Subject: Electronic Green Journal Issue 8
Editors
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June 1998
Issue 8
ELECTRONIC GREEN JOURNAL
ISSN: 1076-7975
Board of Editors
General Editor: Maria Jankowska - University of
Idaho Library, Moscow, ID
Managing Editor: Mike Pollastro - Neill Public
Library, Pullman, WA
Book Review Editor: Karen Schlegl - University
of Idaho Library, Moscow, ID
Editorial Advisors
Terry Abraham - University of Idaho Library,
Moscow, ID
P. Gayle Alston - Federal Emergency Management
Agency, Atlanta, GA
Ronald W. Force - University of Idaho Library,
Moscow, ID
Greta de Groat - Stanford University Libraries,
Stanford, CA
Czeslaw Jan Grycz - University of California,
Oakland, CA, Emeritus
Terry Link - Michigan State University, East
Lansing, MI
Rosemary Huskey - University of Idaho Library,
Moscow, ID
Flora G. Shrode - University of Tennessee,
Knoxville, TN
Frederick W. Stoss - State University of New
York, Buffalo, NY
Irwin Weintraub - Rutgers, The State University
of New Jersey, Brunswick, NJ
Nancy Young - University of Idaho Library,
Moscow, ID
Subject: EGJ Poems
Electronic Green Journal
June 1998
Issue 8
FOUR SEASONS OF THE YEAR
Poems: Spring and Summer
Maczarashvili Merabi
Translated by Elene Pagava
Republic of Georgia
Spring
Beaches and oaks;
Thick roots sticking out of the earth;
The worms of the May bug on the leaves of the beech
You can see a moving caravan of red ants in two rows there too;
A half-destroyed blackened nest and mistletoe;
A waterfall between enormous grey boulders; a small deep pool;
At the edge of the water three fish, clinging to each other, basking in the sun;
On the top of the rock an old whitish-yellow grass-snake; toads on the boulder;
Young trees along the river; thick ones on the slopes of the ravine;
A blackened eye of an immense hollow in the bare-branched oak;
Field mushrooms hidden among dead leaves;
Yellow-beaked blackbirds, male and female, fussing around;
A wag-tail at the edge of the water, on slippery stones;
A quiet cool breeze.
Summer
Tall green grass along a small brook;
A greenish brown lizard quiet on a big stone;
A poppy sprinkled with black dots on the sides, glowing red;
Yellow and blue tiny flowers scattered in the meadow;
Two big flame-coloured butterflies chasing each other;
A snail with its head out of its shell, with its horn up;
Jumping and flying grass-hoppers, creaking in different voices;
Big, shiny flies, dragon-floes, wasps, bees;
And the smell, mixed with everything, intoxicating smell.
Maczarashvili Merabi is a Republic of Georgia freelance writer. He now
lives in Poland. His address is: Os. Piastowskie 23/1, 61-148 Poznan,
Poland. TEL: 011-48-61-877-47-18
Copyright 1998 University of Idaho Library
Subject: EGJ Hot Air
Electronic Green Journal
June 1998
Issue 8
Editorial : Hot Air on the Web
Ron Force
rforce@belle.lib.uidaho.edu
University of Idaho Library
At the time this is written, it appears that the United States Senate will
not ratify the Kyoto climate treaty, and several of the European Union
countries are expressing their serious reservations despite having signed.
Although criticized by environmentalists for compromise, the treaty has
been viewed by industry and commerce as akin to the Central Park-sized
asteroid, scheduled to devastate Earth in movie theaters this summer.
While previous global climate treaties dealt with aerosol propellants and
refrigerants, for which substitutes were almost immediately found, the
Kyoto treaty attempts to restrain the powerful and wealthy industries at
the heart of modern economies and lifestyles: fossil fuels and
transportation. Even though the treaty stands almost no chance of becoming
law, the affected industries are leaving nothing to chance.
As reported by the New York Times (April 26, 1998), industry groups,
headed by the American Petroleum Institute, have planned to spend up to
five million dollars to call into question the scientific consensus that
human activities are contributing to global warming. One of the opening
shots in the battle was featured in an article entitled Global Warming:
Enjoy It while You Can, authored by John Carlisle,
www.nationalcenter.org/NPA194.html, that propounded the view that the
warming of the earth in the twentieth century was a natural phenomenon,
merely the continued waning of the previous ice age. It further said that
the climate had fluctuated naturally from one extreme to another, and
would continue to do so, and that environmentalists opposed to economic
progress concocted the greenhouse gas scare. A footnote identified the
author as being affiliated with the National Center for Public Policy
Research, Washington, D.C.
A search for the group's Web site www.nationalcenter.inter.net revealed a
site that had something to say about almost everything; every proposition
put forth by liberals, environmentalists, political or legal reformers was
met by its mirror, conservative, and contradictory image. Links to related
sites, took one to such fascinating places as The Greening Earth Society
www.greeningearthsociety.org "carbon dioxide helps plants grow: let's
produce more!" and the Junk Science Home Page in News Archives May
1-15,1998 www.junkscience.com "smoking isn't a public health issue!"
Trying to find out more about these organizations took me to the
Clearinghouse on Environmental Advocacy and Research, who had two
revealing articles that cataloged the groups and their corporate
benefactors: Wise Use of the Web: The Anti-Environmental Lobby and the
Internet www.ewg.org/pub/home/clear/by_clear/webview.htm and Industry
Deploys New Anti-Environmental Strategy
www.ewg.org/pub/home/clear/by_clear/air_attack.htm They list dozens of
additional sites active in the anti-environmental movement. Few, if any,
of these sites identify their corporate sponsors or the qualifications of
their authors.
One of the virtues cited for the World Wide Web is that unlike
conventional media the low cost of entry removes the barriers to
publishing, so that "anyone can have his voice heard." Clearly, however,
money still talks louder, and sheer volume can overwhelm less well-funded
viewpoints, whatever the scientific consensus. Because most modern media
are based on advertising, they have a vested interest in having their
readers take everything presented at face value. Librarians, educators,
and information scientists need to encourage a habit of critical reading
and evaluation of sources, particularly when using electronic resources
whose provenance is unknown.
Ron Force, Dean of Library Services,
University of Idaho Library, Moscow, ID USA.
