Originally published in 1990, this volume addresses issues surrounding global ecological changes and sustainability of present patterns of urbanisation and industrialisation. The book discusses these problems and other issues such as how rural environments in many developed and developing countries have been transformed by a technological revolution. Looking at a diverse range of topics from climate change to slurry pollution and the destruction of genetic resources to the risks of biotechnology, this volume addresses these issues which concern the dynamics and social relations of technological change in rural areas.