The theme of globalization and the nature of global change provide the context and environment of the book's analysis. Knelman first deals with the nature of science and the behaviour of scientists, using the decision to drop the atom bomb on Hiroshima in 1945 and its lasting legacy, as a case study. He then turns to an analysis of nuclear power, military and civil, and the fatal link between them. A history of environmental thought precedes a shift to the global stage -- the phenomenon of global change and the challenge of global governance. The last chapter describes a model of social sustainability.