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Books > Earth & environment > The environment > Environmentalist thought & ideology
Deleuze's fondness for geography has long been recognised as central to his thought. This is the first book to introduce researchers to the breadth of his engagements with space, place and movement. Focusing on pressing global issues such as urbanization, war, migration, and climate change, Arun Saldanha presents a detailed Deleuzian rejoinder to a number of theoretical and political questions about globalization in a variety of disciplines. This systematic overview of moments in Deleuze's corpus where space is implicitly or explicitly theorized shows why he can be called the twentieth century's most interesting thinker of space. Anyone with an interest in refining such concepts as territory, assemblage, body, event and Anthropocene will learn much from the "geophilosophy" which Deleuze and Guattari proposed for our critical times.
Dead zones are on the rise... Human activity has caused an increase in uninhabitable, oxygen-poor zones-also known as "dead zones"-in our waters. Oxygen is the third most abundant element in the universe, and it is a necessity for nearly all life on Earth. Yet many rivers, estuaries, coastal waters, and parts of the open ocean lack enough of it. In this book, David L. Kirchman explains the impacts of dead zones and provides an in-depth history of oxygen loss in water. He details the role the agricultural industry plays in water pollution, showcasing how fertilizers contaminate water supplies and kickstart harmful algal blooms in local lakes, reservoirs, and coastal oceans. Algae decomposition requires so much oxygen that levels drop low enough to kill fish, destroy bottom-dwelling biota, reduce biological diversity, and rearrange food webs. We can't undo the damage completely, but we can work together to reduce the size and intensity of dead zones in places like the Gulf of Mexico, Chesapeake Bay, and the Baltic Sea. Not only does Kirchman clearly outline what dead zones mean for humanity, he also supplies ways we can reduce their deadly impact on human and aquatic life. Nutrient pollution in some regions has already begun to decline because of wastewater treatment, buffer zones, cover crops, and precision agriculture. More needs to be done, though, to reduce the harmful impact of existing dead zones and to stop the thousands of new ones from cropping up in our waters. Kirchman provides insight into the ways changing our diet can reduce nutrient pollution while also lowering greenhouse gasses emitted by the agricultural industry. Individuals can do something positive for their health and the world around them. The resulting book allows readers interested in the environment-whether students, policymakers, ecosystem managers, or science buffs-to dive into these deadly zones and discover how they can help mitigate the harmful effects of oxygen-poor waters today.
In this book, we reclaim the term "resistance" by exploring how animals can "resist" their commodification through blocking and allowing human intervention in their lives. In the cases explored in this volume, animals lead humans to rethink their relationship to animals by either blocking and/or allowing human commodification. In some cases, this results in greater control exercised on the animals, while in others, animals' resistance also poses a series of complex moral questions to human commodifiers, sometimes to the point of transforming humans into active members of resistance movements on behalf of animals.
This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. From New Orleans to New York, from London to Paris to Venice, many of the world's great cities were built on wetlands and swamps. Cities and Wetlands is the first book to explore the literary and cultural histories of these cities and their relationships to their environments and buried histories. Developing a ground-breaking new mode of psychoanalytic ecology and surveying a wide range of major cities in North America and Europe, ecocritic and activist Rod Giblett shows how the wetland origins of these cities haunt their later literature and culture and might prompt us to reconsider the relationship between human culture and the environment. Cities covered include: Berlin, Boston, Chicago, Hamburg, London, New Orleans, New York, Paris, St. Petersburg, Toronto, Venice and Washington.
Hemingway and Ecocriticism focuses on the famous author's short stories from ecocritical perspectives, which are concerned with the relationship between humans and the landscape and plead for a better understanding of nature. Of Hemingway's first 49 short stories, 22 exhibit ecological concerns in some form or other. They reveal great damage caused to nature and human beings alike. G. Srilatha holds that while Hemingway was an unabashed hunter, fisher, and sportsman, he was also a conservationist and conveyed this attitude in most of his stories. Many show that human and biological environments are mutually interdependent. Despite ecological devastation, Hemingway's protagonists turn to nature to escape from the trauma of war and to seek solace.
