This book offers new perspectives on how social and political institutions can respond more effectively to climate change. Theresa Scavenius presents a concept of moral responsibility that does not address the obligations of individual citizens, but instead assesses the moral responsibility of institutionalised actors, such as governments, parliaments, and other governmental agencies. This focus on political responsibility is something that up until now has largely been neglected by moral theory, but Scavenius argues in this book that accountability must be assigned to institutionalised group agents. With this new research, she outlines building blocks for a new agenda of climate studies by offering an innovative approach to climate governance and democratic climate action at a time when many political initiatives have failed and crucially outlines the necessity of approaching moral dilemmas from a fact sensitive political theoretical approach. Written in a clear and engaging style, this volume will be an invaluable reference for researchers interested in moral philosophy, climate change, environmental politics and policy, and institutional theory.

This book argues that there is no way to make progress in building a sustainable future without extensive participation of non-state actors. The volume explores the contribution of non-state actors to a sustainable transition, starting with citizens and communities of different kinds and ending with cities and city-networks. The authors analyse social, cultural, political and economic drivers and barriers for this transition, from individual behaviour to structural restraints, and investigate interplay between the two. Through a series of wide-ranging case studies from the UK, Australia, Germany, Italy and Denmark, and a number of comparative case studies, the volume provides an empirically and theoretically robust argument that highlights the need to develop, widen and scale up collective action and community-based engagement if the transition to sustainability is to be successful. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of climate change, sustainability and environmental policy.

This book offers a timely exploration of how climate change manifests in the global workplace. It draws together accounts of workers, their work, and the politics of resistance in order to enable us to better understand how the impacts of climate change are structured by the economic and social processes of labour. Focusing on nine empirically grounded cases of labour under climate change, this volume links the tools and methods of critical labour studies to key debates over climate change adaptation and mitigation in order to highlight the active nature of struggles in the climate-impacted workplace. Spanning cases including commercial agriculture in Turkey, labour unions in the UK, and brick kilns in Cambodia, this collection offers a novel lens on the changing climate, showing how both the impacts of climate change and adaptations to it emerge through the prism of working lives. Drawing together scholars from anthropology, political economy, geography, and development studies, this book will be of great interest to students and scholars of climate change adaptation, labour studies, and environmental justice. More generally, it will be of interest to anybody seeking to understand how the changing climate is changing the terms, conditions, and politics of the global workplace.

This volume explores whether theatre pedagogy can and should be transformed in response to the global climate crisis. Conrad Alexandrowicz and David Fancy present an innovative re-imagining of the ways in which the art of theatre, and the pedagogical apparatus that feeds and supports it, might contribute to global efforts in climate protest and action. Comprised of contributions from a broad range of scholars and practitioners, the volume explores whether an adherence to aesthetic values can be preserved when art is instrumentalized as protest and considers theatre as a tool to be employed by the School Strike for Climate movement. Considering perspectives from areas including performance, directing, production, design, theory and history, this book will prompt vital discussions which could transform curricular design and implementation in the light of the climate crisis. Theatre Pedagogy in the Era of Climate Crisis will be of great interest to students, scholars and practitioners of climate change and theatre and performance studies.

Adaptation Urbanism and Resilient Communities outlines and explains adaptation urbanism as a theoretical framework for understanding and evaluating resilience projects in cities and relates it to pressing contemporary policy issues related to urban climate change mitigation and adaptation. Through a series of detailed case studies, this book uncovers the promise and tensions of a new wave of resilient communities in Europe (Copenhagen, Rotterdam, and London), and the United States (New Orleans and South Florida). In addition, best practice projects in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Delft, Utrecht, and Vancouver are examined. The authors highlight how these communities are reinventing the role of streets and connecting public spaces in adapting to and mitigating climate change through green/blue infrastructure planning, maintaining and enhancing sustainable transportation options, and struggling to ensure equitable development for all residents. The case studies demonstrate that while there are some more universal aspects to encouraging adaptation urbanism, there are also important local characteristics that need to be both acknowledged and celebrated to help local communities thrive in the era of climate change. The book also provides key policy lessons and a roadmap for future research in adaptation urbanism. Advancing resilience policy discourse through multidisciplinary framework this work will be of great interest to students of urban planning, geography, transportation, landscape architecture, and environmental studies, as well as resilience practitioners around the world.

