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Books > Earth & environment > The environment > Conservation of the environment > General
Confronting harsh ecological realities and the multiple cascading
crises facing our world today, An Inconvenient Apocalypse argues
that humanity’s future will be defined not by expansion but by
contraction. For decades, our world has understood that we are on
the brink of an apocalypse—and yet the only implemented solutions
have been small and convenient, feel-good initiatives that avoid
unpleasant truths about the root causes of our impending disaster.
Wes Jackson and Robert Jensen argue that we must reconsider the
origins of the consumption crisis and the challenges we face in
creating a survivable future. Longstanding assumptions about
economic growth and technological progress—the dream of a future
of endless bounty—are no longer tenable. The climate crisis has
already progressed beyond simple or nondisruptive solutions. The
end result will be apocalyptic; the only question now is how bad it
will be. Jackson and Jensen examine how geographic determinism
shaped our past and led to today’s social injustice, consumerist
culture, and high-energy/high-technology dystopias. The solution
requires addressing today’s systemic failures and confronting
human nature by recognizing the limits of our ability to predict
how those failures will play out over time. Though these massive
challenges can feel overwhelming, Jackson and Jensen weave a
secular reading of theological concepts—the prophetic, the
apocalyptic, a saving remnant, and grace—to chart a collective,
realistic path for humanity not only to survive our apocalypse but
also to emerge on the other side with a renewed appreciation of the
larger living world.
John Hannigan's definitive textbook offers a distinctive, balanced
coverage of environmental issues, policies and action. This revised
fourth edition has been expanded and fully updated to explore
contemporary developments and issues within global environmental
sociology. Environmental Sociology reconciles Hannigan's widely
cited model of the social construction of environmental problems
and controversies, which states that incipient environmental issues
must be identified, researched, promoted and persuasively argued in
the form of "claims", with an environmental justice perspective
that stresses inequality and threats to local communities. For
example, this new edition explores the interconnections between
indigenous communities and environmental activists via a study of
the difficult relationship between Aboriginal people and
environmentalists in Australia. The updated fourth edition also
discusses new direct action protest groups, such as Extinction
Rebellion, who have reframed the discourse around the "climate
emergency" using apocalyptic language and imagery. Environmental
Sociology also signposts exciting new directions for future
research. The fourth edition re-interrogates the classical roots of
environmental theory with a focus of the work of Alexander von
Humboldt. Hannigan also asserts the need for environmental
sociologists to turn their attention to "The Forgotten Ocean",
arguing that the discipline should incorporate cutting-edge
concepts such as marine justice, striated space and volumetrics.
Environmental Sociology is a key text for students and researchers
in environmental studies, political ecology, social geography and
environmental sociology.
Get submerged in the amazing world of sharks! Your expert host,
award-winning marine biologist Dr. David Shiffman, will show you
how-and why-we should protect these mysterious, misunderstood
guardians of the ocean. Sharks are some of the most fascinating,
most ecologically important, most threatened, and most
misunderstood animals on Earth. More often feared than revered,
their role as predators of the deep have earned them a reputation
as a major threat to humans. But the truth is that sharks are not a
danger to us-they're in danger from us. In Why Sharks Matter,
marine conservation biologist Dr. David Shiffman explains why it's
crucial that we overcome our misconceptions and rise above
cinematic jump scares to embrace sharks as the imperiled and
elegant ocean guardians they really are. Sharing his own
fascinating experiences working with sharks, Shiffman tells us *
why healthy shark populations are a must for supporting ocean
ecosystems-and the coastal economies that depend on them * why
we're in danger of losing many shark species forever * what
scientists, conservationists, and readers can do to help save these
iconic predators * why so much of what you've heard about sharks
and how to save them is wrong Exploring the core tenets of shark
conservation science and policy, Shiffman synthesizes decades of
scientific research and policymaking, weaving it into a narrative
full of humor and adventure. Touching on everything from Shark Week
to shark fin soup, overfishing to marine sanctuaries, Shiffman
reveals why sharks are in trouble, why we should care, and how we
can save them. Perfect for shark enthusiasts, Why Sharks Matter is
an approachable, informative guide to the world of shark
conservation and the passionate, fascinating, brilliant people who
work to understand and protect our oceans. This fun read will have
you looking at sharks with a fresh perspective and an understanding
that the survival of sharks is crucial to the survival of another
apex predator-ourselves.
