Book Description

In Boiling Point, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ross Gelbspan argues that, unchecked, climate change will swamp every other issue facing us today. Indeed, what began as an initial response of many institutions-denial and delay-has now grown into a crime against humanity. Gelbspan's previous book, The Heat Is On, exposed the financing of climate-change skeptics by the oil and coal companies. In Boiling Point, he reveals exactly how the fossil fuel industry is directing the Bush administration's energy and climate policies -payback for helping Bush get elected. Even more surprisingly, Gelbspan points a finger at both the media and environmental activists for unwittingly worsening the crisis. Finally, he offers a concrete plan for averting a full-blown climate catastrophe.

According to Gelbspan, a proper approach to climate change could solve many other problems in our social, political, and economic lives. It would dramatically reduce our reliance on oil, and with it our exposure to instability in the Middle East. It would create millions of jobs and raise living standards in poor countries whose populations are affected by climate-driven disease epidemics and whose borders are overrun by environmental refugees. It would also expand the global economy and lead to a far wealthier and more peaceful world. A passionate call-to-arms and a thoughtful roadmap for change, Boiling Point reveals what's at stake for our fragile planet ... Read more

Book Description

The most comprehensive introduction to environmental ethics available today, this anthology is organized into two main parts. The first focuses on theory, the second on application. The fourth edition of this popular anthology, like its predecessors, includes numerous topic areas not covered in other anthologies. Featuring articles carefully selected for clarity and accessibility, the text follows a dialogic pro-con format presenting divergent positions on each topic. The bulk of royalties for this book are donated to groups dedicated to protecting the environment, such as the Wilderness Society and the Sierra Club. ... Read more

Book Description

This is the definitive text in a market consisting of senior and graduate environmental engineering students who are taking a chemistry course.The text is divided into a chemistry fundamentals section and a section on water and wastewater analysis.In this new edition, the authors have retained the thorough, yet concise, coverage of basic chemical principles from general, physical, equilibrium, organic, biochemistry, colloid, and nuclear chemistry. In addition, the authors have retained their classic two-fold approach of (1) focusing on the aspects of chemistry that are particularly valuable for solving environmental problems, and (2) laying the groundwork for understanding water and wastewater analysis-a fundamental basis of environmental engineering practice and research. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Must Have For All Environmental Engineers
This is one book which an engineer esp an environemtal engineer must have as it starts from basics and takes you to complex situations making them understandable. ... Read more

Book Description

Has world oil ouptut peaked? Recent price spikes and dwindling reserves have spurred fears that we are fast approaching the critical tipping point that will trigger severe global economic depression, political instability, and human suffering.

Today 95 percent of global oil is consumed for transportation, and other alternatives are distant possibilities at best. We need a solution now, one that will pave the way to a saner, more sustainable energy future without massive reinvestments in infrastructure and technology transfer. We need biodiesel.

A crop-derived liquid fuel, biodiesel can be made from a wide range of renewable, locally grown plant sources--even from recycled cooking oils or animal fats. The technology is simple and available today, and the benefits of biodiesel are enormous, as both a cleaner-burning vehicle fuel and a source for residential or commercial heating.

Greg Pahl’s essential new book explores the history and technology of biodiesel, its current use around the world, and its exciting potential in the United States and beyond. While biodiesel is not the answer to all our energy problems, it is an important step in the long overdue process of weaning ourselves from fossil fuels. ... Read more

Book Description

State-of-the-arthandbook of community water supplies.

The leading source of informationon water quality, water treatment, and quality control for 60 years is now available in an up-to-the-minute new edition. The American Water Works Association's Water Quality & Treatment, Fifth Edition fully covers the field, bringing you the expertise of 20 distinguished specialists whoprovide the latest information on everything from aeration and coagulation processes, to chemical oxidation and water plant waste management. At least 90% of the material in this new edition has been revised and updated. Among the areas of special concern covered are:

*Cutting-edge membrane processes
*U.S. regulatory changes, including new rulings on disinfection by-products
*Current concerns with preventing cryptosporidium and e. coli outbreaks
*Enhanced removal of total organic carbon
*Much, much more ... Read more

