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International Development and the Environment: Social Consensus and Cooperative Measures for Sustainability (Sustainable Development Goals Series)
by Shiro Hori Yukari Takamura Toshiyuki Fujita Norichika KanieThis book analyzes the interplay between development and the environment, focusing on how to forge social consensus and practices in the international community. Since the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, sustainable development has increasingly attracted the attention of the international community, and several international agreements have been concluded to combat issues such as climate change. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were introduced as common objectives, and the Paris Agreement was adopted as a subsequent outcome. In light of today’s globalized world, how to best achieve sustainable development—and prioritize climate change in particular—is an issue involving various perspectives on the environment and economic development in the global community.The book provides students, businesspeople and government officials with a concept of sustainable development that is based on using social consensus, social norms, and practices (cooperative global actions) to achieve common goals. It is divided into three parts, the first of which focuses on the goals and development needed to achieve sustainable development. The second part explores measures to promote sustainable development, while the third highlights current climate change issues and aspects related to the effective implementation of international frameworks.
Water-Carbon Dynamics in Eastern Siberia (Ecological Studies #236)
by Takeshi Ohta Tetsuya Hiyama Yoshihiro Iijima Ayumi Kotani Trofim C. MaximovThis book discusses the water and carbon cycle system in the permafrost region of eastern Siberia, Providing vitalin sights into how climate change has affected the permafrost environment in recent decades. It analyzes the relationships between precipitation and evapotranspiration, gross primary production and runoff in the permafrost regions, which differ from those intropical and temperate forests. Eastern Siberia is located in the easternmost part of the Eurasian continent, and the land surface with underlying permafrost has developed over a period of seventy thousand years. The permafrost ecosystem has specific hydrological and meteorological characteristics in terms of the water and carbon dynamics, and the current global warming and resulting changes in the permafrost environment are serious issues in the high-latitude regions. The book is a valuable resource for students, researchers and professionals interested in forest meteorology and hydrology, forest ecology, and boreal vegetation, as well as the impact of climate change and water-carbon cycles in permafrost and non-permafrost regions.
Wetlands: Ecosystem Services, Restoration and Wise Use (Ecological Studies #238)
by Shuqing An Jos T. A. VerhoevenThis volume explores major wetland ecosystem services, such as climate cooling and water quality improvement, and discusses the recent wetland conservation and restoration activities in China and neighboring countries. The role of wetlands in either cooling or warming the climate is analyzed as the net balance between carbon sequestration and emissions of methane and nitrous oxide. Wetlands start off having a net warming effect on the climate but in time switch to net cooling. Further, they remove 40% of the N and P from run-off and groundwater flow in agricultural areas, but wetlands need to amount to 10% of the total catchment area to make a difference.Reflecting on the recent large investment in wetland ecological studies in China and neighboring countries, the book addresses invasive species in coastal wetlands as well as the protection and wise use of tidal flats around the Yellow Sea. It also presents promising regional case studies on wetland restoration. The book is intended for academics, students and practitioners in the field of wetland ecology, management and restoration, as well as consultants and professionals working in conservation, wise use and environmental policy.
Climate Change and Future Rice Production in India: A Cross Country Study of Major Rice Growing States of India (India Studies in Business and Economics)
by K. Palanisami Krishna Reddy Kakumanu Udaya Sekhar Nagothu C. R. RanganathanThis book explains in depth the issues and challenges faced by rice farmers in India in relation to production and productivity, and the possible adaptation strategies to climate change. Based on five years of groundbreaking research on emerging trends in cultivation in major rice growing regions in India, it begins by describing production and yield trends across different rice growing regions. It then offers a comprehensive review of relevant literature and the quantification methodologies and approaches used to analyze the impact of climate change. The book also analyzes climate change impacts on rice productivity and production, applying field-tested quantification methods, such as the Just-Pope production function where time series and cross-section data are simultaneously used for all regions. The results are presented for five geographical regions of India – northern, eastern, western, central and southern – for better comparison and readability. The analyses cover scenarios for both mid-century (2021–2050) and end-century (2071–2100), and in the context of climate change, they also incorporate both medium and high carbon emission scenarios. Thus the future rice production and productivity trends are clearly projected for making necessary interventions. Lastly, the book outlines the essentials of an enabling environment policy and discusses the institutional and policy options necessary to ensure sustainable rice production in India. It also makes the case for introducing appropriate and affordable adaptation strategies to support farmers in different rice-growing regions. The cost–benefit analysis of strategies presented in this book provides an invaluable tool for officials at agriculture departments planning up-scaling of agricultural productivity. The projections are also useful for policy makers and planners developing future investment plans to support rice production in their country. Overall, this book is of interest to a wide audience, including professionals and business enterprises dealing with rice, as well as to academic researchers and students.
