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Books > Earth & environment > The environment > General
This is the fifth volume in the Oxford Regional Environments series. The series is devoted to major regions of the world, each presenting a detailed and up-to-date body of scientific knowledge concerning a particular region. Fennoscandia is composed of Finland ('Fennia' in Latin) and the Scandinavian peninsula (Norway and Sweden). A team of experts presents the physical geographical factors which affect and control life in this northern area. The contributors concentrate on topics which are characteristic of the region, scientifically sound, and not necessarily familiar to an international audience, such as land uplift, large drumlin fields and eskers, mires, snow, the timberline, fjords, archipelagos, lakes, scattered frost features, and the biodiversity of conservation.
This textbook introduces design students to key principles of three-dimensional form, bridging aesthetics and practical design objectives. It explores how we see and what it is that characterises visually appealing and satisfactory design. Written by an experienced designer, educator and researcher, The Aesthetics of Industrial Design equips students with the knowledge and understanding of how aesthetically superior design is distinct from lesser work. It explains the key principles and concepts they can incorporate into their own designs, encourages readers to investigate and experiment with real design problems and enables them to verbally communicate their design intentions. The book prompts readers to critically reflect on their work and surroundings. Through numerous clear examples and illustrated case studies, which are guided by cognitive science and the application of aesthetic theory, the book brings together the basic aspects of design as form-giving. It explores the balance of function, material and appearance in detail and explains the reasons for common aesthetic faults and how to avoid them. Aimed at undergraduate- and postgraduate-level students within the design fields, this book reveals the secrets to aesthetically successful products that readers can take from education into future practice.
The Physical Geography of Southeast Asia examines the complex mosaic of physical environments which comprise Southeast Asia, and the current environmental problems and management practices which have arisen in this part of the world. The book is in three sections. The first section introduces the basic environmental components (geology, landforms, rivers, vegetation, and others) across the entire region. The second section discusses specific environments that are characteristic of this assemblage of continental and maritime landscapes (volcanic islands, coastal environment, granitic terrains, karst, etc.). The third and final section illustrates the ecological relationship between the environment and people (volcanic hazards, urban environment, coastal zone development, coral reefs, and others). The physical environment of Southeast Asia is examined at different levels, covering a world region that ranges from ancient, stable landmasses to dynamic, unstable plate boundaries, from aged, primary rainforests to brash, vibrant, resource-demanding built environments. Southeast Asia has been perceived as a laboratory for studying plate tectonics. It is an assemblage of large river basins, peninsulas and archipelagos, and seas surrounded by islands. It is an area of great physical variations where parts of the physical environment have been significantly degraded anthropogenically, following rapid population growth and development. In large parts of the region, the forms and processes on land and offshore should no longer be seen as entirely natural. As this book repeatedly illustrates, plate tectonics and people are both important contributors to the physical geography of Southeast Asia. The contributors to this volume are distinguished, scholarly, and have a long association with Southeast Asia. The chapters are not only skilfully built on state-of-the-art research findings but also include new material from the on-going research activities of the authors. The book goes beyond being the first comprehensive and detailed volume of the biophysical geography of Southeast Asia in that it also deals with the tropical environment and the relationship between environment and people in a rapidly developing world region.
Morrone and Lohner assert that sound science is often misinterpreted, which leads to questionable policy decisions. This provocative look at environmental policymaking shows the importance of correctly interpreting science, and examines the full implications of using science as the major criterion in the decision-making process. Contemporary critics often argue that environmental policy problems are rooted in junk science. Yet Morrone and Lohner assert that many cases are based on sound science that is misinterpreted, which leads to questionable policy decisions. Revealing the way science is used in the environmental decision-making process, the authors illustrate how policies can go awry. Their combined experience in the public and private sectors is buttressed by a series of case studies, including: Air pollution Solid and hazardous waste management Food protection Vectors and their diseases Drinking water safety This provocative look at environmental policymaking shows the importance of correctly interpreting science, and examines the full implications of using science as the major criterion in the decision-making process.
