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Environmental and Ecological Sustainability Through Indigenous Traditions: Perspectives from the Global South
by Binay Kumar PattnaikThis book explores the environmental and ecological wisdom inherent in some of the indigenous traditions of traditional communities from developing societies like, Argentina, Brazil, India, Mexico, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. It throws light on how these discrete and unrecognized traditions have enabled communities to live in harmony with nature for ages. Despite the best efforts of the modern states through policy-making, intensive R&D for eco-friendly technologies and products, social and environmental impact assessment studies (SEIAS), and cost benefit analysis (CBA) of projects, environmental and ecological degradation continues, mostly in developing societies, which house large number of traditional communities. This book explores their traditions consisting of world views or cosmologies, eco-savvy-customs, indigenous knowledge systems involving community-based occupations and practices, skills and crafts, and so on. This book shows that when interpreted in consonance with scientific environmentalism, these traditions reveal their inbuilt environmental wisdom, mirroring sacredness of nature that have instilled built-in conservation practices, are key to sustainability.The conception of indigenous traditions that subsume environmental and ecological sustainability as well as cultural identity is studied in the book, from the vantage of multi-disciplinary perspectives. This book reflects two streams of thought : (i) stream of social anthropology, arguing for the inbuilt strength of indigenous traditions, that necessitate empathetic understanding with their own rights for recognition and survival, and (ii) stream of indigenous knowledge systems being technically effective only necessitate validation and certification by modern scientific knowledge system for wider use. The book is of great use to policy-makers and non-government players, in addition to researchers and academicians working in the area of sustainable development and indigenous / traditional communities.
Environmental Anthropology: A Historical Reader
by Michael R. Dove Carol CarpenterEnvironmental Anthropology: A Reader is a collection of historically significant readings, dating from early in the twentieth century up to the present, on the cross-cultural study of relations between people and their environment. Provides the historical perspective that is typically missing from recent work in environmental anthropology Includes an extensive intellectual history and commentary by the volume's editors Offers a unique perspective on current interest in cross-cultural environmental relations Divided into five thematic sections: (1) the nature/culture divide; (2) relationship between environment and social organization; (3) methodological debates and innovations; (4) politics and practice; and (5) epistemological issues of environmental anthropology Organized into a series of paired papers, which 'speak' to each other, designed to encourage readers to make connections that they might not customarily make
Environmental Anthropology: Future Directions (Routledge Studies in Anthropology #11)
by Helen Kopnina Eleanor Shoreman-OuimetThis volume presents new theoretical approaches, methodologies, subject pools, and topics in the field of environmental anthropology. Environmental anthropologists are increasingly focusing on self-reflection - not just on themselves and their impacts on environmental research, but also on the reflexive qualities of their subjects, and the extent to which these individuals are questioning their own environmental behavior. Here, contributors confront the very notion of "natural resources" in granting non-human species their subjectivity and arguing for deeper understanding of "nature," and "wilderness" beyond the label of "ecosystem services." By engaging in interdisciplinary efforts, these anthropologists present new ways for their colleagues, subjects, peers and communities to understand the causes of, and alternatives to environmental destruction. This book demonstrates that environmental anthropology has moved beyond the construction of rural, small group theory, entering into a mode of solution-based methodologies and interdisciplinary theories for understanding human-environmental interactions. It is focused on post-rural existence, health and environmental risk assessment, on the realm of alternative actions, and emphasizes the necessary steps towards preventing environmental crisis.
Environmental Anthropology: From Pigs to Policies
by Patricia K. TownsendEnvironmental anthropologists organize the realities of interdependent lands, plants, animals, and human beings; advocate for the neediest among them; and provide guidance for conservation efforts. But can anthropologists' studies of small-scale systems contribute to policies that address profoundly interconnected global problems? Townsend explores this question in her concise introduction to environmental anthropology. <p><p> While maintaining the structure and clarity of previous editions, the third edition has been thoroughly revised to include new research. Newly added are a chapter on the environmental impact of war and recommended readings and films. Townsend begins with a historical overview of the field, illustrating how earlier ideas and approaches help to understand how today's populations adapt to their physical and biological environments. She then transitions to a closer look at global environmental issues, including such topics as rapid expansion of the world economic system and inequality, loss of biodiversity and its implications for human health, and injustices of climate change, resource extraction, and toxic waste disposal. The final chapters caution that meaningful change requires social movements and policy changes in addition to individual actions.