Copyright 1998 University of Idaho Library
Subject: EGJ Contents
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Electronic Green Journal
June 1998
Issue 8
ISSN: 1076-7975
Table of Contents
force01.txt Ron Force
Hot Air on the Web
Does money talk louder on the Internet?
sedrez01.txt
wpe2.jpg
wpe3.jpg Lise F. Sedrez
The Use of the Internet as a Source for Environmental History
Is the Internet a viable primary source for researchers on
environmental history?
wishar01.txt
woodpeck.jpg Lisa Wishard
The Red-Cockaded Woodpecker: A Selectively Annotated Bibliography
Comprehensive bibliography on this endangered bird covers
primarily citations from journal articles, books, government
publications and dissertations for the dates 1980-1997.
merabi01.txt Maczarashvili Merabi
Spring and Summer
Poems by a freelance writer from the Republic of Georgia.
stoss01.txt Frederick W. Stoss
Congressional Research Service Environmental Reports Online: A
Service of the National Library for the Environment
The most recent news about the NIE.
shrode01.txt Flora Shrode
Environmental Resources on the World Wide Web
Comprehensive coverage of environmentally-related WWW sites,
electronic journals, publications, and other resources.
REVIEWS
The Next West: Public Lands, Community and Economy in the American West
edited by John A. Baden and Donald Snow.
Reviewed by Kenneth L. Carriveau
File: carriv01.txt
Invested in the Common Good by Susan Meeker-Lowry.
Reviewed by John R. Ferguson
File: fergus01.txt
Orion: People & Nature by the Orion Society.
Reviewed by John R. Ferguson
File: fergus02.txt
Technology, Law, and the Working Environment. by Nicholas A. Ashford and
Charles C. Caldart.
Reviewed by Roger R. Hlavek
File: hlavek01.txt
The Environment and NAFTA: Understanding and Implementing the New
Continental Law by Pierre M. Johnson and André Beaulieu,
Reviewed by Graham E.L. Holton
File: holton01.txt
Macmillan Encyclopedia Of The Environment by Stephen R. Kellert.
Reviewed by James K. Lewis
File: lewis01.txt
Nature's Services: Societal Dependence On Natural Ecosystems by Gretchen
C. Daily.
Reviewed by Sean T. O''Brien
File: obrien01.txt
Expanding Partnerships in Conservation edited by Jeffrey A. McNeely.
Reviewed by Michael Oneka
File: oneka01.txt
Law and the Environment by Robert Percival and Dorothy C. Alevizatos.
Reviewed by Shalendra D. Sharma
File: sharma01.txt
ISO 14001: An Executive Report by Gordon A. West and Joseph G. Manta.
Reviewed by Richard Simon
File: simon01.txt
Mars: The Living Planet by Barry E. DiGregorio, Gilbert Levin and Patricia
Ann Straat.
Reviewed by Frederick W. Stoss
File: stoss02.txt
Love Canal: The Story Continues by Lois Gibbs.
Reviewed by Frederick W. Stoss
File: stoss03.txt
Troubled Waters: Champion International And The Pigeon River Controversy
by Richard A. Bartlett.
Reviewed by B. Kenton Temple
File: temple01.txt
Environmental Enhancement Through Agriculture: Proceedings of a Conference
edited by William Lockeretz.
Reviewed by Daniel L. Tufford
File: tuffor01.txt
Made for Each Other: A Symbiosis of Birds and Pines by Ronald Lanner.
Reviewed by Paula Wolfe
File: wolfe01.txt
Copyright 1998 University of Idaho Library
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From: Maria Jankowska
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Subject: EGJ Macmillan Encyclopedia
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Electronic Green Journal
June 1998
Issue 8
Review: Macmillan Encyclopedia of the Environment
Ed. Kellert, Stephen R.
Reviewed by James K. Lewis
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Kellert, Stephen R., ed. Macmillan Encyclopedia of the Environment. New
York: Simon & Schuster Macmillan, 1997. 6 vol., individually paged,
bibliography, indexes. U.S.$300 hardbound ISBN: 0-02-897381-X (set).
Ahhh. I DO like encyclopedias.
A year or so ago, I reviewed Conservation and Environmentalism: An
Encyclopedia, edited by Robert Paheke, a one-volume encyclopedia of the
environment, for EGJ <http://www.lib.uidaho.edu:70/docs/egj06/lewis.htmla.ation/Woodpecker/woodp.htmlers>.
Now, I get to review the even more enjoyable Macmillan Encyclopedia of the
Environment.
Heaven.
This six-volume set is intended for "young readers" (middle school, I
assume), but high schoolers, college students, and many "older readers"
will find it useful as well if all they need is the basics of an
environmental topic presented clearly and concisely.
"The (encyclopedia) offers almost 600 useful and informative articles
about how the environment works and how people relate to the natural
world." (Introduction, pg. ix.) Also included are: brief biographies of
environmental thinkers and doers (although one of my favorite thinkers,
Edward Abbey, is omitted); an end-of-the set listing of environmental
organizations (North American, although some of them operate world wide)
and agencies (United States agencies only, although U.N. environmental
agencies and activities are covered in the body of the encyclopedia); a
so-so bibliography; excellent subject and general indexes; and a detailed
chronology of environmental events and legislation in the United States.
I make no claim to have read every one of the 600 articles, but I sampled
a dozen or so from every volume (on topics I am familiar with and those I
am not). While coverage of some was a bit simpler than I might have
preferred, I saw none that omitted the basic details. (However, for those
who might want to know more on a topic, I could wish for a "Suggestions
for Further Reading" section at the end of at least the major entries.
Articles were well cross-referenced to other entries in the encyclopedia,
but that is not the same.)
Unlike Conservation and Environmentalism: An Encyclopedia, which was
intended for adult readers, I did not feel that these entries had been
heavily edited and squeezed to fit the space. Topics were discussed
clearly (if briefly), with smooth transitions from one sub topic to the
next.
Under the heading "Everglades National Park," (vol.2, p. 86), is a brief
description of the park and the Everglades as a whole, followed by an
accurate description of the "Threats to the Everglades" (p.87).
"Everglades Flora and Fauna" (p. 88), "Agricultural Effects," and "Saving
the Everglades" round out a brief, but satisfactory presentation on the
plight of Florida's Everglades. (However, many readers, wanting to know
more about the fascinating Everglades, might have liked a reference at
least to Marjorie Stoneman Douglas' River of Grass.)
The article (and the encyclopedia as a whole) is well and amply
illustrated with photos and maps. A nice touch, scattered through the six
volumes, is "The Language of the Environment" -- small boxes with glossary
entries defining terms used on those pages (the "Language" entries are all
indexed in the excellent general index found at the end of vol. 6).
All in all -- from "Abiotic Factors" (should have been "Edward Abbey") to
"Zooplankton" -- the Macmillan Encyclopedia of the Environment would be an
excellent addition to any school's library (especially in North America),
and a good buy for anyone with children who are environmentally curious.