Influence of the Sea Surface Temperature Decadal Variability on Tropical Precipitation: West African and South American Monsoon (Springer Theses)
by Julián VillamayorIn this book the Sea Surface Temperature (SST) patterns of decadal-to-multidecadal variability observed and simulated by 17 general circulation models (GCMs) are analyzed. Furthermore, their impact on precipitation in West Africa and South America and the atmospheric mechanisms involved are assessed. Through this analysis, the effect of external forcings on these impacts and the relative contribution of decadal-to-multidecadal variability patterns of SST to precipitation are presented in depth. Finally, a humid period in the West African region of the Sahel during the 19th century, previously little documented, is analyzed using an atmospheric GCM.The monsoons of West Africa and South America have shown changes in the timescales of a few decades. Previous work suggests a relationship with patterns of decadal-to-multidecadal variability of SST, such as global warming and the Atlantic and Pacific variability. However, the dynamics underlying this relationship and its simulation by current GCMs had not been addressed in a consistent manner. This is the main motivation of this book. The results of this book not only represent a great step forward in our understanding of the changes in the precipitation regimes of the studied regions, but they can also be of great help for the improvement of decadal prediction systems and the associated social consequences.
Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place
by Terry Tempest WilliamsIn the spring of 1983 Terry Tempest Williams learned that her mother was dying of cancer. That same season, The Great Salt Lake began to rise to record heights, threatening the herons, owls, and snowy egrets that Williams, a poet and naturalist, had come to gauge her life by. One event was nature at its most random, the other a by-product of rogue technology: Terry's mother, and Terry herself, had been exposed to the fallout of atomic bomb tests in the 1950s. As it interweaves these narratives of dying and accommodation, Refuge transforms tragedy into a document of renewal and spiritual grace, resulting in a work that has become a classic.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Planning for the Planet: Environmental Expertise and the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, 1960–1980 (Environment in History: International Perspectives #16)
by Simone SchleperIn the 1960s and 1970s, rapidly growing environmental awareness and concern not only led to widespread calls for new policies, but also created unprecedented demand for ecological expertise. This led to novel challenges for advocacy groups such as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, which had to navigate rival scientific approaches, Cold War politics, and decolonization in their efforts to integrate the study and protection of nature into international policymaking. This book reveals how, despite their vast scientific knowledge and attempts to incorporate socially relevant themes, experts inevitably struggled to make conservation a central part of environmental politics within intergovernmental organizations like the United Nations.
No Immediate Danger: Volume One of Carbon Ideologies
by William T. VollmannA timely, eye-opening book about climate change and energy generation that focuses on the consequences of nuclear power production, from award-winning author William T. VollmannIn his nonfiction, William T. Vollmann has won acclaim as a singular voice tackling some of the most important issues of our age, from poverty to violence to the dark soul of American imperialism as it has played out on the U.S./Mexico border. Now, Vollmann turns to a topic that will define the generations to come--the factors and human actions that have led to global warming. Vollmann begins No Immediate Danger, the first volume of Carbon Ideologies, by examining and quantifying the many causes of climate change, from industrial manufacturing and agricultural practices to fossil fuel extraction, economic demand for electric power, and the justifiable yearning of people all over the world to live in comfort. Turning to nuclear power first, Vollmann then recounts multiple visits that he made at significant personal risk over the course of seven years to the contaminated no-go zones and sad ghost towns of Fukushima, Japan, beginning shortly after the tsunami and reactor meltdowns of 2011. Equipped first only with a dosimeter and then with a scintillation counter, he measured radiation and interviewed tsunami victims, nuclear evacuees, anti-nuclear organizers and pro-nuclear utility workers.Featuring Vollmann's signature wide learning, sardonic wit, and encyclopedic research, No Immediate Danger, whose title co-opts the reassuring mantra of official Japanese energy experts, builds up a powerful, sobering picture of the ongoing nightmare of Fukushima.Watch for No Good Alternative, the second volume of Carbon Ideologies, focusing on human experiences related to coal mining and oil and natural gas production - coming in June 2018.