Book Description

This book presents in a systematic and comprehensive manner the modeling of uncertainty, vagueness, or imprecision, alias "fuzziness," in just about any field of science and engineering. It delivers a usable methodology for modeling in the absence of real-time feedback.The book includes a short introduction to fuzzy logic containing basic definitions of fuzzy set theory and fuzzy rule systems. It describes methods for the assessment of rule systems, systems with discrete response sets, for modeling time series, for exact physical systems, examines verification and redundancy issues, and investigates rule response functions.Definitions and propositions, some of which have not been published elsewhere, are provided; numerous examples as well as references to more elaborate case studies are also given.Fuzzy rule-based modeling has the potential to revolutionize fields such as hydrology because it can handle uncertainty in modeling problems too complex to be approached by a stochastic analysis. There is also excellent potential for handling large-scale systems such as regionalization or highly non-linear problems such as unsaturated groundwater pollution. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent intro to fuzzy rule-based modeling, with examples.
Many good books have recently been published on fuzzy rule-based systems for control, but few authors have dealt with open systems. The book by Bardossy and Duckstein, which does an excellent job of introducing fuzzy rule-based modeling of open systems, may stimulate more research in this area. Indeed, the realistic examples presented in the book are very convincing. More emphasis could however have been put on the complex processes of selecting input variables and defining fuzzy rules. The discussion, in the introduction, of the differences between fuzzy numbers and probability distributions is certainly too short to convince a statistician of the usefulness of fuzzy sets for uncertainty modeling. However, if the book does not contribute to this philosophical debate, it certainly does a good job of showing the practical value of fuzzy models for nonparametric modeling of open systems. ... Read more

Book Description

This book was written to increase your awareness about the potentially tragic, harmful effects of the numerous chemicals to which we are all exposed on a daily basis.

This book will help you figure out when and where you were exposed and discuss the many different ways chemicals can affect you and your loved ones. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Surprise! A true wake up call for everyone
Author Doris J. Rapp, M.D. is Board Certified in Environmental Medicine, Pediatrics and Allergies. In her book "Our Toxic World" she shares her knowledge of how everyday toxins in our environment affect us. The reality is that chemicals are everywhere in our lives and it is nearly impossible to completely escape them. It would surprise most people to find that these chemicals not only affect our physical health but also our actions, behavior (aggression, fatigue, hyperactivity, etc.), fertility, and even our memory. Through this book Doris Rapp rings the alarm about how pesticides and chemicals have become major factors in chronic illnesses of all kinds.

Of course the book is not just about all the problems of toxins but also includes sound advice on how to choose safer products and protect yourself. She also dedicates several chapters to discussing wildlife research data and lab data. While this is interesting information to a point, she includes so much detail and so many examples that it starts to read like a research paper instead of a book for the general public.

I did like her summarizing statement that we are creating stronger more chemically-resistant pests and weeds and weaker, more unhealthy humans. In addition to the toxins she also discusses genetic engineering and the potential health problems it may cause. If you are concerned about the toxic environment and how it may be affecting your health you will be hard pressed to find a more informative, better-documented book than "Our Toxic World". ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Gripping
As everybody who knows me is well aware, I'm just a nut for anything having to do with wetlands! So when my Mom got me this book for my birthday, all it took was one look at the cover and I knew I was in for some real fun. But nothing could've prepared me for Ralph W. Tiner's brilliant eye for detail, his passion for the subject, his linguistic virtuosity. Oftentimes I didn't know whether I was reading poetry or prose, and in Ralph's capable hands, I didn't even care. For anybody interested in wetlands, this book is an absolute must.

Very Useful
This book is a good overview of Wetland Delineations. I bought it for the mapping information and found it useful when using GIS for Wetland Delineation Maps ... Read more

Book Description

Written from a sustainable perspective, this readable, yetrigorous, book provides comprehensive coverage of a variety of local, regional, national, and global resource and environmental issues from population growth to wetlands to agriculture to global air pollution. It emphasizes practical, cost-effective, sustainable solutions to these problems that make sense from social, economic, and environmental perspectives.Overall increased emphasis on international and global issues (includes many examples from Canada). New information on Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing—integrated GIS Remote Sensing boxed information appears throughout, including 12 case studies. Expanded coverage of ecosystem management and watershed management, global climate change, ozone depletion, wetlands protection, and policy—including new international treaties, new federal laws, and more.The friendly, approachable writing style makes the book accessible to a wide range of readers—from those who want an introduction in natural resource conservation and natural resource management to professionals in this field. ... Read more

