As we enter the nineties, there is worldwide awareness that the future of all mankind is inexorably linked by the world we share, and its response to man's activities. Lasers and the optical sciences have brought powerful tools to measure and understand our environment. LIDAR (laser radar) and laser fluorescence allow us to measure atmospheric and oceanic pollutants, as well as industrial emissions, from many kilometers distance. And a variety of sensitive laser-based spectroscopic techniques permit the accurate analysis of heavy metals and other trace elements in the environment. In September 1989, an international group of scientists me.t in Erice, Sicily, for the 14th Course of the International School of Quant~ Electronics. This Course was devoted to "Optoelectronics for Envi~onmental Science", and was ably directed by Prof. V. S. Letokhov of the USSR Institute of Spectroscopy and Prof. A. M. Scheggi of the C.N.R. Electro magnetic Waves Institute, Florence, Italy. This book gives the proceedings of that conference, which covered not only basic tutorial papers but also reports on the latest research results. The first half of this volume describes the techniques used for direct "In-Situ Measurements" of the environment. In "Techniques and Programs", four chapters and one extended abstract give tutorial discussions of the most important remote sensing techniques: LIDAR, laser fluorescence, and optical fiber sensors, plus a description of the Italian program in this area.
