The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
A data-gathering project administered by the United Nations Environment Programme. The Global Environment Monitoring System (GEMS) is one aspect of the modern understanding that environmental problems ranging from the greenhouse effect and ozone layer depletion to the preservation of biodiversity are international in scope. The system was inaugurated in 1975, and it monitors weather and climate changes around the world, as well as variations in soils, the health of plant and animal species, and the environmental impact of human activities.
GEMS was not intended to replace any existing systems; it was designed to coordinate the collection of data on the environment, encouraging other systems to supply information it believed was being omitted. In addition to coordinating the gathering of this information, the system also publishes it in an uniform and accessible fashion, where it can be used and evaluated by environmentalists and policy makers.
GEMS operates 25 information networks in over 142 countries. These networks monitor air pollution, including the release of greenhouse gases and changes in the ozone layer, and air quality in various urban center; they also gather information on water quality and food contamination in cooperation with the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.