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Poisoned for Pennies: The Economics of Toxics and Precaution
by Frank Ackerman"Cost-benefit analysis" is a term that is used so frequently we rarely stop to think about it. But relying on it can lead to some dubious conclusions, as Frank Ackerman points out in this eye-opening book. For example, some economists have argued that states should encourage--and even subsidize--cigarette smoking by citizens because smoking will shorten life spans and therefore reduce the need and expense of caring for the elderly. How did the economists reach that conclusion? The answer is cost-benefit analysis, Ackerman explains. Then in clear, understandable language, he describes an alternative, precautionary approach to making decisions under uncertainty. Once a mere theory, the precautionary principle has now been applied in practice through the European Union's REACH protocol. Citing major studies, many of which he has directed, he shows that the precautionary approach has not only worked, but has been relatively cheap. Poisoned for Pennies shows how the misuse of cost-benefit analysis is impeding efforts to clean up and protect our environment, especially in the case of toxic chemicals. According to Ackerman, conservatives--in elected office, in state and federal regulatory agencies, and in businesses of every size--have been able to successfully argue that environmental clean-up and protection are simply too expensive. But he proves, that is untrue in case after case. Ackerman is already well known for his carefully reasoned attacks on the conventional wisdom about the costs of environmental regulation. This new book, which finds Ackerman ranging from psychological research to risk analysis to the benefits of aggressive pesticide regulation, and from mad cow disease to lead paint, will further his reputation as a thought leader in environmental protection. We can't afford not to listen to him.
Poisoned: How a Crime-Busting Prosecutor Turned His Medical Mystery into a Crusade for Environmental Victims
by Alan Bell Jan SchlichtmannAfter years of prosecuting hard-core criminals, rising legal star Alan Bell took a private sector job in South Florida’s newest skyscraper. Suddenly, he suffered such bizarre medical symptoms, doctors suspected he’d been poisoned by the Mafia. Bell’s rapidly declining health forced him to flee his glamorous Miami life to a sterile “bubble” in the remote Arizona desert. As his career and marriage dissolved, Bell pursued medical treatments in a race against time, hoping to stay alive and raise his young daughter, his one desperate reason to keep going. He eventually discovered he wasn’t poisoned by a criminal, but by his office building. His search for a cure led him to discover the horrifying truth: his tragedy was just the tip of the iceberg. Millions of people fall ill and die each year because of toxic chemical exposures—without knowing they’re at risk. Stunned by what he discovered, Bell chose to fight back, turning his plight into an opportunity. Despite his precarious health, he began collaborating with scientists dedicated to raising awareness about this issue. Soon, he also found himself drawn back into the legal field, teaming up with top lawyers fighting for those who had already fallen ill. Both a riveting medical mystery and a cautionary tale, this book puts a human face on the hidden truths behind toxic dangers assaulting us in our everyday environments—and offers practical ways to protect ourselves and our children.
Polar Bear, Why Is Your World Melting?
by Robert E WellsIn the Arctic, the summer ice is melting, making it hard for polar bears and their cubs to survive. Why is the world getting warmer? The heat of the sun is trapped by the "greenhouse" gases that surround Earth--carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor. If there is just the right amount of these trapped gases, the air is warm enough for plants, animals, and people to thrive. But now there is too much greenhouse gas, especially carbon dioxide. Polar bears, and all of us, are in trouble. Robert E. Wells, who lives in Washington State, shows why so much carbon dioxide is going into the air and what we can do to help keep Earth cool.
Polar Bears: A Complete Guide to Their Biology and Behavior
by Andrew E. DerocherHonorable Mention, 2012 National Outdoor Book AwardsThe polar bear, king of the Arctic, is one of the world’s most recognizable animals. Images of the majestic beasts roaming across the ice cap, plunging into frigid waters, and playing with furry cubs have come to symbolize the beauty and grandeur of the Arctic. Andrew E. Derocher and Wayne Lynch have spent decades following the bears, and this book offers the most comprehensive and readable review of their biology, ecology, behavior, and conservation.With gripping photographs by Lynch, a preeminent wildlife photographer, and the personal stories of Derocher, this book is as stunning to look at as it is fascinating to read. It weaves together their remarkable experiences with the latest research to tell the amazing story of these Arctic predators, tracing the animals back to their evolutionary roots and looking ahead to the future of polar bears on a warming planet Earth.Through informative and engaging language, Derocher carefully explains the sea ice ecosystem that is essential to the survival of polar bears. He addresses the threat of global warming to the Arctic—home to polar bears for tens of thousands of years—and describes in impressive detail their feeding habits, distribution, den ecology, and reproduction. Lynch’s vivid photographs capture all this and more as they chronicle the wide range of polar bear behavior, from family rituals to ferocious predatory practices. Captivating, accurate, and inspiring, Polar Bears belongs in the hands of all who love the wild.
