- Table View
- List View
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 Water: How the Citizens of Flint, Michigan, Fought for their Lives and warned the Nation
by Candy J. CooperBased on original reporting by a Pulitzer Prize finalist and an industry veteran, the first book for young adults about the Flint water crisis. In 2014, Flint, Michigan, was a cash-strapped city that had been built up, then abandoned by General Motors. As part of a plan to save money, government officials decided that Flint would temporarily switch its water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River. Within months, many residents broke out in rashes. Then it got worse: children stopped growing. Some people were hospitalized with mysterious illnesses; others died. Citizens of Flint protested that the water was dangerous. Despite what seemed so apparent from the murky, foul-smelling liquid pouring from the city’s faucets, officials refused to listen. They treated the people of Flint as the problem, not the water, which was actually poisoning thousands. Through interviews with residents and intensive research into legal records and news accounts, journalist Candy J. Cooper, assisted by writer-editor Marc Aronson, reveals the true story of Flint. The book shows not just how the crisis unfolded in 2014, but also the history of racism and segregation that led up to it, the beliefs and attitudes that fueled it, and how the people of Flint fought―and are still fighting―for clean water and healthy lives.
The Poisoned Well: New Strategies For Groundwater Protection
by Sierra Club Legal Defense FundThe Poisoned Well offers vital strategies for citizens, community organizations, and public officials who want to fight the battle against pollutants.
The Poisoning of an American High School
by Joy HorowitzIf it can happen in Beverly Hills, it can happen anywhereThe Poisoning of an American High School is a feat of investigative reportage and the product of four years of research by award-winning journalist Joy Horowitz. Making lucid the tangled issues of public health, regulation, and the political power of industry, it tells a riveting tale ripped from newspaper headlines?a cancer cluster affecting graduates of one of America?s most affluent schools, Beverly Hills High. The Poisoning of an American High School presents the behind-the-scenes saga of the 2003 landmark toxic tort suit, in which more than one thousand plaintiffs, with the sensational Erin Brockovich as their champion, claimed their illnesses could be traced to exposure to the oil derricks just yards from school grounds.
The Poky Little Puppy and the Pumpkin Patch (Little Golden Book)
by Diane MuldrowThe poky little puppy is having a brand-new adventure among the autumn leaves!The poky little puppy and his siblings discover a bright-red tractor pulling a wagon and end up on a hayride in the cool fall air! Bumping along past an apple orchard and a cornfield, they arrive at a pumpkin patch. There they get to play in a corn maze, drink apple cider, and choose a pumpkin to take home. Written in the style of the original poky little puppy story, The Poky Little Puppy, this new Little Golden Book celebrates all the wonderful things that autumn brings.
The Poky Little Puppy's Special Spring Day (Little Golden Book)
by Diane MuldrowEveryone's favorite dog--the Poky Little Puppy--stars in a new springtime story, perfect for Easter!Poky and his siblings are excited to play outside on this beautiful spring day. They sniff fresh flowers, splash in puddles after getting caught in a passing shower, and even join some children in an Easter egg hunt! This new Little Golden Book is written and illustrated to recall the bestselling classic story, The Poky Little Puppy, published back in 1942. Boys and girls will love spending their special spring days reading this story.Look for these other Poky Little Golden Books: The Poky Little Puppy, The Poky Little Puppy's Wonderful Winter Day, The Poky Little Puppy and the Patchwork Blanket, and The Poky Little Puppy and the Pumpkin Patch.
The Poky Little Puppy's Wonderful Winter Day (Little Golden Book)
by Jean ChandlerGreat news for Poky Little Puppy fans! An adorable story about tumble-bumble winter fun! It&’s a snowy morning, and Poky and his four brothers and sisters can&’t wait to get outside and play! They dig tunnels, slide down hills, and make snow angels. But where is that poky little puppy? He&’s chasing snowballs with the neighbor children! And that night when he&’s tucked in, he dreams happily about his wonderful winter day. Out of print for decades, this story is back in print to delight Poky's readers.
A Polar Affair: Antarctica's Forgotten Hero And The Secret Love Lives Of Penguins
by Lloyd Spencer DavisA captivating blend of true adventure and natural history by one of today’s leading penguin experts and Antarctic explorers. George Murray Levick was the physician on Robert Falcon Scott’s tragic Antarctic expedition of 1910. Marooned for an Antarctic winter, Levick passed the time by becoming the first man to study penguins up close. His findings were so shocking to Victorian morals that they were quickly suppressed and seemingly lost to history. A century later, Lloyd Spencer Davis rediscovers Levick and his findings during the course of his own scientific adventures in Antarctica. Levick’s long-suppressed manuscript reveals not only an incredible survival story, but one that will change our understanding of an entire species. A Polar Affair reveals the last untold tale from the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. It is perhaps the greatest of all of those stories—but why was it hidden to begin with? The ever-fascinating and charming penguin holds the key. Moving deftly between both Levick’s and Davis’s explorations, observations, and comparisons in biology over the course of a century, A Polar Affair reveals cutting-edge findings about ornithology, in which the sex lives of penguins are the jumping-off point for major new insights into the underpinnings of evolutionary biology itself.
