Although the earth has been around for millions of years, humans have only been seriously interested in protecting and preserving the environment for less than 200 years and the terms conservationism and environmentalism are little more than 100 years old. The industrial revolution brought with it many benefits such as the production of coal, steel and cement, and mass produced chemicals and fertilizers; it also brought pollution, and shortly thereafter, a serious concern for the environment. This book presents the most up-to-date government information on various environmental topics.Critical Government Documents on the Environment presents official governmental positions on many of the leading environmental issues facing us today. All the material in this book is from published sources, including:Environmental Protection Agency Department of the Interior Department of Energy Department of Agriculture Department of Health and Human Services The White House National Aeronautics and Space Administration National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration National Weather Service US Global Change Research Program US Geological Survey This book does not offer any new science but attempts to present important government information on various issues facing our environment. Areas covered include global warming and greenhouse gases, the Keystone Pipeline and mining, water, air and marine pollution, mining and renewable energy. It includes a timeline of important environmental events over the last 200 years and has an extensive glossary of environmental terms.About the Series:The Critical Documents Series looks at critical issues of our times. It provides non-partisan information with no spin about critical players, events, and information from and about Washington from as many sources as possiblefrom scientific journals and government reports to political manifestos and lobby group publications. It collects and distills the most important government documents on the issues covered so that you can get the information you need quickly and easily.