Author Description

Every government's energy policy must balance competing claims of economic benefit, public opinion, and environmental impact. In this book, leading representatives of the various types of energy generation-- coal and oil, gas, nuclear power, and alternative technologies--set out the pros and cons of these energy sources and discuss their environmental consequences. This book includes contributions from such leading public figures as Jonathon Porritt, Lord Marshall, and Zhores Medvedev. Chapters deal with special problems faced by the countries of the developing world, by the democracies in Central and Eastern Europe, and by the republics of the former Soviet Union. Readers will be able to form a balanced judgement about the direction which energy policies should take in order to maximize economic efficiency while minimizing the greenhouse effect, acid rain, and atmospheric pollution. Students, researchers, and general readers interested in the environment and the implications of energy production will find this book an eminently informative discussion of the issues.