Overview

Volume Five of the Encyclopedia is devoted to the social, political, economic, and spiritual - and thereby human dimensions of global environmental change. It highlights the profound shifts in human thinking and awareness that are required to ""wrap our minds"" around the advent of globalization, and our increasing ability to affect natural systems, sometimes to our own benefit. Because of the complex weave of interaction between humanity and the environment, this volume contains many essays and articles that are more in the realm of probes than fixed descriptions of their topics. Powerful words and powerful ideas, metaphors, myths, beliefs, images and arte-facts - these are all ""vehicles"" for the creation and shaping of meaning among human beings. Topics covered include the great political and economic theories, the most influential views of nature from Plato to Rachel Carson, and the historic and literary seedbeds for the rise of environmental thought and practice in our time. Of particular importance are the introductory essays from leading figures in the field, and special efforts have been made throughout to give space to alternative voices and ideas. Dialogue and diversity are essential to human development, and a reader will be stimulated by this volume towards his or her own thoughtful response to the increasing responsibility for the future of the Earth that has come upon us in our time.

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9780470853641

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Author Information

Editor-in Chief Professor Ted Munn, Associate, Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Toronto, Canada. He has over 50 years research/teaching experience in the areas of boundary layer meteorology, environmental impact assessment, environmental management and policy formulation. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE). Wiley publish their research monographs (52 titles published to date). Associate Editors Professor Michael MacCracken (Volume 1) - Director of the Office of the US Global Change Research Programme (USGCRP), Washington DC, USA. He is a world-renowned academic with over 30 years teaching and research experience in climate modelling. Dr John S Perry (Volume 1) Professor Harold A Mooney (Volume 2) - Paul S Achilles Professor of Environmental Biology, Stanford University, USA. He has over 30 years experience in the areas of biodiversity and ecosystem processes. He is Secretary General of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) and past President of the American Institute of Biological Sciences. Dr Joseph Canadell (Volume 2) - GCTE International Project Office, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, Canberra, Australia. Professor Ian Douglas (Volume 3) - Professor of Physical Geography, University of Manchester, UK. He has over 30 years experience looking at environmental problems, specializing in tropical geomorphology, hydrology and urban environmental management. He is President of Section E Geography of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, and past Co-Chairman of SCOPE. Dr Mostafa Tolba (Volume 4) - President, International Center for Environment and Development, Egypt. He has led more than 1000 international projects in various areas of environmental planning, management and sustainable development and was Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) for over 17 years. Mr Peter Timmerman (Volume 5) - Programme Co-ordinator and Research Director, International Federation of Institutes for Advanced Study (IFIAS) and Research Associate, Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Toronto, Canada. He has published widely in the area of environmental ethics.

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