Book Description
This volume provides a uniquely rich set of arguments and data for prioritizing our responses to some of the most serious problems facing the world today, such as climate change, communicable diseases, conflicts, education, financial instability, corruption, migration, malnutrition and hunger, trade barriers, and water access. Leading economists evaluate the evidence for costs and benefits of various programs to help gauge how we can achieve the most good with our money. Each problem is introduced by a world-renowned expert analyzing the scale of the problem and describing the costs and benefits of a range of policy options to improve the situation. Shorter pieces from experts offering alternative positions are also included; all ten challenges are evaluated by a panel of economists from North America, Europe, and China who rank the most promising policy options. Global Crises, Global Solutions provides a serious, yet accessible, springboard for debate and discussion and will be required reading for government employees, NGOs, scholars and students of public policy and applied economics, and anyone with a serious professional or personal interest in global development issues. Bjørn Lomborg is Associate Professor of Statistics at the University of Aarhus and the director of the Danish Environmental Assessment Institute. He is also the author of the controversial bestseller, The Skeptical Environmentalist (Cambridge, 2001).
Customer Reviews:
Bjorn Lomborg: GlobalCrises, Glbal Solutions.......2007-05-07
This book appears at the first look about economy. It is not. Its starting premise is the question: if you have limited resources and have to prioritize, what would you do in our global warming situation. It is a hard
headed treatment of the subject matter by a multitude of subject experts. Their complete set of policy proposals then evaluated by eight of the world top economists.
It is interesting, how fast the discussion veers off after discussing the economics into the very conditions enabling or blocking the desirable economic developments, such as conflicts, communicable diseases, sanitation and trade barriers just to mention a few.
The book can be read on two different level.For casual reader and policy maker most the numbers are avoidable and still be a very readable and very thoughtful and interesting material. For those, who want hard numbers and hard details, that is provided too, but not necessary for understanding.
This is the multicolored, multifaceted work of many dedicated individuals who - by the work they are dedicated to perform - are forced to set priorities in expending limited resources. I was surprised by their reasoning, and I trust, so will you be.
if you care about the world.......2007-03-08
why arn't global politics based on these arguments? it's a pleasure to read the scientific arguments that lomborg uses to validate his claims. it's a shame that we cannot organise the solutions to make this world a better place for a lot of people at no expense to our own prosperity. all the hard (econometrical) stuff is almost easy to read.
next year i'll read it again and see how far we are...
Raising the Level of Debate About Global Problems.......2006-08-09
Most people never think about the unavoidable tradeoffs involved in ameliorating social problems. With opportunity costs in mind, may we must dedicate ourselves to a better world.
I have two respectful criticisms:
1. If people focused only on the problems that we could do most to solve then that would reduce the pressure to solve problems. However rational it might seem to shift all foreign aid from funding education to funding AIDS prevention, the result would probably be less total aid. The way politics works, one big problem is sometimes treated less seriously than two problems that are half as big.
2. It is difficult to quantify any of these problems, but some of them, like global warming, are much harder to quantify. The "worst case scenario," unlikely as it may be, has the potential to do such incredible damage, that we need to act on it. Reducing global warming might be conceived of as an insurance policy, whereas preventing AIDS is more likely an investment in mutual funds.
Global Crises, Global Solutions.......2006-07-20
I enjoyed Bjorn Lomborg's latest work as a thought provoking alternative to conventional wisdom on different aspects of globalisation. Unfortunately, much of the scientific and political community have become prisoners to theories which have dubious merit. They are followed more out of political correctness and the prevailing winds of public opinion, than research and testing.
By including other experts who provide alternative opinions and challenge each other, Lomborg has followed the true spirit of scientific method - development of a theory and testing it through falsification. It is a shame that some purported scientists have tried to silence him in a similar way to Galileo. Poor science leads to inadequate policy.
The book is a worthy successor to the Environmental Sceptic and reflects a growing concern in the scientific community about the need for more rigorous research and debate on key issues. It's content is well laid out.
Clearly, the amount of material is not designed for reading in one session. However, it is a valuable resource book suited to those interested in entering into the debate on key global issues. You can pick an individual topic and obtain a good grounding in it.
I look forward to Bjorn Lomborg's next offering.
