ABSTRACT
Waste products and pollution are the unpleasant price usually paid for urbanization and industrial development. The burden of wastes and pollution are not necessarily borne by those who benefit from development, and sometimes people far removed may be disadvantaged. When human numbers are low - especially when they are non-sedentary and have little in the way of technology -waste and pollution pose few problems. Pollution and waste are increasingly trans-boundary problems have in some cases upset or are upsetting global environmental balances and pose major threats to development or even survival of humankind. The 'urban revolution' has tended to shift sewage management from reclamation to disposal, to convert resource use to resource waste and pollution; only recently has a return to reclamation attracted attention. The main problem in controlling acid deposition has been that of cost; other pollution problems may be complicated by inadequate knowledge and lack of control or treatment techniques.