James K. Lewis is Director, Environmental
Education at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, 3900
Commonwealth Blvd., Tallahassee, FL 32399-3000 USA. TEL: 850-488-9334.
Copyright 1998 University of Idaho Library
Subject: EGJ Work Environment
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Electronic Green Journal
June 1998
Issue 8
Review: Technology, Law, and the Working Environment
By Nicholas A Ashford,. and Charles C. Caldart
Reviewed by Roger R. Hlavek
Hughes Technical Services Company - Indianapolis
Ashford, Nicholas A. and Charles C. Caldart. Technology, Law, and the
Working Environment. Washington, DC: Island Press, 1996. 641 pp. US $
39.95 paper ISBN: 1- 55963-445-4. Recycled, acid-free paper.
"Laws are like sausages. It is better not to see them being made," stated
the late German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Ashford and Caldart,
associated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, illustrate the
diverse ingredients involved in legislation. An analogy of a spider web
comes to mind, in which strands are pulled in different directions by
parties involved (labor, government, management), trying to maintain the
integrity of the whole, yet allowing some autonomous movement along legal,
scientific, and economic lines.
The format of Technology, Law, and the Working Environment is unique in
that it uses three types of text style to integrate the authors' own
material, selected readings, and authors' notes. The three entities are
interspersed, giving the reader the real sensation of the give and take
involved as these dynamic issues go through the iterative process
necessary to produce a useful product.
The book has ten chapters. The reader is initially led through the general
legislative process and the two major statutes covered in the text
(Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) and Toxic Substances Control
Act (TSCA)). The focus then shifts to the workplace to illustrate how
economics and labor-management issues blend with the safety, health and
environmental regulations, particularly the employee's right to be
informed and subsequent avenues of redress.
One specific example of the process is illustrated in a section of Chapter
3, which chronicles the development of the asbestos standard, showing how
it was reduced from 12 f/cc in 1971 to its current level of 0.1 f/cc.
Other instances of limit development showing the interplay of agencies,
workers, and management give the reader an appreciation for the difficulty
in developing an acceptable regulation.
The book is intended for people in business, law, and engineering. The
reader with experience in these multiple disciplines would derive the
optimum benefit. However, the book is thought provoking for all because
it repeatedly shows how seemingly simple issues have many valid
interpretations.
The index provides the full text of OSHA and TSCA Acts. Environmental
issues are not as well covered as might be expected. Perhaps a cursory
treatment of water, air, and waste programs would have balanced the focus.
Overall, this is a useful resource for both management and technical
people. Professionals involved in negotiation issues (labor, standards,
interpretations) should appreciate this text.
Roger R. Hlavek is a Safety, Health and
Environmental Consultant with Hughes Technical Services Company -
Indianapolis, 6125 E. 21st Street, Mail Stop 71, Indianapolis, Indiana
46219-2058 USA. TEL: 317-306-7908. FAX: 317-306-7908.
Copyright 1998 University of Idaho Library
Subject: EGJ Common Good
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Electronic Green Journal
June 1998
Issue 8
Review: Invested in the Common Good
By Susan Meeker-Lowry
Reviewed by John R. Ferguson
Waterford, Ontario
Meeker-Lowry, Susan. Invested in the Common Good. Philadelphia, PA &
Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers, 1995. 258 pp. includes
resource list and index. US $16.95 paper ISBN: 0- 86571-292-1. Partially
recycled, soy based ink.
What will it take to turn the tide of a contorted culture of untethered
self-interest and consumption? In Invested in the Common Good
Meeker-Lowry provides a handsome if compact contribution toward turning
that tide. Proceeding from her 1988 Economics as if Earth Really Mattered,
Meeker-Lowry provides practical advice on how we can adopt the "Small is
Beautiful" aesthetic suggested by E.F. Schumacher in 1973. She begins by
providing an inspired intimate vision of our ecological home and why we
must alter the epochal forces of our present economic assumptions and
practices. Once this foundation is established, she provides a veritable
storehouse of informative and motivating instructions and examples of
successes in sustainable finance, investment, and social organization. She
discusses community development banks, meaningful protest strategies, and
practical examples and lessons to be learned from what she calls
"economics of community", "place", and "culture".
Invested is an attempt to provide practical instructions to realizing
Thomas Berry's goal of "civic activities based on a profound sense of
meaning inherent in the universe and in the life process". It suggests
many ways of "succeeding" at socially responsible investing and ethical
business practices. The tone is less entertaining and more sober than
Wayne Roberts' comparable Get a Life: How To Dance with the Dinosaurs and
Make a Buck (1995) but its focus and grounding are also more radical.
After reading this book you will feel empowered by the many examples and
successes in sustainable community economics. Meeker-Lowry takes
criticisms of some of the programs seriously and examines the pitfalls to
be avoided in future applications of similar methods. Invested is required
reading for anyone serious about transcending the seductive gravity of the
unsustainable economic apparatus that hastily propels us towards the
dissolution of real wealth in both its social and ecological senses. It is
full of resources that will enable readers to connect to kindred spirits
and opportunities and can be read and understood by high school students
and up. If "doubt is the biggest enemy" of a new economics, this book puts
a firm shoulder into dispelling it. Meeker-Lowry thinks globally and acts
locally.
John R. Ferguson, Ph.D. , is an author and consultant
in Waterford, Ontario (100 Woodley Road, R.R. 4 Waterford, Ontario, N0E
1Y0 CANADA. Tel: 519-443-8571.
Copyright 1998 University of Idaho Library
Subject: EGJ Orion
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Electronic Green Journal
June 1998
Issue 8
Review: Orion: People & Nature
The Myrin Institute
Reviewed by John R. Ferguson
Waterford, Ontario
Orion: People & Nature. Great Barrington, MA: The Myrin Institute.
Quarterly. ISSN: 1058-3130. One year of Orion (four issues) included with
$25.00 annual membership fee in the Orion Society. Mail to 195 Main
Street, Great Barrington, MA 01230, or fax to 413/528-0676. E-MAIL:
Orion@orionsociety.org
In a recent book on Canadian environmental policy, Hessing and Howlett
argue that "it is not accuracy of knowledge but the lack of political
willingness to implement that knowledge in the interests of protecting
human lives that allows environmental degradation" (p. 200). If this is
true, reverence may precede science in promoting environmental protection
and making alternative modes of relating to nature increasingly relevant.
Orion helps to fulfil this lacuna by exploring the manifold ways in which
nature is essential to our daily lives.
