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LOVE 201: Understanding Environmental Issues
An inderdisciplinary perspective |
LOVE 201 Related WWW Links
"Whenever I walk with a child, I think how much I have seen disappear in my own life.
What will there be for this person when he is my age?"
Barry Lopez, 'Children in the Woods', in Crossing Open Ground
This page presents WWW links to environmental topics generally organized according to chapters in Botkin & Keller (1997) Environmental Science, Wiley & Sons. If you have links you wish to add to this page please contact Bill Leeman.
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Systems & Change
"Contemporary American culture, founded on the original material wealth of the continent, on its timber, ores, and furs, has become a culture that devours the earth. ... There are two schools of thought on how to rectify this high rate of consumption, which most Western thinkers agree is unsustainable and likely wrongheaded if not disastrous. First, there are technical approaches. No matter how sophisticated or innovative these may be, they finally seem only clever or artful adjustments, not solutions. Secondly, we can consider a change in attitude toward nature, adopting a fundamentally different way of thinking about it than we have previously had, perhaps ever had as human beings. The insight of aboriginal peoples are of inestimable value here in rethinking our relationships with the natural world; but the solution to our plight is likely to be something no other culture has ever thought of." - Barry Lopez, 'The Passing Wisdom of Birds', in Crossing Open Ground
The Gaia Hypothesis - Shaping the environment by life itself
Biogeochemical Cycles
Human Population Issues
"The cemeteries are full of indispensable people." - anon. (from C.J. Burke)
World human population is currently about 
Population Reference Bureau - Info on US and global population statistics and trends
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) - Population data bases
United Nations Development Programme - Info on sustainable human development
United Nations Population Information Network - World demographic trends
Zero Population Growth (ZPG) Home Page - Effects of rapid population growth and wasteful consumption
Population FAQs - With answers from ZPG
Population & quality of life - From ZPG
US Census Bureau - World population views
World population - 1996 - United Nations
Population density maps:
Ecosystems & Ecological Communities
"... we have made this mistake before. We told the native peoples of North America that their relationships with the land were worthless, primitive. Now we are a culture that spends millions trying to find this knowledge, trying to reestablish a sense of well-being with the earth." - Barry Lopez, 'Yukon-Charley', in Crossing Open Ground
Center for Conservation Biology Network - Ecology, biodiversity & the environment
Biological Diversity & Biogeography
"The possibilities for an expression of life in any environment, or in any single animal, are larger than we can predict or understand, and this is all right." - Barry Lopez, 'The Passing Wisdom of Birds', in Crossing Open Ground
Center for Conservation Biology Network - Ecology, biodiversity & the environment
Nature's Pharmacy - from National Wildlife Federation
Biological Productivity & Energy Flow
Center for Conservation Biology Network - Ecology, biodiversity & the environment
Umpqua Watersheds - Examples of logging practices in the Pacific Northwest
Succession & Restoration: How Ecosystems Respond
"I often search out scientific reports to read; many are based on years of research and have been patiently thought through. Despite my regard, however, I read with caution, for I cannot rid myself of the thought that, even though it is the best theoretical approach we have, the process is not perfect... It is hard to say exactly what an animal is 'doing'... Our human senses confine us to realms that may contain only a small part of the information produced in an event. Something critical could be missing and we would not know." - Barry Lopez, 'The Passing Wisdom of Birds', in Crossing Open Ground
USDA Forest Service - Home page
World Food Supply
"Anyone who believes that exponential growth can go on forever on a finite planet is either a madman or an economist." - Kenneth Boulding, Ecodynamics
Aquaculture Information Center/USDA - Bibliographies on aquaculture and links to related internet sites
Aquaculture Magazine - Info on global aquaculture
Agriculture Page - Agriculture links to related internet sites
Food & Agriculture Organization/UN - World food situation
US Department of Agriculture - Agriculture in the US
El Nino and US Agriculture - Climate effects on US agriculture
Agriculture Chemical Use/USGS - Info and maps of chemical/fertilizer use
National Integrated Pest Management Network - Pest management resources on the internet
'Not Just Cows' - Good starting point for agriculture resources on the internet
Natural Resources Conservation Service/USDA - Links to agriculture, soil conservation, other USDA internet sites
Effects of Agriculture on the Environment
Wild Living Resources
"The question before us is how do we find a viable natural philosophy, one that places us again within the elements of our natural history. The answer, I believe, lies with wild animals." - Barry Lopez, 'The Passing Wisdom of Birds', in Crossing Open Ground
Endangered Species Page/Envirolink - Distributions of endangered species & more
Endangered Species - Educators resources on endangered species, legislation, etc.
