Rational Readings on Environmental Concerns [Hardcover]

Jay H. Lehr (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471284858 | ISBN-13: 978-0471284857 | Publication Date: May 15, 1992 | Edition: 1

"...the 'proof' of man's destruction of the environment is consistently flawed.... the scientific method is being abused and ignored. The errors are not random, however, but are systematically biased toward attempting to prove the guilt of man in the alleged destruction of the planet. Objective science is disappearing and is being replaced by the pursuit of a philosophical agenda."
—Richard F. Sanford in Environmentalism and the Assault on Reason Chapter 1

"The public has numerous misconceptions about the relationship between environmental pollution and human cancer. Underlying these misconceptions is an erroneous belief that nature is benign."
—Bruce N. Ames, Ph.D. and Lois Swirsky Gold, Ph.D in Environmental Pollution and Cancer: Some Misconceptions Chapter 7

"Greenhouse gases have been increasing in the atmosphere, largely as a result of human activities. However, the climate record does not show the temperature increase and other telltale signs of the expected greenhouse effect. The mathematical models used for predicting such effects are evidently not complete enough to encompass all of the relevant physical processes in the atmosphere, thus throwing grave doubt on the drastic warming hypothesized for the next century."
—S. Fred Singer in Global Climate Change: Facts and Fiction Chapter 13

"...There is now no prima-facie case for any expensive policy of safeguarding species without more extensive analysis than has so far been done."
—Julian L. Simon in Disappearing Species, Deforestation and Data Chapter 26

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Nearly 50 of today's best known scientific, medical, and political minds discuss the full gamut of environmental issues in this provocative volume. They offer a wide range of insights on the state of environmental science today, including many alternative interpretations you won't find in any other media. Leading authorities such as Bruce Ames on carcinogenicity, Bernard Cohen on radioactivity, Fred Singer on global warming, Dixie Lee Ray on nuclear energy, and more than 40 other frequently quoted voices on the environment offer critical thinking about concerns related to wetlands, ozone reduction, radon, forest reduction, acid rain, asbestos, the greenhouse effect and every other popular environmental issue. These contributions emphasize that environmental policies must be based on careful inquiry that is free of passion, and fully reliant on peer reviewed scientific investigation. Throughout they separate facts from fallacies and offer cool-headed scientific approaches, rather than emotional outrage, for dealing with real problems. You'll find out what biotechnology, environmental economics, medicine, nutrition, recycling, and other strategies can really do to correct serious worldwide problems. Plus, here's the real story on the environmental impacts of:

• Agricultural chemicals
• Asbestos
• Biomagnification
• DDT
• Dioxin
• Electromagnetic fields
• Groundwater contamination
• Landfills
• Nuclear energy
• Radiation.

Rational Readings on Environmental Concerns serves as a vital aid to decision making in the environmental arena. It is essential reading for environmental engineers, toxicologists, pathologists, cancer researchers, lawyers, legislators, regulators, and other professionals involved in environmental protection and assessment. It is also the best source of accurate and comprehensive data on environmental science for the media and publicly active citizens promoting environmental protection.

From the Back Cover

"...the 'proof' of man's destruction of the environment is consistently flawed.... the scientific method is being abused and ignored. The errors are not random, however, but are systematically biased toward attempting to prove the guilt of man in the alleged destruction of the planet. Objective science is disappearing and is being replaced by the pursuit of a philosophical agenda."
—Richard F. Sanford in Environmentalism and the Assault on Reason Chapter 1

"The public has numerous misconceptions about the relationship between environmental pollution and human cancer. Underlying these misconceptions is an erroneous belief that nature is benign."
—Bruce N. Ames, Ph.D. and Lois Swirsky Gold, Ph.D in Environmental Pollution and Cancer: Some Misconceptions Chapter 7

