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Books > Earth & environment > The environment > Pollution & threats to the environment
Global climate change cannot be understood without knowing the fundamental principles of science, economics, and politics that condition our policy choices. To that end, the contributors to this volume, experts in their respective fields, take a comprehensive look at the major issues involved. This volume is written for policymakers and informed citizenry who want to understand at a general level the complexities of global climate change without becoming enmeshed in technical minutia. The introduction emphasizes the core fact that climate change issues cut across disciplines. William Schlesinger and Gerald North explain the carbon cycle and how increased greenhouse gases impact temperature. The economics papers deal with the applicability of benefit/cost analysis and then proceed to examine the benefits of avoiding temperature change versus the costs of the various CO2 abatement options. Finally, David Victor, a Stanford political scientist, asks which policies are feasible in a world where the incentives differ dramatically among countries. The book closes with open letters to the President of the United States. Policymakers along with academics, students and any reader interested in a broad look at the important issues in the global climate change story will find this book indispensable.
The Kyoto Protocol has singularly failed to shape international environmental policy-making in the way that the earlier Montreal protocol did. Whereas Montreal placed reliance on the force of science and moralistic injunctions to save the planet, and successfully determined the international response to climate change, Kyoto has proved significantly more problematic. International Environmental Policy considers why this is the case. The authors contend that such arguments on this occasion proved inadequate to the task, not just because the core issues of the Kyoto process were subject to more powerful and conflicting interests than previously, and the science too uncertain, but because the science and moral arguments themselves remained too weak. They argue that 'global warming' is a failing policy construct because it has served to benefit limited but undeclared interests that were sustained by green beliefs rather than robust scientific knowledge. This highly topical book takes a frank look at the political motivations that underpin the global warming debate, and will appeal to political scientists and energy policy analysts as well as anyone with an interest in the future of the environment and in the policies we create to protect it.
Global warming is widely considered to be one of the most serious environmental problems for current and future generations. Moreover, the apparent failure of the Kyoto Protocol to effect a meaningful reduction in greenhouse gas emissions has increased the importance of economic research into new ways to control global warming. In this exhaustive study, the authors break new ground by integrating cutting edge insights on global warming from three different perspectives: game theory, cost-effectiveness analysis and public choice. For each perspective the authors provide an overview of important results, discuss the theoretical consistency of the models and assumptions, highlight the practical problems which are not yet captured by theory and explore the different applications to the various problems encountered in global warming. They demonstrate how each perspective has its own merits and weaknesses, and advocate an integrated approach as the best way forward. They also propose a research agenda for the future which encompasses the three methods to create a powerful tool for the analysis and resolution of global pollution problems. Surveying a large amount of literature and providing plentiful examples of potential applications, this extensive book combines three branches of economic research on global warming into one accessible volume. It will be widely read by students and scholars in environmental courses, environmental and resource economists, and those working in governmental and non-governmental organisations concerned with international environmental problems.
Despite three decades of scientists' warnings and
environmentalists' best efforts, the political will and public
engagement necessary to fuel robust action on global climate change
remain in short supply. Katharine K. Wilkinson shows that, contrary
to popular expectations, faith-based efforts are emerging and
strengthening to address this problem. In the US, perhaps none is
more significant than evangelical climate care.
This book takes a hemispheric approach to contemporary urban intervention, examining urban ecologies, communication technologies, and cultural practices in the twenty-first century. It argues that governmental and social regimes of control and forms of political resistance converge in speculation on disaster and that this convergence has formed a vision of urban environments in the Americas in which forms of play and imaginations of catastrophe intersect in the vertical field. Schifani explores a diverse range of resistant urban interventions, imagining the city as on the verge of or enmeshed in catastrophe. She also presents a model of ecocriticism that addresses aesthetic practices and forms of play in the urban environment. Tracing the historical roots of such tactics as well as mapping their hopes for the future will help the reader to locate the impacts of climate change not only on the physical space of the city, but also on the epistemological and aesthetic strategies that cities can help to engender. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of Urban Studies, Media Studies, American Studies, Global Studies, and the broad and interdisciplinary field of Environmental Humanities.
