RECENT HISTORY RECORDS many a military
\
struggle between nations for dominance of
parts or the whole of an ocean and yet,
curiously enough, these same oceans
represent one of man’s greatest hopes for
peace
and prosperity. They are the lastgreat
natural resource available on the Earth.
Within the oceans are found vital supplies of
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protein-rich food, an abundance of minerals,
a potential source of fresh water and a place
'
for recreation. The shallow continental
shelves alone provide a new territory equal in
area to the surface ofthe Moon but with the
added advantage of being much more accessible. The pace of exploitation of these
underwaterterritories has increased
dramatically over the past decade spurred on
by advances in technology and a growing
awareness through oceanographic research of
what ‘inner space’ holds in store for man.
This book attempts to capture the mood of
'
this expansion in marine activity and presents
in an understandable way a ‘balance sheet’ of
the ocean resource. The author has resisted
the temptation to talk in terms of distant
futuristic (and often doubtful) developments,
preferring instead to dwell on what mankind
can realistically expect to gain from the
oceans._ The Last Resource is written specially
for the general public: the people who will
benet nally from exploitation of the oceans.
At the same time, Tony Loftas has presented
some ofthe outstanding issues linked with '
the oceans, including those surrounding their
military uses. ln particular he looks at the
problem ofensuring that the oceans will
benet mankind generally and not just those
people fortunate enough to live in the
technologically advanced countries ofthe
world.
Illustrated and with diagrams
Jacket design by
BERNARD HIGTON