Environmental Anthropology Engaging Ecotopia
by Joshua Lockyer James R. VetetoIn order to move global society towards a sustainable "ecotopia," solutions must be engaged in specific places and communities, and the authors here argue for re-orienting environmental anthropology from a problem-oriented towards a solutions-focused endeavor. Using case studies from around the world, the contributors-scholar-activists and activist-practitioners- examine the interrelationships between three prominent environmental social movements: bioregionalism, a worldview and political ecology that grounds environmental action and experience; permaculture, a design science for putting the bioregional vision into action; and ecovillages, the ever-dynamic settings for creating sustainable local cultures.
Environmental Anthropology Today
by Helen Kopnina Eleanor Shoreman-OuimetToday, we face some of the greatest environmental challenges in global history. Understanding the damage being done and the varied ethics and efforts contributing to its repair is of vital importance. This volume poses the question: What can increasing the emphasis on the environment in environmental anthropology, along with the science of its problems and the theoretical and methodological tools of anthropological practice, do to aid conservation efforts, policy initiatives, and our overall understanding of how to survive as citizens of the planet? Environmental Anthropology Today combines a range of new ethnographic work with chapters exploring key theoretical and methodological issues, and draws on disciplines such as sociology and environmental science as well as anthropology to illuminate those issues. The case studies include work on North America, Europe, India, Africa, Asia, and South America, offering the reader a stimulating and thoughtful survey of the work currently being conducted in the field.
Environmental Archaeology: Current Theoretical And Methodological Approaches (Interdisciplinary Contributions To Archaeology Ser.)
by Marta Bartkowiak Arkadiusz Marciniak Evangelia PişkinThis book aims to thoroughly discuss new directions of thinking in the arena of environmental archaeology and test them by presenting new practical applications.Recent theoretical and epistemological advancement in the field of archaeology calls for a re-definition of the subdiscipline of environmental archaeology and its position within the practise of archaeology. New technological and methodological discoveries in hard sciences and computer applications opened fresh ways for interdisciplinary collaborations thus introducing new branches and specialisations that need now to be accommodated and integrated within the previous status-quo.This edited volume will take the challenge and engage with contemporary international discussions about the role of the discipline within the general framework of archaeology. By drawing upon these debates, the contributors to this volume will rethink what environmental archaeology is and what kind of input the investigation of this kind of materiality has to the reconstruction of human history and sociality.
Environmental Archaeology: Theoretical and Practical Approaches (Key Issues in Environmental Change)
by Peter Clark Chris Turney Matthew Canti Nick BranchEnvironmental Archaeology: Theoretical and Practical Approaches outlines and assesses the various methods used to reconstruct and explain the past interaction between people and their environment. Emphasising the importance of a highly scientific approach to the subject, the book combines geoarchaeological, bioarchaeological (archaeobotany and zooarchaeology) and geochronological information and examines how these various aspects of archaeology may be used to enhance our knowledge and understanding of past human environments. Drawing from both the practical experiences of the authors and cutting-edge research, Environmental Archaeology: Theoretical and Practical Approaches is a valuable contribution to the subject. It will be essential reading for students and professionals in archaeology, geography and anthropology.