This book focuses on Shine, a musical performance about how energy, humanity, and climate are interrelated. Weaving together climate science and artistic expression, it results in a funny and powerful story spanning 300 million years. The first half is professionally scripted, composed, and choreographed to convey how our use of fossil fuels is impacting our climate. The second half - our future story - is authored by local youth to generate solutions for their city's resilience. In rehearsing the musical, participants themselves embody aspects of climate science and human development. Ultimately, it demonstrates that performance can be a dynamic tool for youth to contribute to their community's resilience. Educators can use this book to guide youth in creative expression based on (or inspired by) Shine. Included are the script, links to the music and video of the performance, materials for building curricula, interviews with collaborators, and lessons learned along Shine's year-long international tour.
‘Lucid, informed and persuasive’ Evening Standard ‘Thought-provoking’ Daily Mail ‘An extraordinary book’ Nicholas Evans, author of The Horse Whisperer The history of humanity’s relationship with other species is baffling. Without animals there would be no us. We are all fellow travellers on the same evolutionary journey. By charting the love–hate story of people and animals, from their first acquaintance in deep prehistory to the present and beyond, Richard Girling reveals how and where our attitudes towards animals began – and how they have persisted, been warped and become magnified ever since. In dazzling prose, The Longest Story tells of the cumulative influence of theologians, writers, artists, warriors, philosophers, farmers, activists and scientists across the centuries, now locking us into debates on farming, extinction, animal rights, pets, experiments and religion. ‘Essential reading’ Philip Lymbery, CEO of Compassion in World Farming and author of Farmageddon
The purpose of this paper is to present a methodology for estimating space-time stochastic properties of local climatic factors reflecting global climate change. Specifically, daily precipitation amount and daily mean temperature are considered and illustrated with application to the state of Nebraska, U. S. A. Furthermore, a drought index with and without global climate change is examined. The magnitude and consequences of regional response to anticipated climatic changes are uncertain (Houghton et al., 1990). Typical questions to be answered are: can time series of hydrological events or 10cal climatic variables such as daily temperature be conditioned in scenarios of future climate change and if so, how can this be utilized ? Can extreme historical drought events be reproduced by a stochastic hydroc1imatological model ? Can such a model be used with General Circu1ation Model (GCM) outputs to evaluate the regional/local effects of climate change scenarios? The approach presented in this paper is an extension of the usual analysis of regional hydrometeorological impacts of climate change: we propose to examine time series of GCM produced daily atmospheric circulation patterns (CP), thought to be relatively accurate GCM output to estimate local climatic factors. The paper is organized as follows. First, daily CPs are classified and analyzed statistically, first for historical and then for GCM produced data. Next, the height of the 500 hPa pressure field is introduced as an additional physically relevant variable influencing local climatic factors within each CP type."
TEN YEARS AGO, BEN JACOB TURNED OUTLAW TO SAVE OUR RAREST FLOWERS. THIS IS HIS STORY. Obsessed by orchids since childhood, Ben spent years travelling to far-flung jungles to see them in the wild. Then a chance encounter set him off on a journey of discovery into the wonderful, but often forgotten, world of Britain's fifty-one native species. These include the Bee which looks (and smells) so much like one that even bees are fooled, the Ghost which exists without sunlight, and Autumn Lady's Tresses which gave Darwin the proof he needed for his theory of evolution. But our orchids are in desperate trouble. Many species are facing extinction. Decimated by changes in land use and climate, inadequately protected by environmental and planning laws, their habitats are disappearing fast. Determined to act before it was too late, Ben broke into building sites in the dead of night to rescue threatened plants, and turned his kitchen into a laboratory, his fridge into storage for hundreds of baby orchids, and his back yard into a plantation. But doing all that put him on the wrong side of the law. . . At once a memoir, a natural history, and an inspiring call to action, reintroducing us to Britain's most endangered flowers, The Orchid Outlaw shows us how we can all save the world, one plant at a time.
The global application of Enlightenment-derived concepts to create social order through urban form suggests that we believe we know how to create a (future) ordered environment. But these notions of order and disorder need interrogation, especially as the world rapidly urbanises. Not only have such approaches failed to produce more social order, but it has become clear that the imposition of these ideas in cities of the South cuts across alternative systems of social and cultural order and creates new disorder. Thus, if we are serious about forms of urban order, then it is time to rethink what we mean by order in the first place. As this provocative and timely book shows, what we think of as urban order is partial and restricted, and what we perceive as disorder usually masks underlying orders of social nature. The book is intended for architects, urban designers, planners and urban scholars but also urban policy makers, managers and residents – to consider a different approach to emerging urban space and form, starting from an understanding of the cultural imaginaries and social constructs that underpin the production of most urban fabric, and engaging with these concepts and organisational forms to improve urban life for the majority.