"Greenhouse gases have been increasing in the atmosphere, largely as a result of human activities. However, the climate record does not show the temperature increase and other telltale signs of the expected greenhouse effect. The mathematical models used for predicting such effects are evidently not complete enough to encompass all of the relevant physical processes in the atmosphere, thus throwing grave doubt on the drastic warming hypothesized for the next century."
—S. Fred Singer in Global Climate Change: Facts and Fiction Chapter 13

"...There is now no prima-facie case for any expensive policy of safeguarding species without more extensive analysis than has so far been done."
—Julian L. Simon in Disappearing Species, Deforestation and Data Chapter 26

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 841 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (May 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471284858
• ISBN-13: 978-0471284857
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,025,702 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jay Lehr, Ph.D. is senior fellow and science director of The Heartland Institute, an independent nonprofit organization based in Chicago. In 2008 he was named chief hydro-geologist for Earth Water Global (EWG) corporation, one of the world's largest providers of water supply projects. He is an internationally renowned speaker, scientist, and author who has testified before Congress on more than three dozen occasions on environmental issues, and consulted with nearly every agency of the federal government and with many foreign countries.

Dr. Lehr is a leading authority on groundwater hydrology. After graduating from Princeton University at the age of 20 with a degree in Geological Engineering, he went on to receive the nation's first Ph.D. in Groundwater Hydrology from the University of Arizona. He later became executive director of the National Association of Groundwater Scientists and Engineers.

Dr. Lehr is the author of more than 1,000 magazine and journal articles, and he has authored or coauthored more than 30 books. He is editor of Rational Readings on Environmental Concerns, McGraw-Hill's Handbook on Environmental Science, Health and Technology (2000), Wiley's Remediation Technologies Handbook (2004), Environmental Instrumentation and Analysis Handbook (2005), and the six-volume Water Encyclopedia (Wiley Interscience, 2005).

Dr. Lehr has spoken before more than 1,000 audience on topics ranging from global warming and biotechnology to business management and health and physical fitness. He invariably receives the highest scores for entertaining and energizing even the largest audiences.

He was featured in Parachute Magazine in March 2010 for setting a new world record for having jumped from an airplane each and every month for 32 years.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Common Sense Review of the Environmental Debate!, December 17, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Jacksonville, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rational Readings on Environment Concerns (Environmental Series) (Hardcover)

A big read! But easy and extremely informative and full of references. The various authors of the essays contained within are not social scientists, but scientists within the field of which they write. They debunk and explain in laymans terms for the most part, the arguments and evidence against the "chicken little" attitudes of the modern environmentalists and the political and media agenda. It is not a book that you pick up and read in a couple of days in your spare time. It is a superior reference book for the layman to use to question and make sense of the environmental activism of our period. If you buy this book you will want to throw rocks at your television or radio every time you hear an environmental PSA or listen to the evening news or read a magazine or your daily newspaper, warning you about such and such peril and how we must turn over our freedoms and money to the environmentalists and government. You will be more able to tell what is fraud and what is not.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rational Readings, July 12, 2000

By 

Tom Kingery - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rational Readings on Environmental Concerns (Hardcover)

Rational Readings is a massive compilation of essays written by the worlds top scientists on today's most discussed topics. Void of doom and gloom predictions that we hear so much about through the scare tactics of the media and political groups, Rational Readings gives us the truth about today's environment concerns. In response to the review from Wisconsin, I find it humorous that this reader could possibly think that all of these world renowned scientists have come together to write a reference book to support their common political agenda. Perhaps the spreading of truth should be a more common political movement. My compliments and many thanks to the contributing scientists and to the editor, Dr. Jay Lehr for putting together this great reference book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rational Readings on Environmental Concerns, November 3, 2007

By 

Steven Kreisman (Charlotte, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rational Readings on Environmental Concerns (Hardcover)

This is an outstanding collection of essays on environmental issues. The authors give an in-depth but readable discussion of the science of these environmental issues. Some essays also explain the anti-capitalist, anti-reason, anti-man philosophy of environmentalism.