Environmental Archaeology
by Myra Shackley Elizabeth ReitzOne of the most significant developments in archaeology in recent years is the emergence of its environmental branch: the study of humans' interactions with their natural surroundings over long periods, and of organic remains instead of the artifacts and household items generally associated with sites. With the current attention paid to human responsibility for environmental change, this innovative field is recognized by scientists, conservation and heritage managers, and policymakers worldwide. In this context comes Environmental Archaeology by Elizabeth Reitz and Myra Shackley, updating the seminal 1981 text Environmental Archaeology by Myra Shackley. Rigorously detailed yet concise and accessible, this volume surveys the complex and technical field of environmental archaeology for researchers interested in the causes, consequences, and potential future impact of environmental change and archaeology. Its coverage acknowledges the multiple disciplines involved in the field, expanding the possibilities for using environmental data from archaeological sites in enriching related disciplines and improving communication among them. Introductory chapters explain the processes involved in the formation of sites, introduce research designs and field methods, and walk the reader through biological classifications before focusing on the various levels of biotic and abiotic materials found at sites, including:Sediments and soils.Viruses, bacteria, archaea, protists, and fungi.Bryophytes and vascular plants. Wood, charcoal, stems, leaves, and roots. Spores, pollen, and other microbotanical remains. Arthropods, molluscs, echinoderms, and vertebrates. Stable isotopes, elements, and biomolecules.The updated Environmental Archaeology is a major addition to the resource library of archaeologists, environmentalists, historians, researchers, policymakers--anyone involved in studying, managing, or preserving historical sites. The updated Environmental Archaeology is a major addition to the resource library of archaeologists, environmentalists, historians, researchers, policymakers--anyone involved in studying, managing, or preserving historical sites
Environmental Archaeology and the Social Order
by John G. EvansPresenting a wide variety of case studies, ranging from the early Palaeolithic to Post-modernity, and from Europe to the Andes, West and East Africa, and the USA, Environmental Archaeology and the Social Order deals with both the theory and method of environmental archaeology. Including significant sections on Neanderthals, Palaeolithic mobiliary art and the origins of farming, as well as transhumance, climate as social construct, field survey and the place of documents in environmental research, Professor Evans interprets his findings in social constructionist terms, creating an important argument against the use of traditional materialist and processualist paradigms. This original and controversial volume sets a new agenda for the study and understanding of environmental archaeology, and will prove an informative and useful purchase.
Environmental Assessment in Practice (Routledge Environmental Management)
by Owen Harrop Ashley NixonThis text explains what constitutes good practice in applying environmental assessment as an environmental management tool. A wide range of case studies and other student text features are employed to demonstrate how the different methods, techniques and disciplines of environmental assessment can be used. The authors address the key concepts for environmental assessment procedures: methods for using E.A.; techniques for impact prediction and evaluation; environmental risk assessment; EA consultation and participation; project management; environmental statement review and post-project analysis; and strategic environmental assessment.Worldwide case studies include: gas pipelines, hydroelectric power plants, gold mining, river crossings, waste-to-energy plants and gravel extraction in England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, the USA, Venezuela, the Netherlands, Iceland, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Ghana.
Environmental Challenges in South-East Asia (NIAS Man and Nature in Asia #No. 2)
by Victor T. KingThis volume discusses environmental change, natural resource exploitation and the prospect for ecological sustainability in Southeast Asia. The contributors including sociologists, geographers, anthropologists, economists, political economists and historians, presents the findings of recent archival and field research mainly from ongoing programmes of team research based in European universities and institutes. Among the themes discussed are European and indigenous perceptions of the environment; historical processes of environmental change; the politics of resource use; ecotourism and development; deforestation and smallholding land-use strategies; migration and environmental degradation; disease environment and human geography; demography, sustainability and resource exploitation.
Environmental Change: The Evolving Ecosphere
by Richard HuggettEnvironmental Change explores the nature, causes, rates and directions of environmental change throughout earth history. Huggett introduces the interdependent parts of the natural environment - cosmic, ecological, geological - and the dynamic nature of the environmental system. Integrating a wealth of examples and illustrations from around the world, the book examines evidence and causes of change in life, climate (air and water), soils, sediments and landforms, and the impacts of human-environment interaction.
Environmental Change, Adaptation and Migration: Bringing In The Region
by Felicitas HillmannThe contributors present empirical and theoretical insights on current debates on environmental change, adaptation and migration. While focusing on countries subject to environmental degradation, it calls for a regional perspective that recognises local actors and a systematic link between development studies and migration research.
Environmental Change and Development in Ladakh, Indian Trans-Himalaya (Advances in Asian Human-Environmental Research)
by Blaise Humbert-Droz Juliane Dame Tashi MorupThe Trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh has witnessed important changes linked to its geo-strategic importance, the rapid development of means of communication with other parts of India, socio-economic transformation processes and the effects of climate change. The sixteen chapters document these key changes, ranging from melting glaciers and extreme weather events to the exponential increase in infrastructure, tourist and military activities. The book examines the impact these changes are having on the environment and on the socio-economics and identity of Ladakhi communities. The book also attempts to evaluate the likely direction of future changes, identify some of the main environmental challenges faced by Ladakh in the 21st century, and provide perspectives for sustainable development of the high mountain region.
