Extensively revised and updated, the new Fourth Edition of Global Issues: An Introduction offers a unique approach to the most important environmental, economic, social, and political concerns of modern life. - Revised and updated to reflect the latest global developments
- Examines the most important environmental, economic, social, and political concerns of modern life
- The only book of its kind to use the concept of development to illustrate how different global issues are interrelated
- Includes a new section on nuclear energy
- Chapter boxes examine ways that individuals can have a positive impact on the issues examined within the text
- Key features include a glossary of terms; guides to further reading, media, and Internet resources; and suggestions for discussing and studying the material
Table of Contents:
List of Plates xi List of Figures, Maps, and Tables xiii
Foreword xv
Notes xvii
Introduction: The Creation of Global Issues 1
1 Population 3
The Changing Population of the World 3
Causes of the Population Explosion 10
How Population Growth Affects Development 14
Too rapid 14
Too slow 16
An aging population and low birth rates 16
International conferences on population 18
How Development Affects Population Growth 20
Demographic transition 20
Factors lowering birth rates 22
Governmental Population Policies 25
Controlling growth 25
Promoting growth 30
The Future 32
The growth of the world’s population 32
The carrying capacity of the earth 33
Optimum size of the earth’s population 35
Population-related problems in our future 36
Conclusions 38
Notes 39
Further Reading 42
2 Wealth and Poverty 44
The Millennium Development Goals 49
Development Assistance and Foreign Aid 52
The Market Approach 55
The State Approach 58
The Civil Society Approach 61
Geography and Wealth, Geography and Poverty 64
Globalization 66
Positive aspects 67
Negative aspects 68
An evaluation 69
Conclusions 70
Notes 72
Further Reading 74
3 Food 76
World Food Production 76
How Many Are Hungry? 78
Causes of World Hunger 80
How Food Affects Development 82
How Development Affects Food 84
The production of food 84
The loss of food 87
The type of food 89
The Green Revolution 94
Fertilizers 95
Pesticides 96
Irrigation 96
The future 96
Governmental Food Policies 97
Future Food Supplies 100
Climate 100
Arable land 100
Energy costs 102
Alternative/sustainable/organic agriculture 102
Biotechnology 103
Fishing and aquaculture 105
Future food production 106
Conclusions 107
Notes 108
Further Reading 112
4 Energy 114
The Energy Crisis 114
Responses by Governments to the Energy Crisis 118
The United States 118
Western Europe 120
Japan 120
China 121
The Effect of the Energy Crisis on the Development Plans of Less Developed Nations 123
The Relationship between Energy Use and Development 124
A shift in types of energy 124
Increased use 125
The decoupling of energy consumption and economic growth 126
Climate Change 129
The evidence 129
Probable effects 132
Uncertainties 135
What is being done at present? 136
What more can be done? 137
The Energy Transition 139
Nonrenewable energy sources 139
Renewable energy sources 140
Conservation/energy effi ciency 147
Nuclear Power: A Case Study 149
The potential and the peril 150
The choice 152
Conclusions 155
Notes 156
Further Reading 161
5 The Environment 163
The Awakening 163
The Air 166
Smog 166
Airborne lead 170
Acid rain 171
Ozone depletion 173
Climate change (global warming) 175
The Water 175
The Land 178
Solid wastes 179
Toxic wastes 181
Governmental and industrial responses to the waste problem 182
Deforestation 183
The Workplace and the Home 186
Cancer 186
Pesticides 187
Chemicals 188
The Use of Minerals 189
Resource effi ciency 190
Recycling 191
Substitution 193
Reducing needs 193
Overdevelopment 193
The Extinction of Species 194
The Extinction of Cultures 197
Environmental Politics 200
Conclusions 201
Notes 202
Further Reading 209
6 Technology 211
Benefi ts of Technology 211
The Tragedy of the Commons and the Role of Technology – Short-Term Benefi ts Versus Long-Term Costs 213
Unanticipated Consequences of the Use of Technology 214
DDT 214
Factory farms 214
Inappropriate Uses of Technology 217
Limits to the "Technological Fix" 219
War 221
The Threat of Nuclear Weapons: A Case Study 223
The threat 224
New dangers 226
Conclusions 228
Notes 229
Further Reading 231
7 Alternative Futures 232
Current Outlook: Business as Usual 234
Collapse and Sustainable Development 235
Choices 238
Improve production 239
Reduce demand 239
Better management and governance 240
Conclusion 241
Notes 243
Further Reading 244
Appendix 1: Studying and Teaching Global Issues 247
Appendix 2: Relevant Videos 254
Appendix 3: Relevant Internet Websites 265
Glossary 272
Index 276
About the Author :
John L. Seitz is Professor Emeritus of Government at Wofford College. He earned a BA and MPA from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, and a PhD in political science from the University of Wisconsin. He has extensive first-hand experience of South Korea, Iran, Brazil, Liberia, and Pakistan and previous editions of his book have been used around the world, including translations into Chinese, Japanese, and Portuguese.
Kristen A. Hite leads the Climate Change Program at the Center for International Environmental Law and teaches at the University of Maryland. She earned a JD degree from Georgetown University Law Center.
Review :
“This volume offers an introduction to the most important environmental, economic, social, and political concerns of modern life. The text is extensively illustrated with diagrams and photographs, it contains guides to further reading,media, and internet resources.” (NeoPopRealism Journal, 2012)
