Multidimensional Global Change Kirill Ya Kondratyev Forty years of technological progress have had a catastrophic impact on the environment, since this progress has been based on the ruthless exploitation of natural resources: 20 percent of the fertile soil on cultivated land has been lost; 20 per cent of tropical forests have been cleared; desertification continues at a rate of 6 million hectares annually; and deforestation amounts to 11 million hectares annually. Economic estimations practically never take into account this depletion and damage to natural resources, the harmful effect on human health, the deprivation of future generations of those natural resources, and the long-term impact in the form of biospheric deformation. In this text Kirill Kondratyev emphasises the extremely complex and interdisciplinary nature of multidimensional global change, highlighting its principal aspects and many practical consequences (economic, social, etc.), as well as the relationships between environmental problems on global, continental and national scales. He demonstrates that the main limiting factor of further quantitative development of humankind is the available biosphere resources and that the basic criterion of ecological well- (or ill-) being is the level of depletion of these resources. The author highlights an acute social controversy of the modern world in that the level of biospheric resource consumption in industrially-developed countries exceeds by far that in the Third World. This disparity could be eliminated through advancements such as the 'decarbonisation' of energy production, and the development of new technologies. However, he shows that radical improvement of the situation can only be achieved by reducing the population number and establishing a new, fair economic order. He emphasises that when considering global change problems it is important to avoid exaggerations, and he strikes a balance between the most gloomy predictions and more encouraging estimations. Readership: Professional scientists, environmentalists and engineers concerned with research relating to global change and its consequences, managers and senior engineers wishing to gain an insight into the problems caused by global change, and undergraduate and postgraduate students of geography, meteorology, climatology, atmospheric physics and environmental science.

A bilingual edition of economic analysis of recent changes in a globalized world, with focus on ecological trends and natural resources.

Climate change, a familiar term today, is far more than just global warming due to atmospheric greenhouse gases including CO2. In order to understand the nature of climate change, it is necessary to consider the whole climatic system, its complexity, and the ways in which natural and anthropogenic activities act and influence that system and the environment. Over the past 20 years since the first edition of Understanding Global Climate Change was published, not only has the availability of climate-related data and computer modelling changed, but our perceptions of it and its impact have changed as well. Using a combination of ground data, satellite data, and human impacts, this second edition discusses the state of climate research today, on a global scale, and establishes a background for future discussions on climate change. This book is an essential reference text, relevant to any and all who study climate and climate change. Features Provides a thought-provoking and original approach to the science of climate. Emphasises that there are many factors contributing to the causation of climate change. Clarifies that while anthropogenic generation of carbon dioxide is important, it is only one of several human activities contributing to climate change. Considers climate change responses needed to be undertaken by politicians and society at national and global levels. Totally revised and updated with state-of-the-art satellite data and climate models currently in operation around the globe.

The exclusive role of natural ecosystems is a key factor in the maintenance of the biospheric equilibrium. The current global crisis is largely caused by their dramatic decline by 43% in the past hundred years. Ignoring the immutable laws and limitations which determine the existence of all living things in the biosphere could lead humanity to an ecological catastrophe. This book presents the ecological, demographic, economic and socio-psychological manifestations of the global crisis and outlines the immutable laws and limitations which determine the existence of all living things in the biosphere. The authors are eminently qualified to write about the problems associated with the global crisis and consider the causes behind humanity's conflict with its environment. V. Danilov-Danilian, Associate of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Russia's former Minister of the Environment, and K. Losev, professor at Moscow State university, are leading Russian ecologists and I. Reyf is a journalist who specializes in ecology and global development. Dr. Danilov-Danilian works on the economics of nature management, economic and mathematical model building, sustainable development theory and ecology. Dr Losev is the chief researcher and head of the division of the VINITI. All the authors have published numerous papers, articles and books on such subjects as glaciology, hydrology, environment studies, global change and sustainable development.

Opening with a survey of contemporary global ecodynamics, including its basic components, this book goes on to discuss greenhouse effect problems in the context of global carbon cycle dynamics. The coverage includes land ecosystem changes, air-sea exchange models, high-latitude environmental dynamics, and a discussion of basic aspects of global environmental modelling and relevant monitoring systems. The volume concludes by examining society systems with emphasis on the problems of sustainable development.

Advances in Ecological Research is one of the most successful series in the highly competitive field of ecology. Each volume publishes topical and important reviews, interpreting ecology as widely as in the past, to include all material that contributes to our understanding of the field. Topics in this invaluable series include the physiology, populations, and communities of plants and animals, as well as landscape and ecosystem ecology. - Advances in Ecological Research is one of the most successful series in the highly competitive field of ecology - Each volume publishes topical and important reviews, interpreting ecology as widely as in the past, to include all material that contributes to our understanding of the field - Topics in this invaluable series include the physiology, populations, and communities of plants and animals, as well as landscape and ecosystem ecology

Professor Kondratyev and his team consider the concept of global warming due to the greenhouse effect and put forward a new approach to the problem of assessing the impact of anthropogenic processes. Considering data on both sources and sinks for atmospheric carbon and various conceptual schemes of the global carbon dioxide cycle, they suggest a new approach to studies of the problem of the greenhouse effect. They assess the role of different types of soil and vegetation in the assimilation of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and discuss models of the atmosphere ocean gas exchange and its role in the carbon dioxide cycle, paying special attention to the role of the Arctic Basin. The authors also consider models of other global atmospheric cycles for a range of atmospheric constituents, and conclude by drawing together a range of scenarios on modelling the global carbon cycle.

Global leadership is an emerging field that seeks to understand and explain the impact of globalization processes on leadership. This is the first book to review the theoretical, empirical and conceptual literature on this important subject, and to analyze what this body of knowledge means for managers who lead in a global business context. Accessible to both student and practitioner alike, it explains how changes in the global context have created a demand for a distinctive set of qualities for effective leaders. This volume defines the skill set that global organizations are now looking for, highlighting the need to establish communities across diverse groups of stakeholders and initiate change as key aspects of global leadership. It also presents a critical analysis of the training and development of global leaders of the future. Global Leadership provides an important overview of a key emerging area within business and management. It is essential reading for students of leadership, organizational theory, strategic management, human resource management, and for anyone working and managing in the global arena.

Climate Change: a Multidisciplinary Approach provides an up-to-date, concise and comprehensive presentation of our current knowledge of climate change and its implications for society. The book begins by giving a balanced coverage of the physical principles of the global climate, its behaviour on all timescales, and the evidence for and consequences of past change. It then reviews how we measure climate change and the statistical methods for analysing data, before exploring its causes and how we can model this behaviour. The final sections discuss predictions of future climate change and the economic and political debate surrounding its prevention and mitigation. This is a valuable undergraduate textbook for a wide range of courses, including meteorology, oceanography, environmental science, earth science, geography, history, agriculture and social science. It will also appeal to a wider general audience of readers in search of a better understanding of climate change.

This book is a collection of essays, bringing together seventeen contributions from different disciplines, with various, but complementary points of view, to discuss the directions and key components of risk governance. Some of the many issues of interest to risk scholars addressed in this work include the analysis of proactive approaches to the governance of risk from natural hazards; approaches to broaden the scope of public policies related to the management of risks from natural hazards, including emergency and environmental management, community development and spatial planning.