Highly Recommended!.......2005-07-27
This report is an excellent, controversial and refreshing approach to global problems. Daily, the news media and politicians declare that another crisis is urgent. Often, loud, public resolutions accompany these pronouncements. Political blocs form to push through agendas based on those resolutions. The only thing missing from the process is a dispassionate analysis of whether the solutions make economic sense and, if so, which ones make the most economic sense. This book of compiled essays from the Copenhagen Consensus - as documented in The Economist - provides that missing element. The conference drew from United Nations documents to assemble a list of the most urgent problems facing the world and identified those that presented opportunities for solutions. Then it set the task of identifying solutions that would provide the biggest benefit for the cost, examining 38 proposals for spending $50 billion over four years. Surprisingly, some of the most economically rational projects never make headlines and never turn up in public exhortations. When was the last time you saw someone climbing onto a platform to demand mosquito nets to prevent malaria in Africa? That may not come up nearly as often as adherence to the Kyoto Protocol, which provides a far weaker cost vs. benefit scenario. According to the analysts from Copenhagen, the former seems to be a very sound use of the world's problem-solving resources, but the latter costs a lot and seems to deliver relatively few benefits. We highly recommend this intriguing, sweeping conversation.
Average customer rating:
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Management of Uncertainty: Learning from Chernobyl (International Studies in Global Change)
A. Liberatore
Manufacturer: Routledge
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ASIN: 9057005522 |
Book Description
The Chernobyl disaster of April 1986 confronted Europe with an unprecedented, though not unforeseeable, environmental risk. This investigative analysis studies why key European countries responded in different ways to the nuclear disaster, and what can be learned from it.
The author details why the accident was defined differently in various countries, why actions were or were not taken, and what was learned about the management of nuclear risk. Furthermore, Liberatore studies the short-term and long-term responses and consequences of Chernobyl not only in specific countries, but within the European Union as a whole. Liberatore also provides a policy communication model to illustrate the interaction among the key personnel in such incidents: the scientists, the politicians, the interest groups, and the mass media. The author's focus upon "uncertainty management" is a compelling account for all who seek to understand and improve the practical management of transboundary risks.
Book Description
This debate-style reader is designed to introduce students to controversies in global issues through readings that reflect a variety of viewpoints. Each issue is framed with an issue summary, an issue introduction, and a postscript. The Taking Sides readers feature annotated listings of selected World Wide Web sites. Taking Sides is supported by our student website, Dushkin Online (www.dushkin.com/online/).
Customer Reviews:
Read it only if you must.......2007-06-22
I had to read this for a class and just looking at the cover makes me ill. The topics are timely but the material is outdated.
Taking Sides.......2006-03-01
This book is full of great views pertaining to both sides of global issues. By having both opinions and views and facts used in this book you can make your own choices on what you belive to be fact and what our future holds concering overpopulation, global warming, and shortages of food. It is making my global class easier to follow and helps me define my opinions before discussion in class.
Thank you for your quick (sooner than expected) delivery. It was in time for class.
DW
Book Description
Environmental Health: From Global to Local offers students a comprehensive introduction to environmental health. It provides an overview of methods and paradigms used in this exciting field, ranging from ecology to epidemiology, from toxicology to environmental psychology, from genetics to ethics to religion. The authors survey the major issues in contemporary environmental health, ranging from global issues such as climate change and war to regional issues such as air, water, transportation, and energy to local issues such as food safety, pest control, and occupational health. The book includes a strong focus on the real-world practice of environmental public health, offering chapters on such applied topics as risk assessment, risk communication, health services, regulations, and legal remedies. While Environmental Health is grounded in the U.S. experience, it emphasizes global issues and perspectives on such topics as economic development, population, urbanization, and sanitation.
Prize or Award
- AAP Awards for Excellence in Professional and Scholarly Publishing, 2006
Download Description
Environmental Health: From Global to Local offers students a comprehensive introduction to environmental health. It provides an overview of methods and paradigms used in this exciting field, ranging from ecology to epidemiology, from toxicology to environmental psychology, from genetics to ethics to religion. The authors survey the major issues in contemporary environmental health, ranging from global issues such as climate change and war to regional issues such as air, water, transportation, and energy to local issues such as food safety, pest control, and occupational health. The book includes a strong focus on the real-world practice of environmental public health, offering chapters on such applied topics as risk assessment, risk communication, health services, regulations, and legal remedies. While Environmental Health is grounded in the U.S. experience, it emphasizes global issues and perspectives on such topics as economic development, population, urbanization, and sanitation.
