Description

This book reviews and analyzes the period (roughly from the 1950s to the present) when the "environment" became an issue as important as economic growth, or war and peace; to assess the current situation, and begin planning for the challenges that lie ahead. Most people are aware of both the environmental destruction taking place around the world and of the specter of climate change. The devastation of New Orleans by hurricane Katrina illustrates the potential for disaster when climate change is combined with the mismanaged environmental policy. How did we get to this point? What has been done and what can be done to avoid future environmental disasters? Thirty-two contributing chapter authors (among them, one of the principal drafters of the National Environmental Policy Act, Chief of the African Environment Division and the World Bank, Vice President of the Center for Conservation Innovation at the World Wildlife Fund, President of the Zoological Society of London, former President of the Ecological Society of America) use their unique, authoritative perspective to review the evolution of environmental science and policy in the past half century.
Each author describes the evolution of environmental science and policy in the past half century and consider the challenges of the future. Although the authors of this book come from various fields, they have followed paths that have generally converged on the concept of sustainability. This book attempts to define what sustainability is, how we can achieve it, and what the prospects for sustainability in the future are.

Features

• A unique view of the development of evenironmental policy in the United States and abroad.
• An original account of how conservation has been implemented around the world, but especially in Asia and Africa
• An impressive review of forest and range management from the perspectives of those working in the United States and Africa
• Examines the management of marine ecosystems, including discussions of fishing stock, marine wildlife, and marine mammals
• Covers the problems of sustainable development throughout the world, including an extensive case study from Laos
• An in-depth examination of global environmental policy including environmental ethics, environmental law and sustainability in the management of forests
• Describes how global climate change will impact sustainability in the future

Reviews

"Many courses taught by ecologists, new undergraduate curricula in ecology and environmental studies, and many new innovative graduate programs are attempting to break the shackles of disciplinary thinking. Foundations of Environmental Sustainability models this type of interdisciplinary study both in terms of specific cases and by offering all of its authors as role models, who like Lee Talbot, recognize that our science can guide the decision-making process and implementation of programs that may help sustain ecosystems and their processes."--Ecology

"Essential reading for policymakers and scientists alike, [Foundations of Environmental Sustainability] offers a balanced appraisal of the global state of sustainable practice, past and present."--Abstracts of Public Administration, Development, and Environment

Product Details

480 pages; 64 b/w illus.; 6-1/8 x 9-1/4; ISBN13: 978-0-19-530945-4ISBN10: 0-19-530945-6

About the Author(s)