At a time when everyone is going green, most people are unaware that the FBI is using anti-terrorism resources to target environmentalists and animal rights activists. The courts are being used to push conventional boundaries of what constitutes "terrorism" and to hit nonviolent activists with disproportionate sentences. Some have faced terrorism charges for simply chalking slogans on the sidewalk. Like the Red Scare, this "Green Scare" is about fear and intimidation, using a word--"eco-terrorist"--to push a political agenda, instill fear and silence dissent. The animal rights and environmental movements directly threaten corporate profits every time activists encourage people to go vegan, to stop driving, to consume fewer resources and live simply. Their boycotts are damaging, and corporations and the politicians who represent them know it. In many ways, the Green Scare, like the Red Scare, can be seen as a culture war, a war of values. Will Potter outlines the political, legal, extra-legal, and public relations strategies that are being used to threaten even acts of nonviolent civil disobedience with the label of "terrorism." Here is a guided tour into the world of radical activism that introduces the real people behind the headlines and tells the story of how everyday people are being prevented from speaking up for what they believe in. "Will Potter unveils this complex movement with its virtues and its flaws, the courage of a few and the false bravado of others. I see this book as the definitive overview of the genesis of what is emerging as the most important social movement in human history -- the war to save ourselves from ourselves." --Captain Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society "If we are to survive capitalism's death grip on our discourse and on our lives, it will be in great measure due to the work of people like Will Potter. His courage and integrity, which set him apart from most journalists, are evident throughout this important book, and throughout all of his other crucial work. Thank you, Will Potter." --Derrick Jensen, author of Endgame "Part history, part action thriller and courtroom drama, part memoir, Green is the New Red plunges us into the wild, unruly, and entirely inspirational world of extreme environmental activism. Will Potter, participant-observer and partisan-reporter, is the perfect guide, unpacking with wit and skill the most elusive concepts..." --Bill Ayers Potter (a contributor to The Next Eco-Warriors) warns that the U.S. government is using post-9/11 anti-terrorism resources to target environmentalists and animal right activists (in some cases for doing nothing but speaking up)...Potter warns of the crumbling of "the legal wall separating 'terrorist' from 'dissident' or 'undesirable,'" and concludes his account with a call to action and a decry of the injustice that results in the "terrorist" label being put on those who threaten American corporate interests. Alarming."--Publishers Weekly "In this hard-hitting debut, journalist Potter likens the Justice Department targeting of environmentalists today to McCarthyism in the 1950s...A shocking expose of judicial overreach." --Kirkus Reviews (Starred review) Will Potter is an award-winning reporter who has written for publications including the Chicago Tribune, the Dallas Morning News and Legal Affairs, and has testified before the U.S. Congress about his reporting. He is the creator of www[dot]GreenIsTheNewRed[dot]com, where he blogs about the Green Scare.
This book from Jürgen Claus is a milestone among the books dedicated to the planet sea A knowledgeable overview of marine architectures from both the Pacific and Atlantic regions Discusses the seascape as a fluid studio for visual artists
Delta Urbanism is a major new initiative that explores the growth, development, and management of deltaic cities and regions, with the aim of balancing various goals in a sustainable manner: urbanization, port commerce, industrial development, flood defense, public safety, ecological balance, tourism, and recreation. This book is a detailed history and overview of how one low-lying country has developed the policies, tools, technology, planning, public outreach, and international cooperation needed to save their populated deltas.
This book contributes to the multidisciplinary debate about social-ecological systems (SES) within the perspective of rethinking the nature of interaction between these systems, especially in the Anthropocene Era. Most chapters either deliberate on risk dynamics threatening current SES or stimulate thought processes to manage such risks and related negative implications. After analyzing the main drivers of SES vulnerability, the book highlights the shifts to be made to enhance the sustainability and resilience of these systems, mainly the integration and restructuring of governance frameworks, the reorganization of production and consumption systems far from conventional models based on consumerism, the elaboration of mitigation, adaptation, and SDGs implementation measures from a co-benefit perspective, and the consideration of appropriate approaches and paradigms while elaborating and implementing response mechanisms. This volume is relevant to researchers/experts, students, practitioners, and decision-makers from different scales and spheres.
