This book examines the role of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in society. Throughout human history, large or recurrent El Ninos could cause significant disruption to societies and in some cases even contribute to political change. Yet it is only now that we are coming to appreciate the significance of the phenomenon. In this volume, Richard Grove and George Adamson chart the dual history of El Nino: as a global phenomenon capable of devastating weather extremes and, since the 18th century, as a developing idea in science and society. The chapters trace El Nino's position in world history from its role in the revolution in Australian Aboriginal Culture at 5,000 BP to the 2015-16 'Godzilla' event. It ends with a discussion of El Nino in the current media, which is as much a product of the public imagination as it is a natural process.

The changing nature and significance of housing provision within welfare states is considered in this timely book. With housing playing an increasingly important role in welfare provision, the new welfare state emerging in different parts of the world is being developed in the context of individual asset accumulation and the private ownership of housing. Housing and the New Welfare State shows that housing is becoming critical to asset-based welfare not only in Western Europe but also in the six East Asian housing systems that are a major focus of the book. Chapters by leading East Asian scholars provide analysis of housing policies in Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, China and Taiwan. Also examined are the 'four worlds' of welfare and housing; the causes and consequences of the shift from tenants to home owners in the old welfare states of Britain and other parts of Western Europe; and the growth of the property-owning welfare state as a theme running through contemporary policy in both East Asia and Europe.

This book examines the role of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in society. Throughout human history, large or recurrent El Ninos could cause significant disruption to societies and in some cases even contribute to political change. Yet it is only now that we are coming to appreciate the significance of the phenomenon. In this volume, Richard Grove and George Adamson chart the dual history of El Nino: as a global phenomenon capable of devastating weather extremes and, since the 18th century, as a developing idea in science and society. The chapters trace El Nino's position in world history from its role in the revolution in Australian Aboriginal Culture at 5,000 BP to the 2015-16 'Godzilla' event. It ends with a discussion of El Nino in the current media, which is as much a product of the public imagination as it is a natural process.

Around 2,600 million people in the world depend on biomass for cooking, and every year the smoke this produces in the kitchen causes around 1 million deaths. This can be resolved by improved cooking stoves that use less wood and carry smoke out of harms way. This book is a concise and practical guide to designing and building a Maya Peten cooking stove. The stove is a low-cost and effective solution that improves health in the home and requires cutting less firewood. You'll learn about the basic principles of heat transfer and the thermal properties of materials. Taking you through the design and build process step-by-step with ample illustrations, the book will provide you with what you need to know to build an efficient and long-lasting stove for a variety of applications.