Orion is a journal about "people and nature" that has been around since
1982. It documents the strained yet poignant relationship between humans
and their ecological context. While its subject matter is as free ranging
as the wild itself, it maintains an impressive thematic and coherent
presentation. In the four editions (reviewed v.15 #4 - v. 16 #3) there are
articles, essays, photo essays, poems, reviews and letters about topics
such as ecosophy, catch and release fishing, aspen trees, buffalo, cows,
cougars, the seasons, building a local library, environmental justice and
racism, national parks, butterflies, orchards, inter-species music,
fathers and sons, the Web, language, Mount St. Helens, sustainable
logging, neighborhood renewal, African Americans and nature, loggers and
tree huggers, and arts and the earth. Writers include bell hooks, David
Ehrenfeld, Wendell Barry, David Ferry, John Elder, Barry Lopez, and Bill
McKibbon to name a very few. It explores nature as a trail in the woods
rather than as a labyrinth of policies, numbers and economic interests.
Orion approaches species as creatures and movements as people. It attempts
to re-place and repopulate the cognitive horizon with the aspects of
nature which will matter long after the remaining species celebrate the
passage of our ephemeral pursuit of "wealth". It is direct sustenance to
the environmentalist's arduous diurnal rhythmic of hope waking us up and
pain tucking us in.
Environmentalism has been largely reduced to what entrenched and
intransigent institutions are able to express above the cacophony of
self-interest and the restlessness of global capital, but this does not
stop Orion from approaching nature as intimacy. This makes it both a risky
and a necessary approach to promoting a sustainable relationship between
people and nature. Orion's alternative approach may be increasingly lost
on many in the shuddering juggernaut of modern economic "rationality," but
it is also the kind of voice without which reverence for nature will
starve and extinction will thrive. Orion provides as palpable a grasp of
the worth of "nature" as any journal can provide.
The aim of the magazine is "to characterize conceptually and practically
our responsibilities to the earth and all forms of life, and to explore
the ethic of human stewardship... [through] respect and admiration for the
earth... [and to] help us deepen our personal connection with the natural
world as a source of enrichment and inner renewal". The journal supports
The Orion Society whose aim is "[To] help heal the fractured relationship
between people and nature by undertaking environmental education
programs...." Whether these lofty objectives will be accomplished cannot
be determined by one reader, but based on reading one year of the journal,
it progresses toward these goals with the same diversity, profundity,
inspiration and engagement that will be required of humans if we are to
"succeed" as a species.
John R. Ferguson, Ph.D. is an author and consultant in
Waterford,100 Woodley Road, R.R. 4 Waterford, Ontario, N0E 1Y0 CANADA.
TEL: 519-443-857
Copyright 1998 University of Idaho Library
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From: Maria Jankowska
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Subject: EGJ Nature's Services
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Electronic Green Journal
June 1998
Issue 8
Review: Nature's Services: Societal Dependence on Natural Ecosystems
By Gretchen C. Daily
Reviewed by Sean T. O'Brien
Princeton University
Daily, Gretchen C. Nature's Services: Societal Dependence on Natural
Ecosystems. Washington, DC: Island Press, 1997. 392 p. US$24.95 paper
ISBN: 1-55963-475-8. Recycled, acid-free paper.
Recently, I commented on the response made by the New Jersey chapter of a
national conservation group to a state forestry plan. Fortunately, I had
just finished reading Nature's Services and had a broadened understanding
of the value of natural ecosystems to our state, and human society in
general. Edited by Gretchen Daily, the Bing Interdisciplinary Research
Scientist in the Department of Biological Sciences at Stanford University,
Nature's Services includes 20 chapters by well- known scientists on a
range of topics organized around the theme of the value of services
provided by natural ecosystems to humanity.
Understandably, and usefully, contributors to Nature's Services make
economic arguments for conservation and tend to downplay moral and
aesthetic arguments. In general, the value of ecosystems can be divided
into consumptive and nonconsumptive uses. For example, consumptive uses
for forests include logging and hunting; nonconsumptive uses include bird
watching, appreciation of the existence of an ecosystem, flood control,
and soil conservation. While consumptive uses can be valued directly based
on market prices, it is harder to assign value to nonconsumptive uses. It
is difficult to present nonconsumptive uses objectively in arguments about
conservation of ecosystems.
It is this difficulty that led to the contributors' "lament [of] the near
total lack of public appreciation of societal dependence upon natural
ecosystems (p. xv)." Given this, I was surprised that Nature's Services
misses the mark, though not too widely, in its self-stated goal "...to
characterize the ways in which earth's natural ecosystems confer benefits
on humanity, to make a preliminary assessment of their value, and to
report this in a manner widely accessible to an educated audience (p. 2)"
Although the first two goals are admirably addressed, they are written for
a scientifically literate audience. Given the author's lament, a less
technical, though scientifically rigorous, coffee-table style book might
more effectively influence policy by reaching a larger audience.
Overall, Nature's Services raised an important question. Can life on earth
truly be valued in dollars? At the extreme perspectives on this question,
if one believes that the earth and its inhabitants are God's creation,
then we should be shamed and embarrassed into protecting all forms of
"Creation." On the other hand, if one believes in a Darwinian origin of
life and the interconnectedness of the global ecosystem, we should be
terrified of upsetting the delicate balance that allowed life to evolve
and to continue to survive on earth (and, as far as we know, no where else
in the universe).
A third perspective, capitalism, holds that the economic value of nature
is paramount, regardless of its origin. For those of us who believe in the
need to conserve ecosystems regardless of their (consumptive) services to
humanity, our challenge is clear, we must present cogent economic
arguments for conservation of ecosystems. It is the economic valuation
that will convince policy makers and business leaders, and the one that
needs to be made by conservationists, all of whom should read this
informative volume to help form their arguments.
Sean T. O'Brien is a Research Associate at the Center
for Energy and Environmental Studies, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
08544 USA. TEL: 609-258-4684.
Copyright 1998 University of Idaho Library
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From: Maria Jankowska
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Electronic Green Journal
June 1998
Issue 8
Review: The Next West: Public Lands, Community, and Economy in the
American West
Editors: John A. Baden and Donald Snow
Reviewed by Kenneth L. Carriveau, Jr.
Baylor University
Baden, John A. and Snow, Donald, eds. The Next West: Public Lands,
Community, and Economy in the American West. Washington, DC: Island Press,
1997. 272 p. US $22.95 paper ISBN: 1-55963- 460-X. Recycled, acid-free
paper.
