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Books > Earth & environment > The environment > General
This wide-ranging and path-breaking collection of essays on China's environmental crisis takes a new approach, transcending the typical "gloom and doom" media and scholarly report on China's environmental crisis, to address how the Chinese political and social systems were impacted and how they responded, or should respond, to the ecological challenges confronting China. Therefore, this collection provides innovative analyses about the impacts and responses--both domestically and globally--of China's political and social systems encompassing its social values, ameliorative, and preventative policies. It leaves us with such an important question to ponder: What social action will be needed in the near- and long-term future in order to avoid environmental disaster as well as to achieve environmental sustainability and social justice for the long term in China?
Mathematical Methods of Environmental Risk Modeling provides a working introduction to both the general mathematical methods and specific models used for human health risk assessment. Rather than being purely an applied math book, this book focuses on methods and models that students and professionals are likely to encounter in practice. Examples are given from exposure assessment, pharmacokinetic modeling, and dose-response modeling.
Human influences create both environmental problems and barriers to effective policy aimed at addressing those problems. In effect, environmental managers manage people as much as they manage the environment. Therefore, they must gain an understanding of the psychological and sociopolitical dimensions of environmental problems that they are attempting to resolve. In Environmental Problem Solving, Alan Miller reappraises conventional analyses of environmental problems using lessons from the psychosocial disciplines. He combines the disciplines of ecology, political sociology and psychology to produce a more adaptive approach to problem-solving that is specifically geared toward the environmetal field. Numerous case studies demonstrate the practical application of theory in a way that is useful to technical and scientific professionals as well as to policy makers and planners. Alan Miller is Professor of Psychology at the University of New Brunswick.
In their bold experimentation and bracing engagement with culture and politics, the "New Hollywood" films of the late 1960s and early 1970s are justly celebrated contributions to American cinematic history. Relatively unexplored, however, has been the profound environmental sensibility that characterized movies such as The Wild Bunch, Chinatown, and Nashville. This brisk and engaging study explores how many hallmarks of New Hollywood filmmaking, such as the increased reliance on location shooting and the rejection of American self-mythologizing, made the era such a vividly "grounded" cinematic moment. Synthesizing a range of narrative, aesthetic, and ecocritical theories, it offers a genuinely fresh perspective on one of the most studied periods in film history.
'THE ENVIRONMENTAL NOVEL OF OUR TIMES.' Lemn Sissay, Booker Prize judge From an acclaimed Guardian First Book Award finalist comes a debut novel 'brutal and beautiful in equal measure' (Emily St. John Mandel) Longlisted for the DUBLIN Literary Award 2022 A Guardian Best Science Fiction Book of the Year A 'Best Book of the Year 2020' according to BBC Culture * An Irish Times Best Debut Fiction of 2020 Bea's daughter, Agnes, is slowly wasting away, her lungs ravaged by the smog and pollution of the overpopulated metropolis they call home. The only alternative is to build a life in the vast expanse of untamed land known as The Wilderness State. No one has been allowed to venture here before. That is all about to change. But as Bea soon discovers, saving her daughter's life might mean losing her in ways she hadn't foreseen. Passionate and exhilarating, The New Wilderness is the story of a mother's fight to save her daughter in a world she can no longer call her own.
The success of Environmental Management Systems (EMS) at military facilities requires support and leadership from the highest levels of management, adequate resources for development and implementation, and an acknowledgement by the military commanders that EMS is an integral part of facilities and operations management. The theme of this book is the effective communication of environmental concerns in a changing military environment.
An Introduction to the Law and Economics of Environmental Policy
emphasises the importance of institutional design in addressing
social problems. Three important issues concerning institutional
design are:
The purpose of this study is to question whether liberal political theories ought to inform the way policymakers and administrators analyze risk in proposed courses of environmental practice. In order to explore the relationship of liberal theory to rational practice in environmental policy, this project examines the risk analysis used to approve the genetically engineered bovine growth hormone in American agricultural policy. The Political Theories of Risk Analysis suggests that American environmental public policy is attempting to assess danger with an incomplete notion of utility, to eliminate the hazards of society with an inadequate contractual justification of political authority, and to publicly debate accepted levels of risk with an unfulfilled critical social theory. Because environmental risk analyses are incorrectly perceived as technically rational and socially apolitical, they result in practices that are muddled and misdirected. Making theoretical foundations explicit, however, could lead to improved practice. Public policy and administrative decisions regarding agricultural biotechnologies should and can function with more concern for democratic values. The Political Theories of Risk Analysis is for environmental scientists, philosophers, public policy planners, applied ethicists, political scientists and environmentalists.
