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Books > Earth & environment > The environment > Applied ecology > General
Five stunningly large forests remain on Earth: the Taiga, extending from the Pacific Ocean across all of Russia and far-northern Europe; the North American boreal, ranging from Alaska's Bering seacoast to Canada's Atlantic shore; the Amazon, covering almost the entirety of South America's bulge; the Congo, occupying parts of six nations in Africa's wet equatorial middle; and the island forest of New Guinea, twice the size of California. These megaforests are vital to preserving global biodiversity, thousands of cultures, and a stable climate, as economist John W. Reid and celebrated biologist Thomas E. Lovejoy argue convincingly in Ever Green. Megaforests serve an essential role in decarbonizing the atmosphere-the boreal alone holds 1.8 trillion metric tons of carbon in its deep soils and peat layers, 190 years' worth of global emissions at 2019 levels-and saving them is the most immediate and affordable large-scale solution to our planet's most formidable ongoing crisis. Reid and Lovejoy offer practical solutions to address the biggest challenges these forests face, from vastly expanding protected areas, to supporting Indigenous forest stewards, to planning smarter road networks. In gorgeous prose that evokes the majesty of these ancient forests along with the people and animals who inhabit them, Reid and Lovejoy take us on an exhilarating global journey.
Regulatory impact assessment (RIA) is the main instrument used by governments and regulators to appraise the likely effects of their policy proposals. This pioneering Handbook provides a comparative and comprehensive account of this tool, situating it in the relevant theoretical traditions and scrutinizing its use across countries, policy sectors and policy instruments. Comprising six parts, university researchers, international consultants and practitioners working in international organizations examine regulatory impact assessment from many perspectives, which include: research traditions in the social sciences implementation, regulatory indicators and effects tools and dimensions such as courts and gender sectoral case studies including environment, enterprise and international development international diffusion in the European Union (EU), Americas, Asia and developing countries appraisal, training and education. With its wealth of detail and lessons to be learned, the Handbook of Regulatory Impact Assessment will undoubtedly be of great value to practitioners and scholars working in governance, political science and socio-legal studies. Contributors: C. Adelle, A. Alemanno, L. Allio, C. Arndt, F. Blanc, A. Bond, G. Bounds, P.G.H. Carroll, P. Coletti, F. De Francesco, C.A. Dunlop, M. Fazekas, O. Fritsch, F. Gains, J. Howell, S. Jacobs, A. Jordan, J.C. Kamkhaji, M. Karliuk, S.-J. Kim, T.-Y. Kim, C. Kirkpatrick, I. Lianos, D. Macrae, A.C.M. Meuwese, G. Ottimofiore, J.R. Palmer, D. Parker, A. Peci, C.M. Radaelli, A. Renda, D. Russel, L. Schrefler, J.A. Schwartz, W.R. Sheate, J. Torriti, J. Turnpenny, S. van Voorst, E. Vecchione, W.F. West
This important text develops an institutional response to the core issues raised in public policy making and develops a distinct understanding of the role of institutions, not least in the study of environmental problems. It questions: how are conflicting interests shaped and taken into account in policy making? How should they be accounted for? What motivates the behaviour of firms and individuals, and how is it possible to change these motivations to produce the favoured common outcomes? The author addresses these questions by integrating elements from classical institutional economics, neoclassical economics, sociology and ecological economics. He argues that public policy in general, and environmental policy in particular, are best examined from an institutional perspective. In this way the author presents a distinct and consistent alternative to standard neoclassical economics for students and scholars who are interested in an institutional understanding of environmental policy making. The book is written in a clear and accessible style with boxes and figures to help explain the issues and, as such, would be an ideal alternative or supplement to the standard environmental economics texts.
Indigenous knowledge has become a catchphrase in global struggles
for environmental justice. Yet indigenous knowledges are often
viewed, incorrectly, as pure and primordial cultural artifacts.
This collection draws from African and North American cases to
argue that the forms of knowledge identified as "indigenous"
resulted from strategies to control environmental resources during
and after colonial encounters.