Intriguing, confusing, exciting, frustrating, Jeffersonian, libertarian,
controversial. These terms come to mind as the most appropriate for
describing the feel to the discussions and opinions in the essays
presented in The Next West. Baden and Snow have compiled, under the
auspices of the Gallatin Institute, a collection of eleven essays from a
variety of outspoken environmentalists and economists discussing the
evolution of the 'Next West' and exploring what may need to be done to
find and maintain the delicate balance between the natural environment and
the human community sharing the same space. Though there is no pre-stated
central theme or common literary style, each, in its own way, is an
evocative call to the citizenry of the American West to rethink and
reevaluate its stance on environmental sustainability and the solutions
used to achieve these goals.
The first five essays, grouped together under the section heading "On the
Ground", focus their attention on the errors of our ways or, rather, how
the idealistic plans and best intentions of the past 25 years have evolved
to the point of counterproductivity. Most notably, the authors criticize
the Federal and state political machinery for corrupting environmental
efforts and disenfranchising the communities these agencies were created
to protect. They argue the bureaucratic machinations of these agencies are
geared more towards budgetary self-realization than ecological reform and
restoration. Worse, the "grand experiments" of the Environmental
Protection Agency, Bureau of Reclamation, Forestry Service, et al have
grown to the point where the local citizens feel they have no incentive to
make a difference since it could mean the loss of jobs and community
profits associated with agency operations. In addition, these citizens
feel they no longer have to be responsible for the stewardship of the
natural resources since the government is already doing it for them.
The last section, titled "Old Traditions and New Ideas", takes the issue
of the "grand experiment" and expands it further. These essays focus on
the theoretical realms of politics and economy by discussing how such
factors influence community development and environmental decision making
processes. Here, for example, such Western institutions and icons as the
Bureau of Land Management, the National Parks Service, and John Wesley
Powell come under intense scrutiny and evaluation, with less than
favorable conclusions.
Traditionalist environmentalists and "wise use" advocates alike will be
very upset with this book. Traditionalists will be offended by the
suggestions to reduce significantly the power of centralized national
regulatory agencies and the legislation supporting these operations, in
order to send the regulatory responsibility back to the community level.
This would mean the loss of the legislative crutches so dear to many
environmental groups. '"Wise users" will be disappointed primarily because
the authors refuse to support the whole scale privatization and market
based methods proposed by the former. The ultimate element for success in
the authors' vision of environmental reform is the empowerment of the
individual (or community) to have the authority to decide the how's and
why's of the use of the land under his/her (its) stewardship. Federal and
State government involvement will be relegated down to advisory
responsibility.
Strongly recommended for public, college, and university libraries.
Environmental studies professors, economists, and natural resources
managers would do well to review this book to obtain another perspective
on the environmental vs. community growth issues of the American West.
Kenneth L. Carriveau, Jr. is Assistant
Professor and Science/Engineering Reference Librarian at Baylor
University, PO Box 97146, Waco, TX 76798-7146 USA. Tel: 254-710-4607.
FAX: 254-752-5332.
Copyright 1998 University of Idaho Library
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From: Maria Jankowska
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Subject: EGJ CRS Reports
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Electronic Green Journal
June 1998
Issue 8
Editorial Note: tables 1 & 2 require special formatting.
They are simple one-column listings of CRS topics
covered and the contents of the most recent online update.
Congressional Research Service Environmental Reports Online:
A Service of the National Library for the Environment
Frederick W. Stoss
SUNY University at Buffalo
Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports provide a major link between
the scientific and public policy aspects of critical environmental issues.
The Committee for the National Institute for the Environment provides
free, full-text, online access to the CRS reports dealing with
environmental quality, natural resources, and general environmental
issues.
The Committee for National Institute for the Environment (CNIE)
http://www.cnie.org/o.edu:70/docs/egj06/lewis.htmla.ation/Woodpecker/woodp.htmlers began providing, for the first time ever, free online
full-text access to technical reports produced by the Congressional
Research Service (CRS) in 1996. The CRS reports were provided from the
CNIE's National Library for the Environment (NLE) Web site
http://www.cnie.org/nle/u:70/docs/egj06/lewis.htmla.ation/Woodpecker/woodp.htmlers
It was the desire by CNIE to identify a unique, major environmental
information resource that was not readily available to the environmental
research and policy communities (nor the public at- large), and provide
free, direct access to that resource. Making these CRS environmental
reports freely available was the first information component provided
through the newly created NLE Web site, and serves as an example of the
type of information resource that can be provided by this proposed library
gateway.
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) http://lcweb.loc.gov/crsinfo/docs/egj06/lewis.htmla.ation/Woodpecker/woodp.htmlers is
the public policy research program of the Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/./crsinfo/docs/egj06/lewis.htmla.ation/Woodpecker/woodp.htmlers CRS provides comprehensive and reliable analysis,
research, and information services that are timely, objective,
nonpartisan, and confidential. CRS was created by an Act of Congress in
1914 as the Legislative Reference Service. It was renamed by the
Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970, which expanded CRS's mandate to
serve the needs of both Houses of Congress, especially service to its
committees. CRS works exclusively and directly for all Members and
committees of the Congress. Today CRS provides a full range of analytical
and evaluative research and information services to both Members and
committees of Congress.
CRS reports and documents undergo review for accuracy and objectivity and
contain nontechnical information that can be very useful to people
interested in environmental and natural resource policy issues. CRS
reports provide thorough and concise overview of the scientific and
technical aspects of the reports' topics. These overviews are then woven
into a more detailed analysis of the public-policy aspects related to the
topics, and are used by congressional members and members' and committees'
staff.
The Environment and Natural Resources Policy Division (ENRPD) carry out
the CRS environmental efforts. ENRPD provides support in four core and
interrelated areas: environmental protection, oceans and natural resources
management, agricultural policy, and energy policy. Subject specialists in
each area provide expertise on research results and programs, existing
statutes, and legislative proposals. The CRS Science, Technology, and
Medicine Division may also deal with environmental issues, such as those
related to public and environmental health and global change issues. The
division findings are summarized in the CRS reports and provide an
assessment with regard to the topic's domestic and international
implications. In many cases, CRS reports delve into the more complex and
often controversial aspects of environmental, ecological, conservation,
and natural resources issues.
Despite their potential value to a broad audience, CRS does not itself
provide these documents to the general public. CRS provides their reports
only to members of Congress and their staff. CRS documents are prepared
specifically for Congress and are clearly in the public domain. However,
the reports are not distributed to the public at-large upon request.