Lakes and Empires in Macedonian History: Contesting the Waters tells the story of Psarades, a lakeside village in Macedonian Greece on the shores of the Prespa lake. This village, which is in many ways a completely typical Greek settlement and yet remains unconventional in its way of life, embodies the many contradictions of modern history and in exploring its roots James Pettifer and Miranda Vickers skilfully uncover the wider social, cultural and political history of this lake region. Drawing from oral testimonies and attentive to the construction of national histories, this book considers how the development of international borders, movement of people and role of national identities within imperial borderlands shaped Macedonia today. What is more, by centering the lakes and making use of an innovative environmental historical methodology, Pettifer and Vickers offer the first environmental history of this multi-ethnic borderland region shared by Greece, North Macedonia and Albania. The result is a nuanced and sophisticated transnational account of Macedonia from prehistory to the 21st century which will be essential reading for all Balkan scholars.
Disparate perceptions and conceptual frameworks of environment and the relationship between humans and nature often lead to confusion, constraints on co-operation and collaboration and even conflict when society tries to deal with todaya (TM)s urgent and complex environment research and policy challenges. Such disparities in perception and "world view" are driven by many factors. They include differences in culture, religion, ethical frameworks, scientific methodologies and approaches, disciplines, political, social and philosophical traditions, life styles and consumption patterns as well as alternative economic paradigms. Distribution of poverty or wealth between north and south may thus be seen as consequence of the above mentioned disparities, which is a challenge for ita (TM)s universal reasoned evaluation. This volume discusses a wide range of factors influencing "Environment across Cultures" with a view to identifying ways and means to better understand, reflect and manage such disparities within future global environmental research and policy agendas for bridging the gap between ecology and economy as well as between societies. The book is based upon the results of a scientific symposium on this topic and covers the following sections: Cross Cultural Perception of Environment; Ethics and Nature; Environment, Sustainability and Society. Corresponding contributions were made by well-known scientific authors representing different cultural spheres in accordance with the inter-cultural approach of this effort.
This thesis presents a new method for following evolving interactions between coupled oscillatory systems of the kind that abound in nature. Examples range from the subcellular level, to ecosystems, through climate dynamics, to the movements of planets and stars. Such systems mutually interact, adjusting their internal clocks, and may correspondingly move between synchronized and non-synchronized states. The thesis describes a way of using Bayesian inference to exploit the presence of random fluctuations, thus analyzing these processes in unprecedented detail. It first develops the basic theory of interacting oscillators whose frequencies are non-constant, and then applies it to the human heart and lungs as an example. Their coupling function can be used to follow with great precision the transitions into and out of synchronization. The method described has the potential to illuminate the ageing process as well as to improve diagnostics in cardiology, anesthesiology and neuroscience, and yields insights into a wide diversity of natural processes.
This book addresses the use of Benedict Spinoza's philosophy in current attempts to elaborate an ecological basis for international environmental law. Because the question of environmental protection has not been satisfactory resolved, the legal debate concerning our responsibility for the environment has - as evidenced in the recent UN report series Harmony with Nature - come to invite calls for a new eco-centric, rather than anthropocentric, legal paradigm. In this respect, Spinoza appears as a key figure. He is one of the few philosophers in the history of western philosophy who cares, and writes extensively, about the roots of anthropocentrism; the core issue of contemporary normative debates in ecology. And in response to the rapidly developing ecological crisis, his work has become central to a re-thinking of the human relationship with nature. Addressing the contention that Spinoza's ethics might provide a useful source for developing a new, eco-centred framework for environmental law, this book elaborates a more nuanced understanding of Spinoza's philosophy. Spinoza cannot, it is argued here, simply be reduced to an eco-ethicist. That is: his metaphysics cannot be used as basis of an essentially naturalised or extended human morality. At the same time, however, this book argues that the radicality of Spinoza's naturalism nevertheless offers the possibility of developing a more adequate ecological basis for environmental law.