Environmental Change and Human Development: Controlling nature?
by Chris BarrowEnvironmental Change and Human Development focuses on environmental change and human fortunes. While there is a large and rapidly expanding literature dealing with how people affect the environment, less attention has been given in recent years to how the environment shapes human development. In an ever more crowded world there is a need for anticipatory environmental management, and a crucial input to this is consideration of the interaction between environment and humans.The environment is not as stable, benign or controllable as people like to think. The world population is vastly larger than it has ever been and is still growing, and humans increasingly upset nature through pollution and other activities. While modern communications may help environmental managers, rapid travel also increases the dispersal of diseases and pests. Technological advance and social development is not all beneficial; some innovations have the effect of making people more vulnerable to disruption by natural disaster, and citizens are often less able to cope with changed conditions than people were in the past.Environmental Change and Human Development addresses key issues such as soil degredation, natural climatic variations and volcanic activity, and provides geography and earth sciences students with an essential introduciton to the major debates surrounding this topic.
Environmental Change in Lesotho
by Pendo MaroEnvironmental Change in Lesotho identifies and analyzes the drivers of land-use change and the consequences of these changes on the livelihoods of rural land-users/managers. To accomplish this, a combination of tools from the social sciences and environmental fields were developed to identify causes and consequences of land-use change at selected levels, using a 'nested' approach. These methods were then applied to a case study of two villages in the Lowland region of Lesotho. This book is directed at environmental and social science experts, researchers, decision-makers, and development/aid workers interested in understanding the intricate human-environment relationship as it relates to land-use change in a changing biophysical, socio-economic, political and institutional context, coupled by HIV/AIDS, changing demographics, local perceptions and what is termed here 'dependency syndrome'.
Environmental Change in Mountains and Uplands (Key Issues in Environmental Change)
by Martin BenistonMountain environments are often perceived to be austere, isolated, and inhospitable. In fact, these areas are of immense value to mankind, providing direct life support to close to 10 percent of the world's population and sustaining a wide variety of species - many of which are endemic to this environment.'Environmental Change in Mountains and Uplands' provides detailed account of the fragile and marginal physical and socio-economic systems which make up the world's mountain regions. Discussing the direct and indirect impacts of human interference on environmental ecosystems, it then turns to the social and economic consequences of such environmental change - both upon the mountain environment itself and upon the populations who depend on mountain resources for their economic sustenance.This book includes a review of possible implications for adaption and mitigation strategies in a global context. Working within a broad temporal scale, it draws upon paleoenvironmental records to document past changes which have occured in the absence of major anthropogenic influences, as well as utilising modelling as a means to assessing future environmental change.
Environmental Change in South-East Asia: People, Politics and Sustainable Development
by Raymond L. Bryant Michael J.G. ParnwellEnvironmental Change in South-East Asia brings together scholars, journalists, consultants and NGO activists to explore the interaction of people, politics and ecology. Ostensibly "green" activities - plantation forestry, eco-tourism, hydro-electricity - are revealed as guises used by elites to promote their own political and economic interests. Highlighting fatal flaws in presently exclusive economic and ecological approaches, the authors stress that neither the quest for sustainable development nor the process of environmental change itself can be understood without reference to political processes.
Environmental Change, Livelihood Issues and Migration: Sundarban Biosphere Reserve, India
by Avijit Mistri Bhaswati DasThis book deals with the out-migration from the UNESCO designated Sundarban Biosphere Reserve in India. It focuses on the question whether out-migration is a consequence of environmental change or livelihood issues and development deficit. It investigates the processes of migration from a broad spectrum, exploring a wide range of economic, social, and demographic factors along with environmental stressors. The processes of migration studied and empirically illustrated include migration stream, migration pattern, reasons for migration, the nexus between migration and social network, aspiration and different human, economic and physical capital. The book adopts a modelistic approach called the Sustainable Livelihood Approach (SLA) to investigate whether migration from Sundarban is an environmental migration or not. In addition it uses the risk perception approach of people’s cognition or ‘affective imagery’ to examine the degree of perceived environmental risk in the means of living, especially farming and fishing, of the islanders of Sundarban. The book will be of interest to researchers and academicians in the areas of migration studies, geography, political science, sociology and economics.