Public access to CRS reports is typically facilitated by individual
requests to one's Senator or Representative or by purchase from commercial
distributors.
CNIE obtains copies of the CRS reports, converts them to an
Internet-compatible format, and places them online. Table 1 shows the
topical coverage of the CRS environmental reports
http://www.cnie.org/nle/crs_main.html06/lewis.htmla.ation/Woodpecker/woodp.htmlers provided by CNIE. Subject coverage
provided by the NLE initiative is both broad and specific. Examination of
the online contents of these categories reveals the level of specificity
with which each category is treated.
Table 1. Topical Coverage of CRS Environmental Reports Provided in
Full-Text Formats by the National Library for the Environment (NLE)
A. General and Broadly Defined Environmental Topics
Agency Profiles
Information Sources
International Issues
Legislation and Legislative Initiatives
Population
Public Lands
Regulatory Reform
Risk Assessment
Science and Technology
Trade, Taxes, and Economics
Transportation
B. Natural Resources
Agriculture and Grazing
Biodiversity
Energy
Forestry
Marine
Mining
Natural Resources (General Aspects)
Wetlands and Aquatic Resources
C. Environmental Quality
Air Climate
Pesticides
Pollution (General Aspects)
Stratospheric Ozone
Waste Management
Water Quality
As new or updated CRS reports related to environmental or resource issues
become available, CNIE adds them to the National Library for the
Environment Web site. Table 2 shows the contents of a single "Newly-added"
inventory of CRS reports. This typical update demonstrates the wide
variety of environmental reports produced by CRS and made publicly
available via the Internet by the NLE.
Table 2. New and Updated Reports Added to the NLE inventory in April 1998
* Fishery, Aquaculture and Marine Mammal Legislation in the 105th
Congress (4/20/98 ~19p.)
* Wetlands Issues in the 105th Congress (4/20/98 ~10p.)
* The Research and Experimentation Tax Credit (4/17/98 ~11p.)
* Global Climate Change (4/17/98 ~13p.)
* Federal Regulatory Reform: An Overview (4/16/98 ~15p.)
* Maritime Economic Regulation and the 105th Congress (4/16/98 ~9p.)
* The Law of the Sea Convention and U.S. Policy (4/15/98 ~12p.)
* Superfund: A Brief Comparison of the Chairmen's Bills (4/13/98
~11p.)
* Magnetic Fusion: The DOE Fusion Energy Sciences Program (4/13/98
~15p.)
* Immigration Legislation and Issues in the 105th Congress
(4/10/98 ~14p.)
* Water Quality: Implementing the Clean Water Act (4/9/98 ~14p.)
* Environmental Protection Legislation in the 105th Congress
(4/8/98 ~10p.)
* The Natural Resources and Environment Function in the FY1999
Budget: A Description of Programs and Funding (4/6/98 ~6p.)
* Air Quality and Transportation Enhancement Provisions in the
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency (4/3/98 ~6p.)
* Science, Technology, and Medicine: Issues Facing the 105th
Congress, First Session (4/3/98~6p.)
* The Budget For Fiscal Year 1998 (4/2/98 ~16p.)
* Superfund Reauthorization Issues in the 105th Congress (4/2/98
~10p.)
* Agricultural Research, Education, and Extension Issues (4/1/98
~15p.)
* Agricultural Issues in the 105th Congress (3/31/98 ~16p.)
* Food Safety Issues in the 105th Congress (3/30/98 ~22p.)
* The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (3/30/98 ~11p.)
* The Budget for Fiscal Year 1999 (3/27/98 ~14p.)
* Cooperative R&D: Federal Efforts to Promote Industrial
Competitiveness (3/27/98 ~10p.)
* Research and Development: Priority Setting and Consolidation in
Science Budgeting (3/27/98 ~7p.)
* Forest Health (3/27/98 ~4p.)
* Research and Development Funding: Fiscal Year 1999 (3/26/98
~17p.)
* Tobacco-Related Programs and Activities of the U.S. Department
of Agriculture: Operation & Cost (3/19/98 ~6 p.)
* The Role of Risk Analysis and Risk Management in Environmental
Protection (3/19/98 ~13p.)
* Automobile and Light Truck Fuel Economy: Is CAFE Up to
Standards? (3/19/98 ~8p.)
* Federalism Legislation in the 105th Congress (3/18/98 ~16p.)
* Naturalization Trends, Issues, and Legislation (3/17/98 ~11p.)
* Agricultural Export and Food Aid Programs (3/9/98 ~13p.)
* The 1872 Mining Law: Time for Reform? (3/4/98 ~12p.)
* Environmental Reauthorization and Regulatory Reform: from the
104th Congress to the 105th (2/10/98 ~5p.)
* Summary & Comparison of the Major Agricultural Provisions of the
Tobacco Settlement Policy Proposals (2/5/98 ~3p.)
* Global Climate Change Treaty: Negotiations and Related Issues
(11/21/97 ~8p.)
* Highway Fund Sanctions for Clean Air Act Violations (10/22/97
~5p.)
The Committee for the National Institute for the Environment (CNIE) has
proposed the establishment of a National Institute for the Environment
(NIE). The mission of the NIE is to improve the scientific basis for
making decisions on environmental issues. The proper flow of information
links science to decisions. Thus, a major component of the NIE is a
National Library for the Environment (NLE). A committee of interested
information specialists has worked over the past two years to develop this
framework for the NLE. In general, discussions have centered on the need
for a library somewhat analogous to the National Library of Medicine
(NLM). The NLE will not be a large centralized collection of environmental
information, but instead will electronically link users to major
collections and centers of expertise in a network that can be accessed
through a telephone, fax or computer. The NLE will provide leadership in
building and serving the nation's environmental information
infrastructure.
The Electronic Green Journal has provided several articles about
the proposed NLE:
The National Library for the Environment - An Update (December 1996, No.
6) http://www.lib.uidaho.edu:70/docs/egj06/stoss01.html#nlen/Woodpecker/woodp.htmlers
The National Library for the Environment - An Update (April 1995, Vol. 2,
no. 1) http://www.lib.uidaho.edu:70/docs/egj03/stoss02.html#nlen/Woodpecker/woodp.htmlers
For additional information about the Congressional Research Service
contact:
Congressional Research Service The Library of Congress James Madison
Memorial Building 101 Independence Avenue, SE, LM-203 Washington, DC
20540-7000
For additional information about the CNIE and the NLE contact:
David Blockstein, Senior Scientist Committee for the National Institute
for the Environment 1725 K Street, NW Suite 212 Washington, D.C.
20006-1401 david@cnie.org Phone 202-530-5810.