This comprehensive treatment of the environmental history of northern North America offers a compelling account of the complex encounters of people, technology, culture, and ecology that shaped modern-day Canada and Alaska. From the arrival of the earliest humans to the very latest scientific controversies, the environmental history of Canada and Arctic North America is dramatic, diverse, and crucial for the very survival of the human race. Packed with key facts and analysis, this expert guide explores the complex interplay between human societies and the environment from the Aleutian Islands to the Grand Banks and from the Great Lakes to the Arctic Islands How has the challenging environment of America's most northerly regions—with some areas still dominated by native peoples—helped shape politics and trade? What have been the consequences of European contact with this region and its indigenous inhabitants? How did natives and newcomers cope with, and change this vast and forbidding territory? Can a perspective on the past help us in grappling with the conflict between oil exploration and wilderness preservation on the North Slope of Alaska? Part of ABC-CLIO's Nature and Human Societies series, this unique work charts the region's environmental history from prehistory to modern times and is essential reading for students and experts alike.
The changes and significant developments that have accompanied the relatively young field of environmental science are documented in this addition to the "Oryx Frontiers of Science Series." From major causes for environmental concern to possible solutions, "Environmental Science" presents a balanced and comprehensive view of the collective fields of ecology, sociology, demography, and waste management. Special focus is on important environmental events and discoveries that occurred between 1996 and 1999. Additionally, related information is presented on key people, career opportunities, organizations, resources, and more. This is a must-have reference tool for understanding a larger view of environmental science.
In February 2019, award-winning writer Alex Roddie left his online life behind when he set out to walk 300 miles through the Scottish Highlands, seeking solitude and answers. In leaving the chaos of the internet behind for a month, he hoped to learn how it was truly affecting him - or if he should look elsewhere for the causes of his anxiety. The Farthest Shore is the story of Alex's solo trek along the remote Cape Wrath Trail. As he journeyed through a vanishing winter, Alex found answers to his questions, learnt the nature of true silence, and discovered frightening evidence of the threats faced by Scotland's wild mountain landscape.
This book makes a significant contribution to the history of placemaking, presenting grassroots to top-down practices and socially engaged, situated artistic practices and artsled spatial inquiry that go beyond instrumentalising the arts for development. The book brings together a range of scholars to critique and deconstruct the notion of creative placemaking, presenting diverse case studies from researcher, practitioner, funder and policymaker perspectives from across the globe. It opens with the creators of the 2010 White Paper that named and defined creative placemaking, Ann Markusen and Anne Gadwa Nicodemus, who offer a cortically reflexive narrative on the founding of the sector and its development. This book looks at vernacular creativity in place, a topic continued through the book with its focus on the practitioner and community-placed projects. It closes with a consideration of aesthetics, metrics and, from the editors, a consideration of the next ten years for the sector. If creative placemaking is to contribute to places-in-the-making and encourage citizenled agency, new conceptual frameworks and practical methodologies are required. This book joins theorists and practitioners in dialogue, advocating for transdisciplinary, resilient processes.
"The complete story of the devastating BP oil spill of 2010. The author puts forward an objective account of what happened, a documentation of the true costs, not the hyperbolic costs, and an explanation of the science and business of the spill and its remediation"--
This book focuses on three interdependent challenges related to managing transitions toward sustainable development, namely (a) mapping sustainability for global knowledge e-networking, (b) extending the value chain of knowledge and e-networking, and (c) engaging in explorations of new methods and venues for further developing knowledge and e-networking. While each of these challenges constitutes fundamentally different types of endeavors, they are highly interconnected. Jointly, they contribute to our expansion of knowledge and its applications in support of transitions toward sustainable development. The central theme of this book revolves around ways of transcending barriers that impede the use of knowledge and knowledge networking in transitions toward sustainability. In order to transcend these barriers, we examine the potential contributions of innovations in information technologies as well as computation and representation of attendant complexities. A related theme addresses new ways of managing information and systematic observation for the purpose of enhancing the value of knowledge. Finally, this book shows applications of new methodologies and related findings that would contribute to our understanding of sustainablity issues that have not yet been explored. In many ways, this is a book of theory and of practice; and it is one of methods as well as policy and performance.
