The driving forces of energy degradation, according to the UN Environmental Program, are "the poverty of the majority and excessive consumption by the minority." These 22 contributed chapters blend analyses of renewable energy technologies (e.g., biomass, bioreactors, electrokinetic soil processing); cases studies of successes and failures from developing and developed countries; and considerations of climate, human health, and socioeconomic impacts. Grover, a natural resources consultant in Hamilton, Ontario, introduces the issues that fellow Canadian Marshall McLuhan alluded to in his observation that "The new clothing of the planet is garbage." Other introductory chapters present waste-to-energy and energy-from-waste perspectives. Replete with data tables and figures. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.