Book Reviews : Man's Impact on the Global Environment: Assessment and Recommenda tions for Action. MIT Press. £5.85. p.£1.40. 307pp and Index
| Date | 01 December 1972 |
| Published date | 01 December 1972 |
| DOI | 10.1177/004711787200400616 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
734
rallying
point
of
the
rich
who
deplete
and
the
poor
who
starve
alike,
helping
each
other
and
thereby
themselves
and
creating
in
the
process
one
globe,
common
to
a-11&dquo;.
Instead
we
are
creating
an
increasingly
im-
poverished
global
commons.
This
is
a
most
stimulating
contribution
to
the
ecological
debate.
In
an
increasingly
secularized
world
in
which,
for
the
most
part,
man
is
regarded
as
being
merely
the
top
of
the
evolutionary
tree,
it
might
perhaps
be
worth
noting
that
since
he
is
almost
entirely
a
predator,
the
survival
of
the
earth
worm
is
far
more
important
from
the
point
of
view
of the
ultimate
survival
of
the
planet
earth
than
is
man.
Man’s
Impact
on
the
Global
Environment:
Assessment
and
Recommenda-
tions
for
Action.
MIT
Press.
£5.85.
p.£1.40.
307pp
and
Index.
This
book
is
the
fruit
of
an
intensive
month
long
study
of
the
problems
arising
from
man’s
increasingly
obtrusive
impact
upon
the
global
environment,
in
particular
those
problems,
such
as
changes
in
climate
and
in
oceanic
and
terrestrial
ecosystems
which
have
not
been
subjected
to
intensive
study,
by
a
wide-based
multi-disciplinary
group,
covering
&dquo;mete-
orology,
atmospheric
chemistry,
oceanography,
biology,
ecology,
geology,
physics,
several
branches
of
engineering,
economics,
social
sciences
and
law&dquo;.
It
is
divided
into
two
parts.
Part
I
consists
broadly
of
the
SCEP
Report:
Part
II
of
the
reports
of
seven
SCEP
Work
Groups,
in
essentially
the
form
in
which
they
were
adopted
by
the
Group
concerned.
The
Report
stresses
that
no
organization
is
at
present
&dquo;charged
with
the
responsibility
for
determining
the
status
of
the
total
global
environ-
ment
and
alerting
man
to
dangers
that
may
result
from
his
practices&dquo;
with
the
result
that
it
may
be
too
late
to
avoid
the
damage
done
before
the
dangers
are
recognized.
It
goes
on
to
note,
most
importantly,
that
&dquo;The
existence
of
a
global
problem
does
not
imply
the
necessity
for
a
global
solution&dquo;.
The
activities
causing
the
pollution
or
damage
can
often
be
&dquo;effectively
controlled
or
regulated
where
they
occur&dquo;,
though
such
re-
gulation
might
need
a
degree
of
international
co-operation.
’
Amongst
the
important
recommendations
made
by
SCEP
are
the
following:
(1)
Improvement
of
machinery
for
gathering
global
economic
and
statistical
information
and
the
possible
setting
up
of
internationally
accepted
monitoring
standards.
(2)
The
improvement
of
methods
for
studying
climatic
changes,
both
natural
and
locally
induced.
(3)
Intensified
study
of
the
ffects
of
emmission
of
combustion,
of
fossil
fuels
and
of
the
distribution
and
effects
of
carbon-dioxide
and
of
particles
on
the
atmos-
pheric
balance.
In
addition,
there
should
be
a
study
of
the
possible
effects
of
the
discharges
of
gases
and
particles
from
jet-aircraft
and
from
super-
sonic
transport
in
the
stratosphere.
(4)
Surface
changes,
such
as
deforestation,
population
growth
leading
to
overgrazing,
and
increase
of
arid
or
desert
areas;
modification
of
snow
or
ice
areas
or
introduction
of
large
water
bodies
should
be
studied
by
means
of
models
before
being
undertaken
as
also
the
effects
of
heat
islands
resulting
from
rising
thermal
heat
output.
(5)
There
should
be
an
attempt
to
assess
man’s
total
biological
demand
on
the
ecosystem
by
a
study
of
technological
impact
and
the
effects
of
pollutants,
their
routes
and
distribution
and
finally
their
passage
through
the
ecosystems.
An
attempt
should
be
made
to
establish
an
adequate
historical
record
of
oceans
and
world
climate
in
order
to
clarify
at
least
the
recent
variations
of
atmospheric
and
oceanic
particularate
content.
But
&dquo;Existing
and
emerging
environmental
problems
must
be
analysed
in
the
broader
context
of
social,
economic
and
political
problems&dquo;,
and
much
wider
education
of
the
public
in
the
issues
involved
is
required.
(6)
DDT
and
persistent
pesticides
should
be
phased
out
as
rapidly
as
possible
and
subsidies
should
be
paid
to
developing
countries
to
enable
them
to
use
non-persistant
but
more
expensive
pesticides;
finally
there
should
be
minimal
use
of
these
with
maximal
use
of
biological
control.
The
use
of
mercury
should
also
be
eliminated
as
quickly
as
possible.
More
research
on
the
effects
of
oil
in
the
oceans
is
required
and
technology
must
be
developed
to
reclaim
and
recycle
nutrients
in
areas
of
high
concentration.
It
is
necessary
to
improve
the
institutional
structures
re-
sponsible
for
defining,
monitoring
and
maintaining
water
quality
standards
over
large
areas.
A
close
watch
must
be
kept
on
the
disposal
of
high-level
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