Physics of Societal Issues: Calculations on National Security, Environment, and Energy (Undergraduate Texts in Contemporary Physics)

Why this book on the Physics of Societal Issues? The subdivisions of physics - nuclear physics, particle physics, condensed-matter physics, biophysics - have their textbooks, while the subdivision of physics and society lacks an equation-oriented text on the physics of arms, energy and the environment. Physics of Societal Issues is intended for undergraduate and doctoral students who may work on applied topics, or who simply want to know why things are the way they are. Decisions guiding policies on nuclear arms, energy and the environment often seem mysterious and contradictory. What is the science behind the deployment of MIRVed ICBMs, the quest for space-based beam weapons, the fear of powerline EM fields, the wholesale acceptance of SUVs, the issues of climactic change, and the failure of the pre-embargo market to produce buildings and appliances that now save over 50 power plants? Physics of Societal Issues is three "mini-texts" in one:

National Security (5 chapters): Weapons, offense, defense, verification, nuclear proliferation

Environment (4 chapters): Air/water, nuclear, climate change, EM fields/epidemiology

Energy (7 chapters): Current energy situation, buildings, solar buildings, renewables, enhanced end-use, transport, economics