Ask the Experts

The economy often seems like a complex subject. We know that much of the world is currently struggling with recession and its consequences. News headlines spotlight job gains and losses, rising debt, and every economic detail that may give us a clue about a full financial recovery. Meanwhile, frustrated people protest in streets and rail against institutions they blame for the current economic climate. Easy-to-understand terms explain what led to the economic crisis and what's being done to pull the United States and other countries out. While there are no easy answers, readers will be able to develop informed opinions about the issues.

The population of Earth has exploded over the last 100 years. The planet now supports about 7 billion people, and this overwhelming number has many repercussions. Alternative energy resources and the costs of healthcare have become urgent matters. Questions about how to feed, clothe, and house a growing population demand answers. Poverty and overpopulation are no longer just problems for third-world countries but issues that need to be addressed in our own communities. Readers are presented with the many topics surrounding world population and the questions that experts are asking. Also highlighted are suggested solutions, some as radical as setting up colonies on other planets. Book review: Planet Under Pressure"This book provides an excellent amalgam of both the social and scientific implications of uncontrolled population growth. I recommend it for both areas. … students are presented with well–researched information, quotes from experts both in natural and social sciences, and issues for debate and argumentation. … Hopefully, using the information in this book and the recommended practices of questioning and debate (argumentation, in the language of NGSS) will open students' eyes to this real, world–wide problem that many scientists consider to be a crisis." - Linda Schoen-Giddings, NSTA