This enthralling book begins in the vast forests of Cyprus, whose wood fuelled the ancient Mediterranean, and extends through the Elizabethan era, in which the Hostmen guild of Newcastle exerted political influence by monopolizing the British coal supply. The central thread of this well-researched book, which draws upon a vast array of archival sources and an extensive list of secondary texts, picks up centuries later with the competition in the American automotive market between electric power and oil-fuelled internal combustion. The definitive blow in favour of oil comes with WWI, which prompted increased demand for gas-powered vehicles at the very moment Thomas Edison and Henry Ford aborted plans to develop an affordable electric car. The decades-long "General Motors conspiracy" solidifies the demise of electrically powered mass transit in American cities. Through it all, the author manages to keep this complex history compelling. By the time the author makes his final, impassioned plea for a bold new solution to the world's energy crisis, he has already made his case with devastating clarity.

"Renewable energy expert Mark Diesendorf issues a powerful challenge in this clear and comprehensive guide to the technology and policies we need to adopt to ensure an ecologically sustainable energy future for the planet. Sustainable Energy Solutions for Climate Change brings together the science, technology, economics and policy issues to provide a unique and truly interdisciplinary approach. It details the enormous recent changes in the energy sector and profiles the renewable energy technologies that can transform our fossil-fuelled energy systems into ecologically sustainable ones. The book provides in-depth analysis of: scenarios for transitioning our polluting energy system to one based on the efficient use of renewable energy; sustainable transport and planning for better cities; why nuclear energy is not the answer; the politics and policies of climate change mitigation; myths about wind and solar energy and energy efficiency; what people can do to overcome vested interests and push reluctant governments to take effective action"--

The 1986 accident at the Chernobyl plant highlighted the need to examine and clarify the obligations imposed by international law on States engaged in nuclear and other ultra-hazardous activites. This volume brings together in full the texts of the most important materials necessary for a comprehensive examination of the international law and communication issues arising from nuclear and other accidents with transboundary effects. The texts reproduced include multilateral and bilateral treaties, non-binding acts of international organizations and private associations of scholars, and national legislation. Their chronological presentation reflects the development of the law up to and including the 1986 IAEA Conventions on Early Notification and Assistance and the 1987 Resolution of the Institut de Droit International on Transboundary Air Pollution. Each text is introduced by a Note summarizing its background and main provisions, and is accompanied by a select bibliography. The signatories and parties to the treaties are set out in full. This work is a publication of The Annenberg Washington Program in Communications Policy Studies of Northwestern University and the Research Centre for International Law, University of Cambridge.

Nuclear energy is in a state of crisis in the United States. No new nuclear reactors have been ordered since 1978. The reason for this moratorium is that the safe operation of nuclear energy plants has been in doubt since the Three Mile Island crisis. The result of a study conducted by the Institute for Energy Analysis, this book examines the possibility of designing reactors that are completely safe--so safe that any rational arguments against the safety of nuclear power would no longer be valid.