Emissions trading has become a central feature of global efforts to control climate change. Its inclusion in the Kyoto Protocol to the Framework Convention on Climate Change represents a victory for advocates of market-based instruments and builds upon twenty years of experience with trading schemes in the United States. However, the concept is controversial and attempts to introduce similar trading schemes in Europe have met with mixed results. This timely book provides a comprehensive overview of the theory and practice of emissions trading including the lessons learnt, the problems faced and the prospects for its extended use. It includes case studies of trading schemes in the US and Europe, and studies of international trading under the European acid rain regime. Problems of practical implementation, especially institutional feasibility and political acceptability, are given particular attention. The prospects for the international trading of greenhouse gases following the Kyoto Protocol are assessed, together with the potential conflict between emissions trading and established regulatory traditions. Pollution for Sale will be of great interest to policymakers, practitioners, researchers and students of environmental policy.
"Climate and Conservation" presents case studies from around the world of leading-edge projects focused on climate change adaptation - regional-scale endeavours where scientists, managers, and practitioners are working to protect biodiversity by protecting landscapes and seascapes in response to threats posed by climate change. The book begins with an introductory section that frames the issues and takes a systematic look at planning for climate change adaptation. The 19 chapters that follow examine particular case studies in every part of the world, including landscapes and seascapes from equatorial, temperate, montane, polar, and marine and freshwater regions. Projects profiled range from grasslands to boreal forests to coral reefs to Alpine freshwater environments. Chapter authors have extensive experience in their respective regions and are actively engaged in working on climate-related issues. The result is a collection of geographical case studies that allows for effective cross-comparison while at the same time recognising the uniqueness of each situation and locale. "Climate and Conservation" offers readers tangible, place-based examples of projects designed to protect large landscapes as a means of conserving biodiversity in the face of the looming threat of global climate change. It informs readers of how a diverse set of conservation actors have been responding to climate change at a scale that matches the problem, and is an essential contribution for anyone involved with large-scale biodiversity conservation.
'There are few scholarly books about climate change that take the issue of the distribution of its costs, and of the costs and benefits of its mitigation, as seriously as their absolute value. This is probably the best of those books that I have come across. Rigorously rooted in Gough's earlier work on theories of human need, the book is relentless in its pursuit of equity in respect of climate change and responses to it. Not everyone will agree with all its conclusions - for example that ''green capitalism merits the term contradiction'' - but they are unfailingly thought-provoking, as all good scholarship should be. Highly recommended.' - Paul Ekins, UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources, UK 'Gough applies his trademark scholarship on universal human needs to the urgent question of social policy for the transition to a de-carbonised world. Based on a clear-eyed analysis of a wide swathe of the social science literature, and an eco-social political economy perspective, his approach is both pragmatic and deeply rooted in ethics and social justice. Highly recommended and suitable for teaching at all levels.' - Juliet B. Schor, Boston College This exceptional book considers how far catastrophic global warming can be averted in an economic system that is greedy for growth, without worsening deprivation and inequality. The satisfaction of human needs - as opposed to wants - is the only viable measure for negotiating trade-offs between climate change, capitalism and human wellbeing, now and in the future. The author critically examines the political economy of capitalism and offers a long-term, interdisciplinary analysis of the prospects for keeping the rise in global temperatures below two degrees, while also improving equity and social justice. A three-stage transition is proposed with useful practical policies. First, 'green growth': cut carbon emissions from production across the world. Second, 'recompose' patterns of consumption in the rich world, cutting high-energy luxuries in favour of low-energy routes to meeting basic needs. Third, because the first two are perilously insufficient, move towards an economy that flourishes without growth. Heat, Greed and Human Need is vital for researchers and students of the environment, public and social policy, economics, political theory and development studies. For those advocating political, social and environmental reform this book presents excellent practical eco-social policies to achieve both sustainable consumption and social justice.
