Environmental Science: .

by Daniel D. Chiras

Completely updated, the new Seventh Edition of Environmental Science enlightens students on the fundamental causes of the current environmental crisis and offers ideas on how we, as a global community, can create a sustainable future. It's student-friendly, up-to-date coverage, newly revised Critical Thinking questions and integrated technology package, prompt students to think critically about the key principles of environmental science and sustainability.

672 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Dan has spent much of the past 30 years studying sustainability and applying what he has learned in solar energy, natural building, and green building to his residences, and most of the last ten plus years sharing the practical knowledge he has gained through writing, lectures, slide shows, and workshops.
Dan Chiras paid his last electric bill in June of 1996. It is not that he has disavowed the use of electricity and modern conveniences, but rather that he has turned to the sun and wind to meet his family's needs.

Reviews

[Jim Robles · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book takes the position that conservation must begin with with individuals (conservation, recycling, renewable resources, population control) like yourself: as consequence it is more of a polemical screed that technical textbook.

I should give Professor Chiras a break. None of us would like to be held to every prediction we made in 1991. Having said that, some of the predictions (ethanol!) here are just embarrassing.

He has an unfortunate tendency to report benefits, of technologies he dislikes, on a per day (a smaller number) basis while reporting costs on a per year (a larger number) basis. Is it just me, or is this a little sleazy?

He seems oblivious to the Jevons Paradox: you can't talk intelligently about energy/resource policy without understanding this. (Pages 369/370 - Improved energy efficiency . . . could go a long way toward cutting emissions. - is just flat out wrong.

Professor Chiras does get some things right. Solar energy is going to make the difference. (Please be gentle in 2031 when you remind me I said this.) Solar (PV thin-film as being implemented at the new Boeing facility in South Carolina) is going to change everything.

He also discusses the (pernicious) effect of (most important - the control of) population growth: somehow this issues seems to be something we no longer discuss. It's time to start again.

p. 390. He says that About 3.2 million metric tons of oil enters the world's seas every year. About half of the oil that contaminates the ocean comes from natural seepage from offshore deposits. One-fifth comes from well blowouts, breaks in pipelines, and tanker spills. The rest, quite surprisingly, comes from oil disposed of inland and carried to he ocean in rivers.