Global Issues: An Introduction

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)