Understanding Human Ecology offers a coherent conceptual framework for human ecology - a clear approach for understanding the many systems we are part of and for how we frame and understand the problems we face. Blending natural, social, and cognitive sciences with dynamical systems theory, this key text offers offer systems approaches that are accessible to all, from the undergraduate student to policymakers and practitioners across government, business, and community. In the first edition, road-tested and refined over a decade of teaching and workshops, the authors built a clear, inspiring and important framework for anyone approaching the management of complex problems and the transition to sustainability. Fully updated for the second edition, the book now goes further in using systems-thinking principles to explain fundamental processes of change in social-ecological systems. Revised case examples provide a working application of these principles, whilst a new discussion of the hierarchical structure of complex systems is included to guide practical policy making. This new edition is essential reading for students and scholars of human ecology, environmental ethics, and sustainability studies.

Following the 2015 Paris climate agreement, the global politics of climate change depends more than ever on national climate policies and the actions of cities, businesses, and other non-state actors, as well as the transnational governance networks that link them. The Comparative Politics of Transnational Climate Governance sheds new light on these critical trends by exploring how domestic political, economic, and social forces systematically shape patterns of non-state actor participation in transnational climate initiatives. The book develops a common conceptual framework and uses a unique data set to explore the interplay between transnational and domestic politics and how these interactions shape the incentives and modalities of participation in transnational governance. The contributing chapters explore the role of cities, non-governmental organizations, companies, carbon markets, and regulations, as well as broader questions of effectiveness and global governance. Bringing together some of the foremost experts in the field of global governance and environmental politics, this book significantly advances our understanding of transnational governance and provides new insights for policymakers seeking to address the problem of climate change. This book was originally published as a special issue of International Interactions.

This book presents contemporary case studies of land use, management practices, and innovation in Africa with a view to exploring how multifunctional land uses can alleviate food insecurity and poverty. Food security and livelihoods in Africa face multiple challenges in the form of feeding a growing population on declining land areas under the impacts of climate change. The overall question is what kind of farming systems can provide resilient livelihoods? This volume presents a selection of existing farming systems that demonstrate how more efficient use of land and natural resources, labour and other inputs can have positive effects on household food security and livelihoods. It examines how aquaculture, integrated water management, peri-urban farming systems, climate-smart agriculture practices and parkland agroforestry contribute multiple benefits. Drawing on case studies from Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Burkina Faso, contributed by young African scientists, this book provides a unique perspective on multifunctional land use in Africa and illustrates how non-conventional uses can be profitable while promoting social and environmental sustainability. Tapping into the global discussion on land scarcity and linking food security to existing land use change processes, this volume will stimulate readers looking for diversified land uses that are compatible with both household and national food security ambitions. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of African development, agriculture, food security, land use and environmental management, as well as sustainable development more generally, in addition to policymakers and practitioners working in these areas.

According to the laws of conservation of mass and energy, matter cannot be created or destroyed. Therefore, all human activities result in some residuals. In this title, originally published in 1978, the authors describe the overall magnitude of the annual residuals problem and apply a residuals-environmental quality management (REQM) analysis specifically to the industrial development of the Ljubljana area in the former Yugoslavia. This title is ideal for students interested in environmental studies and international development issues.

Originally published in 1979, Solar Energy provides a tour of the world of solar energy and asks two key questions: is solar energy the key to the future of our energy needs and what are the facts and potential of this source of renewable power. The book examines solar energy from the past to modern plans for designing domestic solar housing, and looks at the sites and the technology applied to harness the Sun's power, such as the energy potential of windmills and the equatorial oceans. Behrman reports on the progress of scientists and manufacturers in making solar energy a viable competitor in the energy market, and studies the projections of a future energy crop for energy plantations.

Earth and its inhabitants face an unprecedented crisis--the human-caused destruction of the planet's life support systems. Deteriorating climate bringing super storms, mass forest fires, melting glaciers, droughts, extreme heat and rising seas, a decline in food production, soil loss, water pollution and declining fisheries all threaten the future of life on earth with a looming extinction event not seen for 60 million years. Beginning in the 17th century, we developed a civilization based on radical materialism, exploitation of natural resources and the myth of endless economic growth. For all its technological wonders, this "hypercivilization" has proven unsustainable. This book explores ways we can create an "ecocivilization" compatible with the laws and limits of nature--a new way of living already developing, with new technologies, new forms of social organization and a new story about ourselves and the Earth.

