''The purpose of this textbook on global ecosystem change and human health is twofold: (1) to raise awareness of changes in human health related to global ecosystem change and (2) to expand the scope of the traditional curriculum in environmental health to include the interactions of major environmental forces and public health on a global scale.''--from the Introduction Ecosystem Change and Public Health focuses on how human health is affected by global ecosystem changes. It is the first textbook devoted to this emerging field, offering a global perspective on research methods and emphasizing empirical investigations of health outcomes in combination with integrated assessment for policy development. The book covers such topics as global climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, water resources management, and ecology and infectious disease. Case studies of cholera, malaria, the effects of water resources, and global climate change and air pollution illustrate the analysis and methodology. The book also includes a resource center describing places to start searches on the World Wide Web, guidelines for finding and evaluating information, suggested study projects, and strategies for encouraging communication among course participants.
Contents: List of Contributors Foreword, by Carlos Morel Preface and Acknowledgments
Introduction: How to Use This Book Purpose The Target Audience Multiple Ways to Use the Chapters Electronic References and Information Literacy The Format of Suggested Study Projects Conclusion
PART I: APPROACHES 1 Information on Issues of Global Change, by Erika G. Feulner 2 Epidemiological Study Designs, by Alfred A. Buck and Joan L. Aron 3 Geographical Information Sysytems, by Joan L. Aron and Gregory E. Glass 4 The Science/Policy Interface, by Jonathan M. Samet 5 Integrated Assessment, Joan L. Aron, J. Hugh Ellis, and Benjamin F. Hobbs
PART II: ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES 6 Human Populations in the Shared Environment, by Dennis C. Pirages, Paul J. Runci, and Robert H. Sprinkle 7 The Changing Chemistry of Earth's Atmosphere, by Steven A. Lloyd 8 An Earth Science Perspective on Global Change, by George W. Fisher 9 Water Resources Management, by Nicolaas J. P. M. de Groot 10 Ecology and Infectious Disease, by Mark L. Wilson
PART III: CASE STUDIES 11 Cholera and Global Ecosystems, by Anwar Huq, R. Bradley Sack, and Rita R. Colwell 12 Malaria and Global Ecosystem Change, by Joan L. Aron, Clive J. Shiff, and Alfred J. Buck 13 Global Climate Change and Air Pollution: Interactions and Their Effects on Human Health, by Jonathan A. Patz and John M. Balbus 14 Too Little, Too Much: How the Quantity of Water Affetcs Human Health, by Les Roberts, Ulisses E.C. Confalonieri, and Joan L. Aron
A Stimulating Inquiry: Textbooks and Information Literacy in the Internet Environment, by Erika G. Feulner B The Resource Center, compiled by Erika G. Feulner List of Abbreviations Glossary, by Joan L. Aron and Mark L. Wilson Index
""Ecosystem Change and Public Health is an impressive text that is sure to become a key reference on the subject.""
