Materials and the Environment: Eco-Informed Material Choice
Further reading
Delmonte, J. (1985), "Origins of materials and processes", Technomic Publishing Co. ISBN 87762-420-8. (A compendium of information about materials in engineering, documenting its history.)
Kent, R. www. tangram. co. uk. TL-Polymer_Plastics_Timeline. html/. (A Website devoted to the long and full history of plastics.)
Malthus, T. R. (1798), "An essay on the principle of population", Printed for
Johnson, St. Paul's Church-yard, London. www. ac. wwu. edu/~stephan/malthus/ malthus. (The originator of the proposition that population growth must ultimately be limited by resource availability.)
Meadows, D. H., Meadows, D. L., Randers, J. and Behrens, W. W (1972), "The limits to growth", Universe Books. (The “Club of Rome" report that triggered the first of a sequence of debates in the 20th century on the ultimate limits imposed by resource depletion.)
Meadows, D. H., Meadows, D. L. and Randers, J. (1992), "Beyond the limits",
Earthscan. ISSN 0896-0615. (The authors of The Limits to Growth use updated data and information to restate the case that continued population growth and consumption might outstrip the Earth’s natural capacities.)
Nielsen, R. (2005), "The little green handbook", Scribe Publications Pty Ltd., Carlton North. ISBN 1-920769-30-7. (A cold-blooded presentation and analysis of hard facts about population, land and water resources, energy, and social trends.)
Ricardo, D. (1817), "On the principles of political economy and taxation", John Murray. www. econlib. org/library/Ricardo/ricP. html. (Ricardo, like Malthus, foresaw the problems caused by exponential growth.)
Schmidt-Bleek, F. (1997), "How much environment does the human being need? Factor 10: the measure for an ecological economy", Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag. ISBN 3-936279-00-4. (Both Schmidt-Bleek and von Weizsacker, referenced below, argue that sustainable development will require a drastic reduction in material consumption.)
Singer, C., Holmyard, E. J., Hall, A. R., Williams, T. I. and Hollister-Short, G. (Eds) (1954-2001), "A history of technology," 21 volumes, Oxford University Press. ISSN 0307-5451. (A compilation of essays on aspects of technology, including materials.)
Tylecoate, R. F. (1992), "A history of metallurgy", 2nd ed., The Institute of Materials. ISBN 0-904357-066. (A total-immersion course in the history of the extraction and use of metals from 6000 BC to 1976, told by an author with forensic talent and love of detail.)
von Weizsacker, E., Lovins, A. B. and Lovins, L. H. (1997), "Factor four: doubling wealth, halving resource use", Earthscan Publications. ISBN 1-85383-406-8; ISBN-13: 978-1-85383406-6. (Both von Weizsacker and Schmidt-Bleek, referenced above, argue that sustainable development will require a drastic reduction in materials consumption.)
WCED (1987), "Report of the World Commission on the Environment and
Development", Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. (This document, known as the Bruntland report, sought to introduce a solid scientific underpinning to the debate on sustainability, and in doing so, highlighted the moral context of over-exploitation of resources.)
