World Atlas of Desertification. David S. G. Thomas and Nicholas J. Middleton. Chapman & Hall, 29 W. 35th St., New York, NY 10001-2291. 1 9 9 2 . 96 p a g e s , c o l o r m a p s . $149.50, cloth. Desertification is an increasingly severe problem worldwide. Some researchers believe that the process began to accelerate near the dawn of history, when nomadic herders introduced goats into the grassland that now constitutes the Sahara. This atlas shows desertification trends and factors leading u p to them, including climate variability, soils, water availability, erosion, and chemical deterioration. One section covers global desertification, another concentrates on Africa, and the third presents case studies with countries as diverse as Argentina, Mali, Syria, and Uzbekistan.
Environmental Politics: Public Costs, Private Records. Michael S. Greve and Fred L. Smith, Eds. Greenwood Publishing Group, P.O. Box 5007, Westport, CT 068815007. 1992. 232 pages. $45, cloth: $19.95, paper.
Environmental Politics charges that environmental regulations are manipulated for political and economic objectives and have little to do with achieving a clean environment. The authors in this book present seven cases that offer grounds for reconsidering the current “commandand-control” approach to environmental policy. They argue that policies and programs “address political and economic objectives dear to p o w e r centers a n d interest groups.” Environmental Politics analyzes the role of these groups, their rationales, and their possible impact on the public welfare. Only One World: Our Own to Make and to Keep. Gerard Piel. W. H. Freeman, 4 1 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10010. 1992. 327 pages. $21.95, cloth. The world population exceeds 5 billion. Rain forests are shrinking
at a rate of 200,000 km’lyear. But many people say, “This is America; am I responsible for the crowded shantytowns in Mexico City or the ozone hole over Antarctica?” Yes, these problems are our problems, 2346 Environ. Sci. Technol.. Vol. 26,
according to the author. His good news is that we can benefit from tackling these issues. In fact, the author suggests, “We can turn the American economy a r o u n d by transferring first world technology to the third world.” Gerard Piel is the founder and retired editor of Scientific American.
Guide to Environmental Analytical Methods. Genium Publishing, 1145 Catalyn S t . , S c h e n e c t a d y , NY 12303-1836. 1992. $19.95. What EPA method do you use for analyzing which chemical in what medium? This guide summarizes 11 key testing methods for more than 400 environmental analytes, and it indicates which method to use to determine the presence of a particular analyte. A list of analytes follows each method. Criteria for detection limits, expiration time periods, calibrations, and standards are detailed, as are prerequisites for field sample sizes, acceptable containers, and extraction volumes.
Environmental Dividends: Cutting More Chemical Wastes. Mark H. Dorfman, Warren R. Muir, and Catherine G. Miller. INFORM, 381 Park Ave. S., New York, NY 100168806. 1992. 2 7 1 pages. $75.
Environmental Dividends suggests that one way to solve the waste problem is to “stop generating wastes in the first place.” Although some companies chafe at the idea, others have implemented it and reaped several benefits such as an increase in production yields, cost savings, and relatively short payback periods for the investment in waste reduction. This book documents 181 specific source reduction cases, “some of which saved [chemical] plants as much as $2.75 million a year.” The Right Climate for Carbon Taxes: Creating Economic Incentives to Protect the Atmosphere. Roger C. Dower and Mary Beth Zimmerman. WRI Publications, P.O. Box 4852, Hampden Station, Baltimore, MD 21211. 1992. 39 pages. $9.95, paper. Why tax carbon? The authors advocate such a tax as an economic incentive to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere,
No. 12,1992
thereby retarding global warming. Their book examines a carbon tax strategy, economic consequences (including “what the models don’t tell us”), and the use of carbon tax revenues to reduce other taxes. 1992-93 Guide to Superfund Sites. Pasha Publications. Pasha Publications, 1616 N. Fort Myer Dr., Arlington, VA 22209. 1992. $495 (discounts for multiple copies are available].
According to the publisher, the Guide to Superfund Sites “is the only current comprehensive source to more than 1200 Superfund sites on EPA’s National Priority List.” This latest edition contains all 1991 Records of Decision, as well as cleanup schedules and goals, information on contaminated media, and lists of potentially responsible parties. 1992-93
Campus Ecology. April A. Smith. Living Planet Press, 588 Rose Ave., Venice, CA 90291. 1992. 176 pages. $17.95, paper.
Campus Ecology is a workbook developed for and by college students to aid them in researching, evaluating, and improving the environmental sustainability of their campuses. Key topics are identification of hazards and disposal of waste, the impacts of university policies on the environment, and creation and implementation of strategies for change. The book also contains a 24-page, tear-out section to help students conduct an environmental audit of their campuses. Chemical Deception: The Toxic Threat to Health and the Environment. Mark LappB. Sierra Club Books, 100 Bush St., 13th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104. 1992. 384 pages. $15, paper. Here are several statements the author characterizes as myths: The body’s defenses are adequate, the fetus develops out of reach of toxic danger, all effects of toxics disappear as doses diminish, the environment is resilient, and “nonreactive” chemicals lack adverse effects. Lapp6 argues that these and other statements are untrue, that society’s dependence on the “chemical revolution” is disastrous, and that many large corporations market chemi-
001 3-936X/92/0926-2346$03.00/0 0 1992 American Chemical Society
cals “with insufficient consideration of their harmful effects on human health and global ecology.”