This unique volume provides in layman's terms, without sacrificing scientific facts, the health hazards and potential dangers of naturally occurring substances that are around us everyday. The comprehensive coverage includes compounds (e.g. arsenic, lead), gases (e.g. hydrogen sulphide, ozone) and all forms of natural radiations (e.g. heat, radon). Readers will find this book both informative and entertaining because facts and important data are introduced and interpreted in the form of history, stories and scientific summaries. Each chapter concludes with a practical guide that readers will find useful.Harmful Naturally Occurring Substance and Radiation, which is fully referenced with up-to-date articles, may be used as a textbook for undergraduates and as an introductory textbook for post-graduates in biochemistry, environmental science, toxicology, medical science, and health care. People interested in personal and public health and earth issues will find this book a thought-provoking and revealing read. The book may also be a source of information for policy makers, public health officials, city planners and environmental engineers.

This book examines the multiple scales at which the inequities of climate change are borne out. Shangrila Joshi engages in a multi-scalar analysis of the myriad ways in which various resource commons - predominantly atmosphere and forests - are implicated in climate governance, with a consistent emphasis throughout on the justice implications for disenfranchised communities. The book starts with an analysis of North-South inequities in responsibility, vulnerability, and capability, as evidenced in global climate treaty negotiations from Rio to Paris. It then moves on to examine the ways in which structural inequalities are built into the conceptualization and operationalization of various neoliberal climate solutions such as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). Drawing on qualitative interviews conducted in Delhi, Kathmandu, and the Terai region of Nepal, participant observation at the Climate Conference in Copenhagen (COP-15), and textual analysis of official documents, the book articulates a geography of climate justice, considering how ideas of injustice pertaining to colonialism, race, Indigeneity, caste, gender, and global inequality intersect with the politics of scale. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of environmental justice, climate justice, climate policy, political ecology, and South Asian studies.

This is an extraordinary book that tackles the requirement, as laid down in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, to save our climate for future generations. By approaching this requirement from various angles (international law, human rights, ethics, economics, etc.), Lawrence achieved a unique result: he succeeded in turning a vague aspirational norm into concrete actions that need to be taken by us today.' - Jonathan Verschuuren, Tilburg Sustainability Center and Tilburg Law School, The NetherlandsJustice for Future Generations breaks new ground by discussing what ethical obligations current generations have towards future generations in addressing the threat of climate change and how such obligations should be embodied in international law. Peter Lawrence uses an interdisciplinary approach, involving discourse theory, international relations theory, and philosophical concepts of ethics and justice to inform discussion of international law. Recent political science theories are used to show why the current global climate change treaties are so weak in addressing intergenerational justice concerns. The book draws on contemporary theories of justice to develop a number of principles used to critique the existing global climate change treaties. These principles are also used as a blueprint for suggestions on how to develop a much-needed global treaty on climate change. The approach is pragmatic in that the justice-ethics argument rests on widely shared values. Moreover, the book is informed by the author's extensive experience in the negotiation of global environmental treaties as an Australian diplomat. With its interdisciplinary approach and focus on intergenerational justice, this detailed study will be of particular interest to academics and policymakers in international environmental law and climate law, as well as to those in international law with an interest in ethics and justice issues. Contents: 1. Introduction: The Climate Change Problem and Solutions Part 1: Theory 2. The Basis of an Obligation Towards Future Generations in Justice and Ethics in the Context of Climate Change 3. Content of Justice-based Obligations Towards Future Generations in the Context of Climate Change Part II: International Law and Politics 4. Current International Law, Intergenerational Justice and Climate Change 5. International Human Rights Law, Intergenerational Justice and Climate Change 6. Climate Change Discources and Intergenerational Justice Part III: The Way Forward and Conclusion 7. The Way Forward - Incorporating Intergenerational Justice Principles into International Climate Law 8. Conclusion Bibliography Index

With an emphasis on photographic works that offer new perspectives on the history of American social documentary, this book considers a history of politically engaged photography that may serve as models for the representation of impending environmental injustices. Chris Balaschak examines histories of American photography, the environmental movement, as well as the industrial and postindustrial economic conditions of the United States in the 20th century. With particular attention to a material history of photography focused on the display and dissemination of documentary images through print media and exhibitions, the work considered places emphasis on the depiction of communities and places harmed by industrialized capitalism. The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, visual studies, photography, ecocriticism, environmental humanities, media studies, culture studies, and visual rhetoric.