Customer Reviews:
I got it for school........2007-01-04
This was a good book but I received it somewhat late from amazon.
Average customer rating:
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The Impact of Climate Change on the United States Economy
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0521607698 |
Book Description
Understanding the impacts of climate change on economic behaviour is an important aspect of deciding when to take policy actions to prevent or mitigate its consequences. This book applies advanced new economics methodologies to assess impacts on potentially vulnerable aspects of the US economy: agriculture, timber, coastal resources, energy expenditure, fishing, outdoor recreation. It is intended to provide improved understanding of key issues raised in the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports. It concludes that some climate change may produce economic gains in the agriculture and forestry sectors, whereas energy, coastal structures, and water sectors may be harmed. The book will serve as an important reference for the scientific, economic, and policy community, and will also be of interest to natural resource/environmental economists as an example of economic valuation techniques. The volume will clearly be of main importance to researchers and policymakers in the US, but will also be influential as a model for assessment of impacts on economies worldwide.
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Population and Food: Global Trends and Prospects (Global Environmental Change Series)
Tim Dyson
Manufacturer: Routledge
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ASIN: 0415119758 |
Book Description
While fertility rates in the post-industrial world have fallen below replacement levels, the birth rate and survival rates in the developing world are escalating rapidly. Changes in agricultural technology, food production and consumption patterns, as well as the global economic system itself, have created an unstable food production system worldwide.
Population and Food examines trends in food production and assesses the prospects for feeding humanity into the 21st Century. Synthesizing a mass of statistical data and a wealth of case material, this book suggests that food production in most world regions has kept ahead of population growth. Considering likely future trends in climate, land resources, water availability, farm imputs and technnological innovation, the author argues that in all probability the people of the world will be better fed in the 21st than in the 20th Century.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent.......2007-09-21
I received the book in excellent condition. I also received it in a very timely manner packaged well.
Book Description
"The purpose of this textbook on global ecosystem change and human health is twofold:(1) to raise awareness of changes in human health related to global ecosystem change and (2) to expand the scope of the traditional curriculum in environmental health to include the interactions of major environmental forces and public health on a global scale."--from the Introduction
Ecosystem Change and Public Health focuses on how human health is affected by global ecosystem changes. It is the first textbook devoted to this emerging field, offering a global perspective on research methods and emphasizing empirical investigations of health outcomes in combination with integrated assessment for policy development. The book covers such topics as global climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, water resources management, and ecology and infectious disease. Case studies of cholera, malaria, the effects of water resources, and global climate change and air pollution illustrate the analysis and methodology. The book also includes a resource center describing places to start searches on the World Wide Web, guidelines for finding and evaluating information, suggested study projects, and strategies for encouraging communication among course participants.
Customer Reviews:
The world is changing, but are public health practitioners?.......2007-10-02
The winds of global environmental change are blowing upon my profession. But are environmental health specialists smelling the foul air that is the future? Or, are they too busy reviewing hot dog stands and commercial dishwasher models, selling cookbooks at their association meetings, approving sprawl-inducing septic systems, and failing to make the connection between global ecological changes and the predicted impacts on their local public health jurisdictions? Is public health practice in the U.S. doomed by its under-funded focus on cig smoke and health, the uninsured, and heart-stopping fat consumption?
While this book will probably be read by mostly PH grad students, the old timers doing time in state and local environmental health depts should take a close look, especiallly chapters on info sources and GIS. For those involved in international env health work, this book is an excellent starting point for a reintroduction to the environment in environmental health work. To its credit, Calif has begun the analysis of climate impacts on water resources, vectors, the epidemiology of mortality from elevated temps, etc. But much more is needed and this book serves as the groundwork for those in the profession who have made that important connection between (failing)ecosystems and the public health of a human population. Following the book, I can see the need in CA for a statewide dialogue on demographics, migration, and local public health.