Gap Analysis/Utah State Univ. - Studies of management of biological diversity
US Fish & Wildlife Service - Info on USFWS activities
Wildlife Conservation Union - List of endangered species by country or classification
World Wildlife Fund - Monitors status of endangered species & commercial exploitation of same
Landscapes & Seascapes
"I think of two landscapes - one outside the self, the other within...One learns a landscape finally not by knowing the name or identity of everything in it, but by perceiving the relationships in it." - Barry Lopez, 'Landscape and Narrative', in Crossing Open Ground
Consort. Intl. Earth Science Info Network - Info on tropical deforestation
Marine Mammal Center - Efforts to protect marine mammals
Marine Mammal Page - Great starting point for internet info on marine mammals
Natl. Marine Fisheries Service - Conservation & management of marine resources
National Park Service - Info on US national parks
Rainforest Action Network - Tracks tropical deforestation
UN Food & Agriculture Organization - Forestry section
World Resources Institute - Publications covering world resources (incl. forests)
Umpqua Watersheds - Examples of logging practices in the Pacific Northwest
Environmental Health & Toxicology
Environmental Protection Agency - Info on air pollution, urban air quality & more
Extension Toxicology Network - Environmental health, toxicology, pesticides, much more
Natl. Inst. Environmental Health Sciences - Extensive info on environmental health topics
National Toxicology Program - Info on chemical toxicities
Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry - Environmental health effects, hazardous substances
Toxicology Update Home Page - Good starting point for internet info on toxicology
Houston Dept. of Health & Human Resources - Local health information
Energy
"The West's nightmare of a global energy crunch is receding as the world's oil seekers replace reserves at a faster rate than consumers use them..." British Petroluem analysts, LONDON, June 18 [1996] (Reuter).
World Energy Demands - Highlights of US Dept. of Energy forecasts for energy consumption
World Energy Outlook - US Dept. of Energy forecasts for oil, gas, coal, nuclear & other sources
US Dept. of Energy (DOE) - Source of info on all aspects of energy in the US
US Geological Survey - Energy resources
CO2 emissions calculator - Estimates for different blends of energy
Fossil Fuels
"...what classical economics leaves out of its equation is time, or more specifically, the rate of extraction and consumption....In order for any type of commercial ecology based on market principles to function, it will require that resources be available on a sustainable basis, that is, using the resources to supply the needs of one generation in a manner that does not compromise the ability of future generations to fulfill those same needs." - Paul Hawken, The Ecology of Commerce, p. 80-81.
World Oil Consumption - Future forecast
Energy Information Administration Home Page - US and world energy outlooks, oil & gas, etc.
US DOE Office of Fossil Energy - Fossil fuel programs and projects
World Resources Institute - Assessments of future resources
World Resources Institute - Oil as a finite resource
World Resources Institute - When will oil production peak?
Interstate Oil & Gas Compact Commission - Source of fossil fuel info
National Petroleum Council - Summary reports on petroleum issues
Oil Online - Info on US oil industry
Alternative Energy Sources
"... the world is on the verge of a revolution in energy and environmental technologies... This revolution can be expected to create a number of industries that collectively will provide one of the largest international markets and one of the largest sources of new high-wage jobs in the next century..." - J.J. Romm & C.B. Curtis, 'Mideast oil forever?', in Atlantic Monthly, April 1996.
"...this book proposes three approaches, all guided by the example of nature. The first is to obey the waste-equals-food principle and entirely eliminate waste from our industrial production... The second principle is to change from an economy based on carbon to one based on hydrogen and sunshine... Third, we must create systems of feedback and accountability that support and strengthen restorative behavior...to reduce substantially the impact that each of us has upon our environment." - Paul Hawken, The Ecology of Commerce, p. 209-210.