Book Description

Extensively illustrated, balanced, broad–based, and up–to–date, this book explores the nature and critical issues of all major types of earth resources--energy, metallic, nonmetallic, water, soil--and the impacts that resource usage has on the earth environment. It provides geologic background of resource formation and occurrence of most of the various types of resources; offers an international perspective; discusses resources not only from the scientific point of view, but also from the point of economic, political, historical considerations; and considers how the extraction and use of the resources creates impacts--local or global, immediate or delayed, visible or invisible, singular or cumulative.Minerals: The Foundations of Society. Plate Tectonics and The Origins of Mineral Resources.Earth's Resources Through History. Environmental Impacts of Resource Exploitation and Use. Energy from Fossil Fuels. Nuclear Power and Alternative Energy Sources. Abundant Metals. The Geochemically Scare Metals. Fertilizer and Chemical Minerals. Building Materials and Other Industrial Minerals. Water Resources. Soil as a Resource. Future Resources.For anyone interested in earth resources. ... Read more

Book Description

An environmental site assessment performed now will reduce the possibilities for liability claims and mandatory cleanup later. This Second Edition approaches environmental site assessment as an ever-evolving process, providing updated information on regulatory definitions, environmental regulations, and federal sources of information. Like the previous edition, this book allows the reader to ... Read more

Book Description

The standard-setting classic just got better! Completely revised and updated since the publication of the sixth edition, Environmental Chemistry, Seventh Edition contains eight new chapters, with significant emphasis on industrial ecology as it relates to the emerging area of "green" chemistry. It also discusses the concept of the anthrosphere as a distinct sphere of the environment.The new chapters in the Seventh Edition include:oThe Anthrosphere, Industrial Ecosystems, and oEnvironmental ChemistryoPrinciples of Industrial EcologyoIndustrial Ecology, Resources, and EnergyoIndustrial Ecology for Waste Minimization, Utilization, and TreatmentoChemical Analysis of Water and WastewateroChemical Analysis of Wastes and SolidsoAir and Gas AnalysisoChemical Analysis of Biological Materials oXenobioticsMany professionals in environmental chemistry today began their studies with this definitive textbook. Now this benchmark resource has even more to offer. It gives your students a basic understanding of the science and its applications. In addition to providing updated materials in this rapidly developing field, the Seventh Edition emphasizes the major concepts essential to the practice of environmental chemistry at the beginning of the new millennium. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Good Reference Text; Poor Class Text
I used this text a few years ago when I was writing a paper on ethics of pesticide use, and it certainly details information well. However, the general tone is often anal and the writing style is extremely drab. Most ofthe diagrams included were generated using low-budget graphics software,andit shows.At 811 pages, this is an overly long book and not all thechapters (24 total) can be covered in a single Echem course. Also, there isno solutions manual and the problems Manahan gives are challening (asection of numerical solutions placed in the back of the text would havebeen nice...)This is a good reference text, butif you're looking for asemester-long or short-term text to use for an Echem course, use Baird'stext, not Manahan's.

Environmental Chemisty Review
This text is well written.The author give a understanding of Environmental Chemistry.The reader gets a good understanding ofbasic chemistry as well as a understanding of the effects of Chemistry on theenvironment.

Text is good in introduction of topics, poor for advanced
Text gives good introduction to concepts only and not good for advanced studies because not explain how to apply the concepts to real world problems.It lacks in calculations needed to sovle problems and has nosolution guide for the questions that are in the text. A lot of referencetexts will be needed to solve the problems. No periodic table found in thetext or conversion chart in the text which is very poor for a chemistrytext. But it is an excellent text for learning the concepts ofenvironmental chemistry.