This book introduces the notion of "educational ecology" as a necessary and promising pedagogic principle for the teaching of Anglophone literatures and cultures in a time of climate change. Drawing on scholarship in the environmental humanities and practice-oriented research in education and literature pedagogy, chapters address the challenges of climate change and the demand for sustainability and environmental pedagogy from the specific perspective of literary and cultural studies and education, arguing that these perspectives constitute a crucial element of the transdisciplinary effort of "cultivating sustainability." The notion of an "educational ecology" takes full advantage of the necessarily dialogic and co-constitutive nature of sustainability-related pedagogical philosophy and practice while it retains the subject-specific focus of research and education in the humanities, centring on and excelling in critical thinking, perspective diversity, language and discourse awareness, and the literary and cultural constructions of meaning. This book will be of great interest to academics, researchers and post-graduate students in the fields of language, literature and culture pedagogy, as well as transdisciplinary researchers in the environmental humanities.

A changing climate is likely to have a drastic impact on crop yields in Africa. The purpose of this book is to document the effects of climate change on agriculture in Africa and to discuss strategies for adaptation to hotter weather and less predictable rainfall. These strategies include promoting opportunities for farmers to adopt technologies that produce optimal results in terms of crop yield and income under local agro-ecological and socioeconomic conditions. The focus is on sub-Saharan Africa, an area that is already affected by changing patterns of heat and rainfall. Because of the high prevalence of subsistence farming, food insecurity, and extreme poverty in this region, there is a great need for practical adaptation strategies. The book includes empirical research in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, and other Sub-Saharan countries, and the conclusion summarizes policy-relevant findings from the chapters. It is aimed at advanced students, researchers, extension and development practitioners, and officials of government agencies, NGOs, and funding agencies. It also will provide supplementary reading for courses in environment and development and in agricultural economics.

With a specific focus on the United States and the United Kingdom, Carbon Inequality studies the role of the richest people in contributing to climate change via their luxury consumption and their investments. In an innovative contribution, it attempts to quantify personal responsibility for shareholdings in large fossil fuel companies. This book explores the implications of the richest people's historic responsibility for global warming, the impacts of which affect them less than most others in global society. Kenner analyses how the richest people running large oil and gas companies have successfully used their political influence to lobby the US and UK government. This assessment of their growing political power is particularly pertinent at a time of increasing inequality and growing public awareness of the impact of climate change. The book also highlights the crucial role of the richest in blocking the low-carbon transition in the US and the UK, exploring how this could be countered to ensure fossil fuels are fully replaced by renewable energy. This book will be of great relevance to scholars and policy makers with an interest in inequality, climate change and sustainability transitions.

In the face of growing environmental challenges, including climate change and energy security, countries across the globe are developing new policies and programs to address these challenges, and China is no exception. This book analyses China's two most significant climate-related energy policies, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM; including the later Chinese Certified Emission Reduciton - CCER) and the Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction Scheme (ECERS). This work specifically examines the strengths and weaknesses of these policies to highlight the deficiencies and advise how they can be optimised, so China can better achieve its emission reduction goals. It analyses the roles and relationships between relevant actors and identifies how successful their cooperation has been, and what factors have affected it. Importantly, the work draws on a wide range of sources from central ministries to civil society, including interviews with Chinese officials, scholars, energy company managers, environment non-govermental organisation (ENGO) personnel, media reports, and online forum discussions. In doing so, the book not only analyses the thoughts of policymakers, as many works do, but also those implementing the policies and those impacted by the policies. The book concludes by offering detailed and practical solutions to address each specific deficiency in the CDM and ECERS policies, with the aim of providing innovations and alternative approaches to improve current and future policies in China. This book will be of great interest to students, scholars, and policymakers interested in climate change, energy, and Chinese environmental policy and politics.

Miscanthus has been enthusiastically promoted as a second generation biomass crop, and this book provides a comprehensive review of this knowledge. Miscanthus, also known as elephant grass, is a high yielding grass crop that grows over three metres tall, resembles bamboo and produces a crop every year without the need for replanting or fertiliser application . The rapid growth, low mineral content, and high biomass yield of Miscanthus increasingly make it a favourite choice as a biofuel, outperforming switchgrass and other alternatives. There is over 20 years of research evidence to support its promotion as a second generation biomass crop. The author reviews many field measurements of yields as well as the physiology of the crop, and why it is so productive while at the same time requiring low inputs to grow it. It also shows how as a key biofuel crop it can contribute to mitigating climate change and how uptake of the adoption of Miscanthus production can be promoted, particularly in Europe and North America. The book will be key reading for students taking courses in the areas of Environmental Science and Engineering, Climate Change Impacts, Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation. It will also be of interest to researchers of second generation biomass crops, and policy developers working in biofuel production and utilization.

