The Earth as Transformed by Human Action is the culmination of a mammoth undertaking involving the examination of the toll our continual strides forward, technical and social, take on our world. The purpose of such a study is to document the changes in the biosphere that have taken place over the last 300 years, to contrast global patterns of change to those appearing on a regional level, and to explain the major human forces that have driven these changes. The first section deals strictly with the major human forces of the past 300 years and the second is a detailed account of the transformations of the global environment wrought by human action. The final section examines a range of perspectives and theories that purport to explain human actions with regard to the biosphere.

Sustainability is a global imperative and a scientific challenge like no other. This concise guide provides students and practitioners with a strategic framework for linking knowledge with action in the pursuit of sustainable development, and serves as an invaluable companion to more narrowly focused courses dealing with sustainability in particular sectors such as energy, food, water, and housing, or in particular regions of the world. Written by leading experts, Pursuing Sustainability shows how more inclusive and interdisciplinary approaches and systems perspectives can help you achieve your sustainability objectives. It stresses the need for understanding how capital assets are linked to sustainability goals through the complex adaptive dynamics of social-environmental systems, how committed people can use governance processes to alter those dynamics, and how successful interventions can be shaped through collaborations among researchers and practitioners on the ground. The ideal textbook for undergraduate and graduate students and an invaluable resource for anyone working in this fast-growing field, Pursuing Sustainability also features case studies, a glossary, and suggestions for further reading. * Provides a strategic framework for linking knowledge with action* Draws on the latest cutting-edge science and practices* Serves as the ideal companion text to more narrowly focused courses* Utilizes interdisciplinary approaches and systems perspectives* Illustrates concepts with a core set of case studies used throughout the book* Written by world authorities on sustainability* An online illustration package is available to professors

The participation of citizens and other stakeholders is increasingly important for policy making in sustainability and environmental development. The contributors to this book examine methods for facilitating public participation on local and international levels. Policy makers must consider a complex network of social and natural interactions. The study suggests consultation procedures integrating technical scientific modelling with democratic decision-making processes.

The participation of citizens and other stakeholders is increasingly important for policy making in sustainability and environmental development. The contributors to this book examine methods for facilitating public participation on local and international levels. Policy makers must consider a complex network of social and natural interactions. The study suggests consultation procedures integrating technical scientific modelling with democratic decision-making processes.

Forest Futures is an exciting collection of original essays written by leading scientists, policy analysts, public lands managers, and advocates that addresses four related issues regarding the future of our nation's forests: ideas and practices of sustainable forestry; science and policymaking; threatened and endangered species protection on forested lands; and the future of public forest lands management. Offering a genuine debate and dialogue, Forest Futures discusses the present and future of our nation's forests in light of the current debate on forest management concepts, practices, and compromises established a decade ago. Brings together the observations and analyses of forest scientists, land managers, social scientists, and legal advocates to address common concerns regarding the state of our nation's forests, Essays are uniquely and comprehensively integrated due to a distinctive 'dialogic' approach, Includes a unique section on the relationship between science and policy exploring the questions of scientific uncertainty and the use and abuse of science with the policy process. Forest Futures is an important and timely work ideal for environmental science, environmental policy, and forestry college courses, as well as for policymakers, citizens, and activists interested in forest policy related issues.

For the Balinese, the whole of nature is a perpetual resource: through centuries of carefully directed labor, the engineered landscape of the island's rice terraces has taken shape. According to Stephen Lansing, the need for effective cooperation in water management links thousands of farmers together in hierarchies of productive relationships that span entire watersheds.

Lansing describes the network of water temples that once managed the flow of irrigation water in the name of the Goddess of the Crater Lake. Using the techniques of ecological simulation modeling as well as cultural and historical analysis, Lansing argues that the symbolic system of temple rituals is not merely a reflection of utilitarian constraints but also a basic ingredient in the organization of production.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1971.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1971.