An excellent introduction to modern topics in e-chem.
Manahan compiles many sources of information into one, easy to follow and compact reference.The only limitation of the text is the absence of sample calculations for solving the problems that come at the end of eachchapter.Reference to a solutions guide would be helpful. ... Read more

Book Description

This book will change the way we understand the future of our planet. It is both alarming and hopeful. James Gustave Speth, renowned as a visionary environmentalist leader, warns that in spite of all the international negotiations and agreements of the past two decades, efforts to protect Earth's environment are not succeeding. Still, he says, the challenges are not insurmountable. He offers comprehensive, viable new strategies for dealing with environmental threats around the world.The author explains why current approaches to critical global environmental problems-climate change, biodiversity loss, deterioration of marine environments, deforestation, water shortages, and others-don't work. He offers intriguing insights into why we have been able to address domestic environmental threats with some success while largely failing at the international level. Setting forth eight specific steps to a sustainable future, Speth convincingly argues that dramatically different government and citizen action are now urgent. If ever a book could be described as "essential," this is it. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Ms. Carson, meet Mr. Speth
This book deserves ten stars.
It is more important than the sacrosanct Silent Spring. It is impossible to overstate this books importance. I wish the author had published initially in both hardcover and paperback to get it more widely disseminated. ... Read more

Book Description

Evaluating environmental policy while considering the lasting implications of today's environmental controversies for the future is no easy task, especially given the dramatic changes of the past couple years. Assessing new strategies prompted by the George W. Bush administration, Norman J. Vig and Michael E. Kraft head a team of distinguished contributors to help students make sense of the underlying trends, institutional shortcomings, and policy dilemmas that shape the contentious world of environmental politics. Accessibly written, each chapter attempts to explain the most important developments in environmental politics in recent decades-at the local, state, national, and international levels-and at the same time points to new policy directions for the future. Environmental Policy is essential reading for students of public policy and for anyone who is interested in the current debate over reforming environmental policies and promoting sustainable development in the future. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Newest in a classic series
This is the new edition of "Environmental Policy in the 1990s," a series now considered to be the most important in the field. This edition has some of the classic essays from earlier editions, but is expanded to cover the Clinton administration and address issues of a global nature.

I have been using this series as a basic text in graduate courses in environmental policy for years. I consider it to be a primary source of not only teaching, but research and basic information. All of the essays are clearly written and as unbiased as possible. I give this my highest recommendation. ... Read more

Book Description

This book offers one of the most comprehensive, up-to-date treatments of environmental geology available—from fundamental geologic principles to the specifics of environmental law and geological hazards. It fully discusses both processes and environmental issues, and where appropriate, includes boxes with quantification of processes. Case Histories and examples reflect a cross-section of the United States, and Special Features boxes highlight "classic" and recent environmental disasters. Features high-quality photographs and illustrations throughout.Earth Materials and Processes. Soils and Environment. Natural Hazards: An Overview. Rivers and Flooding. Landslides and Related Phenomena. Earthquakes and Related Phenomena. Volcanic Activity. Coastal Hazards. Water: Process, Supply, and Use. Water Pollution and Treatment. Waste Management. The Geologic Aspects of Environmental Health. Mineral Resources and Environment. Energy and Environment. Global Change and Earth System Science. Air Pollution. Landscape Evaluation and Land Use.For geologists, environmental scientists, and foresters. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Excellent New 8th Edition - the Best Seller for 2000
This new Eighth Edition of Enviromental Geology is welcomed by the geology profession in the year 2000. Professor Edward Keller, a leading geomorphologist at the University of California at Santa Barbara, has performed a timely update of his national best-seller to include new information in earthquake hazards, new hyperlinks for students to study geologic hazard information on the Internet, and expansion of two chapters on water supply and water pollution. Excellent color photographs and color diagrams are used throughout. The 8th Edition features use of quantification ("putting some numbers on"), case histories of cogent interest to students, closer looks at important concepts, key terms, study questions, and web hyperlinks. This textbook is highly recommended and will be most appropriate at the Freshman or Sophomore level. It does not assume prior coursework in geology or earth science. It continues to be the #1 seller in North America and is taught throughout all campuses of the University of California system.