Polar Ice and Global Warming in Cryosphere Regions (Maritime Climate Change)
by Neloy KharePolar Ice and Global Warming in Cryosphere Regions is based on recent and past climate variabilities data gathered through satellites and spatial-temporal analysis to explain the role of global warming on cryosphere regions such as high-latitude Himalaya, Arctic and Antarctic regions, and the surrounding Southern Ocean and Arctic Ocean. Through several case studies the book describes the atmospheric processes and their interactions with high-latitude regions toward a better understanding of climate variability. Understanding cryosphere regions helps readers develop plausible models for disaster risk management and policy on different polar events.Features Presents a thorough review on climate variability over the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, and the impact of climate variability and global warming on cryosphere regions Explains how the inferred climatological environmental conditions using natural archives may shed light on climate scenarios in cryosphere regions Includes case studies on globally connected geoscientific phenomena in the Himalayan, Arctic, and Antarctic regions Discusses the use of natural archives to explain the current climate scenario in the cryosphere regions Intended for researchers, academics, and graduate students following oceanography, meteorology, or environmental studies, and those working on projects related to climate change in governmental organizations, institutions, and global NGOs, this book outlines ways in which readers can initiate plans and policies to help mitigate the effects of global warming in these regions.
Polar Microbiology: The Ecology, Biodiversity and Bioremediation Potential of Microorganisms in Extremely Cold Environments
by Ronald M. Atlas Asim K. Bej Jackie AislabiePollution has accompanied polar exploration since Captain John Davis' arrival on the Antarctic continent in 1821 and has become an unavoidable consequence of oil spills in our polar regions. Fortunately, many of the organisms indigenous to Polar ecosystems have the ability to degrade pollutants. It is this metabolic capacity that forms the basis fo
Polar Oceans from Space
by Josefino ComisoThe book presents a wealth of material about the polar oceans, more specifically the ice-covered areas and peripheral seas. It provides a detailed history of the changing climate of the polar oceans as observed by satellite sensors in the last three decades. The satellite research data show spatial distributions of surface temperature, sea ice, albedo, chlorophyll concentration, clouds, ocean color and sea level pressure. The book discusses remote sensing techniques and algorithms used to transform digital data to geophysical parameters, to process and analyze the data, the limitations of these data and the enormous potential in the use of this data. The main goal of the book is the presentation of results from studies of the time evolution of polar surfaces as observed by satellite sensors and their relevance to the study of cryospheric and ocean processes and climate change. The book contains about 150 satellite images of surface parameters which reveal that from month to month and from one year to another the Earth is changing. Although the historical record of about three decades of continuous satellite observation is relatively short, these measurements have provided useful insights into the current state of the polar environment and have served as a powerful tool for studying the processes that govern the Earth's climate system. The advent of even more sophisticated technology, including international ventures like the Global Earth Observation System of all Systems (GEOSS), will speed the progress. The advances in understanding of the Earth's climate engine, including the crucial role played by the polar oceans, have been tremendous, and people look forward to being able to forecast effectively the state of the planet in the immediate and foreseeable future.
Polar and Climate Change Education: Citizen Science and Sustainability (Research and Teaching in Environmental Studies)
by Gisele ArrudaThis book presents ideas for strengthening the foundations for transformational change in polar and global education leadership in all stages of the education process.Despite being an established concept endorsed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is still not in the educational mainstream but is vital in mitigating against the intensifying impacts of global change and adapting to the shifts that have already occurred. Drawing on examples from real world projects in the United States, Germany, Mexico, Japan, Peru and Greenland, this book assesses the new educational strategies, pedagogies and technologies which have been adopted by polar educators to stimulate students’ interests in sustainability and re-orient education to global citizenship science. The experiential nature of the pedagogies shown in the case studies and educational activities builds background knowledge of cutting-edge research and empowers participants to communicate authentic research practices and show how data collection in the polar region is applicable in other parts of the globe.Highlighting the many ways in which educators for global citizenship can have a decisive role in transforming individuals and society, this book will be of great interest to students and scholars of climate change, education and Arctic studies. It will also be a valuable resource for professional educators working in ESD.
