Regional, Geology, Earth Sciences 

The principal aim of this book is to present the reader with a broad overview of environmental geology. It looks at both how the earth developed into its present condition and where matters seem to be moving for the future. Starting with a brief outline of earth's development to the present, it looks at one reason why environmental problems are such a problem - the rapidly growing human population. This is followed by a discussion of the basic materials of geology - rocks and minerals - before treating the individual processes in detail. Five chapters deal with water resources, soil, minerals, and energy, the rates at which they are being consumed, probable amounts remaining, and projections of future prospects. The interrelated problems of air and water pollution and the strategies available for the disposal of various kinds of waste are examined as are some of the laws intended to solve them. The land-use planning and engineering geology chapter examines constraints on construction schemes and on trying to determine the optimum use(s) for particular parcels of land. - from Amzon