ABSTRACT

We have only one earth, and how we choose to live in it matters. This highly readable and challenging text sets out some important topical issues that tells us we are not making a very good job of it. From the tropical rainforests to the teeming cities of the developing world and the energy hungry nations of Europe and North America, One World for One Earth shows that many of today's environmental problems can only be understood in terms of both the physical and the social processes involved. At present we are in a vicious circle. Uneven development creates problems of affluence in some areas and problems of poverty in others In both, the environment suffers. Independent local action has a crucial part to play, but to be really effective, sustainable development needs a new context which can only be put in place by international government co-operation. This book, by going beyond the conventional accounts of environmental problems, provides a basis for action. Originally published in 1991

chapter 1|14 pages

Earth without humanity

chapter 3|18 pages

Tropical rain forest axe and abuse

chapter 4|18 pages

Feeding the five billion

chapter 5|18 pages

Urban crisis

chapter 6|18 pages

Minerals: supplies, impacts and regulation

chapter 7|18 pages

Energy: a renewable future?

chapter 8|20 pages

Atmospheric change: evidence and response

chapter 9|18 pages

Towards a sustainable future

chapter 10|18 pages

‘Think globally, act locally'