Polarimetric SAR Imaging: Theory and Applications (SAR Remote Sensing)
by Yoshio YamaguchiRadar polarimetry has been highly sought after for its use in the precise monitoring of Earth's surface. Polarimetric SAR Imaging explains the basic concepts of polarimetry and its diverse applications including: deforestation, tree classification, landslide detection, tsunamis, volcano eruptions and ash distribution, snow accumulation, rice field monitoring, urban area exploration, ship detection, among other applications. The explanations use actual data sets taken by Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS and ALOS2). With the increasing problems presented by climate change, there is a growing need for detailed earth observation using polarimetric data. As the treatment of vector nature of radar waves is complex, there is a gap between the theory and the application. Polarimetric SAR Imaging: Theory and Applications addresses and fills this gap. Features: Provides cutting-edge polarimetric applications for earth observation with full color images. Includes detailed descriptions of theory, equations, expansions, and flowcharts, and numerous real examples. Explains concepts, data analysis, and applications in simple and clear language aimed at an intuitive comprehension. Provides specific and unique examples of PolSAR images derived from actual space and airborne systems (ALOS/ALOS2, PiSAR-x/L) Covers the wide range of the radar polarimetry, especially the decomposition of the polarimetry data, an original method developed by the author using the Japanese polarimetric SAR data Illustrated in full color using images generated by polarimetric techniques, this book is easy to understand and use for both student and expert, and is an excellent resource both in the classroom and in the field.
Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar: Principles and Application (Remote Sensing and Digital Image Processing #25)
by Irena Hajnsek Yves-Louis DesnosThis open access book focuses on the practical application of electromagnetic polarimetry principles in Earth remote sensing with an educational purpose. In the last decade, the operations from fully polarimetric synthetic aperture radar such as the Japanese ALOS/PalSAR, the Canadian Radarsat-2 and the German TerraSAR-X and their easy data access for scientific use have developed further the research and data applications at L,C and X band. As a consequence, the wider distribution of polarimetric data sets across the remote sensing community boosted activity and development in polarimetric SAR applications, also in view of future missions. Numerous experiments with real data from spaceborne platforms are shown, with the aim of giving an up-to-date and complete treatment of the unique benefits of fully polarimetric synthetic aperture radar data in five different domains: forest, agriculture, cryosphere, urban and oceans.
Polarization Remote Sensing Physics (Springer Remote Sensing/Photogrammetry)
by Wei Chen Bin Yang Lei Yan Feizhou Zhang Yun XiangThis book elaborates on the physical principles of polarization remote sensing. It explains the reflective characteristics of surface objects and atmosphere separately, including theory, experiment, instrument and application. In addition, it introduces how polarization remote sensing works in advanced research programs as it can be used in aviation, astronomy, disaster risk prevention and navigation fields. This book serves as a fundamental and comprehensive reference for researchers and students.
Polarization Theory of Nuclear Reactions
by Qing-Biao ShenThis book provides the reader with a modern and comprehensive overview of nuclear polarization theory. The understanding of polarization phenomena greatly enriches data obtained from scattering and nuclear reactions by providing information on the interaction that can change spin orientation as well as important verification data for the study of nuclear structures and reaction mechanisms. The author methodically derives the polarization theory of nuclear reactions for various types of elastic scattering and two-body direct reactions between particles of different spin and unpolarized target nuclei with arbitrary spin, as well as the reactions between two polarized light particles and the polarization theory for photon beams. In addition, the polarization theories of relativistic nuclear reactions are rigorously covered in great scope and detail. A chapter on polarized particle transport theory presents the Monte-Carlo method for describing the transport of polarized particles and formalizes the polarized particle transport equation. Here, the author also illustrates a novel and concrete scheme for establishing a polarization nuclear database. Nuclear polarization is important not only for microscopic nuclear structure and reaction studies but also for nuclear engineering, applied nuclear physics, and medical physics. With the development of radioactive beam facilities and, on the theoretical side, the development of consistent microscopic nuclear reaction and structure theories, this book on the polarization theory of nuclear reactions serves as a timely source of reference for students and researchers alike.
Polarization and CP Violation Measurements
by Michael PrimThis thesis describes the thorough analysis of the rare B meson decay into ϕ K* on data taken by the Belle Collaboration at the B-meson-factory KEKB over 10 years. This reaction is very interesting, because it in principle allows the observation of CP-violation effects. In the Standard Model however, no CP violation in this reaction is expected. An observation of CP asymmetries thus immediately implies new physics. This thesis presents an amplitude analysis of this decay and the search for CP violation in detail and discusses methods to solve related problems: The quantification of multivariate dependence and the improvement of numeric evaluation speed of normalization integrals in amplitude analysis. In addition it provides an overview of the theory, experimental setup, (blind) statistical data analysis and estimation of systematic uncertainties.