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Fly-Fishing
(Paperback)
Christopher Schaberg
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R459
R412
Discovery Miles 4 120
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In Fly-Fishing, Christopher Schaberg ponders his lifetime pursuit
of the widely mythologized art of fly-fishing. From the Michigan
lakeshore where he learned to fish to casting flies in a New
Orleans bayou, Schaberg sketches landscapes and fish habitats and
shows how fly-fishing allows him to think about coexisting with
other species. It offers Schaberg a much-needed source of humility,
social isolation, connection with nature, and a reminder of
environmental degradation. Rather than centering fishing on
trophies, conquest, and travel, he advocates for a "small-fishing"
that values catching the diminutive fish near one's home.
Introspective and personal, Fly-Fishing demonstrates how Schaberg's
obsession indelibly shapes how he understands and lives in the
wider world.
What is heritage? When was it invented? What is its place in the
world today? What is its place tomorrow? Heritage is all around us:
millions belong to its organisations, tens of thousands volunteer
for it, and politicians pay lip service to it. When the Victorians
began to employ the term in something approaching the modern sense,
they applied it to cathedrals, castles, villages and certain
landscapes. Since then a multiplicity of heritage labels have
arisen, cultural and commercial, tangible and intangible - for just
as every era has its notion of heritage, so does every social
group, and every generation. In Heritage, James Stourton focuses on
elements of our cultural and natural environment that have been
deliberately preserved: the British countryside and national parks,
buildings such as Blenheim Palace and Tattersall Castle, and the
works of art inside them. He charts two heroic periods of
conservation - the 1880s and the 1960s - and considers whether
threats of wealth, rampant development and complacency are similar
in the present day. Heritage is both a story of crisis and profound
change in public perception, and one of hope and regeneration.
Scattered across the Scottish Highlands are the last surviving
remnants of the Caledonian forest which have survived, naturally
seeding and growing since the last ice age. Visiting these ancient
woods provides an emotional connection to the past with visible
traces of the people who lived and worked there over the centuries.
There is also a chance to look forward, after one of the greatest
conservation success stories means a new future for the pinewoods
and their spectacular wildlife. This journey to the pinewoods
offers a natural spectacle alongside a rich cultural heritage.
Lavishly illustrated with many colour photographs, maps, and
drawings by wildlife artist Darren Rees.
'A wonderfully personal evocation of the joys, hard work and
meaning of creating a wood for wildlife, written with sensitivity
and care. A delightful read.' Stephen Moss, author of The Robin: A
Biography Over twenty years ago, Ruth Pavey bought four acres of
scrub woodland above the Somerset Levels and set out to improve the
lush haven for birds, insects and all manner of wildlife. Beneath
the shade of the trees she spent two decades planting, she now
reflects on the fate of her wood. As steward, she has witnessed
nature's forces shifting and the abundance of species dwindling
rapidly. When the rabbits suddenly vanished, she knew it was time
to take a closer look at the undergrowth and what she could do to
preserve the legacy of the wood for generations to come. Deeper
Into the Wood recounts a year in the life of an amateur naturalist
working with wildlife experts to interpret the language of the
land. Ruth's hand-drawn illustrations accompany her lyrical prose,
which demonstrates an appreciation for the local people and their
history. This is one woman's story of inspiration, conservation,
and a love of place. ***PRAISE FOR DEEPER INTO THE WOOD*** 'A rare
treat of a book that warms as it informs and leads us deep into the
