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Perc policy series. Priming the invisible pump
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The common assumption that “natural” is safe and “synthetic” is toxic is contrary to current scientific knowledge. Synthetic chemicals are present in foods at much lower levels than are many naturally occurring carcinogens and toxins. Also, in many casesthe synthetic chemicals are less potent carcinogens than the ones that are a natural part of our food. The dose makes the poison. There is a need for a new perspectiveon carcinogens -one that emphasizesboth a substance’scarcinogenic potency and the level of human exposure to it rather than emphasizing merely whether it is natural or synthetic. There is a need to distinguish between real and hypothetical hazards and between functional and unnecessarysubstanceswhen setting regulatory priorities. More research is needed on natural food components. We need to strike a more even balance between our evaluationsof natural and synthetic substancesin the food supply. This booklet is probably the best summary of the topic currently available. Its primary advantage is that it is written for the general public and the nonspecialist. It is highly recommended for libraries in schools,cities, and other municipalities. It is also recommendedfor journalists who need accurate scientific information.
Environmental Management and Governance: Intergovernmental Approaches to Hazards and Sustainability. Peter J. May, Raymond J. Burby, Neil J. Ericksen, John W. Handmer, Jennifer E. Dixon, Sarah Michaels, and D. Ingle Smith, eds. Routledge, New York, NY, 1996. 254 pp. (ISBN O-415-14445-0, hardcover; ISBN O-415- 14446-9 softcover); $74.95 hardcover; $24.95 softcover. This book addressesissues of environmental management that arise when national or state governments try to persuade local governments to be good stewards of the environment. Examining environmental management programs in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States,the authors explore the merits of “cooperative” and “coercive” intergovernmental regimes and how they influence choices made by local governmentsabout land use and development. This book offers a new understanding of the management of natural hazards and of the appropriate policy mix for advancing environmental sustainability.
Books
Latin American Environmental Policy in International Perspective.Gordon J. MacDonald, Daniel L. Nielson, and Marc A. Stern,eds. Westview Press,Boulder, CO, 1997.292 pp. (ISBN o-8133-2423-8 hardcover; ISBN O-8133-2424-6softcover); $59.00 hardcover; $16.95 softcover. In this volume, scholars and policy makers from throughout the hemisphereconsider the domestic and international factors that shape the process of environmental policy making in Latin America. Particular attention is given to domestic political institutions, growing domestic and transnational environmental activism, the role of the international development community, and the effects of sweeping neoliberal economic reforms on environmental policy. The volume also offers a set of comparative essayson environmental policy and politics in other regions of the world that demonstratesthe common challenges confronting policy makers in many rapidly industrializing nations. Fighting for Survival: Environmental Decline, Social Conflict, and the New Age of Insecurity. Michael Renner. W.W. Norton & Company, New York, NY, 1996. 239 pp. (ISBN O-393-31568-l); $11 .OOsoftcover. Pert Policy Series.Priming the Invisible Pump. Terry L. Anderson and Pamela S. Snyder. PERC, Bozeman, MT, 1997.26 pp. $4.00 softcover. Energy and Environmental Policy in a Period of Transition. Proceedings of the Twenty-third Annual Illinois Energy Conference.Energy ResourcesCenter, Chicago, IL, 1995.229 pp. Softcover. Pert Policy Series. Community-run Fisheries: Avoiding the ‘Tragedy of the Commons‘. Donald R. Leal. PERC, Bozeman, MT, 1996.27 pp. Softcover. Businessand the Environment. Richard Welford and Richard Starkey, eds. Taylor 8z Francis, Bristol, PA, 1996.284 pp. (ISBN l-56032-610-7 softcover; ISBN l-56032-609-3 hardcover); $24.95 softcover.
The common assumption that “natural” is safe and “synthetic” is toxic is contrary to current scientific knowledge. Synthetic chemicals are present in foods at much lower levels than are many naturally occurring carcinogens and toxins. Also, in many casesthe synthetic chemicals are less potent carcinogens than the ones that are a natural part of our food. The dose makes the poison. There is a need for a new perspectiveon carcinogens -one that emphasizesboth a substance’scarcinogenic potency and the level of human exposure to it rather than emphasizing merely whether it is natural or synthetic. There is a need to distinguish between real and hypothetical hazards and between functional and unnecessarysubstanceswhen setting regulatory priorities. More research is needed on natural food components. We need to strike a more even balance between our evaluationsof natural and synthetic substancesin the food supply. This booklet is probably the best summary of the topic currently available. Its primary advantage is that it is written for the general public and the nonspecialist. It is highly recommended for libraries in schools,cities, and other municipalities. It is also recommendedfor journalists who need accurate scientific information.
Environmental Management and Governance: Intergovernmental Approaches to Hazards and Sustainability. Peter J. May, Raymond J. Burby, Neil J. Ericksen, John W. Handmer, Jennifer E. Dixon, Sarah Michaels, and D. Ingle Smith, eds. Routledge, New York, NY, 1996. 254 pp. (ISBN O-415-14445-0, hardcover; ISBN O-415- 14446-9 softcover); $74.95 hardcover; $24.95 softcover. This book addressesissues of environmental management that arise when national or state governments try to persuade local governments to be good stewards of the environment. Examining environmental management programs in Australia, New Zealand, and the United States,the authors explore the merits of “cooperative” and “coercive” intergovernmental regimes and how they influence choices made by local governmentsabout land use and development. This book offers a new understanding of the management of natural hazards and of the appropriate policy mix for advancing environmental sustainability.
Books
Latin American Environmental Policy in International Perspective.Gordon J. MacDonald, Daniel L. Nielson, and Marc A. Stern,eds. Westview Press,Boulder, CO, 1997.292 pp. (ISBN o-8133-2423-8 hardcover; ISBN O-8133-2424-6softcover); $59.00 hardcover; $16.95 softcover. In this volume, scholars and policy makers from throughout the hemisphereconsider the domestic and international factors that shape the process of environmental policy making in Latin America. Particular attention is given to domestic political institutions, growing domestic and transnational environmental activism, the role of the international development community, and the effects of sweeping neoliberal economic reforms on environmental policy. The volume also offers a set of comparative essayson environmental policy and politics in other regions of the world that demonstratesthe common challenges confronting policy makers in many rapidly industrializing nations. Fighting for Survival: Environmental Decline, Social Conflict, and the New Age of Insecurity. Michael Renner. W.W. Norton & Company, New York, NY, 1996. 239 pp. (ISBN O-393-31568-l); $11 .OOsoftcover. Pert Policy Series.Priming the Invisible Pump. Terry L. Anderson and Pamela S. Snyder. PERC, Bozeman, MT, 1997.26 pp. $4.00 softcover. Energy and Environmental Policy in a Period of Transition. Proceedings of the Twenty-third Annual Illinois Energy Conference.Energy ResourcesCenter, Chicago, IL, 1995.229 pp. Softcover. Pert Policy Series. Community-run Fisheries: Avoiding the ‘Tragedy of the Commons‘. Donald R. Leal. PERC, Bozeman, MT, 1996.27 pp. Softcover. Businessand the Environment. Richard Welford and Richard Starkey, eds. Taylor 8z Francis, Bristol, PA, 1996.284 pp. (ISBN l-56032-610-7 softcover; ISBN l-56032-609-3 hardcover); $24.95 softcover.