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Contents:

1 - Our changing environment; 2 - Using science to address environmental problems; 3 - Environmental history, legislation and economics; 4 - Ecosystems and energy; 5 - Ecosystems and living organisms; 6 - Ecosystems and the physical environment; 7 - Major ecosystems of the world; 8 - Understanding population change; 9 - Facing problems of overpopulation; 10 - Fossil fuels; 11 - Nuclear energy; 12- Renewable energy and conservation; 13 - Water; 14 - Soils and their preservation; 15 - Minerals; 16 - Preserving Earth's biodiversity; 17 - Land resources and conservation; 18 - Food resources; 19 - air pollution; 20 - Regional and global atmospheric changes; 21 - Water and soil pollution; 22 - The pesticide dilemma; 23 - Solid and hazardous wastes; 24 - Tomorrow's world; Appendices.

Review:

As our knowledge of environmental matters increases so does our need for a certain degree of 'environmental literacy'. Today, we seem to be heading in two directions. The first takes environmental science as a rigorous multidisciplinary subject. The second, takes a study of the environment to be part of a student's general education. In some countries this has become codified as 'civics' or 'citizenship' studies (and is being seem as increasingly important). Although we are aware that no one text can guide our study in the former area, there are numerous texts being produced for the general beginner and those who would wish to follow the 'environmental literacy' route. It is in this arena that this student text is pitched.

The book is divided into seven parts. The first, covering chapter one to three deals is entitled 'the human environment'. Together, they set the scene. We are introduced to the notion of environmental science. A number of topical cases are used to illustrate the impact we have on the environment - not just the routine global warming and ozone depletion but endocrines in the environment and animal reintroductions. From this the reader is led into ways in which science is used to look at environmental problems. The scientific method (a way of working) is discussed alongside knowledge of limits (e.g. risk assessment) and limits of environmental capacity (e.g. the precautionary principle). An exploration of US conservation history (for this is a US imprint) completes the section. Part two 'the world we live in' covers chapters four to seven in an outline of basic ecological theory. Firstly, ecosystems are seen primarily as a series of energy flows. From there the notion of species interactions are investigated with special reference to key ideas of ecosystem construction such as keystone species, symbiosis and predation. Next, there is the physical environment with its analysis of materials cycling, atmospherics, oceanography and climatics. A final chapter gives a brief roundup of key biomes. Part three focusses on population and demography. In keeping with a number of recent texts this examines both animal and human population dynamics and the problems of overpopulation. Part four (chapters ten to twelve) looks at energy. Here we have the standard exploration of fossil fuels and nuclear energy followed by renewable sources. Rather than give the basic information each chapter also seeks to investigate a number of related issues. For fossil fuels this is the US energy policy, for nuclear power it's nuclear weapons and waste disposal; for renewables it is a look at conservation and energy efficiency. Part five deals with 'fragile resources'. Here, fragile resources are water, soils, minerals, biodiversity, land and agriculture. The common link is that we are using global resources but not always in the most efficient manner. In addition, we are creating a series of problems that will affect future generations. Although one might consider these topics to have few common threads (especially agriculture which would not normally be seen as a 'fragile resource') the issues dealt with here go back to the fundamentals of the text: the introduction of science to help highlight modern environmental issues. Part six considers key environmental concerns. Chapters cover air and water pollution, global climate change, pesticides and waste disposal. The aim for each chapter is to go beyond the negative side of the issue to look at the benefits of, say, pesticides. A final part (and chapter) deals with the environment in the future, of sustainable living and the challenges we face. A series of appendices cover basic chemistry, graphs and formulae as well as 'making a difference' (a series of organisations to join) and 'green collar professions (jobs using environmental qualifications).

As one would expect, the quality of production is excellent. Each chapter starts with a set of learning objectives. Throughout the chapter there are glossaries defining key terms, 'cases in point' (examples backing up key ideas), 'envirobriefs' looking at specific issues and two elements 'meeting the challenge' and 'making a difference' each aimed at getting a reaction from the students. At the end there are summaries, questions and activities (including ideas about 'taking a stand' - i.e. critical reflection on issues) and further reading. If further material is needed, the authors have a website for both staff (although on a subscription basis) and students (free to access). It is obvious that there has been enormous attention paid to this text as a learning resource. It is highly stimulating but also challenging with the result that a wide range of students could benefit from it. The only drawback is its US focus which makes it less suitable for a broader audience in certain areas but even allowing for this it deserves the widest readership.