Bringing together scholars from across the globe, this timely book astutely untangles the climate-food web and critically explores the nexus between climate change, agriculture and law, upon which food security and climate resilient development depends. Focusing through the lens of various domestic and international legal systems, this book addresses conceptual notions such as 'systems thinking' and climate change governance, as well as practical matters such as payments for ecosystem services and government subsidies for biofuels. Concerning itself with the vulnerability and resilience of both people and agro-ecosystems, it shows how climate action can yield high returns for agriculture as the primary source of economic activity for poor populations. Far reaching, this book also explores under-researched areas, including the linkages between invasive species law, climate change and agricultural law and the underlying dynamics of agroecosystem vulnerability. Assessing the strengths and weaknesses in existing agricultural laws and policies, it assesses new and innovative tools for addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation in the agricultural sector, before laying out a future research agenda. Scholars in the fields of climate change law, land use and agricultural law will find this key publication essential reading, as will practitioners desiring a deeper understanding of the agriculture and climate change nexus. Contributors include: R.W. Adler, M.J. Angelo, R.M. Bratspies, A. Cosby, L.H. Gunderson, C. Haberli, K.H. Hirokawa, A. Kennedy, R. Kibugi, E. Le Gal, P. Martin, M. Nowlin, A. Odoemene, J.P. Pietrafesa , P.A. Pietrafesa, J.B. Ruhl, S. Sauer, E. Spiegel, J. Verschuuren
Nature is all around us, in the beautiful but also in the unappealing and functional, and from the awe-inspiring to the mundane. It is vital that we learn to see the agency of the natural world in all things that make our lives possible, comfortable and profitable. The Ecology of Everyday Things pulls back the veil of our familiarity on a range of 'everyday things' that surround us, and which we perhaps take too much for granted. This key into the magic world of the everyday can enable us to take better account of our common natural inheritance. Professor James Longhurst, Assistant Vice Chancellor, University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) For many people, ecosystems may be a remote concept, yet we eat, drink, breathe and interface with them in every moment of our lives. In this engaging textbook, ecosystems scientist Dr. Mark Everard considers a diversity of 'everyday things', including fascinating facts about their ecological origins: from the tea we drink, to the things we wear, read and enjoy, to the ecology of communities and space flight, and the important roles played by germs and 'unappealing creatures' such as slugs and wasps. In today's society, we are so umbilically connected to ecosystems that we fail to notice them, and this oversight blinds us to the unsustainability of everyday life and the industries and policy environment that supports it. The Ecology of Everyday Things takes the reader on an enlightening, fascinating voyage of discovery, all the while soundly rooted in robust science. It will stimulate awareness about how connected we all are to the natural world and its processes, and how important it is to learn to better treat our environment. Ideal for use in undergraduate- and school-level teaching, it will also interest, educate, engage and enthuse a wide range of less technical audiences.
In this thoughtful and original book, social scientist Olivier Godard considers the ways in which arguments of justice cling to international efforts to address global climate change. Proposals made by governments, experts and NGOs as well as concepts and arguments born of moral and political philosophy are introduced and critically examined. Godard contributes to this important debate by showing why global climate justice is still controversial, despite it being a key issue of our times. Godard first points out the huge differences between the foundations of conflicting proposals, for instance between a cosmopolitan viewpoint and an international one. He then explores controversies over climate justice proposals and provides a rigorous criticism of those based on historical responsibility. Finally, he demonstrates how issues of justice are reconfigured by instrumental regimes of coordination, such as a global carbon market. Inspired by the French school of justification, this book shines an insightful light on the failure of climate change debates to develop a convincing standard moral and political theory. Including elements from systems theory, economics and law, this book will be of interest to scholars and students of moral and political philosophy, economics and social sciences, as well as experts working on climate negotiations and concerned stakeholders.
'This very interesting book explores the issues and approaches that society must take to shift to lower carbon usage in transportation. . . Each expert contributor provides excellent insight into the various facets of contemporary mobility systems and transportation practices to help the reader understand the complexities of transportation and related environmental concerns. Topics include urbanization and transportation in urban areas travel patterns, accessibility to transportation, and financial aspects.' - W.J. Sproule, Choice 'In their new book, Moving Towards Low Carbon Mobility, Moshe Givoni and David Banister have succeeded in doing what few edited volumes achieve. They have put together a set of chapters by international experts on a range of topics that link together tightly as a coherent whole.' - Michael Kuby, Journal of Transport Geography 'For a thorough and thoughtful perspective on what it will take to de-carbonize cities of the future, this book is a must-read. Technology alone, we are told, will not create the post-carbon city. As important is coming to grips with a complex web of cultural, institutional, financial, and social factors that powerfully shape mobility choices, now and in the future. A balanced, holistic approach that reveals how the many elements of contemporary transport systems work together offers the best hope for achieving more sustainable, less carbon-intensive mobility futures.' - Robert Cervero, University of California, Berkeley, US The transport sector has been singularly unsuccessful in becoming low carbon and less resource intensive. This book takes an innovative and holistic social, cultural and behavioural perspective, as well as covering the more conventional economic and technological dimensions, to provide a more complete understanding of the mobility and transport system and its progress towards high carbon mobility. The book uses