The only missing topic (due to the pub date) in this release is the environmental health impacts of war, though the chapter on cholera, which is returning with a vengence in war-torn Iraq, is highly relevant.
THAT topic may require a separate book by the time the U.S. has fully ravaged that country, but Seidel introduces this topic in Environmental Health: From Global to Local (2005), edited by Frumkin.
Book Description
The clock is relentlessly ticking...
Our world teeters on a knife-edge between a peaceful and prosperous future for all, and a dark winter of death and destruction that threatens to smother the light of civilization.
Within 30 years, in the 2030 decade, six powerful "drivers" will converge with unprecedented force in a statistical spike that could tear humanity apart and plunge the world into a new Dark Age. Depleted fuel supplies, massive population growth, poverty, global climate change, famine, growing water shortages and international lawlessness are on a crash course, with potentially catastrophic consequences.
In the face of both doomsaying and denial over the state of our world, Colin Mason cuts through the rhetoric and reams of often conflicting data to muster the evidence to illustrate a broad picture of the world as it is, and of our possible futures. Ultimately his message is clear: we must act decisively, collectively and immediately to alter the trajectory of humanity away from catastrophe.
Offering over 100 priorities for immediate action, "The 2030 Spike" serves as a guidebook for humanity through the trecherous minefields and wastelands ahead to a bright, peaceful and prosperous future in which all humans have the opportunity to thrive and build a better civilization.
This book is powerful and essential reading for all people concerned with the future of humanity and planet earth.
Customer Reviews:
Not as pessimistic as the title suggests.......2005-02-23
The title of this book is much more pessimistic than its content. It does catalogue in great detail the range of threats to human society, as well as the failings of the current world order, and advance the thesis that a series of trends are converging towards a major 'crunch' about 2030. However, much of the book is devoted to pointing out that the resources, the technology and the expertise are available to manage most if not all of these issues if only we could get our priorities right. The author, who is a former Senator in the Australian Parliament, puts forward two axioms against which he tests proposals for managing towards a sustainable world.
The 26 chapters cover an enormous range of issues, centering on six drivers that the author identifies, but covering health and education, the family, religion, money and other subjects as well. This provides valuable breadth and understanding of interconnections, but at some expense in terms of depth of analysis of particular issues.
Most of the issues that the author addresses are also covered by many other authors. The value of this book is that it is relatively short, presents the issues clearly, and offers directions which, even if not 'the answer', provide a useful starting point for dialogue and development.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent one volume intro to how all the issues connect.
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Global Issues: An Introduction
John L. Seitz
Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited
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Moral Philosophy: A Reader, 2nd Ed. (Hackett Publishing)
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ASIN: 0631226427 |
Book Description
The new edition of this text has been fully updated throughout and features expanded sections on issues such as global warming, biotechnology, and energy.Global Issues is an introduction to the nature and background of some of the central issues - economic, social, political, environmental - of modern times. It will provide the basis for a stimulating course for beginning students in departments of geography, politics, sociology and environmental science. The book opens with an overview of the complex political, cultural and natural origins of world problems and of why some nations are rich and some are poor. The author then discusses in depth such issues as population growth, hunger, the extinction of species, global warming and climatic change, ozone depletion, energy conservation, deforestation, and the misuse of technology.The book covers a range of perspectives on a variety of societies, developed and developing. The author writes clearly, stressing the need, by argument and by exemplification, for informed, critical thinking. Students are shown both the decisions that have been made - and the resulting failures and successes - and the choices that must now be faced if crucial problems are to be solved.The book is extensively illustrated with diagrams and photographs, contains guides to further reading, media, and internet resources, and includes suggestions for discussion and studying the material.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent one volume intro to how all the issues connect........1999-05-04
I used this book as text for high school "Global Studies" courses, and thought it was terrific in its understandable but not watered down treatment of the big issues -- war, hunger, women's rights, population, environment, etc. Shows how these issues relate to each other. It was a stretch for 9th graders, but would be perfect for high school seniors or college intro.
Books:
- Global Warming - Myth or Reality?: The Erring Ways of Climatology (Springer Praxis Books / Environmental Sciences)
- Google Maps Hacks
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Books Index
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