This volume is the first (I) of four under the main themes of Digitizing Agriculture and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The four volumes cover rapidly developing processes including Sensors (I), Data (II), Decision (III), and Actions (IV). Volumes are related to 'digital transformation" within agricultural production and provision systems, and in the context of Smart Farming Technology and Knowledge-based Agriculture. Content spans broadly from data mining and visualization to big data analytics and decision making, alongside with the sustainability aspects stemming from the digital transformation of farming. The four volumes comprise the outcome of the 12th EFITA Congress, also incorporating chapters that originated from select presentations of the Congress. The focus in this volume is on different aspects of sensors implementation in agricultural production (e.g., types of sensors, parameters monitoring, network types, connectivity, accuracy, reliability, durability, and needs to be covered) and provides variety of information and knowledge in the subject of sensors design, development, and deployment for monitoring agricultural production parameters. The book consists of four (4) Sections. The first section presents an overview on the state-off-the art in sensing technologies applied in agricultural production while the rest of the sections are dedicated to remote sensing, proximal sensing, and wireless sensor networks applications. Topics include: Emerging sensing technologies Soil reflectance spectroscopy LoRa technologies applications in agriculture Wireless sensor networks deployment and applications Combined remote and proximal sensing solutions Crop phenology monitoring Sensors for geophysical properties Combined sensing technologies with geoinformation systems
Nanomaterials in Plants, Algae and Microorganisms: Concepts and Controversies: Volume 2 not only covers all the new technologies used in the synthesis of nanoparticles, it also tests their response on plants, algae and micro-organisms in aquatic ecosystems. Unlike most works in the field, the book doesn't focus exclusively on the higher organisms. Instead, it explores the smaller life forms on which they feed. Topics include the impacts of plant development, how different nanoparticles are absorbed by biota, the impact different metals-including silver and rare earth metals-have on living organisms, and the effects nanoparticles have on aquatic ecosystems as a whole. As nanotechnology based products have become a trillion-dollar industry, there is a need to understand the implications to the health of our biota and ecosystems as the earth is increasingly inundated with these materials.
This is the third volume to appear in The Oxford Regional Environments Series. It covers most of the territory of the former USSR and is divided into three main areas of interest. The first establishes the framework by discussing individual components of the physical environment, while the second concentrates on regional analysis. In the concluding part the effects of anthropogenic activities on the physical environment are discussed. The approach adopted is an integrative one, tying together various aspects of the physical environments with the environmental implications of human activites. Bringing together experts in their fields, the book will provide the most comprehensive and complete evaluation of the physical environment of Northern Eurasia available to date.
Halogenated organic compounds constitute one of the largest groups of environmental chemicals. The industrial production of new halogenated organic compounds has increased throughout the last century and these compounds are integral to a variety of industrial applications. Although organohalide compounds are typically considered to be anthropogenic industrial compounds, these have their counterpart in several thousands of natural biogenic and geogenic organohalides, representing most classes of organic chemicals. Natural sources account for a significant portion of the global organohalogen budget. This volume, authored by leading experts in the field, provides a current perspective on how both natural and synthetic organohalides are formed and degraded, and how these processes are incorporated into a global halogen cycle. The list of organohalides that can be utilized by microbes continues to increase dramatically, as do the number of dehalogenating microorganisms that have been identified and characterized. A critical step in the degradation of organohalides is cleavage of the carbon-halogen bond, and microorganisms have evolved a variety of metabolic strategies for dehalogenation. The chapters provide a global perspective on the diversity of dehalogenating microorganisms, explore their ecology, biochemistry and genetics, and review the range of biologically-mediated dehalogenation mechanisms. Many of the problematic organohalides, such as pesticides, chlorofluorocarbons, chlorinated solvents, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls, are covered in detail. The book provides a comprehensive overview of fate of these compounds in the environment, practicalapplications in the laboratory and the field, and strategies for the development of bioremediation technologies for organohalide-contaminated sites. Detailed information on biodegradation and biotransformation mechanisms for a variety of organohalides and on the microorganisms mediating these processes has greatly increased our understanding of the cycling and fate of these unique and widespread compounds in our environment. The book will serve as a comprehensive resource on the processes and applications of microbial degradation of halogenated organic compounds.