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.
Polar Bear Patrol (Magic School Bus #13)
by Judith Bauer Stamper Steve Haefele Judith Bauer-StamperGet ready for some serious science fun when the Friz takes the kids on a chilling adventure through the North Pole! Hi, I'm Tim -- one of the kids in Ms. Frizzle's class. When Ms. Frizzle announced that we'd be studying the North Pole, I never thought it would lead us to the top of the world. I also never thought I'd get to see seals, caribou, musk oxen, and polar bears in person, but that was just the beginning. Find out all the bone-chilling facts of our Arctic adventure!
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 Bears (Nature's Children)
by Caroline GreenlandDescribes the physical features, habits, and natural environment of the Nanook, Ice Bear or more commonly known as The Polar Bear.
Polar Exposure: An All-Women's Expedition to the North Pole
by Felicity AstonThis inspiring account of a diverse all-women&’s expedition to the North Pole reveals the highs and lows of record-breaking, modern-day exploration.&“A wonderful collaboration both on the Arctic ice and onto the page. Each team members voice arises to offer a view beyond the physical giving us the essence of a unique adventure.&” Ann Bancroft, first woman to reach the North Pole and coauthor of No Horizon Is So Far: Two Women and Their Historic Journey across AntarcticaWhen British Explorer Felicity Aston put out an open call for women with little to no experience willing to brave the elements on an expedition to the North Pole, she was stunned to have over 1000 applicants. After narrowing it down to ten women from ten different countries—some of whom had never seen snow before—the team spent the next two years training for this unique opportunity.Each member of the team tells part of the story in her own words, chronicling their grueling preparation in Iceland and Oman, the anticipation for the journey, and the terrifying conditions of the Arctic. Set against a backdrop of Arctic pack ice that is thinner, newer, and less stable than ever before due to climate change—the team face the realities of hungry polar bears, extreme temperatures, and the possibility that anything and everything could go wrong at any moment.Aston beautifully weaves each woman&’s account into the greater expedition narrative, reminding readers of the teamwork needed to complete such a feat. Over 60 stunning photographs illustrate the journey, illuminating the breathtaking landscape along with the joy, pain, and determination of these ten women.Polar Exposure is a powerful celebration of the perseverance of women in science, sports, and exploration that sheds light on all that it takes to reach the top of the world.
Polar Habitats
by Kira Freed Tara Funk6 copies of Book with Teacher's Guide and Comprehension Question Card
Polar Icebreaker Roles and U.S. Future Needs: A Preliminary Assessment
by National Research Council of the National AcademiesThe age and condition of the U.S. Coast Guard's polar icebreakers are jeopardizing national security and scientific research in the Arctic and Antarctic, according to an interim report from the National Academies. Because of a shortfall in funding for U.S. polar icebreaking activities, long-term maintenance on these icebreakers has been deferred over the past several years, making the ships inefficient to operate and their technological systems outdated. Congress asked the National Academies to provide a comprehensive assessment of the current and future roles of U.S. Coast Guard polar icebreakers in supporting U.S. operations in the Antarctic and the Arctic, including scenarios for continuing those operations and alternative approaches, the changes in roles and missions of polar icebreakers in the support of all national priorities in the polar regions, and potential changes in the roles of U.S Coast Guard icebreakers in the Arctic that may develop due to environmental change. This brief interim report highlights the most urgent and time-dependent issues, and a final report, expected to be released next summer, will examine the type and number of icebreaking ships that the U.S. requires in the long term and other issues.
POLAR NIGHT Marine Ecology: Life and Light in the Dead of Night (Advances in Polar Ecology #4)
by Geir Johnsen Jørgen Berge Jonathan H. CohenUntil recently, the prevailing view of marine life at high latitudes has been that organisms enter a general resting state during the dark Polar Night and that the system only awakens with the return of the sun. Recent research, however, with coordinated, multidisciplinary field campaigns based on the high Arctic Archipelago of Svalbard, have provided a radical new perspective. Instead of a system in dormancy, a new perspective of a system in full operation and with high levels of activity across all major phyla is emerging. Examples of such activities and processes include: Active marine organisms at sea surface, water column and the sea-floor. At surface we find active foraging in seabirds and fish, in the water column we find a high biodiversity and activity of zooplankton and larvae such as active light induced synchronized diurnal vertical migration, and at seafloor there is a high biodiversity in benthic animals and macroalgae. The Polar Night is a period for reproduction in many benthic and pelagic taxa, mass occurrence of ghost shrimps (Caprellides), high abundance of Ctenophores, physiological evidence of micro- and macroalgal cells that are ready to utilize the first rays of light when they appear, deep water fishes found at water surface in the Polar night, and continuous growth of bivalves throughout the winter. These findings not only begin to shape a new paradigm for marine winter ecology in the high Arctic, but also provide conclusive evidence for a top-down controlled system in which primary production levels are close to zero. In an era of environmental change that is accelerated at high latitudes, we believe that this new insight is likely to strongly impact how the scientific community views the high latitude marine ecosystem. Despite the overwhelming darkness, the main environmental variable affecting marine organisms in the Polar Night is in fact light. The light regime during the Polar Night is unique with respect to light intensity, spectral composition of light and photoperiod.