character of one small pocket of England. Ruth Pavey writes with
wit, passion and precious little sentimentality.' Tristan Gooley,
author of The Secret World of Weather 'Wonderful... how love for a
small woodland and respect for its local history can enhance
wildlife and enrich the human spirit.' Nick Davies, author of
Cuckoo: Cheating by Nature 'Ruth Pavey spins a delicate web between
the many branches of her little Somerset wood. Her closely observed
changes of wildlife and the changing seasons, echo a growing
awareness and concern for life on Earth itself. The author's growth
and metamorphosis into an amateur naturalist who has learnt to read
the language of trees is profoundly inspirational.' Gabriel Hemery,
author of The New Sylva 'Inquisitive and generous. Pavey shares the
love of her wood, past and present, through a fascinating weave of
its natural and cultural histories. This book is as companionable
as it is interesting. Patrick Baker, author of The Unremembered
Places
A straightforward and fact-based exploration of how weather
happens, how it relates to climate, and how science answers major
questions about Earth as a system  Climate change is one of
the most hotly contested environmental topics of our day. To answer
criticisms and synthesize available information, scientists have
been driven to devise increasingly complex models of the climate
system. This book conveys that the basics of climate and climate
change have been known for decades, and that relatively simple
descriptions can capture the major features of the climate system
and help the general public understand what controls climate and
weather, and how both might be changing. Â Renowned
environmental scientist and educator John D. Aber distills what he
has learned from a long fascination with weather and climate, the
process of science, and the telling of the story of science. This
is not a book about policies and politics. Instead, it explores how
weather happens, how it relates to climate, and how science has
been used to answer major questions about the Earth as a system and
inform policies that have reversed environmental degradation. By
providing a guided tour of the science of weather, this thoughtful
survey will contribute clarity and rationality to the public
understanding of climate change.
'Vanessa Nakate continues to teach a most critical lesson. She
reminds us that while we may all be in the same storm, we are not
all in the same boat.' Greta Thunberg 'An indispensable voice for
our future.' Malala Yousafzai 'A powerful global voice.' Angelina
Jolie No matter your age, location or skin colour, you can be an
effective activist. Devastating flooding, deforestation, extinction
and starvation. These are the issues that not only threaten in the
future, they are a reality. After witnessing some of these issues
first-hand, Vanessa Nakate saw how the world's biggest polluters
are asleep at the wheel, ignoring the Global South where the
effects of climate injustice are most fiercely felt. Inspired by a
shared vision of hope, Vanessa's commanding political voice demands
attention for the biggest issue of our time and, in this rousing
manifesto for change, shows how you can join her to protect our
planet now and for the future. Vanessa realised the importance of
her place in the climate movement after she, the only Black
activist in an image with four white Europeans, was cropped out of
a press photograph at Davos in 2020. This example illustrates how
those who will see the biggest impacts of the climate crisis are
repeatedly omitted from the conversation. As she explains, 'We are
on the front line, but we are not on the front page.' Without A
Bigger Picture, you're missing the full story on climate change.
provides an introduction to a new approach to watershed management
practice entitled ecohydrology-based landscape restoration puts
forward principles for improving current practices will be of great
interest to students and scholars of water resource management,
ecohydrology and landscape restoration as well as professionals
involved in the restoration of landscapes in developing countries.
