"Twenty years ago many were realizing that the issues surrounding energy and the environment would present the defining challenges for a generation. The first edition of this book emphasised the need to reconcile the wants and pace of a modern generation with the hard reality that evolutionary history had already pre-determined a pace of her own. Tiezzi explained the relevance of cleaner energy and the critical need to search for sociological solutions. Presenting scenarios of 'hard' and 'soft' sustainability for the future, he posed the critical question: Will the scientific and cultural instruments we have be enough to combat the pressures of unsustainable human behaviour?" "Now fully revised and still highly relevant, this book will be of interest to technical and graduate audiences as well as general readers who wish to explore these issues further."--BOOK JACKET. "Twenty years ago many were realizing that the issues surrounding energy and the environment would present the defining challenges for a generation. The first edition of this book emphasised the need to reconcile the wants and pace of a modern generation with the hard reality that evolutionary history had already pre-determined a pace of her own. Tiezzi explained the relevance of cleaner energy and the critical need to search for sociological solutions. Presenting scenarios of 'hard' and 'soft' sustainability for the future, he posed the critical question: Will the scientific and cultural instruments we have be enought to combat the pressures of unsustainable human behaviour?" "Now fully revised and still highly relevant, this book will be of interest to technical and graduate audiences as well as general readers who wish to explore these issues further."--Jacket.