Frederick W. Stoss is the Biological Sciences
Librarian, Science and Engineering Library at SUNY Buffalo in Buffalo, New
York, USA.
Copyright 1998 University of Idaho Library
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Date: Tue, 30 Jun 1998 09:25:50 -0700 (PDT)
From: Maria Jankowska
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Electronic Green Journal
June 1998
Issue 8
Review: Expanding Partnerships in Conservation
Editor Jeffrey A. McNeely
Reviewed by Michael Oneka
Wageningen Agricultural University
McNeely, A. Jeffrey, editor. Expanding Partnerships in Conservation:
Washington, DC & Covelo, CA: Island Press, 1995. 386 p. with figures,
tables and index. US $34.95 paper ISBN: 1-55963- 351-4. Recycled,
acid-free paper.
Expanding Partnerships in Conservation illustrates how individuals and
institutions can work together better (in new forms of partnership) to
meet conservation needs. The book was compiled from contributions made at
the IV World Parks Congress in Caracas in 1992. Much of the books' content
is on protected areas, but the issues and cases discussed are relevant to
conservation in general. Expanding Partnerships provides a good overview
of experiments underway across the world to establish more effective and
efficient relationships amongst people and institutions to meet
conservation needs. It is primarily targeted at people who intend to get
or are involved in protected area development.
"Principles of partnership" (part one) discusses in general terms the
importance of new forms of partnerships in conservation and examines
conceptual models for their creation. The aspects covered include
mechanisms to expand public support, corporate ethics, legal instruments
in land use planning and management, and insights from the social
sciences. In "Partnership with major sectors" (part two) the value of the
protected areas is examined in terms of their benefits to fisheries,
forestry, tourism, hydrology, and protection against natural hazards. It
also examines the links between the protected areas and zoos, botanical
gardens, medicinal plants, energy exploitation, investments, gender
interests, and national security. In part three, "Partnership with
communities," case studies from around the world illustrate possible scope
for the private sector, NGOs, and local communities in managing protected
areas. Examples include work with North American Aborigines, tribal groups
in Southern and Eastern Africa and Nepal, and landowners in the United
Kingdom.
Protected areas (national parks, biosphere reserves, wildlife reserves)
will only survive if supported by the public, the private sector and a
full range of government agencies. Expanding Partnerships emphasizes that
obtaining this support requires that people appreciate the protected
areas, and that the areas are well managed and seen to contribute to the
general, local, and/or national welfare. By implication, the protected
areas are treated as "the means" to conserve biodiversity. If they fail,
biodiversity would not be conserved. The major challenge is to ensure the
"protected areas idea" succeeds rather than, for example, to develop
capacity for effective popular conservation programs. The title emphasizes
conservation but the book's main focus is protected areas and the need for
everyone to work together to preserve them.
Many of the protected areas' problems are universal. The examples in
Expanding Partnerships provide useful conceptual models to deal with these
problems.
Expanding Partnerships in Conservation would be an important reference for
anyone involved with conservation activities. For educators, students, and
researchers of natural resources management it brings together examples of
prevailing practices. For development agencies, it illustrates new aspects
and possible mechanisms for investment, and for work with other
stakeholders in conservation programs.
Michael Oneka is Protected Areas Designer at Wageningen
Agricultural University, Department of Ecological Agriculture, Haarweg
333, NL-6709RZ Wageningen. Tel: +31 317 483522 Fax: +31 317 484995.
Copyright 1998 University of Idaho Library
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From: Maria Jankowska
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Subject: EGJ ISO 14001
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Electronic Green Journal
June 1998
Issue 8
Review: ISO 14001: An Executive Report
By Gordon A. West and Joseph G. Manta
Reviewed by Richard Simon
The University of Greenwich
West, Gordon A. and Manta, Joseph G. ISO 14001: An Executive Report.
Rockville, Maryland: Government Institutes Inc., 1996. 106 p. US $54.00
softcover. ISBN: 0-86587-551-0.
Of the many publications now available that deal with the subject of
environmental management standards, ISO 14001: An Executive Report stands
out in providing a clearly written and comprehensive account of the
subject.
The report is clearly targeted at the upper echelons of management within
organizations of all sizes, although the authors do make the valid point
that the ISO 14001 specification is not relevant to organizations having
inconsequential impacts on the environment, nor to those with an
uncomplicated management structure. The stated purpose of the report is to
summarize what the new standard means and how it may benefit an
organization; to analyze the legal implications; and to indicate how an
organization might follow up any interest in the standard.
The Executive Summary (although not really a summary of the report)
provide a useful background to the development of the ISO 14000 series,
and in particular examines the links to the earlier precursor standards on
quality management systems, namely the ISO 9000 series.
The ISO 14001 provisions are set out in a clear and well-structured
fashion and each is accompanied by telling comments from the authors, as
are the benefits to be derived from registration to the specification.
Section III provides an in-depth coverage of the legal implications that
could arise in terms of the confidentiality of information generated in
complying with ISO 14000. Protecting this information from third parties
is essential to an organization, and the authors discuss in some detail
the legal privileges that can be used in this area. An extensive reference
list of case material is included to illustrate the importance of this
section.
The authors also include a section offering guidance to those
organizations that have in place some environmental management system, but
are unsure whether registration to ISO 14001 is desirable, or indeed how
far their system falls within the ISO 14001 framework. Section V provides
an easy to follow guide to an assessment of an organization's
environmental management system which will enable it not only to determine
what is required to achieve ISO 14001 compliance, but also to make
significant improvements in its overall performance.
For organizations that are more aware of developments such as the
Responsible Care Program (Chemical Manufacturers Association) or the
Principles for Environmental Management (International Chamber of
Commerce: Business Charter for Sustainable Development), the Appendix
provides a tabular summary comparison with the provisions of ISO 14001.
The report is very successful in meeting its stated purpose. While the
main geographical focus is quite naturally the United States market, there
is no reason why, given a revised section on the legal implications, it
could not be translated for the European or Far East markets. In my
opinion the report is of great value not only to those in environmental
management looking to investigate the merits of ISO 140001 registration,
but also those with an academic interest in the subject area. I fully
recommend this book.
Richard Simon is Senior Lecturer at the School of
Earth & Environmental Sciences, The University of Greenwich, Medway Towns
Campus, Pembroke, Chatham Maritime, Kent ME4 4TB UK.
