Environmental Dilemmas

R. J. Berry

ISBN 10: 0412398001 / ISBN 13: 9780412398001

Editore: Springer Netherlands, Springer Netherlands Dez 1992, 1992

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This item is printed on demand - Print on Demand Titel. Neuware -This is a book by people who have had to make decisions which affect the environment in which we all live, decisions which sometimes affect the quality of life of millions. It is not an academic disquisition on how to approach decision-making. Most of the chapters are written by scientists who have had to take action or make recommendations on environmental matters in situations where the data are incomplete or choices hedged by factors beyond scientific resolution; the result is that they have had to resolve dilemmas about the proper way forward in the matter. My brief to the authors was to describe issues with which they had been personally concerned, rather than simply select from the vast range of envir- mental problems 'out there'. The only exception to this was Andrew Brennan (Chapter 1), who is a professional philosopher; I asked him to say something about the processes and errors indulged by environmental decision-makers. There is some overlap between chapters, but this is not extensive. I have made no attempt to eliminate it, because the aim has been to present personal points of view, not a systematic account of environmental problems. Similarly, there are important topics which are not covered. Indeed, a critic would complain that a book on environmental dilemmas which does not deal directly with the crucial divide between development and conservation is almost wholly irrelevant; from one point of view, it could be condemned as fiddling while Rome burns.Springer Verlag GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 17, 69121 Heidelberg 296 pp. Englisch.

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Dati bibliografici

• Titolo: Environmental Dilemmas
• Editore: Springer Netherlands, Springer Netherlands Dez 1992
• Data di pubblicazione: 1992
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 0412398001
• ISBN 13: 9780412398001
• Rilegatura: Buch
• Condizione: Neu
• Dimensioni: 241 L x 160 A x 21 P (millimetri) 241 millimetri di larghezza per 160 millimetri di altezza per 21 millimetri di profondità
• Peso: 612 grammi

Descrizione articolo

Riassunto

This text is by people - most of them scientists - who have had to make environmental decisions. Despite popular rhetoric, our environment is not simply a jewel to be cossetted nor a resource to be plundered; it is something to be managed responsibly for everyone's sake. The authors of the case- studies in this collection set out the factors that they have had to consider in devising actions which will affect the environment. The book is not a description of decision-making theory (only one of the authors is a professional philosopher), nor is it an apology for cynical pragmatism; it is an account of the factors that had to be weighed in making decisions about the air we breath, about energy sources, land use, animal welfare, commercial profit and so on. The authors are all committed environmentalists who have had to translate their principles into practice. They tell of the practical problems of maintaining their principles whilst producing answers to real problems. This is a book for managers, historians, sociologists, but above all for environmental scientists forced to make decisions on imperfect or incomplete evidence. This book should be of interest to ecologists, environmental scientists/planners and managers, conservationists and philosophers interested in environmental ethics.

Recensione

Thought provoking - ntegral Environmental Management; All of the chapters are well written - Environmental Policy and Practice; ... The appearance of a book which claims to shed light on some of these issues is to be welcomed. ECOS; ...this book is an important addition to the 'environmental' literature - Journal of Environmental Studies; This book will enlighten readers ...This set of essays is broad and deep...The authors provide rich techical and scientific detail, and are especially good at highlighting what they view as central ethical dilemmas... - The Quarterly Review of Biology; This set of essays is broad and deep. Each author writes from a position of authority. . . . The book does an especially good job of presenting the range of different positions, values and attitudes that emerge in environmental disputes, and the roles played by different groups. . . . The authors provide rich scientific detail, and are especially good at highlighting what they view as central ethical dilemmas, and the difficulty of reconciling the perspectives of science with those of planning and public policy. The essays may be particularly helpful for graduate students and others in the sciences who are likely to confront similar dilemmas in their careers |o The Quarterly Review of Biology |d June 1994; Thought provoking - Integral Environmental Management