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Books > Earth & environment > The environment
Pursuing a dream instilled by early David Attenborough television adventures, a young man from the industrial northwest of England is advised at school to become a veterinary surgeon as a first step towards a career working with wild animals in Africa.
His misgivings about the values and justification of domestic veterinary practice are contrasted with a passion for wilderness and wildlife conservation. Early experiences in the vivid Uganda of Idi Amin are juxtaposed with life in a grey Pennines veterinary practice.
Eventually arriving as a veterinary officer in newly independent Botswana he finds adventure with wild animals as a veterinarian and later as an ecologist, survey pilot, game capture operator and even a safari hunter, becoming a passionate conservationist... all while starting the first veterinary practice in the country.
Energy policies and management are of primary importance to achieve
the development of sustainability and need to be consistent with
recent advances in energy production and distribution. Progressing
from an economy mainly focussed on hydrocarbons to one taking
advantage of sustainable renewable energy resources requires
considerable scientific research, as well as the development of new
engineering systems. Energy fuels the world’s economy.
Diminishing resources and severe environmental effects resulting
from the continuous use of fossil fuels has motivated an increasing
amount of interest in renewable energy resources and the search for
sustainable energy policies. Key difficulties to overcome often
originate from the conversion of renewable energies (wind, solar,
etc.) to useful forms (electricity, heat, fuel) at an acceptable
cost, including impacts on the environment as well as in the
integration of these resources into the existing infrastructure. A
wide range of topics are covered by the works contained in this
book. The collaboration of varied disciplines are involved in order
to arrive at optimum solutions, including studies of materials,
energy networks, new energy resources, storage solutions, waste to
energy systems, smart grids and many others.
Get ready to learn everything you never knew about plants and then
some! Now in paperback, this illustrated compendium celebrates the
plants you didn't even know you used, from your toothpaste to your
car tires to the name of your great-great-aunt. This comprehensive
overview also contains great plant projects you and your friends
can try at home!
Extractivism has increasingly become the ground on which activists
and scholars in Latin America frame the dynamics of ecological
devastation, accumulation of wealth, and erosion of rights. These
maladies are the direct consequences of long-standing
extraction-oriented economies, and more recently from the expansion
of the extractive frontier and the implementation of new
technologies in the extraction of fossil fuels, mining, and
agriculture. But the fields of sociology, political ecology,
anthropology, and geography have largely ignored the role of art
and cultural practices in studies of extractivism and
post-extractivism. The field of art theory, on the other hand, has
offered a number of texts that put forward insightful analyses of
artwork addressing extraction, environmental devastation, and the
climate crisis. However, an art theory perspective that does not
engage firsthand and in depth with collective action remains
limited and fails to provide an account of the role, processes, and
politics of art in anti- and post-extractivist movements. Creating
Worlds Otherwise examines the narratives that subaltern groups
generate around extractivism, and how they develop, communicate,
and mobilize these narratives through art and cultural practices.
It reports on a six-year project on creative resistance to
extractivism in Argentina and builds on long-term engagement
working on environmental justice projects and campaigns in
Argentina and the UK. It is an innovative contribution to the
fields of Latin American studies, political ecology, cultural
studies, and art theory, and addresses pressing questions regarding
what post-extractivist worlds might look like as well as how such
visions are put into practice.
Disasters can happen without warning and cause detrimental damage
to society. By planning and conducting research beforehand,
businesses can more effectively aid in relief efforts. The
Developing Role of Public Libraries in Emergency Management:
Emerging Research and Opportunities is an essential reference
source for the latest scholarly information on library engagement
in official emergency response and how these institutions can offer
community aid in disaster situations. Featuring extensive coverage
on a number of topics such as hazard analysis, mitigation planning,
and local command structure, this publication is ideally designed
for academicians, researchers, and practitioners seeking current
research on the role local businesses play in emergency response
situations.