This study addresses the many initiatives to decrease industrial pollution emitting from the Pechenganikel plant in the northwestern corner of Russia during the final years of the Soviet Union, and examines the wider implications for the state of pollution control in the Arctic today. By examining the efforts of Soviet industry and government agencies, Finnish and Swedish officials, and Norwegian environmental authorities to curb industrial pollution in the region, this book offers an environmental history of the Arctic as well as a transnational, geopolitical history.
This book is presented to demonstrate how energy efficiency can be achieved in existing systems or in the design of a new system, as well as a guide for energy savings opportunities. Accordingly, the content of the book has been enriched with many examples applied in the industry. Thus, it is aimed to provide energy savings by successfully managing the energy in the readers' own businesses. The authors primarily present the necessary measurement techniques and measurement tools to be used for energy saving, as well as how to evaluate the methods that can be used for improvements in systems. The book also provides information on how to calculate the investments to be made for these necessary improvements and the payback periods. The book covers topics such as: * Reducing unit production costs by ensuring the reduction of energy costs, * Efficient and quality energy use, * Meeting market needs while maintaining competitive conditions, * Ensuring the protection of the environment by reducing CO2 and CO emissions with energy saving and energy efficiency, * Ensuring the correct usage of systems by carrying out energy audits. In summary, this book explains how to effectively design energy systems and manage energy to increase energy savings. In addition, the study has been strengthened by giving some case studies and their results in the fields of intensive energy consumption in industry. This book is an ideal resource for practitioners, engineers, researchers, academics, employees and investors in the fields of energy, energy management, energy efficiency and energy saving.
"The fourth sector" is a relatively new sector that consists of for-benefit organizations that combine market-based approaches of the private sector with the social and environmental aims of the public and non-profit sectors. This book examines trends of entrepreneurship in the fourth sector, describes specific ecosystems fostering new ventures around the world, and characterizes the most common and innovative business models. It covers as well the main effects, among others, of technological change, innovation, and institutional behavior on the sector in the last years.
Is corporate social responsibility (CSR) a universal idea? Is the same exact definition of CSR relevant for any organization, regardless of context? Or would such a definition need to be adapted to fit different types of organizations, in different cultures, industries and sectors? This book discusses how CSR should preferably be practiced. The expert authors share their knowledge on whether a broad definition of CSR can be practiced as is or if it first has to undergo changes to suit the context. The leading group of contributors argues that anyone wishing to adopt the CSR idea in their organization needs to take the context into account and, thus, find a version of CSR that fits the specific industry, sector, national culture, religion and so on, in which the organization exists. The book discusses the universality of CSR and includes a comparison of the relevance of a broad, general definition of CSR for organizations in contexts such as Buddhism and Islam, developing countries and the food processing, shipping and pharmaceutical industries. Guidelines for conducting studies on the examination of the relevance of CSR for organizations in any particular generalized context are also provided. Academics, students and practitioners involved in the fresh field of CSR will find this an essential resource. Contributors include: A. Ahmad, T. Aroni, A. Athanasopoulou, F. Azmat, W.L. Chan, J.E.-T. Cheah, D.K. Davidson, I. Fafaliou, S. Goerpe, P. Gottschalk, G.M. Hall, J.M. Hansen, M. Z. Haque, S.-w. Hsu, D. Jamali, C. Karam, M. Lekakou, L. Montanheiro, B. OEksuz, A. OErtenblad, P. Perry, P. Reinmoeller, J.W. Selsky, E. Stefanidaki, I. Theotokas, W. Visser, J. Weikert
Ecology has become one of the most urgent and lively fields in both the humanities and sciences. In a dramatic widening of scope beyond its original concern with the coexistence of living organisms within a natural environment, it is now recognized that there are ecologies of mind, information, sensation, perception, power, participation, media, behavior, belonging, values, the social, the political... a thousand ecologies. This proliferation is not simply a metaphorical extension of the figurative potential of natural ecology: rather, it reflects the thoroughgoing imbrication of natural and technological elements in the constitution of the contemporary environments we inhabit, the rise of a cybernetic natural state, with its corresponding mode of power. Hence this ecology of ecologies initiates and demands that we go beyond the specificity of any particular ecology: a general thinking of ecology which may also constitute an ecological transformation of thought itself is required. In this ambitious and radical new volume of writings, some of the most exciting contemporary thinkers in the field take on the task of revealing and theorizing the extent of the ecologization of existence as the effect of our contemporary sociotechnological condition: together, they bring out the complexity and urgency of the challenge of ecological thought-one we cannot avoid if we want to ask and indeed have a chance of affecting what forms of life, agency, modes of existence, human or otherwise, will participate-and how-in this planet's future.
