Royston, Michael G.

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REVIEWS & NOTICESClimates of North America, Edited by R. A. BRYSON &F. K. HARE. World Survey of Climatology, Vol. 11,Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, Amsterdam-London-New York: x + 420 pp., 140 figs, 29.3 x 20.6X 2.8 cm, Dfl. 137, 1974.The vast undertaking of the Dutch publishing house ofElsevier to present the climates of the globe in a seriescalled 'World Survey of Climatology' is slowly movingahead under the supervision of the well-known climato-logist, Professor Helmut Landsberg. Eight out of fifteenvolumes have been published since 1969, and one of themore recent deals with North America—an impressivevolume edited under the leadership of two of the mosteminent meteorologists and climatologists resident in thatpart of the world, namely Professors Reid A. Bryson andF. Kenneth Hare.In contrast to the earlier review of the world's climates,the famous Grundriss der Klimakunde, edited and publishedin the 1930s under the supervision of W. Koppen, this seriesis not intended to give comprehensive and detailed reviewsof the climates of various parts of the world according toany standardized format written or imposed by editors.Instead, the Editor-in-chief has emphasized from thebeginning that he wishes the contributions on climates ofdifferent parts of the world to reflect the particularapproaches of various authors. As a result of this generallylaudable policy of freedom, it has been impossible to avoidthe problem that the different volumes in the series exhibitsome unevenness in quality, content, and manner ofpresentation.This having been said, it is a pleasure to state that Vol. 11,dealing with North America, indeed represents an out-standing example of a good presentation of regionalclimates and how they are generated. A reason for this factmay be that the presentation has been shared between onlya limited number of authors, among whom the Editors haveplayed a very important role.The volume starts with a general chapter by the twoEditors dealing with 'The Climates of North America'. Thischapter describes comprehensively both the geographicalfactors and the mean air-circulation pattern which controlthe large-scale climatic features of the continent. It alsosummarizes the main historical perspective of these features.The authors have chosen to present the geographicalfactors involved, and their influence upon the flux of air-masses at the surface, before discussing the air-circulationpattern aloft. I think that this is a rather normal procedurebut it seems that arguments could also be given for doing itthe other way around! In principle, it is the upper-airgeneral circulation, as dependent upon the latitudinalradiation conditions, which is the basic factor that controlsthe air-mass flux at the surface—which in turn is influencedby the geographical features.Another question may be raised regarding the suitabilityof choosing streamlines for presenting the air circulationboth at the surface and aloft. A more common approach indiscussing upper-air circulation than to use streamlines inthe 300 mb level would have been to use isohypses of the500 mb level and to discuss the circulation for instance byintroducing the concept of low- and high-index circulation.It seems to the reviewer that the mean streamlines may givea fairly good picture of the circulation to the non-specialist,both at the surface and aloft, but that important infor-mation for the specialist is lost by the omission of the iso-hypse picture for the upper-air circulation. One would alsohave liked to have been given some ideas about the recentchanges in the general circulation-pattern over NorthAmerica as a complement to the presentation of thehistorical perspectives of climate.These questions are, however, basically academic. Theimportant fact remains that a very thorough discussion ofthe general circulation has been presented as a firm basis forthe following chapters dealing respectively with the detailsof the climate of (a) Canada and Alaska, (b) the conter-minous United States, and (c) Mexico.It is a pleasure to see all the details which have beenpresented in particular for the United States and Canada.In pleasant contrast to many chapters in other volumes ofthe World Survey of Climatology, the maps and figures areabundant. Yet naturally the figures and tables in manycases reflect the availability of data, both for the UnitedStates and Canada, of special derived climatic elementswhich may not exist for other parts of the world. They alsoreflect the excellent potentialities of the use of tapes andcomputers to derive such elements. Of particular interest isthe presentation of variability of temperature and precipi-tation, as well as the thorough treatment of elements suchas radiation and evapotranspiration conditions for whichit is often difficult to find sufficient information and data.It has not been possible to treat all the same sophisticatedelements for the Mexico area; but it should be stressed thatalso for