"Affluenza, from the producer of the award-winning TV specials Affluenza and Escape from Affluenza, uses the whimsical metaphor of a disease to tackle a very serious subject: the damage done—to our health, our families, our communities, and our environment—by the obsessive quest for material gain. The authors examine the origins, evolution, and symptoms of the affluenza epidemic. But more importantly, they explore cures and suggest strategies for rebuilding families and communities and for restoring and respecting the earth."

"Agricultural Expansion and Tropical Deforestation puts the case for the need to seek solutions in far-reaching institutional and policy reforms at local, national and international levels, if the real challenges of tropical deforestation are to be tackled effectively. It is an ideal reference work for researchers, policy makers, conservation and development NGOs and anyone interested in issues of trade, globalization and the politics of land and the environment."

"Lester Brown, 'the guru of the global environmental movement' (The Telegraph of Calcutta), argues that, like the Sumerian and Mayan civilizations, our economy is fast destroying its environmental support systems, threatening future generations. The challenge is to restructure the global economy, replacing our fossil fuel-based, automobile-centered, throwaway economy with a new one that is environmentally sustainable."

"Until recently, natural resource management of such commodities as timber and wildlife was driven largely by the desire to exploit these resources. During the past three decades, however, ecologists have warned that this approach to natural resource management could have unforeseen consequences because it ignored how ecosystems function within the landscape. . . . [The] experts agree that management practices must be sustainable: that production of commodities, such amenities as recreation and aesthetics, and biodiversity must not be allowed to decline over time."

"This is the primary reference, how-to guide, and sourcebook for energy conservation. It lets you improve efficiency and save money in all types of buildings and plants, ranging from individual houses to commercial buildings to large institutions and industrial plants. It is organized around 400 logically grouped energy conservation actions, presented in language that everyone understands."

"The Earth's human population is expected to pass eight billion by the year 2025, while rapid growth in the global economy will spur ever increasing demands for natural resources. The world will consequently face growing scarcities of such vital renewable resources as cropland, fresh water, and forests. Thomas Homer-Dixon argues in this sobering book that these environmental scarcities will have profound social consequences—contributing to insurrections, ethnic clashes, urban unrest, and other forms of civil violence, especially in the developing world."

"Forward Drive presents the fascinating story of the race to build the cars of the future—ones that can help to address the problems (including global warming, fossil-fuel depletion, and urban sprawl) that have accompanied the rise and spread of traditional gas-powered cars. The book traces the history of automobile development, including early attempts to create practical electric vehicles, and it explores new technologies for clean cars, especially hybrid (gas/electric) drives and hydrogen-based fuel cells."

"The definitive guide to global warming. Houghton explores the scientific basis for global warming and the likely impacts of climate change on the environment and on political structures. He addresses the actions that governments, industry, and individuals can take to mitigate the effects."

"High and Mighty traces the checkered history of SUVs, showing how they came to be classified not as passenger cars but as light trucks, which are subject to less strict regulations on safety, gas mileage, and air pollution. He makes a powerful case that these vehicles are even worse than we suspect—for their occupants, for other motorists, for pedestrians and for the planet itself. In the tradition of Unsafe at Any Speed and Fast Food Nation, Bradsher's book is a damning exposé of an industry that puts us all at risk, whether we recognize it or not."

"Written from a sustainable perspective, this readable, yet rigorous, book provides comprehensive coverage of a variety of local, regional, national, and global resource and environmental issues from population growth to wetlands to agriculture to global air pollution. It emphasizes practical, cost-effective, sustainable solutions to these problems that make sense from social, economic, and environmental perspectives."

"Known for his original and courageous thinking on matters ranging from the treatment of animals to genetic screening, Peter Singer now turns his attention to the ethical issues surrounding globalization. In this provocative book, he challenges us to think beyond the boundaries of nation-states and consider what a global ethic could mean in today's world. Singer raises novel questions about such an ethic and, more important, he provides illuminating and practical answers."

"This is the Bible of independent living and renewable energy. The Real Goods Solar Living Source Book has been in print and regularly updated since 1982. In these pages you'll find up-to-date articles on all aspects of appropriate technology, written by experts with decades of personal experience, and a knack for sharing."

"International security expert Michael T. Klare argues that in the early decades of the new millennium, wars will be fought not over ideology but over access to dwindling supplies of precious natural commodities. The political divisions of the Cold War, Klare asserts, have given way to a global scramble for oil, natural gas, minerals, and water. And as armies throughout the world define resource security as a primary objective, widespread instability is bound to follow, especially in those areas where competition for essential materials overlaps with long-standing territorial and religious disputes. In this clarifying view, the recent explosive conflict between the United States and Islamic extremism stands revealed as the predictable consequence of consumer nations seeking to protect the vital resources they depend on."

"Smog was discovered in L.A. in the 1950s, and scientists showed that the city's burgeoning car population was the cause. Thus began almost 50 years of bobbing and weaving by the Big Three auto makers—General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler—to avoid responsibility. As the U.S. government became involved in auto regulation, the Big Three countered with threats, intimidation, and subterfuge. Catalytic converters, alternative fuels, and emissions standards all came about long after they could have as a result of this tug of war. In Taken for a Ride, Jack Doyle documents a sordid tale of delay, missed opportunities, and serious environmental culpability."

"Hydrogen is the quintessential eco-fuel. This invisible, tasteless gas is the most abundant element in the universe. It is the basic building block and fuel of stars and an essential raw material in innumerable biological and chemical processes. As a completely nonpolluting fuel, it may hold the answer to growing environmental concerns about atmospheric accumulation of carbon dioxide and the resultant Greenhouse Effect. In this book Peter Hoffmann describes current research toward a hydrogen-based economy. He presents the history of hydrogen energy and discusses the environmental dangers of continued dependence on fossil fuels."