The European Dimension of Germany’s Energy Transition: Opportunities and Conflicts
by Alexandra Purkus Erik Gawel Sebastian Strunz Paul LehmannThis book addresses the interactions between Germany’s energy transition and the EU’s energy policy framework. It seeks to analyze the manifold connections between the prospects of the proclaimed “Energy Union” and the future of Germany’s energy transition, and identifies relevant lessons for the transformation at the EU level that can be learned from the case of Germany, as a first-mover of transforming energy systems towards renewables. The various repercussions (political, economic and systemic) from the national transition are explored within the EU context as it responds to the German transition, taking into account both existing frictions and potential synergies between predominantly national sustainability policies and the EU’s push towards harmonized policies within a common market. The book’s overall aim is to identify the most critical issues, in order to avoid pitfalls and capitalize on opportunities.
Spoil to Soil: Mine Site Rehabilitation and Revegetation
by N. S. Bolan M. B. Kirkham Y. S. OkSpoil to Soil: Mine Site Rehabilitation and Revegetation presents both fundamental and practical aspects of remediation and revegetation of mine sites. Through three major themes, it examines characterization of mine site spoils; remediation of chemical, physical and biological constraints of mine site spoils, including post mine-site land-use practices; and revegetation of remediated mine site spoils. Each theme includes chapters featuring case studies involving mine sites around the world. The final section focuses specifically on case studies with successful mine site rehabilitation. The book provides a narrative of how inert spoil can be converted to live soil. Instructive illustrations show mine sites before and after rehabilitation. The purpose of this book is to provide students, scientists, and professional personnel in the mining industry sensible, science-based information needed to rehabilitate sustainably areas disturbed by mining activities. This book is suitable for undergraduate and graduate students majoring in environmental, earth, and soil sciences; environmental and soil scientists; and mine site environmental engineers and regulators.
Walking Catfish
by Leslie SantamariaT.J. just moved from New York City to a small town in the country. One day, he sees something incredible, something he would never see in the city—catfish walking on land!
Venus's Vanishing Vase: An I.P.P.I. Mystery Story
by Kristin O'Donnell TubbIn this story, four friends who are members of the InterPlanetary Private Investigators solve a mystery that takes place on the planet Venus.
Mole Rat Keeps His Feet Dry: A Kenyan Folk Tale
by Gail JarrowElephant, Giraffe, and Lion urge Mole Rat to escape the rain with them, but Mole Rat assures them that he will stay dry underground.
Emerging from Darkness
by Victoria Marie LeesSiblings Michelle and William are out on a caving adventure when they end up losing their way.
How to Give Up Plastic: A Guide to Changing the World, One Plastic Bottle at a Time
by Will McCallumAn accessible guide to the changes we can all make—small and large—to rid our lives of disposable plastic and clean up the world’s oceans How to Give Up Plastic is a straightforward guide to eliminating plastic from your life. Going room by room through your home and workplace, Greenpeace activist Will McCallum teaches you how to spot disposable plastic items and find plastic-free, sustainable alternatives to each one. From carrying a reusable straw, to catching microfibers when you wash your clothes, to throwing plastic-free parties, you’ll learn new and intuitive ways to reduce plastic waste. And by arming you with a wealth of facts about global plastic consumption and anecdotes from activists fighting plastic around the world, you’ll also learn how to advocate to businesses and leaders in your community and across the country to commit to eliminating disposable plastics for good.It takes 450 years for a plastic bottle to fully biodegrade, and there are around 12.7 million tons of plastic entering the ocean each year. At our current pace, in the year 2050 there could be more plastic in the oceans than fish, by weight. These are alarming figures, but plastic pollution is an environmental crisis with a solution we can all contribute to.
