ABSTRACT
Rapid growth of the world population and the pursuit of material prosperity have generated a massive expansion in industrial and agricultural production in recent decades. The associated increase in energy consumption and the generation of waste have enormously increased the pressure on the natural environment and have led to changes in the composition of the atmosphere, soil, fresh water resources, seas, and oceans. This, in turn, has led to destabilisation of natural ecosystems and a deterioration of environmental quality (i.e. the ability of the environment to support all appropriate beneficial uses by humans and wildlife). The increasing population density has made human society increasingly vulnerable to the natural variability of the environment and, especially, to environmental change.
