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This book assesses the current available information concerning the major scientific problems related to environmental consequences of a possible nuclear war. The contributors address a broad range of topics, among them the effects of blast, heat, and local radioactive fallout; the likely dispersal patterns and residence times of radioactive debris in the troposphere and stratosphere; the probable long-term effects on both the local and global biosphere and radiological consequences for humans; the effect on the global environment of widespread fires in urban and industrialized regions; and the likely significant decrease of stratospheric ozone with a resulting long-term increase in harmful UV radiation received at the ground. The authors point to problem areas where current information is inadequate or completely lacking and discuss the role of the scientist in developing such information as a contribution to the elimination of the nuclear war threat.

In our critical attempts to solve the pressing current problems of a limited water supply, it is essential that we act always with a global view to the future. Recognizing this, an international group of scholars—from the Soviet Union, Canada, Africa, and the United States—met to review together their experiences and research on the environmental effects of a number of large scale river management programs. This edited collection of their reports provides a balanced view of a vital element in the total ecosystem. Their analysis points out the urgent need to take account of long-term trends in climate, to consider all feasible management alternatives, and, especially, to manage demand (as opposed to simply increasing water supply) and to defer irreversible action until all environmental impacts are estimated.

The disastrous effects of natural hazards such as earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes are often called “Acts of God.”'Challenging that view, this work depicts natural hazards as extreme events in nature that are made even more dangerous by the acts or the neglect of people. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the toll on society resulting from such environmental episodes has changed significantly in several ways--while fatalities from major events have decreased, the number of reported events causing 100 or more deaths, as well as the extent of property damage, has risen steadily. Providing a framework for examining these trends, this volume offers an understanding of how people around the world deal with fluctuations in the local natural systems of air, water, and terrain.