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.
Polaris: A Novel
by Todd Tucker“A riveting tale of warfare in the not too distant future. Tucker takes his technological know-how as a former nuclear submariner and masterfully weaves it into a sensational thriller that will leave you pondering the land- and sea-scape of armed conflicts yet to come. A gifted writer first, Tucker seamlessly maintains the perfect balance between exhilarating story-telling and edifying prose. Superb novel!” —R. Cameron Cooke, author of Pride Runs DeepOne day in the not-too-distant future, Pete Hamlin regains consciousness deep inside the nuclear submarine Polaris. He's got a gun in his hand, a fire raging outside his door, and a dead man at his feet. Soon Pete discovers that the ship is in the middle of a mutiny - and he has no idea what side he's on. He finds the ship is now commanded by the beautiful but volatile Hana Moody. She's locked the former captain, Finn McCallister, inside a steel trunk, accusing him of treason. Frank Holmes is Moody's loyalist, an imposing physical presence who shares Moody's unquestioning devotion to the cause of the Alliance. The ship's feckless doctor hovers in the background, unable to help Pete find out the truth about the Polaris. And outside the ship's steel hull lurks another submarine, yet another presence that might be either friend or deadly foe.To save himself and discover the truth, Pete must journey with Polaris back to a forlorn piece of rock in the middle of a dangerous ocean: Eris Island. To get there he must fight murderous shipmates, a swarm of bomb-dropping drones, and a plague that is attacking everyone on both sides of a battle that Pete barely understands. Only on Eris Island does Hamlin finally learn the truth.
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 and Governance in the Water-Energy-Food Nexus: A Relational Equity Approach (Earthscan Studies in Natural Resource Management)
by Anastasia Koulouri Nikolai MouravievThis book discusses the balance of priorities within the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus and its impact on policy development and implementation, highlighting innovative perspectives in adopting a holistic approach to identify, analyse and manage the nexus component interdependencies. Due to increasing demands for natural resources, the WEF nexus has emerged as a response to the numerous global challenges. Addressing WEF challenges often involves balancing multiple and competing priorities and identifying and managing interrelations, synergies and trade-offs between the three components of the nexus. In this volume the authors focus on the dynamics between multiple stakeholders, such as governments, businesses, NGOs and local communities, when addressing WEF challenges by adopting a nexus approach. The book argues that effective engagement of multiple stakeholders can address difficulties arising from the introduction of an integrated approach to WEF policy design and implementation, increasing the potential benefits. The book also looks at the effect of international relations and regional power struggles on resolving cross-border WEF nexus issues. Case studies are drawn from Kenya, Central Asia, USA and Peru, highlighting key themes, such as how collaborative governance, enabled and facilitated by relational equity management, can be viewed as an innovative way to reconcile competing priorities. The combination of theoretical and case study chapters makes the book of interest to a wide audience, including scholars and advanced students of sustainable development, agriculture and food studies, water and energy policy design and governance, as well as to practitioners working in the fields of water, energy and food security.
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 John P. Burns Stanley RosenThis 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 Christopher M. Weible Tanya Heikkila 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 Entrepreneurs in Water Governance
by Stijn BrouwerThis book analyses policy making processes at the micro-level and offers a unique insight into the fascinating world of policy entrepreneurs, elucidating their strategic modus operandi. The author identifies change strategies and explores the role of individuals in policy change processes. Readers will see how these highly talented and exceptional bureaucrats are constantly on the alert for new opportunities and have the capacity to "sell" and "market" new ideas. Based on a uniquely comprehensive four-year study, entailing more than 60 in-depth interviews and an extensive survey of over 300 water policy entrepreneurs in the Netherlands, this book explores the different strategies that policy entrepreneurs employ. It identifies which conditions affect the policy entrepreneur's selection of strategies and more importantly, it assesses the (contextual) effectiveness of these strategies. Although the context of the study makes this work directly relevant to those in the fields of water resources and environmental management, it delivers universally relevant conclusions on affecting policy change. In addition to the theoretical material that will appeal to scholars and students, this book highlights a series of concrete recommendations for practitioners on how to affect policy change, making it of interest to academics and decision makers in the broad areas of policy change, sustainability and water management.