion humans on the planet- that number was considered by many to be vastly beyond the carrying capacity of our Earth and it's finite resources. By the time this book was published in 1990, the population had increased to 5.3 billion. The current population is well over 6 billion. Because of the now virtually straight-up growth curve, we are breeding ourselves off the planet. Match this curve with the increasing consumption of fossil fuel and resulting carbon dumping, ozone depletion, rain forest destruction, sewage pollution in the land and oceans- all contributing to global warming; toxic chemicals seeping into ground water supplies; accelerated depletion of fish stocks; widespread famine, etc., and we now have a real environmental pan of worms on our hands. What commentary is it on major governments (esp. the supposedly civilized U.S.) and religious groups to resist human population management and education? Is this their idea of love, compassion and wisdom?

The extremeconditions of poverty, pollution, crime and poor health, all resulting in global human/flora/fauna suffering and misery, one would think, should motivateglobal efforts to inform on and correct this mess. Or are we humans just not intelligent enough to heed the loud and compelling warnings ofthe Ehrlich's and others that we need to take seriously our "Population Bomb"? The data and message in this fine book is as timely now as when it was first published- just more urgent!

In 1970 the Ehrlich's published one of the finest textbooks on human ecology: "Population, Resources, Environment". It is still relevant and informative today- just add more people and pollution to the mix and you've brought it up to speed.

As many others have observed, by not taking any constructive action we are letting naturetake it's course. Is this our legacy? Will the cockroaches and fleas, who have managed to flourish in our human mess and who will probably be here long after we're gone, write our epitaph: Those stupid humans sure were fun while they were here. And, as cartoonist Walt Kelley`s "Pogo" so aptly said, "We have met the enemy and he is us".

Timely but oversimplified
The book is a sequel to an earlier, very successful discussion of population pressures. Key to the Erlichs' approach here is the formula I=PAT, which stands for Impact equals Population times Affluence timesTechnology. The larger any one of these factors, the higher the product,i.e. the impact - all other factors remaining equal. By"technology" and "affluence", the authors presumablyintend the environmentally destructive types of each, though howqualitative differences can be expressed qualitatively is left largelyunexplained. Clearly the equation aims at a very generalized and impreciselevel of abstraction, more suitable for detecting trends than settingpolicy. Whether such streamlining conceals more variability than it revealsis not really discussed and clouds the work as a whole.

Central to thebook is the impact of one particular factor, namely P or population. Growthincreases in this category alone, as I=PAT shows, can undo strides in allother categories combined. At bottom, the book represents an assessment of these far-reaching population impacts plus specific projections based oncurrent figures in all categories. In that topical sense the work is notstrictly theoretical and though certain Malthusian themes are sounded, thework is not a gloomy updating of unavoidable doom. Changes in growthpatterns can make a lasting difference, the authors are anxious toinform.

Sheer numbers of people, however, do not tell the whole impactstory, which is why the Erlich's have included the factor of"affluence" in one of their better sections. In the role ofaffluent consumers, not all people count the same. Because of their greaterconsuption level, citizens of richer nations, for example, have muchgreater impact on world resources than people in poorer countries. Thus, astheir equation shows, population reductions among the industrialized have adisproportionately helpful effect on world resources. Promisingly,population growth rates in richer areas such as western Europe and the U.S.have slackened with increasing levels of affluence, which indicates animportant correlation between birth-rate and material well-being. Thuseconomic class emerges as an important factor to gaining a sustainableenvironment and I wish the authors had spent more time emphasizing this.

The book has many good points, but unfortunately lacks impact and realanalytic depth. Probably, as a work aimed at a mass audience, analyticdepth was not intended. Moreover, being a sequel to a widely discussedfirst book creates a tough act to follow. Nevertheless, aside from someuseful statistics, more questions are posed than answered.

It might make you think about what we are doing to the Earth
This book provides an excellent synopsis of the state of our environment. Using more than just apocalyptic rhetoric, Ehrlich presents the subject matter with a keen sense of humanity and provides suggestions as to how wemust change our society to avoid the dire consequences of uninhibitedgrowth.

A great introduction for those who are concerned about thepollution next door or the pesticides on the fruit we eat or in theenvironment in general.

READ...READ...READ..Then pass it on.

A rational explanation of a frightening problem.
The Population Explosion is the follow-up to The Population Bomb (written by the same author twenty years ago). In this book he examines the results of the issues he raised in the first book as well as some of the newdangers of overpopulation created by contemporary reproductive science andecological damage.

Early in the book he explains why overpopulation issuch a pressing, but invisible problem. Occasionally his frustration withthe problems he describes comes through but despite this the book comesacross as an even-handed and rational examination of the facts.

In anage when women are giving birth to seven or eight children at a timebecause they're taking fertility drugs in a mad effort to procreate thereis no better time to learn about the consequences. ... Read more