This book contains the proceedings of the 31st International Seminar on Nuclear War and Planetary Emergencies convened in Erice, Italy, on May 7-12, 2004. World leaders in their fields of Science, directors of National Laboratories, advisors to Presidents, Defence Secretaries and high-level diplomats converged at the event. Together, they offer different schools of thought to the widely-debated subject of Cultural Emergency and Terrorism. The subjects treated in this volume include societal and global approach to terrorism; responses to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats, as well as challenges to emergency/risk management, media information and communication.The proceedings have been selected for coverage in:• Index to Scientific & Technical Proceedings® (ISTP® / ISI Proceedings)• Index to Scientific & Technical Proceedings (ISTP CDROM version / ISI Proceedings)• Index to Social Sciences & Humanities Proceedings® (ISSHP® / ISI Proceedings)• Index to Social Sciences & Humanities Proceedings (ISSHP CDROM version / ISI Proceedings)• CC Proceedings — Engineering & Physical Sciences

Proceedings of the 49th Session of the International Seminars on Nuclear War and Planetary Emergencies held in Erice, Sicily. This Seminar has again gathered, in 2016, over one hundred scientists from 43 countries in an interdisciplinary effort that has been going on for the last 33 years, to examine and analyze planetary problems which had been followed up, all year long, by the World Federation of Scientists' Permanent Monitoring Panels.

Proceedings of a seminar focusing on planetary emergencies, followed in a multidisplinary approach since 1980 by permanent monitoring panels.

The Erice International Seminars are multidisciplinary seminars attended by over 100 eminent participants from all fields of science. Each year, a few scientific issues are selected and experts are invited to present contrasting views during the plenary multidisciplinary sessions of the seminar, followed by general debates. These sessions offer a unique opportunity for specialists to enlarge their fields of vision by being confronted with ideas and suggestions from high-level scientists in complementary domains of science. Associated workshops allow the experts to further refine and process the ideas evoked during the seminar. This year's topics are all currently of high relevance. For example, on energy issues, we have focused on the future of global nuclear power. On global monitoring of the planet, we have focused on the proliferation of nuclear weapons and the Nuclear-Proliferation Treaty. On climatology, we have investigated the role of aerosols on global warming and their satellite detection. On pollution, the role of plastic contaminants in water was revealed through a series of disquieting reports.

Proceedings of the 48th Session of the International Seminars on Nuclear War and Planetary Emergencies held in Erice, Sicily. This Seminar has again gathered, in 2015, over one hundred scientists from 43 countries in an interdisciplinary effort that has been going on for the last 32 years, to examine and analyze planetary problems which had been followed up, all year long, by the World Federation of Scientists' Permanent Monitoring Panels.