Where Is the Serengeti? (Where Is?)
by Nico Medina Who HQIf you've never known what a wildebeest is, you'll find out now in this latest Where? Is title about the Serengeti.Each year, over 1.5 million wildebeest make a harrowing journey (more than one thousand miles!) between Tanzania and Kenya. They are in search of new land to graze. Even if these creatures avoid vicious attacks from lions and crocodiles, they could still fall prey to thirst, hunger, and exhaustion. This book not only follows the exciting Migration, but also tells about the other creatures and peoples that co-exist along these beautiful landscapes of the Serengeti.
Survivor Girl
by Erin TeaganIn this funny, action-packed middle grade novel from the author of the American Girl Luciana books, Alison gets invited to be on her dad’s reality show, Survivor Guy, and faces important realities about her family, self-reliance, and learning to work together with friends. <P><P>12-year-old Ali adores her reality-show celebrity father, Survivor Guy, and hopes to follow in his footsteps. But when he invites her on location, Ali is sure she won’t survive one episode . . . until she learns the truth: The show isn't just her dad and a camera. It’s a huge crew and set, with stunt doubles! <P><P>When a wildfire strikes and Ali and two other kids miss the last rescue helicopter, suddenly, the fight for survival is real. Will she find the self-confidence she needs so they can work together and get out of the wilderness alive? <P><P>STEM themes and plot strands about body image and divorce are subtly woven into this page-turning tale.
The Butterfly Hunter: The Life Of Henry Walter Bates
by Anthony CrawforthThis is the epic, true and long overdue story of the young explorer who put the first ever case for the creation of a new species, providing what Charles Darwin called the "beautiful proof" for Natural Selection.The major discovery of Batesian Mimicry was developed from Bates's fascinating 11-year journey and study of butterflies in the Amazon rainforest. He noted how certain animals adopt the look of others to deceive predators and gain an advantage to survive. Little known to the public, Bates made other crucial contributions to biology: he collected over 14,000 specimens, of which over 8,000 were at the time new to science. He went on to become the administrator for the Royal Geographical Society and transformed it into an institution which combined exploration with academic research and was responsible for placing geography on the school curriculum. This important book reassesses Bates's life and finally places both the man and his work in their rightful place alongside the other greats.
Quantitative Studies in Green and Conservation Criminology: The Measurement of Environmental Harm and Crime (Green Criminology)
by Michael J. Lynch Stephen F. PiresDuring the early development and throughout the short history of green/conservation criminology, limited attention has been directed toward quantitative analyses of relevant environmental crime, law and justice concerns. While recognizing the importance of establishing a theory and terminology in the early stages of development, this book redresses this imbalance. The work features contributions that undertake empirical quantitative studies of green/conservation crime and justice issues by both conservation and green criminologists. The collection highlights the shared concerns of these groups within important forms of ecological crime and victimization, and illustrates the ways in which these approaches can be undertaken quantitatively. It includes quantitative conservation/green criminological studies that represent the work of both well-established scholars in these fields, along with studies by scholars whose works are less well-known and who are also contributing to shaping this area of research. The book presents a valuable contribution to the areas of Green and Conservation Criminology. It will appeal to academics and students working in these areas.
How to Make a Plant Love You: Cultivate Green Space in Your Home and Heart
by Summer Rayne OakesSummer Rayne Oakes, an urban houseplant expert and environmental scientist, is the icon of wellness-minded millennials who want to bring nature indoors, according to a New York Times profile. Summer has managed to grow 1,000 houseplants in her Brooklyn apartment (and they're thriving!) Her secret? She approaches her relationships with plants as intentionally as if they were people.Everyone deserves to feel the inner peace that comes from taking care of greenery. Beyond the obvious benefits--beauty and cleaner air--there's a strong psychological benefit to nurturing plants as a path to mindfulness. They can reduce our stress level, lower our blood pressure, and improve our overall outlook. And they offer a rare opportunity to find joy by caring for another living being. When Summer Rayne Oakes moved to Brooklyn from the Pennsylvania countryside, she knew that bringing nature indoors was her only chance to stay sane. She found them by the side of the road, in long-forgotten window boxes, at farmers' markets, and in local garden shops. She found ways to shelve, hang, tuck, anchor, secure, and suspend them. She even installed 150-foot expandable hose that connects to pipes under her kitchen sink, so she only has to spend about a half-hour a day tending to her plants--an activity that she describes as a "moving meditation." This is Summer's guidebook for cultivating an entirely new relationship with your plant children. Inside, you'll learn to: * Pause for the flowers and greenery all around you, even the ones sprouting bravely between cracked pavement * Trust that your apartment jungle offers you far more than pretty décor * See the world from a plant's perspective, trading modern consumerism for sustainability * Serve your chlorophyllic friends by learning to identify the right species for your home and to recreate their natural habitat (Bonus: your indoor garden won't die!)When we become plant parents, we also become better caretakers of ourselves, the people around us, and our planet. So, let's step inside the world of plants and discover how we can begin cultivating our own personal green space--in our homes, in our minds, and in our hearts.