"A World Fit for People" examines what impact the many dramatic worldwide changes--political, economic, social, cultural--are having on the lives of people all over the world. A collaborative effort of more than fifty thinkers from countries throughout the world, this remarkable book contains a range of specific proposals intended to convert threats to opportunities and fears to hopes, in order to foster an environment of peace, prosperity, and social harmony. Part One examines political aspects of changing systems and the links between democracy, development, and the market economy, addressing such issues as rising regionalism, "The West and the Rest," northern policies and southern responses, and the global role of transition countries. Part Two focuses on economic aspects of systemic change. Topics include the role of markets and governments in a free market economy, the plight of developing countries, conditions for aid, and the collapsing vision of global development. The roles of women and family, ethnic conflict, and religion and, more generally, the human, social, cultural, and ecological aspects of change, are considered in Part Three. The contributors advocate a respect for human rights and ethnic and religious diversity as a means of ensuring a pluralistic society. Part Four, which pays special attention to countries trying to overcome the legacy of "the old order," is devoted to such issues as the integration of underdeveloped countries into the global order; the privatization process; trade and payments reforms; and the risks of rapid transformation. "A World Fit for People" will serve as a useful guide to international economists, diplomats, political scientists, and students of international affairs.
The concept of "environment" refers to the physical surroundings of
human societies. However, the word "environment" is nearly always
used in the context of problematic environmental problems and
conditions. This book examines different ways in which social
scientists study environmental change and environmental problems.
History and geography of the relationship between environment and
society is explored, as well as social dilemmas and cultural
considerations faced when confronting environmental issues.
Society's perception of, and response to, environment and risk are
examined in detail. Causes of local and global environmental
problems, together with the policies implemented to control them
and how these affect, and are affected by, the interests of
organizations, are also considered.
This guide details the techniques and numerical procedures required for numerical modelling of radioactivity dispersion in marine environments. The book goes beyond the basics of hydrodynamic modeling to analyze the latest trends in modeling.
Scientists and regulators have struggled to define the role of theory, experiments, models and common sense in risk analysis. This situation has been made worse by the isolation of theory from modeling, of experimentation from theory, and of practical action from basic science. This book arises from efforts at regulatory agencies and industries to bring more science into health risk analysis so that society may better use limited resources to improve public health. This book covers: the characterization of exposure to pollutants and other sources of risk; the movement of pollutants into the body via inhalation; ingestion, dermal absorption, and exposures to radiation; the movement of a pollutant as it cascades through the tissues and organs of the body; and the development of principles and models for dose-response modeling. The book shows how an understanding of the biological, chemical, and physical properties of the environment and of the human body can guide the selection of mathematical models, and how these models can aid in estimating risks. Included in the book are models covering the full range of topics in human health risk analysis: exposure assessment, rates of intake, deposition and uptake by organs, absorption across membranes, biokinetics, dosimetry, and dose-response. The reader will gain from the book a better understanding of how environmental health science, as applied in risk analysis, can be used to create a more rational basis for the improvement of public health.
On September 1st 1996, ISO 14001 was published, worldwide. Written over five years in consultation with international industrial experts, non-governmental organizations and regulators, this environmental management systems standard will help organizations manage their impacts on the environment, no matter what their size, nature or location. The implications for the future are enormous. But what does the standard mean in the real world? What changes do managers have to make to accommodate its principles? What decisions need to be faced and when? Is it really going to make a difference or is it just another case of global greenwash? Will it be another missed opportunity for you, your organisation, or your market? At the start of what promises to be a worldwide explosion of interest in standardised EMSs, ISO 14001 and Beyond looks at their creation, their use, and their limitations, attempting to discover the essential truth about this important management tool and where it will take industry. ISO 14001 and Beyond assembles the leading thinkers and practitioners in the field to record their thoughts and experiences on the new standard, its advantages and disadvantages. The book is designed to provide the reader with enough information with which to form an opinion on the future, and how that will influence subsequent actions. It also provides reassurance that, although the problems are real, so are the solutions. ISO 14001 and Beyond gives you the opportunity to read what some of the best minds have made of the standard so far and what they think lies ahead. There are reports covering a global spectrum of concern: from the US, Russia, Japan, Canada, Germany, the UK, and more; from multinationals, small- and medium-sized enterprises, local government, universities and professional bodies. All this material is gathered together in one book to give you the best, most meaningful information for the crucial decisions that you will need to make in the coming months. |
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