Environmental City
by William Scott SwearingenAs Austin grew from a college and government town of the 1950s into the sprawling city of 2010, two ideas of Austin as a place came into conflict. Many who promoted the ideology of growth believed Austin would be defined by economic output, money, and wealth. But many others thought Austin was instead defined by its quality of life. Because the natural environment contributed so much to Austin's quality of life, a social movement that wanted to preserve the city's environment became the leading edge of a larger movement that wanted to retain a unique sense of place. The "environmental movement" in Austin became the political and symbolic arm of the more general movement for place. This is a history of the environmental movement in Austin-how it began; what it did; and how it promoted ideas about the relationships between people, cities, and the environment. It is also about a deeper movement to retain a sense of place that is Austin, and how that deeper movement continues to shape the way Austin is built today. The city it helped to create is now on the forefront of national efforts to rethink how we build our cities, reduce global warming, and find ways that humans and the environment can coexist in a big city.
Environmental Clashes on Native American Land: Framing Environmental and Scientific Disputes (Palgrave Studies in Media and Environmental Communication)
by Cynthia-Lou ColemanThis book explores how the media frame environmental and scientific disputes faced by American Indian communities. Most people will never know what it is like to live on an Indian reservation in North America, or what it means to identify as an American Indian. However, when conflicts embroil Indigenous folk, as shown by the protests over a crude oil pipeline in 2016 and 2017, camera crews and reporters descend on “the rez” to cover the event. The focus of the book is how stories frame clashes in Indian Country surrounding environmental and scientific disputes, such as the Dakota Access Pipeline construction, and the discovery of an ancient skeleton in Washington. The narratives told over social media and news programs often fail to capture the issues of key importance to Native Americans, such as sovereignty: the right to self- governance. The book offers insight into how the history of Indian-settler relations sets the stage for modern clashes, and examines American Indian knowledge systems, and how they take a back seat to mainstream approaches to science in discourse.
Environmental Communication Among Minority Populations (Routledge Focus on Environment and Sustainability)
by Bruno Takahashi Sonny RosenthalThere are many current socio-environmental conflicts and problems around the world that affect distinct nationalities, races, or ethnicities. Part of the solution to these issues involves interdisciplinary scholarship to make sense of the communication challenges that are involved. However, current research in this area has lacked clear focus on the ways in which environmental issues are culturally and socially constructed by racial and ethnic minorities. This volume aims to improve our understanding of culturally bounded rationalities across racial and ethnic groups facing environmental challenges, as they relate to the formation of environmental identities, environmental injustice, political activism, public engagement, and media representations, among others. The ideas presented in this book dovetail with the idea that environmental communication scholars and practitioners can effectively intervene to engage ethnic groups that traditionally are not included in decision making or deliberation processes that directly affect their livelihoods. Considering problems such as the siting of industrial facilities, flooding, droughts, climate change, and air and water pollution, this book will be of great interest to students, scholars, and practitioners of environmental communication.
Environmental Communication and Water Management in India: A Civil Society Perspective (Towards Sustainable Futures)
by Ram Awtar Yadav Kanchan K. MalikThis book analyses the underlying communication strategies and approaches of grassroots water management practices in India through a case study-based ethnographic approach. Drawing from fieldwork experiences, this volume provides a detailed overview of Parmarth, a not-for-profit NGO, which is the case study for this research. It presents an in-depth theoretically informed analysis of data collected through multiple methods, which includes key informant interviews, focus group discussions, participant observation, and document reviews, among other approaches. The book examines Parmarth’s strategies and processes to mobilise women as important stakeholders in the region’s water conservation initiatives. It discusses communicative actions, tactics and campaigns in water interventions and the role of various stakeholders ranging from local community members to civil society. Accessibly written, this volume is a must-read for scholars and researchers of media and communication studies, environmental communication, ecology studies, development studies, public policy, sustainable development, water management, sociology, and political science.
Environmental Communication for Children: Media, Young Audiences, and the More-Than-Human World (Palgrave Studies in Media and Environmental Communication)
by Erin HawleyThis book explores the nexus between children, media, and nature during a time of planetary crisis marked by climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. In this time of planetary emergency, children have become an increasingly visible part of conversations about the human/nature relationship – they have also become an important market for environmentally-themed media content. Indeed, recent years have seen a proliferation of environmental texts, products, and narratives for young people: children are recognised and addressed as audiences for environmental content across a range of media including news, films, television programs, magazines, videogames, and transmedia franchises. Through analysis of a range of case studies, this book examines the construction of children as green audiences, the intersection between media and environmental literacies, and the mainstreaming of children’s voices in environmental communication. The book will appeal to readers with an interest in children’s media and the industry imperatives that shape the production of children’s culture as well as to students, scholars, and practitioners in the field of environmental communication.