A definitive and richly illustrated guide to the botanically unique
area of Upper Teesdale in England’s County Durham To anyone who
loves the wild flowers of Great Britain and Ireland, there are some
places that beckon time and again, such as The Lizard in Cornwall,
The Burren in Ireland’s County Clare and Ben Lawers in
Perthshire, Scotland. Upper Teesdale in England’s County Durham
must, however, be included among these jewels of our botanical
heritage. This locality, which is within sight of the highest point
of the Pennines, has an outstanding and special flora that has been
shaped by its altitude, land-use patterns and diverse geology. Many
of the plants found here are rare and localized, while others are
more common and widespread, but together they form the botanically
unique Teesdale Assemblage. For this reason, Upper Teesdale is a
hotspot for botanists. It is also a scenically beautiful area,
located within easy reach of the industrial heartlands of the
north-east, and is much visited by walkers and tourists. This book
offers visitors unique insights about this area and its botanical
riches. Presents the first account to cover together the places,
plants and people of this special area Features more than 330
stunning photographs Includes detailed profiles of 96 plants that
make up the Teesdale Assemblage Offers a history of Teesdale’s
botanical exploration and describes the people who live, work and
study plants there today Provides an overview of environmental
threats and what is required to ensure a sustainable future
The contributors to Kin draw on the work of anthropologist Deborah
Bird Rose (1946-2018), a foundational voice in environmental
humanities, to examine the relationships of interdependence and
obligation between human and nonhuman lives. Through a close
engagement over many decades with the Aboriginal communities of
Yarralin and Lingara in northern Australia, Rose's work explored
possibilities for entangled forms of social and environmental
justice. She sought to bring the insights of her Indigenous
teachers into dialogue with the humanities and the natural sciences
to describe and passionately advocate for a world of kin grounded
in a profound sense of the connectivities and relationships that
hold us together. Kin's contributors take up Rose's conceptual
frameworks, often pushing academic fields beyond their traditional
objects and methods of study. Together, the essays do more than pay
tribute to Rose's scholarship; they extend her ideas and underscore
her ongoing critical and ethical relevance for a world still
enduring and resisting ecocide and genocide. Contributors. The
Bawaka Collective, Matthew Chrulew, Colin Dayan, Linda Payi Ford,
Donna Haraway, James Hatley, Owain Jones, Stephen Muecke, Kate
Rigby, Catriona (Cate) Sandilands, Isabelle Stengers, Anna Tsing,
Thom van Dooren, Kate Wright
This important new book is an indispensable guide to the
development and implementation of environmental policy. It presents
authoritative analyses and state-of-the-art summaries which will be
essential both to scholars and practitioners trying to keep abreast
of the most recent developments in this fast changing field.The
book sheds new light on two areas of environmental policy -
liability law and enforcement - which are experiencing dramatic
change. It shows how economic analysis can provide useful and
meaningful insights about subjects such as criminal penalties,
private enforcement, liability for oil spills, tort remedies, and
lender liability which have hitherto only been considered by
lawyers. Drawing on the latest advances in both economics and law,
it critically assesses how the most recent innovations in liability
law and enforcement are actually working in practice.
The surprising, fascinating, and remarkable ways that animals use
creativity to thrive in their habitats Most of us view animals
through a very narrow lens, seeing only bits and pieces of beings
that seem mostly peripheral to our lives. However, whether animals
are building a shelter, seducing a mate, or inventing a new game,
animals' creative choices affect their social, cultural, and
environmental worlds. The Creative Lives of Animals offers readers
intimate glimpses of creativity in the lives of animals, from
elephants to alligators to ants. Drawing on a growing body of
scientific research, Carol Gigliotti unpacks examples of creativity
demonstrated by animals through the lens of the creative process,
an important component of creative behavior, and offers new
thinking on animal intelligence, emotion, and self-awareness. With
examples of the elaborate dams built by beavers or the lavishly
decorated bowers of bowerbirds, Gigliotti provides a new
perspective on animals as agents in their own lives, as valuable
contributors to their world and ours, and as guides in
understanding how creativity may contribute to conserving the
natural world. Presenting a powerful argument for the importance of
recognizing animals as individuals and as creators of a healthy,
biodiverse world, this book offers insights into both the
established and emerging questions about the creativity of animals.
The Boatman gives readers a Thoreau for the Anthropocene epoch. As
a backyard naturalist and river enthusiast, Thoreau was keenly
aware of the way humans had altered the waterways and meadows of
his beloved Concord River Valley. And he recognized that he
himself-a land surveyor by trade-was as complicit in these
transformations as the bankers, lawyers, builders, landowners, and
elected officials who were his clients. Robert Thorson tells a
compelling story of intellectual growth, as Thoreau moved from
anger, to lament, to acceptance of the way humans had changed the
river he cherished more than Walden Pond. In his twenties, Thoreau
had contemplated industrial sabotage against a downstream factory
dam. By the mid-1850s he realized that humans and an "imperfect"
nature were inseparable. His beliefs and scientific understanding
of the river would be challenged again when he was hired in 1859 as
a technical consultant for the River Meadow Association, in
America's first statewide case for dam removal-a veritable
class-action suit of more than five hundred petitioners that pitted
local farmers against industrialists. Thorson offers the most
complete account to date of this "flowage controversy," including
Thoreau's behind-the-scenes investigations and the political
corruption that eventually carried the day. In the years after the
publication of Walden (1854), the river boatman's joy in the
natural world was undiminished by the prospect of environmental
change. Increasingly, he sought out for solace and pleasure those
river sites most dramatically altered by human invention and
intervention-for better and worse.