Polarlichter zwischen Wunder und Wirklichkeit
by Kristian SchlegelPolarlichter haben die Menschen schon seit frühen Zeiten erschreckt oder verzaubert. In Märchen Sagen und anderen Geschichten wurden Deutungen geschaffen, die sich um Götter, Helden, Fabelwesen oder auch Tiere ranken. Seit dem Altertum gibt es auch gelehrte Texte, in denen sich Philosophen, Chronisten und Wissenschaftler mit dieser Naturerscheinung befassen. Birgit und Kristian Schlegel gehen in ihrem reich illustrierten Buch den historischen Erklärungen zur Entstehung der Polarlichter nach, deren Rätsel erst im 20. Jahrhundert physikalisch ganz gelöst wurde. Aktuelle interdisziplinäre Forschungsergebnisse, die mit der Entstehung der Polarlichter in Verbindung stehen, werden anschaulich und wissenschaftlich präzise anhand zahlreicher Bilder und Diagramme erläutert.
Poles Apart: A Study in Contrasts
by Antoni G. LewkowiczPoles Apart covers a range of themes about the Arctic and Antarctic, including the geography, glaciology and glacial history, ecology, living resources, governance, and history of exploration. Topics are examined separately for each pole and each theme is summarized by a rapporteur who draws out the contrast and the similarities.
Policy Choice in Local Responses to Climate Change: A Comparison of Urban Strategies
by Hubert Heinelt and Wolfram LampingSince the 1990s ‘beliefs’, ‘ideas’ or ‘knowledge’ as well as processes of communicative interactions such as persuasion, argumentation and learning have received increasing attention in social science for the understanding of political changes. This book makes a significant contribution to this scholarly debate and will be of interest to practitioners, showing on one side how climate change has received more and more attention in policy making at the local level and changed the urban agenda and on the other how different the responses of cities to this global challenge are – and how these differences between cities can be explained. This book was previously published as a special issue of Urban Research and Practice.
Policy Conflicts in Post-Mao China: A Documentary Survey with Analysis
by Stanley Rosen John P. BurnsThis is a collection of essays exploring the deep-rooted problems presented by the Three Gorges dam project that the Chinese government are trying to disguise or supress, brought together by Dai Qing, an investigative journalist, at the risk of her own freedom.
Policy Debates on Hydraulic Fracturing
by Tanya Heikkila Christopher M. Weible Karin Ingold Manuel FischerThis edited volume compares seven countries in North America and Europe on the highly topical issue of oil and gas development that uses hydraulic fracturing or "fracking. " The comparative analysis is based on the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) and guided by two questions: First, in each country, what are current coalitions and the related policy output? Second, based on the current situation, what are the chances for future policy change? This book is the first to use a social science approach to analyze hydraulic fracturing debates and the first application of the ACF that is deliberately comparative. The contributions in this book advance our understanding about the formation of coalitions and development of public policy in the context of different forms of government and economically recoverable natural resources.
Policy Instruments for Environmental and Natural Resource Management
by Thomas Sterner Jessica CoriaThomas Sterner's book is an attempt to encourage more widespread and careful use of economic policy instruments. The book compares the accumulated experiences of the use of economic policy instruments in the U.S. and Europe, as well as in rich and poor countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Ambitious in scope, it discusses the design of instruments that can be employed in any country in a wide range of contexts, including transportation, industrial pollution, water pricing, waste, fisheries, forests, and agriculture. While deeply rooted in economics, Policy Instruments for Environmental and Natural Resource Management is informed by political, legal, ecological, and psychological research. The new edition enhances what has already been widely hailed as a highly innovative work. The book includes greatly expanded coverage of climate change, covering aspects related to policy design, international equity and discounting, voluntary carbon markets, permit trading in United States, and the Clean Development Mechanism. Focusing ever more on leading ideas in both theory and policy, the new edition brings experimental economics into the main of its discussions. It features expanded coverage of the monitoring and enforcement of environmental policy, technological change, the choice of policy instruments under imperfect competition, and subjects such as corporate social responsibility, bio-fuels, payments for ecosystem services, and REDD.