IRIS Chemical Information Database. Adapted by Lawrence H. Keith. Lewis Publishers, 2000 Corporate Blvd., N.W., Boca Raton, FL 33431. 1992. Software. Subscription, $395 per year; specify 51/4-in. or 3%-in. format. Users manual included. IRIS (Integrated Risk Information System) is “EPA’s most comprehensive database for hazardous environmental chemicals.” It covers chronic health hazard assessment for noncarcinogenic effects; carcinogenicity assessment for lifetime exposure; health hazard assessment for varied exposure durations; EPA regulatory actions; and supplementary data, references, a n d synonyms. Requirements for using IRIS are an IBM-compatible computer, 640K RAM, 2-15 MB of disk space, and DOS 2.0 or higher.
Achieving Environmental Goals: The Concept and Practice of Environmental Performance Review. Erik Lykke, Ed. CRC Press, 2000 Corporate Blvd., N.W., Boca Raton, FL 33431. 1992. xii + 259 pages. $69.95, cloth. Once environmental programs are implemented, they often do not meet all of the expectations of their framers. Achieving Environmental Goals explains why this is the case. Major topics include concept and design, implementation failure, imperfections of scientific advice, public involvement, and practice and prospects. Special attention is called to chapter 7, which deals with the transformation of scientific data into policy-relevant information; and chapter 8, which asks, “How much ‘science’ does environmental performance really need?”
Last Chance to See. Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine. Ballantine Books, 201 E. 50th St., New York, NY 10022,1992.x + 222 pages. $10, paper.
Last Chance to See describes expeditions the authors made to such far-flung parts of the world as Madagascar, Indonesia, and New Zealand to see rare, endangered animal species, including aye-aye lemurs (primates), extremely poisonous komodo dragon lizards, white rhinoceroses, and kakapos. Descriptions of the authors’ travels and the fauna they encountered may evoke
recollections of Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,
Groundwater Treatment Technology, 2nd ed. Evan K. Nyer. Water Information Center, c/o Geraghty & Miller, 125 E. Bethpage Rd., Plainview, NY 11803. 1992. $49.95 + $4 for shipping.
Ground water Treatment Technology is designed as “a practical guide illustrating treatment methods for organic and inorganic contaminants.” Principal topics include physical, chemical, and biological methods for treating organic contaminants; treatment methods for inorganic compounds; and field applications of design methods. The Injured Coastline. Published for the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia. International Specialized Book Services, 5602 N.E. Hassalo St., Portland, OR 97213. 1992. 126 pages. $11.95 + $2.50 for shipping. One of Australia’s greatest assets, its famous coastline, is under environmental siege by development and other human activities. The Injured Coastline, a report to the Australian Parliament, considers these environmental pressures and ways to control them to protect the coast. Sewage disposal and water quality also are assessed.
Environmental Viewpoints, Vol. 1. Daniel G. Marowski, Ed. Gale Research, P.O. Box 33477, Detroit, MI 48232-5477. 1992. 540 pages. $49.95.
Environmental Viewpoints covers topics currently in the news, with essays and excerpts reprinted from popular and professional publications, including BioCycle, Forbes, Science, and Time. Essays cover problems, solutions, and future implications; technical excerpts are included when they are understandable to the general reader and provide enough depth of coverage for more thorough research. Topics include rain forests, ozone depletion, population growth, global warming, acid rain and air pollution, and wildlife conservation. Emerging Technologies in Plastics Recycling. Gerald D. Andrews and Pallatheri M. Subramanian, Eds. American Chemical Society, 1155 16th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20036. 1992. 315 pages. $79.95, cloth.
This book presents emerging technologies and current research in plastics recycling. It includes discussions on stabilizers, additives, the character of recycled plastics, polymer recovery, and applications of recycled polymer blends. ACS Symposium Series No. 513. Our Planet, Our Health. WHO Commission on Health and Environment. WHO Publications Center USA, 49 Sheridan Ave., Albany, NY 12210. 1992. xxxii + 282 pages. $40.50.
This World Health Organization (WHO) report views the environment in two ways: as a source of resources needed to sustain life and fuel development and as a physical, chemical, and biological threat to health. Topics include effects of population growth; diseases caused by air pollution; current situations and needs in developing countries; and transboundary migration of air pollutants, ocean pollution, ozone depletion, and climate change.
International Environmental Law: Special Report. Government Institutes. Government Institutes, 4 Research Place, Suite 200, Rockville, MD 20850. 1992. 395 pages. $85, paper. Various noted authorities contributed to International Environmental Law, which explains programs in the more environmentally active countries. They discuss equivalents of U.S. air, water, hazardous waste, right-to-know, and emergency planning laws and regulations. Among the countries covered are Australia, Greece, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, and South Korea. One chapter discusses developments of environmental law in eastern Europe.
Optical Remote Sensing Applications to Environmental and Industrial Safety Problems. Air & Waste Management Association. Air & Waste Management Association, P.O. Box 2861, Pittsburgh, PA 15230. 1992.552 pages. $70 ($45 for AWMA members), paper. Order Code SP-81. This book emphasizes air toxics monitoring. It includes sections on quality control and assurance issues, international activities, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) remote sensing, UV and differential IR, and combining meteorological and remote sensing data for dispersion modeling.
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