Presenting a thorough examination of the sacred forests of Asia,
this volume engages with dynamic new scholarly dialogues on the
nature of sacred space, place, landscape, and ecology in the
context of the sharply contested ideas of the Anthropocene. Given
the vast geographic range of sacred groves in Asia, this volume
discusses the diversity of associated cosmologies, ecologies,
traditional local resource management practices, and environmental
governance systems developed during the pre-colonial, colonial, and
post-colonial periods. Adopting theoretical perspectives from
political ecology, the book views ecology and polity as
constitutive elements interacting within local, regional, and
global networks. Readers will find the very first systematic
comparative analysis of sacred forests that include the karchall
mabhuy of the Katu people of Central Vietnam, the leuweng kolot of
the Baduy people of West Java, the fengshui forests of southern
China, the groves to the goddess Sarna Mata worshiped by the Oraon
people of Jharkhand India, the mauelsoop and bibosoop of Korea, and
many more. Comprising in-depth, field-based case studies, each
chapter shows how the forest's sacrality must not be conceptually
delinked from its roles in common property regimes, resource
security, spiritual matters of ultimate concern, and cultural
identity. This volume will be of great interest to students and
scholars of indigenous studies, environmental anthropology,
political ecology, geography, religion and heritage, nature
conservation, environmental protection, and Asian studies.
A vibrant history of English landscape preservation over the last
150 years, told through the lives of four remarkable women Â
In Britain today, a mosaic of regulations protects the natural
environment and guarantees public access to green spaces. But this
was not always so. Over the last 150 years, activists have
campaigned tirelessly for the right to roam through the countryside
and the vital importance of preserving Britain’s natural beauty.
 Matthew Kelly traces the history of landscape preservation
through the lives of four remarkable women: Octavia Hill, Beatrix
Potter, Pauline Dower, and Sylvia Sayer. From the commons of London
to the Lake District, Northumberland, and Dartmoor, these women
protected the English landscape at a crucial period through a
mixture of environmental activism, networking, and sheer
determination. Â They grappled with the challenges that
urbanization and industrial modernity posed to human well-being as
well as the natural environment. By tirelessly seeking to reconcile
the needs of particular places to the broader public interest they
helped reimagine the purpose of the English countryside for the
democratic age.
Ecosystems and Nature brings together the work of leading
authorities in biodiversity research. It provides readers with a
broad interdisciplinary perspective on the major issues in
biodiversity, including economics, natural science, management and
ethics.The collection is divided into four main sections: part I
introduces some fundamental scientific and socio-economic concepts
and analysis in order to illustrate the complexities involved in
the human-ecosystems interface; part II deals with the valuation of
ecosystems with special emphasis on the main biomes, faults,
wetlands, marine systems, grasslands and agriculture; part III
covers the problem of value appropriation and the relevant
constraints and available policy instruments; the final section
focuses on the difficult ethical issues that surround utilization
and conservation of biodiversity.
An urgent account of the state of our oceans today—and what we
must do to protect them  The ocean sustains life on our
planet, from absorbing carbon to regulating temperatures, and, as
we exhaust the resources to be found on land, it is becoming
central to the global market. But today we are facing two urgent
challenges at sea: massive environmental destruction and spiraling
inequality in the ocean economy. Â Chris Armstrong reveals
how existing governing institutions are failing to respond to the
most pressing problems of our time, arguing that we must do better.
Armstrong examines these crises—from the fate of people whose
lands will be submerged by sea level rise to the exploitation of
people working in fishing to the rights of marine animals—and
makes the case for a powerful World Ocean Authority capable of
tackling them. A Blue New Deal presents a radical manifesto for
putting equality, democracy, and sustainability at the heart of
ocean politics.