In this important and original interdisciplinary work, well-known environmental philosopher Eric Katz explores technology's role in dominating both nature and humanity. He argues that technology dominates, and hence destroys, the natural world; it dominates, and hence destroys, critical aspects of human life and society. Technology causes an estrangement from nature, and thus a loss of meaning in human life. As a result, humans lose the power to make moral and social choices; they lose the power to control their lives. Katz's argument innovatively connects two distinct areas of thought: the fundamental goal of the Holocaust, including Nazi environmental policy, to heal the degenerate elements of society; and the plan to heal degraded natural systems that informs the contemporary environmental policy of 'ecological restoration'. In both arenas of 'healing,' Katz argues that technological forces drive action, while domination emerges as the prevailing ideology. Katz's work is a plea for the development of a technology that does not dominate and destroy but instead promotes autonomy and freedom.Anne Frank, a victim of Nazi ideology and action, saw the titular tree behind her secret annex as a symbol of freedom and moral goodness. In Katz's argument, the tree represents a free and autonomous nature, resistant to human control and domination. Anne Frank's Tree is rooted in an empirical approach to philosophy, seating complex ethical ideas in an accessible and powerful narrative of historical fact and deeply personal lived experience.
Exploring the environmental effects of animal agriculture, fishing, and hunting, Eating Earth exposes critical common ground between earth and animal advocacy. The first chapter (animal agriculture) examines greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, manure and dead zones, freshwater depletion, deforestation, predator control, land and useincluding the ranching industries public lands subsidies. Chapter two first examines whether or not the consumption of fish is healthy and outlines morally relevant aspects of fish physiology, then scrutinizes the fishing industry, documenting the silent collapse of ocean ecosystems and calling attention to the indiscriminate nature of hooks and nets, including the problem of bycatch and what this means for endangered species and fragile seascapes. Chapter three outlines the historic link between the U. S. Government, wildlife management, and hunters, then systematically unravels common beliefs about sport hunting, such as the belief that hunters are essential to wildlife conservation, that contemporary hunting qualifies as a tradition, and that hunting is merciful, economical, or rooted in fair chase. At the end of each chapter, Kemmerer examines possible solutions to problems presented, such as sustainable meats, organic and local, grass fed, aquaculture, new fishing technologies, and enhanced regulations. Eating Earth offers a concise examination of the environmental effects of dietary choice, clearly presenting the many reasons why dietary choice ought to be front and center for environmentalists. Kemmerers writing, supported by nearly 80 graphs and summary slides, is clear, straightforward, and punctuated with wry humor.
Silent Spring is a watershed moment in the history of environmentalism. The 1962 work by Rachel Carson is credited with launching the modern environmental movement. It provoked the ban on DDT in the US ten years later and it has been an inspiration for feminist health movements. Yet changes in public health policy are possibly the most important legacy. In synthesizing a jumble of scientific and medical information into a coherent, readable argument about health and environment, Carson successfully challenged major chemical industries and the idea that modern societies could and should exert mastery over nature at any cost. This book provides an in-depth analysis and contextualisation of Silent Spring. It also surveys the lasting impact the text has had on the environmentalist movement in the last fifty years. Carson's Silent Spring is the first book to provide a full overview of what is a seminal work in the history of environmentalism.
In A Non-Philosophical Theory of Nature Anthony Paul Smith asserts that the old theological and philosophical ideas about the unnatural are no longer tenable. Parts of nature seem to be at war with one another - the human against the rest of the biosphere - and this is because our very understanding of the idea of nature that comes to us from philosophy and theology has perpetuated that war. Smith argues that the very idea of nature must be rethought as ecological, and towards that purpose uses the methodology of Francois Laruelle's non-philosophy to bring together the fields of philosophy, theology, and scientific ecology and treat them as ecological material. Out of this ecology of thought, a new theory of nature emerges for an ecological age.
In The Big Muddy, the first long-term environmental history of the
Mississippi, Christopher Morris offers a brilliant tour across five
centuries as he illuminates the interaction between people and the
landscape, from early hunter-gatherer bands to present-day
industrial and post-industrial society.
Despite three decades of scientists' warnings and
environmentalists' best efforts, the political will and public
engagement necessary to fuel robust action on global climate change
remain in short supply. Katharine K. Wilkinson shows that, contrary
to popular expectations, faith-based efforts are emerging and
strengthening to address this problem. In the US, perhaps none is
more significant than evangelical climate care.
This book takes a hemispheric approach to contemporary urban intervention, examining urban ecologies, communication technologies, and cultural practices in the twenty-first century. It argues that governmental and social regimes of control and forms of political resistance converge in speculation on disaster and that this convergence has formed a vision of urban environments in the Americas in which forms of play and imaginations of catastrophe intersect in the vertical field. Schifani explores a diverse range of resistant urban interventions, imagining the city as on the verge of or enmeshed in catastrophe. She also presents a model of ecocriticism that addresses aesthetic practices and forms of play in the urban environment. Tracing the historical roots of such tactics as well as mapping their hopes for the future will help the reader to locate the impacts of climate change not only on the physical space of the city, but also on the epistemological and aesthetic strategies that cities can help to engender. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of Urban Studies, Media Studies, American Studies, Global Studies, and the broad and interdisciplinary field of Environmental Humanities.
