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This unique work addresses the most urgent and critical dilemmas of our civilization: humanity's real place in the natural environment and the gravity of the ecological threat before us. Leading Russian authors present the ecological, demographic, economic and socio-psychological manifestations of the global crisis to demonstrate the immutable laws and limitations which determine the existence of all living things in the biosphere.
PART 1 - CIVILIZATION IN CRISIS: ON THE EDGE OF AN ABYSS 1. GLOBAL ECOLOGICAL SITUATION, 2. CRITICALLY OVERPOPULATED PLANET,3. THE ECOLOGICAL EQUIVALENTS OF MODERN MAN PART 2. CIVILIZATION TEETERING OVER THE ABYSS OF CRISIS, 4. THE SOCIAL DIMENSION OF THE CRISIS, 5. THE ROLE OF THE CENTRALIZED AND MARKET ECONOMIES, 6. THE CRISIS OF VALUES AS THE MAIN CAUSE OF THE ECOLOGICAL CHALLENGE PART 3 - THE WORLD COMMUNITY: POLITICIANS AND SCIENTISTS IN SEARCH OF A SOLUTION, 7. THE MISSION OF THE CLUB OF ROME, 8. PROGRAMS FOR CHANGE: STOCKHOLM -- RIO -- JOHANNESBURG, 9. TOWARD A SYSTEMIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE BIOSPHERE, 10. THE CONSTANCY OF THE PLANETARY ENVIRONMENT IN LIGHT OF THE BIOTIC REGULATION MECHANISM PART 4 - SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: BETWEEN COMPLACENCY AND REALITY, 11. THE BASIS OF SUSTAINABILITY IN NATURE AND IN CIVILIZATION, 12. THE NATIONAL COLORS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, 13. CO-EVOLUTION OF NATURE AND SOCIETY: FACT OR FICTION? PART 5 - ON THE SCALE OF A SCIENTIFIC APPROACH, 14. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN RELATION TO THE CARRYING CAPACITY OF THE BIOSPHERE, 15. THE STARTING CONDITIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND THE PRESERVATION OF ECOSYSTEMS BY COUNTRY AND CONTINENT, 16. NAVIGATION DIRECTIONS: INDICATORS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PART 6 -- "IS THERE ENOUGH COMMUNITY, RESPONSIBILITY, DISCIPLINE AND LOVE?", 17. THE BARRICADES OF OLD THINKING IN THE WAY OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, 18. WHAT THE MARKET ECONOMY CAN AND CANNOT ACCOMPLISH, 19. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND THE "REAL HUMAN CONDITION", 20. THE SOCIAL PREMISES OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND THE GLOBALIZATION PROBLEM
From the reviews: "This timely, well-organized book provides intriguing insights into the 21st-century plight of the human-built and natural worlds. Danilov-Danil'yan and Losev (both, Russian Academy of Sciences) and Reyf (German journalist) argue that the direct dependence of people on critical ecosystem services requires ! social, psychological, and economic trends that underpin the problem. The book's six parts aptly reveal the breath and depth of the analysis ! . Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries." (P. R. Pinet, Choice, Vol. 46 (11), July, 2009)