Technological change plays a crucial role in realizing energy efficiency improvements and, therefore, in ameliorating the conflict between economic growth and environmental quality. However, the diffusion of new technologies can prove a costly and lengthy process, meaning that many firms do not invest in best-practice technologies. The author offers important new explanations for this energy-efficiency paradox. This volume contributes to a better understanding of the interplay between economic growth, energy use and technological change, with particular emphasis on the adoption and diffusion of energy-saving technologies. In the theoretical section, the author examines how several characteristics of technological change and environmental policy affect the dynamics of technology choice. He demonstrates how technological complementarity, learning processes and uncertainty can help explain why the innovation and diffusion of new technologies is such a protracted and complex procedure. The empirical section explores long-run trends in energy and labour productivity performance, as well as patterns of substitutability and technological change across a range of OECD countries. The book concludes by integrating the results in an applied policy model of economy-energy interaction. This book is unique in applying insights from different perspectives to the field of energy economics, and by focusing on the diffusion of energy-saving technologies rather than their innovation. It will be of immense value to academics and policymakers with an interest in energy economics, environmental economics and the interaction between economic growth and natural resources.
Old men used to sit in corner stores and discuss business, work, and politics. Women used to come together and talk about the men as they took care of the home and children, or even more recently as a part of the workforce. Today, however, politics is a shunned topic, and conversation is all but dead. It is difficult to stay informed and talk with each other about life and politics. It is even more difficult to stay informed on a technical topic such as energy and something as double-sided as politics. Yet it is imperative that people stay informed and well-connected to direct their government. This book shows how the government (President, House and Senate, left and right) have destroyed the energy industry, taxed the middle class, and prevented well thinking, regular folks from solving our energy supply crisis. This book has thirty-three charts and graphs, most from bi-partisan or independent government sources to make a case for less government involvement in the energy industry. There are some astonishing revelations and a compelling case for reducing air emissions by 60 percent and creating jobs at the same time by building a particular type of new generation. This is a compelling argument that has never been presented before. I hope you enjoy the read.
When international agreements fail to solve global problems like climate change, transnational networks attempt to address them by implementing global ideaspolicies and best practices negotiated at the global levellocally around the world. Grassroots Global Governance not only explains why some efforts succeed and others fail, but also why the process of implementing global ideas locally causes these ideas to evolve. Drawing on nodal governance theory, the book shows how transnational actors success in putting global ideas into practice depends on the framing and network capacity-building strategies they use to activate networks of grassroots actors influential in local social and policy arenas. Grassroots actors neither accept nor reject global ideas as presented by outsiders. Instead, they negotiate whether and how to adapt them to fit local conditions. This contestation produces experimentation, and results in unique institutional applications of global ideas infused with local norms and practices. Grassroots actors ultimately guide this process due to their unique ability to provide the pressure needed to push the process forward. Experiments that endure are perceived as successful, empowering those actors involved to activate transnational networks to scale up and diffuse innovative local governance models globally. These models carry local norms and practices to the international level where they challenge existing global approaches and stimulate new global governance institutions. By guiding the way global ideas evolve through local experimentation, grassroots actors reshape international actors thinking, discourse, organizing, and the strategies they pursue globally. This makes them grassroots global governors. To demonstrate this, the book compares transnational efforts to implement local Integrated Watershed Management programs across Ecuador and shows how local experiments altered the global debate regarding sustainable development and stimulated a new global movement dedicated to changing the way sustainable development is practiced. In doing so, the book reveals the grassroots level as not merely the object of global governance, but rather a terrain where global governance is constructed.
