Explores how these conflicting scenarios could be reconciled; how can we shape a more sustainable energy system from the existing one; and possible technological progress and innovations to enable a brighter future.

Addresses the reality that there exists no consensus on the extent to which innovations can really contribute to reconciling ever-growing energy consumption, availability of resources and the environment, and the structural demands on any energy system.

Offers and explains a four-point strategy:

Energy should according to its importance regain a top priority in the political arena; higly targeted subsidies should be given for a limited amount of time to speed up the market introduction of energy-efficient and regenerative techniques in analogy to the Dutch model; Negotiated agreements and unilateral self-commitments can subsequently ensure further market diffusion of sustainable energy innovations.; the basic research in energy should not be diminished but intensified instead

Explores how these conflicting scenarios could be reconciled; how can we shape a more sustainable energy system from the existing one; and possible technological progress and innovations to enable a brighter future. Addresses the reality that there exists no consensus on the extent to which innovations can really contribute to reconciling ever-growing energy consumption, availability of resources and the environment, and the structural demands on any energy system. Offers and explains a four-point strategy: Energy should according to its importance regain a top priority in the political arena; higly targeted subsidies should be given for a limited amount of time to speed up the market introduction of energy-efficient and regenerative techniques in analogy to the 'Dutch model'; Negotiated agreements and unilateral self-commitments can subsequently ensure further market diffusion of sustainable energy innovations.; the basic research in energy should not be diminished but intensified instead

Dieses neuartige Lehrbuch ist fur das Grundstudium eines naturwissenschaftlichen Faches besonders geeignet. Im Vordergrund steht die Vermittlung eines echten Systemverstandnisses, bzw. die Beantwortung der Frage, welche Annahmen und Vereinfachungen getroffen werden mussen, um ein reales naturliches System (z.B. Wald, See, Ozean, Klimasystem) modellieren zu konnen. An ausgewahlten Beispielen wird dem Leser das mathematische Handwerkszeug vermittelt, um selbststandig ein Modell zu entwickeln oder ein bestehendes Modell zu verstehen und zu hinterfragen. Dabei werden auch die Grenzen der Modellierung aufgezeigt. Auf die trockene Herleitung von mathematischen Formeln im Text wurde meist verzichtet. Eine Formelsammlung im Anhang dient dafur als Erganzung. Beispiele und Aufgaben aus verschiedenen Gebieten der Naturwissenschaften zeigen die Anwendung der Theorie und erlauben eine selbstandige Einarbeitung. Abbildungen und Cartoons runden das Ganze zu einem unterhaltsamen, aber gehaltvollen Lehrbuch ab."

Focusing on the Alpine region to look at climate change's regional manifestations. Although climate change is a global problem, there is a growing recognition of the need to look at its regional manifestations and management. This book takes such a regional approach to the Alpine region. The result of the ongoing Swiss research program Climate and Environment in the Alpine Region (CLEAR), it incorporates the work of an independent network of approximately fifty researchers from a variety of disciplines. The Alpine region is the perfect focus for such a study because of the wealth of historical and contemporary data. The contributors avoid impractical "absolute" solutions to the problem of climate change. They explicitly recognize that climate policy involves not just environmental policy but also economic, agricultural, social, and urban policy. The science required for climate policy need not provide a single definitive answer to the problem of climate change. Rather, it can contribute a variety of insights, explanations, scenarios, and open questions to the public debate. The authors aim at a science for policy that helps to develop realistic options in an ongoing debate involving scientists as well as policymakers and ordinary citizens.Topics covered include past and current climate dynamics, scenarios for future climate development, the sensitivity of plant and soil ecosystems to climate change, scenarios for future ecosytem development, and creative policy responses to mobilize regional action for industrial innovation. The topics are addressed in the spirit of Integrated Assessment (IA), a method that combines scientific and social expertise to explore political and technical strategies for dealing with environmental problems such as climate change.