Copyright 1998 University of Idaho Library
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From: Maria Jankowska
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Subject: EGJ NAFTA
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Electronic Green Journal
June 1998
Issue 8
Review: The Environment and NAFTA: Understanding and Implementing the New
Continental Law
By Pierre M. Johnson and Andre Beaulieu
Reviewed by Graham E.L. Holton
La Trobe University, Melbourne
Johnson, Pierre M. and Beaulieu, Andre. The Environment and NAFTA:
Understanding and Implementing the New Continental Law. Washington, DC:
Island Press, 1996. 413pp., index. US $30.00 paper ISBN: 1-55963-468-5.
Recycled, acid-free paper.
Two international experts examine how the North American Agreement on
Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC) makes a groundbreaking attempt to
integrate the social agenda of trade with the North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA), thereby transforming the international trade and
environment debate. The authors analyze the environmental dispute
settlement process through NAAEC, allowing a more significant role for
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in international environmental
forums. The centerpiece of NAAEC is the Commission on Environmental
Cooperation (CEC) with its environmental cooperation mandate, which
provides windows for increased communication with the public and a broader
constituency of NGOs.
The provisions of NAFTA that affect environmental policies and their
implementation are discussed, with preliminary conclusions on the
environmental record of NAFTA/NAAEC. The analysis of NAFTA is covered in
five parts, with six appendices covering the consultation and resolution
of disputes in the NAFTA agreement. A large bibliography which includes
international treaties, government reports and relevant legal cases,
extensive footnotes, contents list, and a thoroughly cross-referenced
index make this book practical for research.
This highly authoritative study will prove invaluable to
environmentalists, consultants, development economists, NGOs and students,
or to anyone who wants a better understanding of the procedures dealing
with environmental dispute resolutions concerning NAFTA.
P.M. Johnson, senior counsel with Guy & Gilbert in Montreal and professor
of law at McGill University, and A. Beaulieu, a senior policy analyst in
the Office of the Privy Council, Ottawa, have written a groundbreaking,
readable and concise analysis. Their professionalism is clearly revealed
in the quality and depth of analysis of this complex and important
subject. They consider the context of the implications brought to the
negotiations, and the legal mechanism established to address them.
Questions on NAFTA's impact on trade liberalization are raised. They then
explain how NAAEC overcomes problems related to national sovereignty,
environmental dumping and pollution havens, international environmental
harmonization, and the lack of transparency and access. Johnson and
Beaulieu support their explanations with an examination of the agreements
and related court cases.
NAFTA, although primarily an economic agreement, goes further than any
previous trade agreement in addressing environmental concerns and
promoting environmental protection. The NAAEC provides for the upward
harmonization of environmental enforcement levels through panel-sanctioned
trade measures. The treaty goes further than other treaties in that the
NAAEC's dispute settlement mechanism provides that a party refusing to
comply with the panel's determination be subjected to fines or trade
sanctions. But the authors also point out the treaty's glaring omissions.
These omissions include the lack of a formal provision to compel the Trade
Commission to accept recommendations from the CEC. In addition, NAFTA does
not improve the access of NGOs, and therefore the NAAEC's specific
provisions fall short of realizing `transparency and public
participation', while NAFTA Article 1114 covering pollution havens could
have been improved by allowing NGO participation (164). For all its
shortcomings the NAAEC is the only environmental agreement specifically
designed to complement a trade treaty. A must have book for anyone
interested in, or concerned by, NAFTA.
Graham E.L. Holton is a Research Fellow at the
Institute of Latin American Studies, La Trobe University, Melbourne,
Australia.
Copyright 1998 University of Idaho Library
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Electronic Green Journal
June 1998
Issue 8
Review: Law and the Environment: A Multidisciplinary Reader
By Robert Percival and Dorothy C. Alevizatos
Reviewed by Shalendra D. Sharma
University of San Francisco
Percival, Robert and Dorothy C. Alevizatos. Law and the Environment: A
Multidisciplinary Reader. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1997. 439
p. US $29.95 paper ISBN: 1-56639-524-0.
Confronted with growing environmental problems, the world has witnessed a
political awakening. Transboundary and international conferences and
treaties regarding global warming, ozone depletion and
habitat-biodiversity loss are but a few signs that the world has entered a
new age of environmental diplomacy. In this new age environmental issues
will share center stage with the more traditional economic and security
concerns. Paralleling these developments, international environmental law
has emerged as a distinct academic discipline, with a growing number of
institutions of higher learning concentrating on legal responses to
transboundary and global environmental problems. The book under review is
an excellent addition to this emerging field. The authors' skillful
selection and editing of some of the most important writings on
environmental law, science, and policy has resulted in a comprehensive
multidisciplinary volume enabling readers to explore environmental issues
in all their richness and complexity.
The book is divided into four parts, each providing a different focus on
the nature and scope of environmental problems and the attempts to use
legal instruments to address these concerns. The four chapters in part I
introduce alternative perspectives on the nature and sources of
environmental problems, including ecological, economic and ethical
perspectives and their implications for legal and regulatory policy.
Part II examines how society has sought to use legal instruments to
protect the environment. Chapter 5 provides a nuance early history of
environmental regulation with particular reference to how society
responded to environmental problems before the emergence of national
regulatory programs. Chapter 6 examines the political forces that
generated a burst of federal legislative activity to protect the
environment during the 1970s and 1980s. Chapter 7 provides a lucid non-
technical overview of the structure of current environmental law and an
introduction to the debate over the efficiency and effectiveness of the
current regulatory system.
Part III explores how law is translated into regulatory policy. Chapter 9
discusses how citizens groups and the public influence regulatory
decisions, while chapter 10 provides a balanced examination of the
complexity of forces that have made it extremely difficult for regulatory
agencies to implement environmental laws.
Part IV explores the globalization of environmental policy and other
important trends that are likely to shape the future of environmental law.
Lynton Cladwell's chapter nicely traces the emergence of international
environmental law as well as the difficulty countries face in reconciling
domestic development goals with international environmental concerns.
Chapters 12 and 13 examine the relationship between trade liberalization
and the environment.
The article by Gene Grossman and Alan Krueger is a must read because the
authors forcefully argue that trade liberalization ultimately will produce
environmental benefits by promoting economic growth that will enable
citizens in developing countries to demand increased environmental
amenities. However, the critical question of how the new World Trade
Organization will impact trade and domestic and international
environmental legislation is not at all discussed. It is the only gap (and
a big one) in an otherwise excellent volume.
Shalendra D. Sharma is an Assistant Professor in the
Department of Politics, University of San Francisco, 2130 Fulton Street,
San Francisco, CA 94117 USA. TEL: 415-422-6452.
Copyright 1998 University of Idaho Library