The Global Casino

This text offers an introduction to environment issues which deals both with the working of the physical environment and the political, economic and social frameworks in which the issues occur. Using examples from all over the world, the book highlights the underlying causes behind environmental problems, the human actions which have made them issues, and the hopes for solutions. It is concerned with the human impact on the environment and the ways in which the natural environment impacts society. 18 chapters on key issues follow two initial chapters which outline the background contexts to the physical and human environments, and the book finishes with a chapter on conservation and sustainable development. Each chapter sets the issue within an historical context, outlines why the issue has arisen, highlights areas of controversy and uncertainty, and appraises how problems begin and can be resolved both technically and in political and economic frameworks.