This book addresses the status quo of Corporate Social Responsibility practices and their development since 2008. How have things changed in the practice of CSR? What new opportunities and challenges have arisen? The book reports on an international set of cases and case studies on how CSR is practiced at business and organizations in various countries. It analyzes country-specific and industry-specific issues, as well as general global issues in connection with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. The contributions gathered here provide comprehensive information on CSR for both practitioners and researchers around the globe.
Winner of the 2017 Paul Sweezy Marxist Sociology Book Award from the American Sociological Association Although humans have long depended on oceans and aquatic ecosystems for sustenance and trade, only recently has human influence on these resources dramatically increased, transforming and undermining oceanic environments throughout the world. Marine ecosystems are in a crisis that is global in scope, rapid in pace, and colossal in scale. In The Tragedy of the Commodity, sociologists Stefano B. Longo, Rebecca Clausen, and Brett Clark explore the role human influence plays in this crisis, highlighting the social and economic forces that are at the heart of this looming ecological problem. In a critique of the classic theory “the tragedy of the commons†by ecologist Garrett Hardin, the authors move beyond simplistic explanations—such as unrestrained self-interest or population growth—to argue that it is the commodification of aquatic resources that leads to the depletion of fisheries and the development of environmentally suspect means of aquaculture. To illustrate this argument, the book features two fascinating case studies—the thousand-year history of the bluefin tuna fishery in the Mediterranean and the massive Pacific salmon fishery. Longo, Clausen, and Clark describe how new fishing technologies, transformations in ships and storage capacities, and the expansion of seafood markets combined to alter radically and permanently these crucial ecosystems. In doing so, the authors underscore how the particular organization of social production contributes to ecological degradation and an increase in the pressures placed upon the ocean. The authors highlight the historical, political, economic, and cultural forces that shape how we interact with the larger biophysical world. A path-breaking analysis of overfishing, The Tragedy of the Commodity yields insight into issues such as deforestation, biodiversity loss, pollution, and climate change.Â
Drawing together understandings from science and business around the increasingly important concept of resilience, this book provides managers, academics and practitioners with important ideas that will help business prepare for the future. It provides much needed detail on the challenges that climate change poses for organisations and makes essential reading for anyone interested in sustainable business.' - Suzanne Benn, University of Technology, Sydney, AustraliaClimate change has had a significant impact globally, predominantly for those vulnerable to its influence. The first book of its kind, The Climate Resilient Organization assesses the issues that have mounted for decision-makers in the field, while providing strategies to tackle them. With a particular focus on building climate-resilient pathways for private sector organizations, the expert authors offer practical tools and decision-making criteria for evaluating adaptation needs, costs and benefits. Split into two parts, this book begins with an analysis of the subject on a global scale; it continues by translating the science surrounding it while presenting it in a manner suited to local decision-makers. Sustainability and climate adaptation scholars as well as managers will equally find this book to be an insightful read. Government officers and risk management professionals will also find the topics discussed beneficial to their work.
Industrial ecology is coming of age and this superb book brings together leading scholars to present a state-of-the-art overviews of the subject. Each part of the book comprehensively covers the following issues in a systematic style: * the goals and achievements of industrial ecology and the history of the field * methodology, covering the main approaches to analysis and assessment * economics and industrial ecology * industrial ecology at the national/regional level * industrial ecology at the sectoral/materials level * applications and policy implications. The authors are all experts at the cutting edge of the field and the bibliography alone will prove useful as a comprehensive guide to the literature. This outstanding handbook will be an indispensable reference for students and scholars working in environmental management, industrial ecology and environmental and ecological studies.