A critical resource for approaching sustainability across the disciplines Sustainability and social justice remain elusive even though each is unattainable without the other. Across the industrialized West and the Global South, unsustainable practices and social inequities exacerbate one another. How do social justice and sustainability connect? What does sustainability mean and, most importantly, how can we achieve it with justice? This volume tackles these questions, placing social justice and interdisciplinary approaches at the center of efforts for a more sustainable world. Contributors present empirical case studies that illustrate how sustainability can take place without contributing to social inequality. From indigenous land rights, climate conflict, militarization and urban drought resilience, the book offers examples of ways in which sustainability and social justice strengthen one another. Through an understanding of history, diverse cultural traditions, and complexity in relation to race, class, and gender, this volume demonstrates ways in which sustainability can help to shape better and more robust solutions to the world's most pressing problems. Blending methods from the humanities, environmental sciences and the humanistic social sciences, this book offers an essential guide for the next generation of global citizens.
This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. Drawing on a wide range of examples from literature, comics, film, television and digital media, Nerd Ecology is the first substantial ecocritical study of nerd culture's engagement with environmental issues. Exploring such works as Star Trek, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly, the fiction of Thomas Pynchon, The Hunger Games, and superhero comics such as Green Lantern and X-Men, Anthony Lioi maps out the development of nerd culture and its intersections with the most fundamental ecocritical themes. In this way Lioi finds in the narratives of unpopular culture - narratives in which marginalised individuals and communities unite to save the planet - the building blocks of a new environmental politics in tune with the concerns of contemporary ecocritical theory and practice.
Now available in English for the first time, Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess's meditation on the art of living is an exhortation to preserve the environment and biodiversity. As Naess approaches his ninetieth year, he offers a bright and bold perspective on the power of feelings to move us away from ecological and cultural degradation toward sound, future-focused policy and action. Naess acknowledges the powerlessness of the intellect without the heart, and, like Thoreau before him, he rejects the Cartesian notion of mind-body separation. He advocates instead for the integration of reason and emotion-a combination Naess believes will inspire us to make changes for the better. Playful and serious, this is a guidebook for finding our way on a planet wrecked by the harmful effects of consumption, population growth, commodification, technology, and globalization. It is sure to mobilize today's philosophers, environmentalists, policy makers, and the general public into seeking-with whole hearts rather than with superficial motives-more effective and timelier solutions. Naess's style is reflective and anecdotal as he shares stories and details from his rich and long life. With characteristic goodwill, wit, and wisdom, he denounces our unsustainable actions while simultaneously demonstrating the unsurpassed wonder, beauty, and possibility our world offers, and ultimately shows us that there is always reason for hope, that everyone is a potential ally in our fight for the future.
From Argentina to Zimbabwe, the industrialized world's encroachment on native lands has brought disastrous environmental harm to indigenous peoples. More than 170 native peoples around the world are facing life-and-death struggles to maintain environments threatened by oil spills, explosions, toxic chemicals, global warming, and other pollutants. This unique resource surveys those indigenous peoples and the environmental hazards that threaten their existence, providing a wealth of information not readily available elsewhere. Arranged geographically, each entry focuses on the peoples of a particular country and the environmental issues they face, from the global warming and toxic chemicals threatening the Arctic Inuits, to the logging that is devastating indigenous habitats in Borneo. General entries overview such topics as climate change, dam sites, and Native American Concepts of Ecology. The 'Guide to Related Topics' and index provide access to recurring themes such as deforestation, hydroelectric power, mining, and land tenure.
While animal suffering and abuse have taken place throughout history, the alienation of humanity from nature caused by the development of capitalism - by the logic of capital and its system of generalized commodity production - accelerated and increased the depredations in scope and scale. The capitalist commodification of animals is extensive. It includes, but is not limited to: livestock production in concentrated animal feeding operations leather and fur production the ivory trade in which tusks are used for 'traditional medicines; or carved into decorative objects entertainment such as in zoos, marine parks, and circuses laboratory experimentation to test medicines, beauty products, pesticides, and other chemicals the pursuit of trophy hunting, sometimes on canned farms and sometimes in the wild bioengineering of livestock and of animals used in laboratories The contributors to this special issue of Research in Political Economy provide insightful analyses that address the historical transformations in the material conditions and ideological conceptions of nonhuman animals, alienated speciesism, the larger ecological crisis that is undermining the conditions of life for all species, and the capitalist commodification of animals that results in widespread suffering, death, and profits. This book is a must-read not only for political economists, but also for researchers interested in animal studies, environmentalism, and sustainability.