This edited volume looks at whether it is possible to be more transparent about uncertainty in scientific evidence without undermining public understanding and trust. With contributions from leading experts in the field, this book explores the communication of risk and decision-making in an increasingly post-truth world. Drawing on case studies from climate change to genetic testing, the authors argue for better quality evidence synthesis to cut through the noise and highlight the need for more structured public dialogue. For uncertainty in scientific evidence to be communicated effectively, they conclude that trustworthiness is vital: the data and methods underlying statistics must be transparent, valid, and sound, and the numbers need to demonstrate practical utility and add social value to people's lives. Presenting a conceptual framework to help navigate the reader through the key social and scientific challenges of a post-truth era, this book will be of great relevance to students, scholars, and policy makers with an interest in risk analysis and communication.

Energy demand reduction is fast becoming a business activity for all companies and organisations because it can increase profits regardless of the nature of their core activity. The International Energy Agency believes that industry could improve its energy efficiency and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by almost a third using the best available practices and technologies. This guide looks at the many ways available to energy managers to achieve or even exceed this level of performance, including: base-lining consumption planning a monitoring and verification strategy metering (including smart, wireless metering) energy supply management motors and drives compressed air and process controls. Uniquely, it includes a whole chapter on greening data centres. It also looks at topics covered in greater detail in its companion volume, Energy Management in Buildings: insulation, lighting, renewable heating, cooling and HVAC systems. Further chapters examine minimising water use and how to make the financial case, both to prioritise measures for cost effectiveness, and to get management on board. This title is aimed at all professional energy, industry and facilities managers, energy consultants, students, trainees and academics and can be read alongside training for ISO 50001 - Energy Management Systems. It takes the reader from basic concepts to the latest advanced thinking, with principles applicable anywhere in the world and in any climate.

Climate Change Temporalities explores how various timescales, timespans, intervals, rhythms, cycles, and changes in acceleration are at play in climate change discourses. It argues that nuanced, detailed, and specific understandings and concepts are required to handle the challenges of a climatically changed world, politically and socially as well as scientifically. Rather than reflecting abstractly on theories of temporality, this edited collection explores a variety of timescales and temporalities from narratives, experience, popular culture, and everyday life in addition to science and history - and the entanglements between them. The chapters are clustered into three main sections, exploring a range of genres, such as questionnaires, interviews, magazines, news media, television series, aquariums, and popular science books to critically examine how and where climate change understandings are formed. The book also includes chapters historising notions of climate and temporality by exploring scientific debates and practices. Climate Change Temporalities will be of great interest to students and scholars of humanistic climate change research, environmental humanities, studies of temporality and historicity, cultural studies, cultural history, and popular culture.

This is the first book on climate change denial and lobbying that combines the ideology of denial and the role of anthropocentrism in the study of interest groups and communication strategy. Climate Change Denial and Public Relations: Strategic Communication and Interest Groups in Climate Inaction is a critical approach to climate change denial from a strategic communication perspective. The book aims to provide an in-depth analysis of how strategic communication by interest groups is contributing to climate change inaction. It does this from a multidisciplinary perspective that expands the usual approach of climate change denialism and introduces a critical reflection on the roots of the problem, including the ethics of the denialist ideology and the rhetoric and role of climate change advocacy. Topics addressed include the power of persuasive narratives and discourses constructed to support climate inaction by lobbies and think tanks, the dominant human supremacist view and the patriarchal roots of denialists and advocates of climate change alike, the knowledge coalitions of the climate think tank networks, the denial strategies related to climate change of the nuclear, oil, and agrifood lobbies, the role of public relations firms, the anthropocentric roots of public relations, taboo topics such as human overpopulation and meat-eating, and the technological myth. This unique volume is recommended reading for students and scholars of communication and public relations.

The role of the energy manager has evolved significantly as the task of cutting greenhouse gas emissions from buildings has become increasingly important. Managers are now technical experts, negotiators, construction project managers, procurement specialists, efficiency advocates and often provide energy services to others. This comprehensive book covers how to: * conduct an energy audit * plan a monitoring and verification strategy * make any energy-saving campaign successful * evaluate and make the financial case for energy-saving measures * make use of free energy for lighting and managing heat loss and gain. It also contains special chapters on: * ventilation, heating and cooling * demand management through automated systems * lighting * most requirements of industrial facilities * regulatory requirements in Britain, Europe and the United States * the use of smart meters and monitoring * how to achieve zero energy buildings * the use of renewable energy. For all professional energy, building and facilities managers, energy consultants, students, trainees and academics. It takes the reader from basic concepts to the latest advanced thinking, with principles applicable anywhere in the world and in any climate.