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Автор: Richard M. Stapleton
Издательство: Gale
Год издания: 2004
isbn: 0-02-865702-0
Количество страниц: 435
Язык: english
Формат: PDF
Размер: 13 Мб
Каталожный номер: 10254
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Grade 8 Up–These 250 signed entries offer solid scientific and historical background, thorough descriptions, and, often, specific recent examples. Beyond the expected subject areas, coverage includes less obvious topics, such as "Information, Access to," that affect pollution in significant ways. Article length varies from one or two paragraphs on a specific topic such as the air pollution disaster at Donora, PA, to fairly comprehensive overviews. For example, a nine-page entry on "Lifestyle" examines the connection between pollution and a consumer lifestyle and "eco-apartheid," the costs of material growth paid by the urban poor. The clear writing is formal in tone; the vocabulary is fairly sophisticated. Statistical information is easy to access from within the narrative and from charts and tables. Valuable historical perspective combines with current information on timely articles such as "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge," which mentions the defeated 2002 legislation regarding oil exploration. Though there is an erroneous reference to "the first Bush administration" with regard to the 2001 opposition of the Kyoto Protocol, facts and dates are accurate. Bibliographies for each article include print and/or Internet sources. Cross-references encourage readers to investigate the relationships among topics. A useful "Topical Outline" groups articles into more than 30 broad categories. Wide margins; orange headings; and scattered color photos, charts, and diagrams make for an attractive layout. Reference works on general environmental areas are available, but many collections will benefit from this focused set that covers a timely topic in a thorough and accessible manner.
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