For the first time since its publication in l984, a completely updated and revised edition of this best-selling atlas which brings it into the 1990s, incorporating the new events, issues, and statistics of the past decade.

The editors present a graphics-driven, state-of-the-planet survey of natural systems, human impact on those systems, and how to manage them for a sustainable future.

Definitive guide to a planet in critical transition, providing a blueprint for our survival Maps and analyses our living planet at a point in its evolution, as we humans threaten to disrupt and exhaust its life-support systems Shows what a complex and magnificent world we have inherited, how it works and what bad stewards we have been Explains how we can mend our ways and re-dress the situation Divided into seven topics, this book takes a clear and structured approach, allowing the reader to examine any critical area of concern

In the last 100 years global urban populations have expanded from 15 to 50%. Urban growth patterns are changing the face of the earth and the condition of humanity. This atlas addresses these key issues, and analyses the problems of expanding cities.

In spite of its tough message, there is much compassion and humanity in The Final Empire. Right away as you begin to read this work, you sense increasingly the grand perspective in Kötke's words. He is not speaking of anarchy. He is offering vital common sense. It's just that his meaning is so unavoidably political. And so much against what we have been taught all our lives: The materialistic values of civilization teach us that the accumulation of wealth is progress. The material wealth of the civilization is derived from the death of the earth, the soils, the forests, the fish stocks, the 'free resources' of flora and fauna. The ultimate end of this is for all human species to live in giant parasitical cities of cement and metal while surrounded by deserts of exhausted soils. The simple polar opposites are: the richness and wealth of the natural life of earth versus the material wealth of people living out their lives in artificial environments. This amounts to a direct challenge to humankind. A demand for radical change. A re-envisioning of our part in the community of life and the precepts of individuality. And Mr. Kötke provides a strong argument for this case. He traces the environmental scars of civilization through the ages. Empire after empire, desertification of the top soil winds its way around the globe in an erosive helix from China to India to Mesopotamia to Italy to North America. As radical as it may seem at first glance, The Final Empire is a necessary and sensible primer for the recovery of the planet. It blends a critical statistical analysis of our deteriorating environment with a positivism of hope for a post-empire age and a new whole-human relation to the living community of Earth. Dan Armstrong, Author of the Novels, Prairie Fire and Taming the Dragon

Gathers ideas and advice on building, decorating, furnishing, and living with a toxin-free home built from natural materials.

First published in 1984, this analytical guide to the state of planet earth has been revised and updated, and features a new introduction by Oxfam. Addresses new directions and issues arising since the first edition, such as the end of the Cold War, and the efforts now made by many nations to conserve forests, land and natural resources. Covers the broad topics of land, ocean, elements, humankind, civilisation and management, and examines their potential as sustainable resources and management potential. Includes a reading list and an index.

Are we in imminent danger of extinction? Yes, we probably are, argues John Leslie in his chilling account of the dangers facing the human race as we approach the second millenium. The End of the World is a sobering assessment of the many disasters that scientists have predicted and speculated on as leading to apocalypse. In the first comprehensive survey, potential catastrophes - ranging from deadly diseases to high-energy physics experiments - are explored to help us understand the risks. One of the greatest threats facing humankind, however, is the insurmountable fact that we are a relatively young species, a risk which is at the heart of the 'Doomsday Argument'. This argument, if correct, makes the dangers we face more serious than we could have ever imagined. This more than anything makes the arrogance and ignorance of politicians, and indeed philosophers, so disturbing as they continue to ignore the manifest dangers facing future generations.