This book provides a theoretical and empirical examination of the
links between environmental change, land grabbing, and migration,
drawing on research conducted in Senegal and Cambodia. While the
impacts of environmental change on migration and of environmental
discourses on land grabs have received increased attention, the
role of both environmental and migration narratives in shaping
migration by modifying access to natural resources has remained
under-explored. Using a variegated geopolitical ecology framework
and a comparative global ethnographic approach, this book analyses
the power of mainstream adaptation and security frameworks and how
they impact the lives of marginalised and vulnerable communities in
Senegal and Cambodia. Findings across the cases show how
environmental and migration narratives, linked to adaptation and
security discourses, have been deployed advertently or
inadvertently to justify land capture, leading to interventions
that often increase, rather than alleviate, the very pressures that
they intend to address. The interrelations between these issues are
inherent to the tensions that exist, in different contexts and at
different times, between capital accumulation and political
legitimation. The findings of the book point to the urgency for
researchers and policymakers to address the structural causes, and
not the symptoms, of both environmental destruction and forced
migration. It shows how acting upon environmental change, land
grabs, and migration in isolated or binary manners can increase,
rather than alleviate, pressures on those most
socio-environmentally vulnerable. This book will be of interest to
students, scholars, and practitioners working on the topics of land
and resource grabbing and environmental change and migration. The
book will also be of interest to those analysing political ecology
transitions in Africa and Asia, as well as to those interested in
novel theoretical and methodological frameworks.
The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) has been off-limits to human
habitation for nearly seventy years, and in that time, biodiverse
forms of life have flourished in and around the DMZ as
beneficiaries of an unresolved war. In Making Peace with Nature
Eleana J. Kim shows how a closer examination of the DMZ in South
Korea reveals that the area's biodiversity is inseparable from
scientific practices and geopolitical, capitalist, and ecological
dynamics. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork with ecologists,
scientists, and local residents, Kim focuses on irrigation ponds,
migratory bird flyways, and land mines in the South Korean DMZ
area, demonstrating how human and nonhuman ecologies interact and
transform in spaces defined by war and militarization. In so doing,
Kim reframes peace away from a human-oriented political or economic
peace and toward a more-than-human, biological peace. Such a peace
recognizes the reality of war while pointing to potential forms of
human and nonhuman relations.
*First Place Winner of the Society of Environmental Journalists'
Rachel Carson Environment Book Award* With urgency and wit, Tatiana
Schlossberg explains that far from being only a distant problem of
the natural world created by the fossil fuel industry, climate
change is all around us, all the time, lurking everywhere in our
convenience-driven society, all without our realizing it. By
examining the unseen and unconscious environmental impacts in four
areas-the Internet and technology, food, fashion, and fuel -
Schlossberg helps readers better understand why climate change is
such a complicated issue, and how it connects all of us: How
streaming a movie on Netflix in New York burns coal in Virginia;
how eating a hamburger in California might contribute to pollution
in the Gulf of Mexico; how buying an inexpensive cashmere sweater
in Chicago expands the Mongolian desert; how destroying forests
from North Carolina is necessary to generate electricity in
England. Cataloging the complexities and frustrations of our
carbon-intensive society with a dry sense of humor, Schlossberg
makes the climate crisis and its solutions interesting and relevant
to everyone who cares, even a little, about the planet. She
empowers readers to think about their stuff and the environment in
a new way, helping them make more informed choices when it comes to
the future of our world. Most importantly, this is a book about the
power we have as voters and consumers to make sure that the fight
against climate change includes all of us and all of our stuff, not
just industry groups and politicians. If we have any hope of
solving the problem, we all have to do it together. "A
compelling-and illuminating-look at how our daily habits impact the
environment."-Vanity Fair "If you're looking for something to cling
to in what often feels like a hopeless conversation, Schlossberg's
darkly humorous, knowledge-is-power, eyes-wide-open approach may be
just the thing."-Vogue "Shows how even the smallest decisions can
have profound environmental consequences."--The New York Times
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