Sustainable development is widely advocated as the way to deal with the issues that fill the pages of this publication. The concept is, however, hard to apply in practice, and easy to manipulate. These days many promote 'sustainability', including so... Read more

Sustainable development is widely advocated as the way to deal with the issues that fill the pages of this publication. The concept is, however, hard to apply in practice, and easy to manipulate. These days many promote 'sustainability', including some who are only interested in sustaining that which benefits them directly. But to make the world a better place for all, current practices must change. The term 'sustainable development' implies that some forms of development cannot be sustained (continued indefinitely). Here we look at why we need a different kind of development, what sustainable development is about, and how the concept can be applied. The concept of sustainable development is now considered a guiding principle of national and international action. Yet the widespread acceptance of this concept stands in contrast with the inability so far to alter effectively the development model responsible for environmental degradation. The lack of many positive and concrete results produced by massive efforts in the field of international cooperation for the environment indicate the contradictory character of this new "global" environmentalism. Climate changes in response to changes in the global energy balance. On the broadest scale, the rate at which energy is received from the sun and the rate at which it is lost to space determine the equilibrium temperature and climate of Earth. This energy is then distributed around the globe by winds, ocean currents, and other mechanisms to affect the climates of different regions. This book provides deep insight to various dimensions of issues relating to the subject. Less