Environmental Crisis and Humans at Risk : Priorities for Action
Contents: Foreword/Shri Sunderlal Bahuguna. Preface. Editor\'s observations: a. The growing crisis in the human environment. b. The alarming rate of destruction of the human environment. Messages of some eminent environmentalists on global environmental issues: 1. The environmental philosophy of Chipko Movement/Sunderlal Bahuguna. 2. Environmental crisis: the challenges before humanity/Mostafa K. Tolba. 3. Salvaging the earth : need for action/Elizabeth Dowdswell. 4. Towards a sustainable human society: the challenges ahead/T.N. Khoshoo. 5. Towards building an ecological security system for mankind/M.S. Swaminathan. 6. Increasing population and decreasing resources!/G.S. Nathawat. I. The growing environmental and socio-economic crisis: 1. Environmental pollution : the 20th century killer/Rajiv K. Sinha. 2. Deforestation and habitat destruction : threat to the global ecological balance/Rajiv K. Sinha. 3. Biodiversity erosion and extinction of species : a potential threat to human existence on earth/Rajiv K. Sinha. 4. Desertification : the silent eco-crisis of land sterilization and anhilation of human civilization/Rajiv K. Sinha and Shyam Sunder Khinchi. 5. Soil erosion : a quiet environmental crisis/A.N. Zaharan and Dharmendra Singh Chauhan. 6. Chemical pesticides in human environment : a serious health hazard/B. Narsimha Rao. 7. Climate change by global warming, ozone depletion and acid rain : the impending disaster for mankind/Rajiv K. Sinha. 8. Waste bomb : the threat to bury the humanity alive/Rajiv K. Sinha. 9. Industrial health hazards of human beings/R.J. Washington. II. Population, resource, socio-economic development and environment: 10. Philosophy of sustainable development/George H. Axinn. 11. Mining, development and environment/M.L. Jhanwar. 12. Resource crisis and survival at stake : meeting the challenge/Rajiv K. Sinha. 13. Dynamics of energy use in human development/Bryn Golton and Stan Frost. III. Biodiversity conservation for continuity and sustainability of human society: 14. Biodiversity conservation : the key to survival of life on earth/Rajiv K. Sinha. 15. Wildlife management : restoring the ecological balance/Rajiv K. Sinha. 16. Reforesting the earth : an insurance for survival/Rajiv K. Sinha. IV. Environmentally benign eco-technology for human development: 17. Vermiculture biotechnology for waste management and sustainable agriculture/Rajiv K. Sinha. 18. Blue green algae biofertilizer : the economically cheaper and ecologically safer alternative to chemical fertilizers/S.K. Goyal. 19. Algal biofertilizer technology for sustainable agriculture/B.D. Kaushik. 20. Compressed natural gas : the environmentally benign automobile fuel/Suresh K. Sharma. 21. Hydrogen : the clean fuel for the civilization in future/M.P. Saksena. V. Eco-legislation for correcting human behaviour, environmental justice and maintenance of social order: 22. Environmental degradation--a crime against humanity and equivalent to genocide : some reflections on national and international laws on environment/Rajiv K. Sinha. 23. Environmental laws in India : how effective it is?/Satish Shastri and Manjoo Bala Trivedi. 24. Judicial activism and the law for environmental justice in India/P. Leelakrishnan. 25. Penal provisions in the Indian Environmental Law/Niranjan Lal Gupta. VI. Environmentalism, environmental awareness and ethics: 26. Religious responsibility for the human environment: a view from England/M.M. Spadden and Stan Frost. 27. Socio-environmental crisis and man management/R.R. Das. 28. Values for development without destruction of the human society/W.M. Sullivan. 29. Environmental protection : lessons from Indian history, religion and philosophy/Rajiv K. Sinha and Sudhir Upadhyay. Appendices. Subject index. Author index.
"Environment has become a key issue today as human survival directly depends upon it. The future of our children will depend upon the state of environment that we leave today. All over the world "Environmentalism" has been a growing phenomenon. The Stockholm Conference of 1972 and the Rio Earth Summit of 1992 reflected the seriousness of the problem and called for an early action before the ecological disaster striked the humanity.
The book covers wide areas of environmental problems and the possible remedial actions to be taken. Resource and development; waste and pollution; biodiversity erosion and conservation; deforestation and desertification; environmentally friendly technologies for sustainable development; environmental laws and environmental ethics for governing and correcting human behaviour towards the environment are some important chapters.
Special feature of the book are the messages of some dedicated environmental crusadors of world viz., Shree Sunderlal Bahuguna, Dr. Mostafa K. Tolba, Dr. Elizabeth Dowdswell, Dr. M.S. Swaminathan and Dr. T.N. Khoshoo on various environmental issues confronting mankind.
The appendices at the end highlights the various memorable environmental disasters; the green warriors and organizations struggling to save the environment; and the various global treaties, and conventions signed to stop the environmental holocast. It also tells about some of the environmentally friendly habits and the environmentally friendly materials which mankind should adopt and use in daily life." (jacket)