Please See the New 2000 Eighth Edition
This is the best available environmental geology book, except please do not buy this older edition. Instead, browse down the Amazon list and purchase the new Eighth edition, copyright 2000. It has substantial new information about earthquake risk, new hyperlinks to important new websites. The author, Professor Edward A. Keller, is a leading geomorphologist and engineering geologist at the University of California at Santa Barbara. This text is widely used throughout California and the West. We are all delighted with the new 8th edition from Prentice-Hall. ... Read more

Book Description

Since the First Edition appeared, Air Pollution Control: A Design Approach has become the leading air pollution control text on the strengths of good writing, comprehensive coverage, an emphasis on design, and excellent real-world examples. The Third Edition continues this tradition of excellence, incorporating new and updated information throughout the text while retaining the topical organization and features that have made it an invaluable learning tool for instructors and students alike. The Third Edition successfully achieves two main objectives. First, it presents detailed information about air pollution and its control. Causes, sources, effects, and regulation of air pollution are discussed, as well as the economic analysis necessary for efficient and effective control of air pollution. Second, and perhaps more importantly, it provides formal design training for engineering students. Written for engineers from a variety of disciplines, this text offers numerous diagrams, examples, and end-of-chapter problems emphasizing key concepts and design techniques. Outstanding features include: 1) two new chapters: Biofiltration and Indoor Air Quality; 2) current cost estimation data and techniques; 3) updated air quality trends; 4) 31 sample P. E. Examination problems with worked-out solutions; and 5) new end-of-chapter problems in every chapter. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

AIR POLLUTION DESIGN
This book is an excellent choice for engineers trying to design and model air pollution control plants, equipment and processes.It also gives useful details on installation and operational costs. ... Read more

Book Description

This book offers a general, interdisciplinary discussion of global environmental change oriented toward the non-specialist in science.The unifying theme of the book is consideration of aspects of both natural and human-induced global environmental change. The two part organization according to this distinction allows for easy reading on specific topics.This book is useful for anyone interested in learning more about Earth's systems. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

great guide for planners and environmental studies
first chapter is dry but the rest of the book is a thorough compilation of techniques, history, design, purpose and review.

A good handbook for any planner
Dunne & Leopold's "Water In Environmental Planning" is a great tool of reference for the planner of any type. It addresses key issues in the role of water during the planning process and also includes important formulas for solving water problems. If you can get past a boring first chapter, this book is well worth the money and makes a great reference for the urban, rural or environmental planner. 4 stars. ... Read more

Book Description

In the wake of the devastating 1906 earthquake and fire, the city of San Francisco desperately needed reliable supplies of water and electricity. Its mayor, James Phelan, pressed for the damming of the Tuolumne River in the newly created Yosemite National Park, setting off a firestorm of protest. For the first time in American history, a significant national opposition arose to defend and preserve nature, led by John Muir and the Sierra Club, who sought to protect what they believed was the right of all Americans to experience natural beauty, particularly the magnificent mountains of the Yosemite region. Yet the defenders of the valley, while opposing the creation of a dam and reservoir, did not intend for it to be maintained as wilderness. Instead they advocated a different kind of development--the building of roads, hotels, and an infrastructure to support recreational tourism. Using articles, pamphlets, and broadsides, they successfully whipped up public opinion against the dam. Letters from individuals began to pour into Congress by the thousands, and major newspapers published editorials condemning the dam.The fight went to the floor of Congress, where politicians debated the value of scenery and the costs of western development. Ultimately, passage of the passage of the Raker Act in 1913 by Congress granted San Francisco the right to flood the Hetch Hetchy Valley.A decade later the O'Shaughnessy Dam, the second largest civil engineering project of its day after the Panama Canal, was completed. Yet conflict continued over the ownership of the watershed and the profits derived from hydroelectrocity. To this day the reservoir provides San Francisco with a pure and reliable source of drinking water and an important source of power. Although the Sierra Club lost this battle, the controversy stirred the public into action on behalf of national parks.Future debates over dams and restoration clearly demonstrated the burgeoning strength of grassroots environmentalism.In a narrative peopled by politicians and business leaders, engineers and laborers, preservationists and ordinary citizens, Robert W. Righter tells the epic story of the first major environmental battle of the twentieth century, which reverberates to this day. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A classic of environmental history
Robert W. Righter has extended his reputation as a leading American environmental historian by this informative and well written account of the building of the Hetch Hetchy dam in Yosemite National Park in the early 1900's. He is candid and even handed in admitting that there were and are no easy answers in this complex history of building a dam in a national park. This book follows his earlier and acclaimed book (Crucible for Conservation, The Struggle for Grand Teton National Park) which contains the compelling story of the establishment of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming in which the issue was whether the Park as a contiguous and viable entity would ever be established over the objections of local and regional political and other interests. ... Read more