Structures of Life (FOSS Science Resources)
by Delta Education<p>FOSS Science Resources is a book of original readings developed to accompany each module. The readings are referred to as articles in the Investigations Guide. Students read the articles in the book as they progress through the module. <p>The articles cover a specific concept usually after that concept has been introduced in an active investigation. The articles in FOSS Science Resources and the discussion questions provided in the Investigations Guide help students make connections to the science concepts introduced and explored during the active investigations. Concept development is most effective when students are allowed to experience organisms, objects, and phenomena firsthand before engaging the concepts in text. The text and illustrations help make connections between what students. </p>
Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage
by Heather RogersEat a take-out meal, buy a pair of shoes, or read a newspaper, and you're soon faced with a bewildering amount of garbage. The United States is the planet's number-one producer of trash. Each American throws out 4.5 pounds daily. But garbage is also a global problem; the Pacific Ocean is today six times more abundant with plastic waste than zooplankton. How did we end up with this much rubbish, and where does it all go? Journalist and filmmaker Heather Rogers answers these questions by taking readers on a grisly, oddly fascinating tour through the underworld of garbage.Said to "read like a thriller" (Library Journal), Gone Tomorrow excavates the history of rubbish handling from the 1800s to the present, pinpointing the roots of today's waste-addicted society. With a "lively authorial voice" (New York Press), Rogers draws connections between modern industrial production, consumer culture, and our throwaway lifestyle. She also investigates controversial topics like the politics of recycling and the export of trash to poor countries, while offering a potent argument for change.
Wild Thoughts from Wild Places
by David QuammenIn Wild Thoughts from Wild Places, award-winning journalist David Quammen reminds us why he has become one of our most beloved science and nature writers.This collection of twenty-three of Quammen's most intriguing, most exciting, most memorable pieces takes us to meet kayakers on the Futaleufu River of southern Chile, where Quammen describes how it feels to travel in fast company and flail for survival in the river's maw. We are introduced to the commerce in pearls (and black-market parrots) in the Aru Islands of eastern Indonesia. Quammen even finds wildness in smog-choked Los Angeles -- embodied in an elusive population of urban coyotes, too stubborn and too clever to surrender to the sprawl of civilization.With humor and intelligence, David Quammen's Wild Thoughts from Wild Places also reminds us that humans are just one of the many species on earth with motivations, goals, quirks, and eccentricities. Expect to be entertained and moved on this journey through the wilds of science and nature.
Biogeology: Evolution in a Changing Landscape (CRC Biogeography Series)
by Bernard MichauxThis detailed exposition gives background and context to how modern biogeography has got to where it is now. For biogeographers and other researchers interested in biodiversity and the evolution of life on islands, Biogeology: Evolution in a Changing Landscape provides an overview of a large swathe of the globe encompassing Wallacea and the western Pacific. The book contains the full text of the original article explored in each chapter, presented as it appeared on publication. Key features: Holistic treatment, collecting together a series of important biogeographical papers into a single volume Authored by an expert who has spent nearly three decades actively involved in biogeography Describes and interprets a region of exceptional biodiversity and extreme endemism The only book to provide an integrated treatment of Wallacea, Melanesia, New Zealand, the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands and Antarctica Offers a critique of fashionable neo-dispersalist arguments, showing how these still suffer from the same weaknesses of the original Darwinian formulation. The chapters also include analysis of many major theoretical and philosophical issues of modern biogeographic theory, so that those interested in a more philosophical approach will find the book stimulating and thought-provoking.