Introductions to the subject

The discovery of global warming

S.R. Weart See entry no. 1161

Earth under siege: from air pollution to global change

R. Turco See entry no. 831

The economics of the environment and natural resources

R.Q. Grafton [et al.] Blackwell Publishing, 2004, 520pp. £70.00. ISBN 0631215638.

Useful survey of the area. Four major parts: Economics of the environment; Resource economics; Environmental valuation; Global environment

Energy at the crossroads: global perspectives and uncertainties

V. Smil MIT Press, 2005, 427pp. Originally published 2003, $16.95. ISBN 0262693240.

Excellent introductory overview. Bibliography pp 383–418. ‘The most sober, thorough, and thoughtful integrated text on energy available, and it embodies core facts and some fundamental truths that any analyst of energy issues should ponder.’ (Nature)

Energy, technology and directions for the future

J.R. Fanchi Academic Press, 2004, 491pp. $69.99. ISBN 0122482913.

Introductory review of the energy sources that will be available in the 21st century energy mix, with useful background. Three major sections: The science of energy; Origins of energy sources; Energy technology.

Global warming: the complete briefing

J.T. Houghton See entry no. 1163

Life support: the environment and human health

M. McCally, ed. See entry no. 4222

Oceans 2020: science, trends, and the challenge of sustainability

J.G. Field, G. Hempel and C.P. Summerhayes, eds; Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research and Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment See entry no. 1350

Protecting the ozone layer: science and strategy

E.A. Parson See entry no. 1169

Sharing the planet: population–consumption– species: science and ethics for a sustainable and equitable world

B. van der Zwaan and A. Petersen, eds University of Chicago Press, 2004, 264pp. Distributed for Eburon Publishers, Delft. Also available via University Presses Marketing

(www.universitypressesmarketing.co.uk), $24.00. ISBN 9051669860. www.sharingtheplanet.org [COMPANION]

12 papers on sustainability submitted to the Pugwash Symposium, 2002, in two parts: Consumption, population and a sustainable economy; Biodiversity, globalization and sustainable governance. Appendix reproduces the Groningen Manifesto.

‘The book is made available at distressing times, times when some with particularly large ecological footprints have decided to turn their backs on issues of sustainability. As the authors point out, it is awareness of the true nature of making choices that holds the potential for correcting our present trajectory.