that part of the continent the discussion of theclimate, based on a comprehensive discussion of thegeneral circulation of the atmosphere and the variabilityof climatic conditions in both space and time, is given dueconsideration as far as information is available. It is a pity,however, that there is no similar discussion about the mainhistorical perspectives of climatic conditions in Mexico tothat presented for the United States and Canada. At leastthere are data available from Mexico to consider the devel-opments over the last 100 years, and comparisons for thatperiod with the developments in Canada and the UnitedStates would have been of particular interest.In summary, there is every reason to believe that thisvolume will for a long time to come provide an excellentreference basis for discussions on North American climaticconditions and their fluctuations. It would also be desirableif this volume could provide an example for modern pre-sentation of regional climates to be used in the preparationof volumes in the World Survey of Climatology series thathave not yet been published, and for new editions of someof those that have.CARL A. C. WALLEN(Geneva, Switzerland)Reviewing the International Order (RIO) Interim Report,[Coordinated by JAN TINBERGEN]. Bouwcentrum Interna-tional Education, Rotterdam, Holland: [32 pp.], 29 x 21X 0.3 cm, paper covers, [no price indicated], 1975.It has been said that the art of teaching is judicioussimplification. The first report of the Club of Rome,published under the title Limits to Growth, was greeted withraptuous applause from the many who felt that 'Mancannot live by bread alone', and by bitter vilification bythose who felt professionally and economically threatenedby it. The study led by Dennis L. Meadows was obviouslyhighly oversimplified and mechanistic—little more than acartoon strip—as if to say that Mickey Mouse learns that hecan't have his cheese and eat it. The great contribution ofthe Meadows et al. report was to show millions of peoplethat multiple problems need multiple solutions and hencewarn them to be suspicious for ever of the simple solutions78Environmental Conservation, Vol. 3, No. 1, Spring 1976—© 1976 The Foundation for Environmental Conservation—Printed in Switzerland.https:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892900017975Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. University of Basel Library, on 11 Jul 2017 at 12:58:54, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available atReviews & Notices 79served up by the 'experts' and the politicians (thereby being'hoist with his own petard' or blown up by his own bomb).The second report of the Club of Rome was containedin a book by M. Mesarovic & E. Pestel, Mankind at theTurning Point, published more recently (E. P. Dutton/Readers Digest Press, New York, vii + 210 pp., 1974).This book purports to avoid the weaknesses of the Meadowset al. study by treating the world as a number of regionseach with its own distinct characteristics, and by introducinga number of human decisions or reactions to the evolvingregional and global situation. The model does not showthe simplified global collapse of the world system as in theMeadows et al. model. Instead, collapse is seen at a regionallevel—by a series of specific causes, each due to the localinability to treat interrelated problems in an integratedfashion.The most interesting aspects of the study are those com-puter analyses related to specific issues such as food, oil,raw materials, etc. Among some of the conclusions thusarrived at are the fact that, in terms of aid programmes,it is not the amount but the timing which is important,and that, for prices of raw materials, a steady rise is themost beneficial—to developing and developed countriesalike.The second report of the Club of Rome thus contrastsstrongly with the first in the specificity of its recommenda-tions for survival.It is almost with a sense of relief, however, that one readsthe third report of the Club of Rome, published in draftform in time for the Seventh Special Session of the U.N.General Assembly. The report, Reviewing the InternationalOrder (RIO), is appropriately the work of the eminenteconomist Jan Tinbergen.Here is a document without computer print-outs, whichclaims to have no answers and indeed asks specifically forhelp in moving towards any answers, but which at the sametime does present a series of tentative results, proposals,and recommendations, that go to the very heart of thepresent global crisis. Specifically, the report covers globalissues of finance, economics, industrialization, food, energyand raw materials, the oceans, multinational corporations,science and technology, and disarmament. The recommen-dations include the transferring of growth from the develop-ed to the developing world, stimulating self-reliance—particularly in food production—and re-deploying techno-logy to serve the needy rather than the affluent. Many of thedetailed recommendations are admirable, many go too farto be easily accepted by the