this platform to explore the means to achieve low carbon mobility through outlining alternative pathways, through an investigation of theories of change, and through alternative visions of the low carbon transport city. The book's core message is that the complexity of the mobility and transport system should not encourage inaction, but strong and immediate action. In addition to implementing a wide range of policy measures, the book argues for a fundamental change in 'thinking' when it comes to transport policy, governance and analysis approaches, before low carbon mobility becomes a reality. Bringing together the latest thinking on transport, mobility and the environment, this book will appeal to researchers and students interested in sustainability issues and sustainable transport and transport related areas in particular, including policy makers as well as a more general professional audience. Contributors include: N. Akyelken, M. Al-Chalabi, D. Banister, E. Beyazit, J. Bishop, M. Givoni, R. Hickman, J. Liu, J. Macmillen, J. Markovitch, A. Neves, T. Schwanen, M. Tran
This timely text examines the causes and consequences of population displacement related to climate change in the recent past, the present, and the near future. First and foremost, this book includes an examination of patterns of population displacement that have occurred or are currently underway. Second, the book introduces a three-tier framework for both understanding and responding to the public health impacts of climate-related population displacement. It illustrates the interrelations between impacts on the larger physical and social environment that precipitates and results from population displacement and the social and health impacts of climate-related migration. Third, the book contains first-hand accounts of climate-related population displacement and its consequences, in addition to reviews of demographic data and reviews of existing literature on the subject. Topics explored among the chapters include: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans Hurricane Maria and Puerto Rico The California Wildfires Fleeing Drought: The Great Migration to Europe Fleeing Flooding: Asia and the Pacific Fleeing Coastal Erosion: Kivalina and Isle de Jean Charles Although the book is largely written from the perspective of a researcher, it reflects the perspectives of practitioners and policymakers on the need for developing policies, programs, and interventions to address the growing numbers of individuals, families, and communities that have been displaced as a result of short- and long-term environmental disasters. Global Climate Change, Population Displacement, and Public Health is a vital resource for an international audience of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers representing a variety of disciplines, including public health, public policy, social work, urban development, climate and environmental science, engineering, and medicine.
Nelson's Dangerous Dive explores deep underwater with Nelson the Whale where he discovers a hidden shipwreck and learns that what lurks below may not let you go. As he desperately signals for help, luck is on his side as a group of brave tourists give him the break he needs! Nelson's Dangerous Dive is based on true events and it is this powerful message which invites children and adults alike to question the impact of ocean plastic on our environment. With ideas and activities which reinforce the story this is a book which will inspire children to make changes to the world around them. There is a huge growing national and international consciousness about the dangers of palm oil and deforestation and it is important to teach children about this devastating global issue without overwhelming them or shocking them. The Wild Tribe Heroes series of books guides young readers through the issues in a gentle and friendly way together with further information to inspire children to make changes to their own and their families lives. Sold over 30,000 books in the series in just 2 years ; No 1 bestselling books ; Personal letters of congratulations from Sir David Attenborough and Prince Charles ; All books are based on true stories which means that children are more connected to the issue. ; Featured in national media - BBC, ITV, Guardian, Huffington Post and Mail on Sunday ; Sold by WH Smiths, Waterstones, National Trust, RNLI, Surfers Against Sewage, #2MinuteBeachClean. ; Stocked by over 250 museums, national libraries, bookshops and gift shops, zero waste and farm shops and major tourist attractions such as The Eden Project and London & Chester Zoos ; Reached over a million children worldwide in schools ; Translated into 15 different languages so far
Increasingly the Middle East and its growing population face a highly complex and fragile security system. The rich deposits of natural resources, such as oil and gas, suffer from a strained renewable resource base that includes water and arable land. This leads to water scarcity, desertification, and land degradation. Increasing population, industrialization, and urbanization put more and more demand on the food supply. Energy insecurity may not be generally associated with the Middle East, but the countries in the eastern Mediterranean part have been traditionally vulnerable to it as their fossil fuel endowments have been low. Another issue is the large-scale temporary labor migration and the large number of forced migrants, refugees, and internally displaced persons. The book analyzes these emerging security challenges in a comprehensive and systematic manner. It draws national and regional security issues into both the global security and human security perspectives.
Addressing global climate change is a monumental battle that can only be fought by the leaders of tomorrow, but future leaders are molded through education and shaped by the leaders of today. While the pivotal role of education in spreading awareness of climate change is one universally espoused, equally universal is the recognition that current education efforts are falling woefully short. Promoting Climate Change Awareness through Environmental Education stems the rising tide of shortcomings in environmental education by plugging a known gap in current research and opening a dialogue for the future. Targeting an audience of young scholars, academics, researchers, and policymakers, this volume provides a much needed dam of empirical evidence regarding the role of youth education in addressing one of the greatest challenges of our age. This timely publication focuses on topics such as building resilience to climate change, green learning spaces, gender issues and concerns for developing countries, and the impact of young adults on the future of environmental sustainability. |
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