Tropical islands are fragile, vulnerable environments and yet they are coming under increasing strain due to coastal developments and global environmental change. As a result of their remote location, small size and limited natural resource endowments, tourism has become an important economic activity, leading to emerging conflicts between the interests of developers, tourists and residents. Whilst much has been written about tourism-related development in tropical islands from a socio-cultural and economic point of view, the political ecology of environmental change has received surprisingly little attention. Political ecology is a powerful tool with which to investigate the role and interests of different actors in the process of environmental change, and this highly original volume represents a first ever study of tourism and tropical island development employing this novel but effective approach. Central to the argument is the belief that environmental problems cannot properly be understood without considering their economic and political context. The political ecology focus allows the authors to compare a wide range of tropical islands and to identify more sustainable development paths. They are also able to analyse the role of the various actors involved in the tourism development versus environmental change debate such as the state, international organizations, the tourism industry, local communities and non-governmental organizations. The continued growth of tourism will undoubtedly cause greater environmental problems. This book makes a major contribution toward understanding and solving these conflicts, particularly in those islands where the problems are most pressing. It will be required reading for students, researchers and academics of tourism, service management, geography, environmental studies, human ecology and economic development.
Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), the spotted wing drosophila (SWD), is the most important pest affecting berry crop production worldwide. The global fresh fruit trade, coupled with the ability of the larvae to hide inside the fruit undetected until after transportation, facilitate their distribution. SWD is native to Asia, but is increasingly found in other regions: occurrences have been recorded in the Americas and Europe, and Africa, and the insects have the potential to adapt and become established in Oceania. Gathering the experiences of leading scientists in the management of D. suzukii around the globe, the book addresses D. suzukii monitoring; biological, chemical and cultural control; sterile insect technique (SIT); integrated pest management (IPM), and other control methods. It also discusses the use of drones, GPS, biotechnology, telemetry and other technological tools to make the management of this pest more efficient and accurate. As such, it is a valuable resource for scientists, professionals and students.
As the importance of corporate social responsibility grows, especially environmental responsibility, it is imperative to acknowledge the impact of the individual on a company's environmental performance. Given that individuals spend much of their day in the workplace, it is crucial to understand both their behaviours and the potential impact they can have on the company's environmental performance and the environment. Bringing together leading academics from various research fields, this Handbook examines the features and challenges within the area of employee pro-environmental behaviour. The Research Handbook on Employee Pro-Environmental Behaviour brings contributions that consolidate existing research in the field as well as adding new insights from organisational psychology, human resource management and social marketing. Drawing on studies from across the methodological spectrum, this Handbook covers a broad range of topics from the antecedents and consequences of employee pro-environmental behaviour to ways in which employers can encourage pro-environmental behaviour. This Handbook will be an invaluable tool for those engaged in research in employee environmental behaviour and sustainability. It will be especially useful for postgraduate students of environmental employee behaviour as well as environmental consultants and practitioners seeking to gain an understanding of employee behaviour. Contributors include: B. Asfar, N. Ashkanasy, W. Binney, M. Bissing-Olson, F. Bowen, P. Bradley, L. Brennan, J. Callewaert, Y.H. Cheung, C. Ciocirlan, M. Davis, S. Dilchert, C. Dutra, P. Endrejat, S. Fudge, B. Gatersleben, D. Gregory-Smith, A. Guntner, R. Hahn, S. Kauffeld, R. Klein, F. Klonek, M. Leach, A. Leung, S. Lockrey, D. Manika, R. Marans, N. Murtagh, T. Norton, D. Ones, F. Ostertag, P. Paille, S. Parker, A. Ruepert, S. Russell, I. Shah, A. Shahjahan, W. Staples, L. Steg, T. Tudor, D. Uzzell, C. Verfuerth, K. Verghese, V. Wells, B. Wiernik, L. Yang, H. Zacher
This is a thoroughly revised and updated edition of an authoritative introduction to ecological modelling. Sven Erik Jorgensen, Editor-in-Chief of the journal Ecological Modelling, and Giuseppe Bendoricchio, Professor of Environmental Modelling at the University of Padova, Italy, offer compelling insights into the subject. This volume explains the concepts and processes involved in ecological modelling, presents the latest developments in the field and provides readers with the tools to construct their own models.
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