developed countries, whilemany do not go far enough to meet the multiple needs ofthe developing countries; but all are too important to beleft undiscussed. The declared aim of RIO is to open up aglobal dialogue. Let such a dialogue develop, and then thisThird Report will be really worthy of the highest aspirationsof those who founded the Club of Rome seven years ago.MICHAEL G. ROYSTON{Geneva, Switzerland)Garden Pests and Diseases, by M. H. DAHL & T. B.THYGESEN. Blanford Press, London: 223 pp., 313 illustr.,12.5 x 18.8 x 1.2 cm, £2.50, 1974.If you find a Privet Hawk-moth caterpillar in the garden,do you want to know the best way to kill it? And whatabout Eyed Hawk or Poplar Hawk caterpillars feeding onthe willow trees? This book tells how to recognize garden'pests and diseases' and how to detroy them. The messageis clear: if there is something feeding on plants, identifyit from the book and kill by the recommended method.The book, originally published in Danish, is claimed tohave been modified for the English gardener, but 'most ofthe information... will be of value to gardeners throughoutthe world'—a statement which cannot be corroborated, asthe book only deals with north European species.A book such as this could prove extremely dangerous.It gives the erroneous impression that plant-feeders can bedestroyed and at the same time predators and parasitescan be encouraged. It fails to acknowledge that the gardenecosystem is relatively balanced and that, to have 'useful'insects such as ladybirds, there must also be food for themin the form of aphids. Many of the insects listed as pests,including the Privet, Eyed, and Poplar, Hawk-moths, cannotby any stretch of the imagination be regarded as harmfulto gardening. Indeed many of them are attractive and wellworth encouraging, so it is unnecessary or worse to tryand destroy them.The book has been favourably reviewed in several biolo-gical journals, no doubt because it is well-produced andhas attractive illustrations. In some countries books arebanned for political, moral, or social reasons, and I amtempted to suggest that this one should be banned on thegrounds that it is apt to be seriously misleading, so thatin the wrong hands it could be as harmful as DDT. I hopethat environmental conservationists will persuade theirgardener friends not to use books of this kind but insteadto take a more sympathetic and understanding view of thebalance of Nature in the garden.DENIS F. OWEN{Leicester, England)Snowdon Summit, a Report Prepared by LEONARD MA-NASSEH AND PARTNERS at the Request of the CountrysideCommission. John Dower House, Crescent Place, Chelten-ham: 55 pp., numerous maps and plans, 29 x 21 x 1 cm(mimeogr.), 80 pp., 1975.This report was commissioned as the result of a meetingin June 1972, convened and chaired by the Minister ofState for Wales. It is now intended that the meeting bereconvened to consider it, and it is obviously desirable thata final report and recommendations should then bepublished. The consultants have considered the presentsituation and the pressures involved—an open mountainof great popular appeal which draws in people on footand by the mountain railway.During the summer holidays, as many as 2,500 walkersmay be on the mountain paths in one day, with the railwaybringing roughly 1,000 more to the summit. The summitmay receive up to 2,500 people in a day. The vegetationof Snowdon is of major biological and conservationinterest, but is very vulnerable to erosion as a result ofpublic pressure. Some of the land comprises hill grazings,and part is a National Nature Reserve. There is an urgentneed to protect both the scientific and the farming interests,as well as to restore the eroding paths and to cater for theparticular pressures on the summit itself.It is proposed that a single body be set up to control allaspects of management of the area. Prescriptions aregiven for the detailed management under a four-yearsprogramme at a total cost of around £95,000, after whichannual upkeep costs of £9,500 are estimated (in additionto the expenses of the two existing teams of wardens).Various alternative suggestions are made for improvingaccess for the public, within the main conservation require-ments. The favoured suggestion involves improvementof the railway service, and replacement of the existingsummit hotel with a larger building which would be duginto the mountain, thereby reducing both the bulk andhttps:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892900017975Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. University of Basel Library, on 11 Jul 2017 at 12:58:54, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at

Book Review: Reviewing the International Order (RIO) Interim Report: Reviewing the International Order (RIO) Interim Report, [Coordinated by TinbergenJan]. Bouwcentrum International Education, Rotterdam, Holland: [32 pp.], 29 × 21 × 0.3 cm, paper covers, [no price indicated], 1975. --- Either ISSN or Journal title must be supplied

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