ABOUT THIS BOOK

How often in today's environmental debates have you read that "the science is in dispute"-even when there is overwhelming consensus among scientists? Too often, the voice of science is diminished or diluted for the sake of politics, and the public is misled. Now, the most authoritative voice in U.S. science, Science magazine, brings you current scientific knowledge on today's most pressing environmental challenges, from population growth to climate change to biodiversity loss.

Science Magazine's State of the Planet 2006-2007 is a unique contribution that brings together leading environmental scientists and researchers to give readers a comprehensive yet accessible overview of current issues. Included are explanatory essays from Science magazine editor-in-chief Donald Kennedy that tie together the issues and explore the relationships among them. Each of the book's 18 chapters is written by the world's leading experts, such as:

Joel Cohen on population
Peter Gleick on water
Daniel Pauly on fisheries
Thomas Karl on climate change science
Paul Portney on energy and development
Elinor Ostrom and Thomas Dietz on commons management

Interspersed throughout are Science news pieces that highlight particular issues and cases relevant to the main scientific findings. An added feature is the inclusion of definitions of key terms and concepts that help students and nonspecialists understand the issues. Published biennially, State of the Planet is a clear, accessible guide for readers of all levels-from students to professionals.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Donald Kennedy is the Bing Professor of Environmental Science and President emeritus at Stanford University in Stanford, CA. In 1977 Dr. Kennedy took a 2 1/2 year leave to serve as Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Following his return to Stanford in 1979, Dr. Kennedy served for a year as Provost and for twelve years as President. He co-directs the Environmental Studies Program in the Institute for International Studies.

REVIEWS

"This thought-provoking compendium illuminates the crucial role of science for informing policy in a time of unprecedented threats and the regrettable growth of 'anti-science' propaganda. It belongs on the desk of every political and economic decision maker—and every voter and consumer."

— Ambassador Richard Benedick, chief U.S. negotiator of the 1987 Montreal Protocol on protecting the ozone layer

"Easy to read and to understand, this collection informs and educates about the major environmental issues of our day. A useful antidote to confusion about the basic facts and relationships that will have a fundamental impact on our common future: this book concisely presents information that should prove interesting and useful for every citizen."

— Peter H. Raven, past president, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

"Insightful articles from the world's leading scientists offer an alarming diagnosis of the state of our home planet as well as prescriptions for improvement. This book is a vital contribution to any undergraduate course on the environment."

— David Blockstein, Executive Secretary of the Council of Environmental Deans and Directors

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgments
Introduction \ Donald Kennedy

PART I. Living Resources
-Life on a Human-Dominated Planet \ Donald Kennedy
-Human Population: The Next Half Century \ Joel E. Cohen
-Prospects for Biodiversity \ Martin Jenkins
-World Fisheries: The Next 50 Years \ Daniel Pauly, Jackie Alder, Elena Bennett, Villy Christensen, Peter Tyedmers, and Reg Watson

PART II. Physical Resources
-Preserving the Conditions for Life \ Donald Kennedy
-Tropical Soils and Food Security: The Next 50 Years \ Michael A. Stocking
-Global Freshwater Resources: Soft-Path Solutions for the 21st Century \ Peter H. Gleick
-Energy Resources and Global Development \ Jeffrey Chow, Raymond J. Kopp, and Paul R. Portney
-Global Air Quality and Pollution \ Hajime Akimoto
-Modern Global Climate Change \ Thomas R. Karl and Kevin E. Trenberth

PART III. The Commons
-Managing Our Common Inheritance \ Donald Kennedy
-The Tragedy of the Commons \ Garrett Hardin
-The Struggle to Govern the Commons \ Thomas Dietz, Elinor Ostrom, and Paul C. Stern
-Social Capital and the Collective Management of Resources \ Jules Pretty
-Managing Tragedies: Understanding Conflict over Common Pool Resources \ William M. Adams, Dan Brockington, Jane Dyson, and Bhaskar Vira
-Global Food Security: Challenges and Policies \ Mark W. Rosegrant and Sarah A. Cline
-New Visions for Addressing Sustainability \ A. J. McMichael, C. D. Butler, and Carl Folke
-The Burden of Chronic Disease \ C. G. Nicholas Mascie-Taylor and Enamul Karim
-The Challenge of Long-Term Climate Change \ K. Hasselmann, M. Latif, G. Hooss, C. Azar, O. Edenhofer, C. C. Jaeger, O. M. Johannessen, C. Kemfert, M. Welp, and A. Wokaun
-Climate Change: The Political Situation \ Robert T. Watson
-Tales from a Troubled Marriage: Science and Law in Environmental Policy \ Oliver Houck

Index

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