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This monograph explores the dire ecological, social, and economic situations facing mankind through comprehensive analyses of global ecological issues, poverty, environmental stability and regulation, and sustainable development. Drs. Victor Danilov-Danil'yan and Igor Reyf discuss the development of ecology as a science, the increasing concern among scientists and public servants for the unsustainability of current economic and demographic trends, and the dire consequences our planet and civilization are already suffering as a result of the ongoing environmental and social crisis. They also address the philosophical implications of the crisis, and suggest possible solutions.

The book conveys complex objects of study, namely the biosphere and the harmful anthropogenic processes it has been experiencing for decades, so that the work is accessible without omitting key components of the subject matter. Readers will learn about the social and economic contributors to a threatened biosphere, the mechanisms that maintain the stability of the global environment, and the scales at which sustainable development and preservation can be applied to initiate environmental regulation. Though intended to appeal to the general public and non-specialists, environmental researchers, organizations involved in sustainable development and conservation, and students engaged in ecology, environment, and sustainability studies will also find this book of interest.

The Biosphere and Civilization: In the Throes of a Global Crisis

Part 1 Civilization in Crisis: The Edge of the Abyss.- Chapter 1 The Global Ecological Situation.- Chapter 2 A Critically Overpopulated Planet.- Chapter 3 The Ecological Footprint of Modern Man.- Part II Civilization in Crisis: The Edge of the Abyss (Continued).- Chapter 4 The Social Dimensions of the Crisis.- Chapter 5 Centralized Economics, the Market and Their "Contributions".- Part III World Society: Politicians and Scientists in Search of an Answer.- Chapter 7 First Steps by the UN and Club of Rome The Computer Model That Rocked the World.- Chapter 8 Programs of Change: Stockholm-Rio de Janeiro-Johannesburg-Rio+20.- Chapter 9 The Path to a Systemic Concept of the Biosphere.- Part IV Permanence of the Planetary Environment and the Concept of Biotic Regulation.- Chapter 10 Abiotic Factors in Forming the Earth's Climate.- Chapter 11 Role of the Biota in Forming the Environment.- Chapter 12 Biotic Mechanisms for Supporting Environmental Stability.- Part V Weighing a Scientific Approach.- Chapter 13 Foundations for Sustainability in Nature and Society.- Chapter 14 Sustainable Development Within the Norms of the Biosphere's Carrying Capacity.- Chapter 15 Prerequisites for Sustainable Development and Maintaining Ecosystems by Country and Continent. Russia's "Special Project".- Chapter 16 What About Coevolution?.- IN PLACE OF A CONCLUSION: THE DIE IS NOT YET CAST.- Bibliography.