This volume begins with Ruth A. Wienclaw’s helpful outline of the leading environmental issues that society confronts today, such as greenhouse effects, global warming, and thermal pollution. Michael P. Auerbach then discusses how “environmental deficit” underlies the dominant dynamic in the relationship between humans and nature: “Put simply…the former pursues short-term benefits from the latter but in fact creating long-term negative consequences.” The industries that develop new technologies, Auerbach cautions, will need to directly address their impact upon environmental degradation and their ideas for managing sustainable natural resources. Wienclaw seconds this contention in her essay, noting that “if indiscriminately applied, technology…can harm the environment and require society to further change.” As these essays reveal, the effects of industrial production upon the natural world have generated great debate about the best methods for protecting the environment.