This book comprises the select proceedings of the International Conference on Recent Advances in Civil Engineering (ICRACE) 2020, held at the Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin, Kerala, India. The book focuses on latest research in different areas of civil engineering and lays special emphasis on sustainable construction practices. It is divided into seven major themes: (i) Modern materials and sustainable construction, (ii) Environmental engineering and management, (iii) Geotechnical engineering, (iv) Health, safety and environment, (v) Irrigation, water resources and management, (vi) Structural Engineering, and (vii) Transportation engineering and traffic planning. Given the range of the topics covered, this book can be useful for students, scholars and professionals interested in the different sub-disciplines of civil engineering.
This book focuses on the contemporary fired clay brick to explore themes of home and house, homeownership, materiality, and sense of place. It investigates why, despite an increasing number of alternative materials, brick remains at the forefront of what people, in the UK in particular, expect homes to be built of, and how brick is indelibly entwined with what home means – something materially stable and financially secure, affording a located sense of place. Through observation of the building process and interviews with bricklayers, foremen, planners, developers, and homebuyers in England, Felicity Cannell traces the embedded meanings of a mundane, ubiquitous artefact, and reveals the tensions and contradictions in today’s use of brick to signify the traditional home. Although easing the planning process and leading to quick sales, the way brick is used in mass market housing today considerably restricts its capacities, notably decoration, flexibility, and strength: the very qualities which have historically positioned this tremendously versatile material as the superlative building block. Overall, the book adds complexity to the study of home and prompts debate about why we build the way we do.
Covers three important aspects of smart cities i.e., healthcare, smart communication and information, and smart transportation technologies Discusses on various security aspects of medical documents and the data preserving mechanisms Provides better solution using IoT techniques for healthcare, transportation, and communication systems Includes the implementation example, various datasets, experimental results, and simulation procedures Offers solution for various disease prediction systems with intelligent techniques
This book is available as open access through the Bloomsbury Open Access programme and is available on www.bloomsburycollections.com. Fuel: An Ecocritical History is the first book to chart our changing attitudes to fuel and energy through the literature and culture of the modern era, focusing on the 18th-century to the present. Reading a wide range of writers from Blake, Austen and Dickens to Upton Sinclair and Edward Abbey, Heidi Scott explores how our move from a pre-industrial reliance on biomass and elemental energy sources to our current dependence on the fossil fuels of coal, oil and natural gas have fundamentally shaped human identity and culture. The book's Anthropocene perspective reshapes our view of energy history and climate change, and Fuel looks forward to ways in which we can reimagine our culture away from the fossil fuel paradigm towards a more sustainable energy future driven by renewable, elemental energy.
A complete update and revision of one of the Motley Fool’s best commercial real estate books Offers a step-by-step introduction to building and understanding the models underlying investments in properties from single family rentals to entire development projects Ideal reading for courses in real estate financial modeling; asset valuation; property investment, development, and finance; commercial real estate investments and more Provides a much-needed resource for learners at any stage of their real estate careers Includes expanded coverage of waterfalls and other cutting-edge investment trends
Toxicology in Antiquity provides an authoritative and fascinating exploration into the use of toxins and poisons in antiquity. It brings together the two previously published shorter volumes on the topic, as well as adding considerable new information. Part of the History of Toxicology and Environmental Health series, it covers key accomplishments, scientists, and events in the broad field of toxicology, including environmental health and chemical safety. This first volume sets the tone for the series and starts at the very beginning, historically speaking, with a look at toxicology in ancient times. The book explains that before scientific research methods were developed, toxicology thrived as a very practical discipline. People living in ancient civilizations readily learned to distinguish safe substances from hazardous ones, how to avoid these hazardous substances, and how to use them to inflict harm on enemies. It also describes scholars who compiled compendia of toxic agents. New chapters in this edition focus chiefly on evidence for the use of toxic agents derived from religious texts.
In this comprehensive updated introduction to animal ethics, Lori Gruen weaves together poignant and provocative case studies with discussions of ethical theory, urging readers to engage critically and reflect empathetically on our relationships with other animals. In clear and accessible language, Gruen discusses a range of issues central to human-animal relations and offers a reasoned new perspective on key debates in the field. She analyses and explains a range of theoretical positions and poses challenging questions that directly encourage readers to hone their ethical reasoning skills and to develop a defensible position about their own practices. Her book will be an invaluable resource for students in a wide range of disciplines including ethics, environmental studies, veterinary science, gender studies, and the emerging field of animal studies. The book is an engaging account of animal ethics for readers with no prior background in philosophy. |
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