This book offers a fresh and innovative account of the history of environmentalism in the United States, challenging the dominant narrative in the field. In the widely-held version of events, the US environmental movement was born with the publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring in 1962 and was driven by the increased leisure and wealth of an educated middle class. Chad Montrie's telling moves the origins of environmentalism much further back in time and attributes the growth of environmental awareness to working people and their families. From the antebellum era to the end of the twentieth century, ordinary Americans have been at the forefront of organizing to save themselves and their communities from environmental harm. This interpretation is nothing short of a substantial recasting of the past, giving a more accurate picture of what happened, when, and why at the beginnings of the environmental movement. >
Christianity has often been accused for being complicit in ecological destruction. In response, Christian ecotheology offers both a Christian critique of environmental destruction and an ecological critique of Christianity. It thus encourages an ecological reformation of the Christian tradition for the sake of the whole earth. This volume focuses such a dual critique on the content and significance of the Christian faith in order to confront those aspects that may undermine an environmental praxis, ethos and spirituality. Each of the essays explores one of the core Christian symbols, seeks to capture the current state of the debate in this regard, identifies emerging horizons for such an ecological reformation and invites conversation on the road ahead. This volume includes essays on the trinity, Christology, pneumatology, creation, anthropology, natural suffering, providence, sin and salvation, the nature, governance, ministries and missions of the church, eschatological consummation, a Christian ethos, the role of liturgy, religious plurality andunderlying methodological problems. It thus complements several other discourses in ecotheology on biblical hermeneutics, a retrieval of particular traditions, environmental ethics, animal studies, ecclesial praxis, Christian missions and religion and ecology. The volume captures insights emerging from a collaborative research project on 'Christian Faith and the Earth' in which more than one hundred leading ecotheologians from six continents participated since 2007. It builds on the culminating conference of this project held in Cape Town in August 2012.It extends the conversation on the road ahead through inputs from contributing authors and various respondents.
This book offers a comprehensive survey of Heidegger's ideas on technology and modernity.The scale of some environmental problems, such as climate change and human overpopulation, exceed any one nation state and require either co-ordinated governance or a shift in the culture of modernity. "Heidegger, Politics and Climate Change" examines this crisis alongside Heidegger's ideas about technology and modernity. Heidegger suggests that refocusing on the primary questions that make it meaningful to be human - the question of Being - could create the means for alternative discourses that both challenge and sidestep the attempt for total surveillance and total control. He advocates recognising the problematic relationship humanity has with the environment and reinventing new trajectories of understanding ourselves and our planet.This book aims to properly integrate environment into philosophy and political theory, offering a constructive critique of modernity with some helpful suggestions for establishing a readiness for blue sky scenarios for the future. The book lays out the practical implications of Heidegger's ideas and engages with philosophy of technology, considering the constraints and the potentials of technology on culture and environment.
Climate change is perhaps the most important issue of our time and yet despite the urgency of the problem, the measures necessary to mitigate it have not been implemented. International cooperation has not been forthcoming and there remains a general reluctance towards any major change of lifestyle. Given the urgency of the problem, why has so little been done? In Climate Ethics Joerg Tremmel and Katherine Robinson identify the reasons behind this crucial paradox and propose a way forward. In the first part of the book the authors provide an accessible account of the basics of climate change. In clear and accessible terms they explain the science behind climate change and demystify the complicated terminology that so often hinders a proper understanding of the subject. They identify the substances that cause climate change, reveal which industries are responsible and which aspects of people's everyday lives have the highest emissions connected with them. They explore the consequences of ignoring climate change and, importantly, analyse the obstacles to addressing the issues. In the second part of the book the authors introduce the concept of climate ethics, and explore its importance at a personal, national and international level. They place it firmly at the centre of any successful resolution of the challenges associated with climate change. They review the classical theories of justice and how they relate to climate change, and they examine the complex ethical and moral questions that need to be addressed if long-term solutions are to be found. What moral responsibility do we have to future generations? How should we share out emission rights? Do we take into account past emissions, allowing those who have historically caused more pollution fewer emissions rights than developing countries? Who is to finance the measures to abate climate? And just what is the fairest approach to the politics of climate change on a global scale? The result is an original and timely engagement with one of the most pressing problems facing us and future generations. |
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