Environmental Science A Global Concern

• Main Author: Cunningham, William P.
• Other Authors: Cunningham, Mary Ann
• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Published: Boston McGraw-Hill Higher Education 2008
• Edition: 10th ed
• Subjects: Environmental sciences > Effect of human beings on; Nature > Effect of human beings on
• Online Access: Click Here to View Status and Holdings.

 We seem to have reached a turning point in environmental attitudes. A decade ago, few people took climate change seri ously. Today, climate is a topic of headline news and political campaigns. Hundreds of colleges, communities, and local gov ernments are working locally to reduce carbon emissions and improve efficiency, More than 400 bills have been passed in 40 states to require renewable energy. "Green" buildings are transforming architecture, and green business models are beginning to transform industry. The 2008 Summer Olympics. in Beijing aims to be the greenest games ever with radical new strategies to conserve energy, water, and air quality. Most importantly, it's not just environmentalists who are involved in efforts to protect and improve our environment; it is busi ness leaders finding ways to reduce costs by reducing waste. insurance companies concerned about rising sea levels, and inner-city communities who are trying to lower asthma rates in children. Environmental science is increasingly understood to be a pragmatic field that helps us understand issues that affect our lives.In the twenty-five years since we began work on this book. the United States and the world have undergone several cycles of concern and neglect for our global environment. We have seen growth, declines, and a recent resurgence in public support for energy conservation, farmland protection, and environmen tal health. Global biodiversity, once a special interest of ecolo gists, is now an economic concern of drug companies and the global fishing industry. After years of purchasing ever-larger vehicles, Americans have recently. a renewed interest in automobile efficiency as we become increasingly aware of the costs of climate change and of the political and economic costs of fighting to preserve our fossil fuel supplies. Major events like the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 and the Kyoto conference on climate change in 1997 have raised aware ness of how globally interconnected all of us are in terms of our environment, our economies, and our well-being. All these changes present new possibilities for building coalitions and finding new approaches to living sustainably. We hope this book will inform and inspire students as they consider their role in protecting our shared environment.