World Hydroelectric Power - US Dept. of Energy forecasts for hydroelectric power resources
World Electricity Demand - US Dept. of Energy forecasts for electricity demand
Center for Renewable Energy & Sustainable Technology - Status, benefits, etc.
USDOE Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Network - General info and web links
USDOE Natl. Renewable Energy Lab - Current research & projects
Alternative Energy sites - List of internet sites
Nuclear Energy
World Nuclear Power - US Dept. of Energy forecasts for nuclear power resources
American Nuclear Society - Info about nuclear power-related research
USDOE Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management - Status of radwaste disposal, Yucca Mountain
Nuclear Energy Institute - Nuclear power in the US and world
US Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Radwaste generation and disposal, current status of nuclear power production
Uranium Institute - Info on mining and nuclear power industry
CO2 emissions calculator - Estimates for different blends of energy
Uranium Information Center - Interesting background reading
Water Supply, Use & Management
USGS - US water resources
USGS - Water resources
US Bur. of Reclamation, Water Conservation - Management of water supplies
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service - Water & climate center, water resources, maps
USGS Water Resources Division - Water use, river flows, reservoir statistics
Water Pollution & Treatment
USEPA Office of Water - Water quality & treatment
USGS Water Resources Division - Water resource programs, consumption, quality
US Water News - Recent info, events, weblinks
Houston Solid Waste Management - Local details
Atmosphere, Climate, & Global Warming
"The conviction that we are trying to learn an objective truth is a powerful sustaining myth that drives us onward in our efforts at consensus building." - N. David Mermin, 'What's Wrong with this Sustaining Myth?', in Physics Today, March 1996.
"With carbon dioxide buildup occurring so quickly, we simply donšt know how, if, or when temperatures will rise, forests withdraw, rivers fail, and whole ecosystems change, or even disappear, taking with them polar bears, monarch butterflies, Bengal tigers, and walruses - and perhaps us... What we do know is that if we burn most of our remaining coal, oil, and gas reserves over the next five hundred years, we will increase carbon dioxide not by a factor of two, but by a factor of ten, and scientists do have a description for this level of global warming: Venus" - Paul Hawken, The Ecology of Commerce, p. 86-87.
Global Warming becomes political - Molly Ivins commentary
Global Warming - Focus on the Future - An educational overview
US Global Change Research Program - See Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) report
9/30/97 New York Times - "If climate changes, who is vulnerable?"
UNEP Climate Change Info Unit - Summary info (see Info Kit), press releases, etc. on effects of climate change
Global Climate Info. Programme - General info, greenhouse effect, etc.
Where is the global warming? - A contrarian view
Goddard Distributed Active Archive Center - Atmospheric research, data, satellite images, etc.
Halogen OccultationExperiment home page - Studies of ozone depletion
NASA Earth Observing System Project Science Center - Wealth of data, images, etc. on atmospheric research
NOAA Office of GlobalPrograms - Climate variations, El Nino, ozone depletion, etc.
NOAA Climate Data Center - Current data, trends, research
USGS Global Change Research Program - Interesting examples of research into effects of climate-change causes and effects
Global Change master directory - NASA links to Global Change info
USGS Global Change Program - A brief overview
Water Vapor as a Greenhouse Gas - Special report on climate impact
El Nino & current state of the tropical Pacific - NASA (cf. their primer)
El Nino theme page/NOAA - NOAA
El Nino global impacts - Select a condition and a season and get a map forecast!
NOAA one-stop source for El Nino and ENSO - With maps, animations
NCAR - 'systems' approach to El Nino - Links to other related sites
Air Pollution
USEPA Office of Air & Radiation - Info urban air pollution, acid rain, air toxics, etc.
National Resources Defense Council Archives - Clean Air Act, data, etc.
Indoor Air Pollution
USEPA Indoor Air home page - Pollutants, sick building syndrome, etc.