Policy Integration for Complex Environmental Problems: The Example of Mediterranean Desertification (Routledge Studies in Environmental Policy and Practice)
by Helen BriassoulisThe quest for policy integration crystallized in the 1990s as awareness was growing that the current supply of narrow, sectoral, and little coordinated, or even overlapping and conflicting, policies could not cope efficiently and effectively with contemporary complex, cross-cutting and interdependent socio-environmental problems. Combining and coordinating policies properly promises to address this institutional misfit, "add value" to policies, support planning at national and sub-national levels, and facilitate the transition to sustainable development more generally. This book proposes a comprehensive conceptualization of policy integration and negotiates pertinent theoretical, methodological and applied issues from the perspective of selected EU policies - rural development, regional development, transport, social, economic, environmental, water resources, and biodiversity policy. Mediterranean desertification, an exceptionally complex socio-environmental problem, is used as an illustrative example as the idea for this book transpired while researching the topic of policy making to combat desertification in the context of MEDACTION, an EU-funded research project.
Policy Learning from Canada: Reforming Scandinavian Immigration and Integration Policies
by Trygve UglandFocusing on the three Scandinavian countries, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, Policy Learning from Canada is a systematic study of the international relevance of the Canadian immigration and integration policy model. To reveal how the Canadian immigration model has shaped the reform process in Scandinavia, Trygve Ugland critically examines public documents, including government proposals, documents from parliamentary debates, and reports by ad-hoc expert commissions, as well as letters from consulted agencies. Ugland’s intensive studies on Canada’s immigration and integration policies depict Canada not only as a model and inspiration to Scandinavian policy makers, but, in particular, as an intellectual stimulus for the rediscovery of labour immigration in Scandinavia during the 2000s. The study demonstrates that the Canadian model, often perceived as a product of unique circumstances, can be relevant in other countries.
Policy Legitimacy, Science and Political Authority: Knowledge and action in liberal democracies (The Earthscan Science in Society Series)
by Michael Heazle John KaneVoters expect their elected representatives to pursue good policy and presume this will be securely founded on the best available knowledge. Yet when representatives emphasize their reliance on expert knowledge, they seem to defer to people whose authority derives, not politically from the sovereign people, but from the presumed objective status of their disciplinary bases. This book examines the tensions between political authority and expert authority in the formation of public policy in liberal democracies. It aims to illustrate and better understand the nature of these tensions rather than to argue specific ways of resolving them. The various chapters explore the complexity of interaction between the two forms of authority in different policy domains in order to identify both common elements and differences. The policy domains covered include: climate geoengineering discourses; environmental health; biotechnology; nuclear power; whaling; economic management; and the use of force. This volume will appeal to researchers and to convenors of post-graduate courses in the fields of policy studies, foreign policy decision-making, political science, environmental studies, democratic system studies, and science policy studies.
Policy Networks Under Pressure: Pollution Control, Policy Reform and the Power of Farmers (Routledge Revivals)
by Carsten DaugbjergFirst published in 1998, this book examines how established policy networks and the broader context within which they are embedded influence the choice of policy when change has been put on the agenda. It criticises the existing network literature for being predominantly descriptive, for having little to say on the choice of policy and for omitting the analysis of the broader political structures which have consequences for meso-level policy making. In order to reinforce the explanatory power of policy network analysis, the book develops both a meso and a macro-level theoretical model. They help to explain why policy change is more radical in some settings than in others. The theoretical arguments are tested by the use of detailed comparisons of agri-environmental policy making in Denmark and Sweden and of agricultural policy reforms in the European Union and Sweden.
Policy Recommendations for Sustainable Development, Volume 1: Year 2019_2020 (NIAS Policy Briefs)
by Shailesh NayakThe book contains policy-related publications based on research conducted by the National Institute of Advanced Studies. These publications address and support sustainable development goals, such as energy and the environment, education, inequality, human development, and peace research, among others. This volume fosters comprehensive research focused on these global targets and endeavors to address some of society's greatest grand challenges. The book will be extremely beneficial for researchers, academicians, practitioners, and policymakers working in the areas of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Policy Recommendations for Sustainable Development, Volume 2: Year 2021-2022 (NIAS Policy Briefs)
by Shailesh NayakThe book contains policy-related publications based on research conducted by the National Institute of Advanced Studies. These publications address and support sustainable development goals, such as energy and the environment, education, inequality, human development, and peace research, among others. This volume fosters comprehensive research focused on these global targets and endeavors to address some of society's greatest grand challenges. The book will be extremely beneficial for researchers, academicians, practitioners, and policymakers working in the areas of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).