As we enter the last decades of the twentieth century, many persistent
and perplexing problems continue to afflict humankind. Thus it is
appropriate to address, in a new group of books, two of the monumental
issues that haunt people throughout the world. Soils and the Environment
by Professor Gerald W. Olson is the first book in this new publish- ing
program on Environment, Energy, and Society. The purpose of all these
books will be to explore the many interrelated facets of these topics
and to provide guidance for dealing with problems and offering ideas for
their solutions. Environment and energy are twin problems that occupy
what many believe to be opposite sides of a two-headed coin. They are
often viewed as being antithetical and incompatible. The various books
in this program will try to place in perspective the options that are
available to those who design policy and plan and manage societal
matters. Typical of books being developed currently are ones on coal
resources, environmental geoscience, environmental pollution, land-use
planning, nuclear energy, mineral resources, and water resources.
However, because soils are at the very heart of civilization and provide
the building block for human sustenance, it is fitting to inaugurate
this series with Dr. Olson's timely analysis of soils. Unfortu- nately,
these most vital resources seem to have low priority in many farming
enterprises, urbanization projects, deforestation schemes, and mining
and developmental terrain changes.