From Scientific American, Managing Planet Earth

• Acid Rain
• Carbon Dioxide and Temperature
• Carbon exchanged between the atmosphere and reservoirs on the earth
• A comic about the greenhouse effect
• Cost of achieving sustainable development
• Fate of emissions
• World energy consumption
• Energy habits
• Planning for future energy needs
• Energy flow
• Gasoline prices
• Heat trapping
• Methane concentration
• Developed nations and industrial emissions
• Developed nations and consumption
• Age distribution
• Local food production

From State of the Earth

• To Have - and Have Not -- The Earth Summit at Rio de Janerio in 1992 made clear that poverty - including inequitites between the rich world and the poor world - is at the root of many environmental threats.
• A Popular Planet -- The environmental pressures of the world's growing population are magnified by urbanization, which is growing at an even faster rate.
• Holes in the Safety Net -- The Montreal Protocol has begun to cut the use of CFC's - but those already released will go on damaging the ozone layer for decades.
• Current Affairs -- Industrialized state used most of the world's commercial energy, but energy demands in developing countries are expected to triple by 2025.
• Nuclear Power -- Most states in the West are having second thoughts about nuclear power, but their atomic industries are searching out new markets in Asia and Eastern Europe.
• Oil Modern industrial economies are dependent on oil, but trails of pollution follow in its wake.
• Global Warming -- Global Warming will wreak havoc with the world's ecosystems. Even conservative predictions point to the likelihood of sea level rises, increases in storm intensity, and disruptions in food production.
• Forests and Rainforests -- As forests disappear, so does the habitat of a rich array of plants and wildlife.
• State Interest -- Third World debt has become a globally significant environmental problem.
• Energy Budgets -- There is neither social nor environmental balance in today's global energy budget.
• Hydro Power -- Hydro power is a cheap and renewable energy source, but dams often carry a high social and environmental price tag.
• Firewood -- Firewood, the primary source of energy for many people in the world, is increasingly short in supply.
• Fossil Fuel Pollution -- There is now 25 per cent more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than there was at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. It is the major cause of global warming.
• Auto Culture -- The number of cars in the world has doubled in the past 20 years.

Back to Course Home Page

For corrections, comments, and questions, please e-mail John Setear.

This page was last updated on 09/21/99.