Ozone Depletion
USEPA Stratospheric Ozone page - Science of ozone depletion, policy
NASA Atmospheric Chemistry & Dynamics Branch - NASA research
NOAA Climate Prediction Center- stratosphere - Current maps of stratosphere conditions
NOAA Nitrous Oxide & Halocompounds Group - Current data, graphs, research
Environmental Economics
"The 1990s will demand a redefinition of what constitutes national security. In the 1970s the concept was expanded to include international economics as it became clear that the US economy was no longer the independent force it had once been, but was powerfully affected by economic policies in dozens of countries. Global developments now suggest the need for another analogous, broadening definition of national security to include resource, environmental and demographic issues." - Jessica Tuchman Matthews, 'Redefining Security', in Foreign Affairs, v. 68, 1989
"In the language and accounting of classical economics, resources do not technically exist until they are drilled, extracted, pumped, or cut; in biological accounting, the principal is reversed" - Paul Hawken, The Ecology of Commerce, p. 10.
World Resources Institute - Assessments of future resources
European Center for Nature Conservation - Extensive links and info on sustainable development
EcoSystems Home Page - A sustainable future
The Coming Oil Crisis - Assessment of world oil production
Urban Environments
Urban National Forest Home Page/USDA - Effects of cities on forests
Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development - Urban resources, curent programs, etc.
US HUD Habitat II page - The City Summit, global effort toward sustainability
UN Development Programme Habitat II page - UN perspective on the 1996 City Summit
UN Division for Sustainable Development - UN programs
UN Population Info. Network - Urban population trends
City of Houston Home Page - Links to city services, etc.
Waste Management
USEPA Office of Emergency & Remedial Response - Superfund page
USEPA Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response - Solid waste management (a smelly topic)
Houston - Solid waste management department
Minerals & the Environment
"Most of us are now so far removed from either a practical or aesthetic intimacy with North America that the land is no longer an arbiter for us." - Barry Lopez, 'Searching for Ancestors', in Crossing Open Ground
USGS - Mineral Commodity Summaries for US
USGS Minerals Info. - Global statistics on mineral production
USGS Mine Drainage Info. - Environmental problems due to mining
USDOI Office of Surface Mining Reclamation & Enforcement - Cleanup of polluted mining areas
Environmental Impact & Planning
Environmental Law - Cornell Univ. topic on environmental regulations
Council on Environmental Quality NEPA Net - Environmental protection act, impact statements
Integrating Environmental Values & Knowledge
"It is possible to imagine that on the far side of the Rennaissance and the Enlightenment we can recover the threads of an earlier wisdom." - Barry Lopez, 'The Passing Wisdom of Birds', in Crossing Open Ground
Environment & Ethics - Lawrence Hinman's links
Environment & Literature - Association for the Study of Literature & the Environment
Environment & History - American Society for Environmental History
Other Interesting Sites
"The quickest door to open in the woods for a child is the one that leads to the smallest room, by knowing the name each thing is called. The door that leads to the cathedral is marked by a hesitancy to speak at all, rather to encourage by example a sharpness of the senses." - Barry Lopez, 'Children in the Woods', in Crossing Open Ground
World Resources Institute Topical Index - Alphbetical index to many environmental topics
Center for Conservation Biology Network - Ecology, biodiversity & the environment
Environmental Center - Univ. of Colorado Environmental links
Exploring the Environment (ETE) - NASA's Environmental education
Remote sensing of the environment - ETE links to climate, oceanographic, etc. sensing
Environmental Hotlist - ETE selected internet sites
Envirolink - comprehensive Environmental information
Where You Live - current Environmental information by geographic area
USGS - Environment page
Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) - Environment information and lobby group
Test your understanding...
"Most global problems cannot be solved globally because they are global symptoms of local problems with roots in reductionist thinking that goes back to the scientific revolution and the beginnings of industrialism. We have operated our world for the past few centuries on the basis that we could manage it, if not dominate it, without respect to living systems." - Paul Hawken, The Ecology of Commerce, p. 201.
Basic scientific concepts
Energy quiz page
LAST MODIFIED: 11/1/97
BY: Bill Leeman