The volume Environmental Change and African Societies contributes
to current debates on global climate change from the perspectives
of the social sciences and the humanities. It charts past and
present environmental change in different African settings and also
discusses policies and scenarios for the future. The first section,
"Ideas", enquires into local perceptions of the environment,
followed by contributions on historical cases of environmental
change and state regulation. The section "Present" addresses
decision-making and agenda-setting processes related to current
representations and/or predicted effects of climate change. The
section "Prospects" is concerned with contemporary African
megatrends. The authors move across different scales of
investigation, from locally-grounded ethnographic analyses to
discussions on continental trends and international policy.
Contributors are: Daniel Callo-Concha, Joy Clancy, Manfred Denich,
Sara de Wit, Ton Dietz, Irit Eguavoen, Ben Fanstone, Ingo
Haltermann, Laura Jeffrey, Emmanuel Kreike, Vimbai Kwashirai, James
C. McCann, Bertrand F. Nero, Jonas O. Nielsen, Erick G. Tambo,
Julia Tischler.
The agricultural sector, as well as the other economic sectors,
follows the current trends verified in economies and societies,
including at the technological level. On the other hand,
agriculture has multidimensional impacts and suffers the
implications of global changes, namely those related to climate
change, financial crises and pandemic frameworks. In this
perspective, this book aims to bring more contributions to the
current trends associated with agricultural contexts. This book is
a forum of discussion about the new trends for the agricultural and
food sectors. The topics covered in this publication allow to bring
together the several current dimensions related with the food
production. The new insights highlighted with this book bring
relevant value added for the several stakeholders. This book is an
interesting publication for several stakeholders related to the
agricultural and food sectors, including students, researchers,
policymakers, public institutions, and farmers.
Ecosystems provide services that are crucial and beneficial to the
human population. The management and conservation of these services
can assure the wellbeing of the local population. Climate Change
and Its Impact on Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity in Arid and
Semi-Arid Zones is an essential reference source that studies the
effects of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem services in
dry regions and examines various strategic local, national, and
international policy developments to help overcome these impacts.
Featuring research on topics such as poverty reduction, climate
change, and adaption policies, this book is ideally designed for
environmentalists, policymakers, government officials,
academicians, researchers, and technology developers who want to
improve their understanding of climate change impact,
vulnerability, and sustainability, and the strategic role of
adaptation and mitigation.
A major issue that has remained prevalent in today's modern world
has been the presence of chemicals within water sources that the
public uses for drinking. The associated health risks that
accompany these contaminants are unknown but have sparked serious
concern and emotive arguments among the global community. Empirical
research is a necessity to further understand these contaminants
and the effects they have on the environment. Effects of Emerging
Chemical Contaminants on Water Resources and Environmental Health
is a pivotal reference source that provides vital research on
current issues regarding the occurrence, toxicology, and abatement
of emerging contaminants in water sources. While highlighting
topics such as remediation techniques, pollution minimization, and
technological developments, this publication explores sample
preparation and detection of these chemical contaminants as well as
policy and legislative issues related to public health. This book
is ideally designed for environmental engineers, biologists, health
scientists, researchers, students, and professors seeking further
research on the latest developments in the detection of water
contaminants.
Most livestock in the United States currently live in cramped and
unhealthy confinement, have few stable social relationships with
humans or others of their species, and finish their lives by being
transported and killed under stressful conditions. In Livestock,
Erin McKenna allows us to see this situation and presents
alternatives. She interweaves stories from visits to farms,
interviews with producers and activists, and other rich material
about the current condition of livestock. In addition, she mixes
her account with pragmatist and ecofeminist theorizing about
animals, drawing in particular on John Dewey's account of
evolutionary history, and provides substantial historical
background about individual species and about human-animal
relations. This deeply informative text reveals that the animals we
commonly see as livestock have rich evolutionary histories,
species-specific behaviors, breed tendencies, and individual
variation, just as those we respect in companion animals such as
dogs, cats, and horses. To restore a similar level of respect for
livestock, McKenna examines ways we can balance the needs of our
livestock animals with the environmental and social impacts of
raising them, and she investigates new possibilities for humans to
be in relationships with other animals. This book thus offers us a
picture of healthier, more respectful relationships with livestock.
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