Book:
The Science and Politics of Global Climate Change: A Guide to the DebateAuthor:
Andrew DesslerPages:
230Format:
pdfLanguage:
EnglishISBN10:
0521737400This is an excellent way into the subject for the beginner. There's some very sound science, most of which is agreed upon and a good understanding of how policy making works, or doesn't. The two ideas are brought together along with a discussion as to how we might proceed. One of the strengths of the book is the frequent use of boxes to put alternative viewpoints and summaries to show where we are in the debate. The overall effect is one of the most lucid and readable introductory accounts of the topic that has been published in some while. As such it should be seen as a 'must-buy' and an essential addition to the library. 
Book:
The Environmental Responsibility ReaderAuthor:
Martin ReynoldsPages:
384Format:
pdfLanguage:
EnglishISBN10:
1848133170This book is for anyone involved with managing environmental decisions making. The book promotes innovative ways of understanding and taking responsibility for actions in the context of our ‘natural’ world through a selection of classic and contemporary edited readings accompanied with an editorial narrative. It provides sense-making tools for appreciating and doing something about seemingly intractable modern-day environmental dilemmas--including global warming, fossil fuel consumption, fresh water quality, industrial pollution, habitat destruction, and biodiversity loss. The book draws on contemporary ideas associated with environmental ethics, social learning, communities of practice, systems thinking, ecological citizenship, corporate responsibility, fair trade, and the connections between environmental and social justice; configuring these ideas into practical notions for responsible action.
Book:
Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in an Era of Oil Scarcity: Lessons from CubaAuthor:
Julia WrightPages:
272Format:
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EnglishISBN10:
1844075729When other nations are forced to rethink their agricultural and food security strategies in light of the post-peak oil debate, they only have one living example to draw from: that of Cuba in the 1990s. Based on the first and, up till now, only systematic and empirical study to come out of Cuba on this topic, this book examines how the nation successfully headed off its own food crisis after the dissolution of the Soviet Bloc in the early 1990s. It identifies the policies and practices required for such an achievement under conditions of petroleum-scarcity, and in doing so it challenges the more common, free market development approach as encouraged in other food-insecure countries and regions.Paradoxically, the book debunks the myth that Cuba turned to a widespread organic approach to agriculture, a myth that is perpetuated by the majority of visitors to the country, who only encounter urban gardens. In rural regions, to which the author had authorized access, high-input and integrated agriculture was the intention, although practice was hampered by the fluctuations in availability of agrochemicals and fuel. Cuban institutions and individuals were confronted with a series of challenges to going down the organic route, and these challenges are identified as those that other countries will also have to face as they attempt to develop more sustainable, organic farming systems.The book counters the rhetoric of international policy on achieving sustainable agriculture and food security for developing countries in the context of dwindling global supplies of fossil fuels, and provides useful learning material for the current fledgling attempts at energy descent plans and the mainstreaming of eco-living in industrialized nations.
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Human Impacts on Weather and ClimateAuthor:
William R. CottonPages:
330Format:
pdfLanguage:
EnglishISBN10:
0521600561I find this book an outstanding introduction to issues related to human impact on weather and climate. Authors elected to divide the discussion into three main parts, dictated primarily by the scale of perturbation. The first part deals with some of the most striking examples of controlled human impact on weather: modification of clouds, hail suppression and modification of tropical cyclones. The presentation is clear, with many interesting historical and technical details and is inspirational for people interested in cloud processes. The second part shows that humankind modified already weather and climate at local and regional scale. Such human impacts are: anthropogenic emissions of aerosols and gases, urban induced changes in precipitation and weather, and impacts caused by land use. Authors did a good job is showing that regional scale atmospheric perturbations are by far the most intense and have clear fingerprints in observations as well as in numerical models. Finally, the third part has a broad presentation of human impact on global climate. This is well illustrated with climatic effects of anthropogenic aerosols, possible nuclear winter scenarios, and with the greenhouse theory. I think students as well as a broad spectrum of readers interested in Earth sciences will benefit from reading this book.
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Exploring Environmental Issues: An Integrated ApproachAuthor:
David D. KempPages:
464Format:
pdfLanguage:
EnglishISBN10:
0415268648This concise, introductory text presents a review of current environmental issues using a geographical approach that stresses the interrelationships between environment and societies.
Book:
Climates: Past and PresentAuthor:
M. B. HartPages:
200Format:
pdfLanguage:
EnglishISBN10:
1862390754The Climate of the early earth was probably very warm and has, in general, reduced since the Archean. However, it seems that the world is about 0.6 C warmer than it was 100 years ago and estimates of the rate of global warming over the next century range from 0.16 C to 0.35 C per decade. Concurrently, global sea-level is predicted to rise from 2.4 to 10cm per decade. These rates of change are much faster than those normally associated with the geological record, causing geologists and palaeontologists to reassess their data and their forecasts on rates of future change. With the current interest in global climatic change and, more specifically, with global warming, it is clear that palaeontologists have valuable information to provide on the impacts of past climatic change. This volume contains papers from an international array of such geologists and palaeontologists, showing how studies of micro- and macrofossils, plant and vertebrate fossils from a range of geological ages have contributed to our understanding of how climate affects both local and more widespread areas. The contributions are arranged in geological order, ranging from the Permo-Carboniferous to the post-glacial recovery of the last 18,000 years, with an emphasis on climate change during the last two million years, particularly in NW Europe.
Book:
The Coming Population Crash: And Our Planet's Surprising FutureAuthor:
Fred PearcePages:
304Format:
pdfLanguage:
EnglishISBN10:
0807085839Pearce has written a fascinating and optimistic book, we really need it in this time of gloomy predictions about the future. Demography very well may be the saving grace of the human race. Or I should say, women may save the day by choosing not to have big families. My only complaint is he doesn't look at the potential downsides of a declining and aging population - on market economies, tax bases, standards of living, etc.. and what conditions in the future could cause a reversal of increased birth rates, such as what happens during baby booms. Nothing is assured, but assuming the macro trends stay in place - globalization, urbanization, woman's liberation - the population problem, and conversely environmental and resource problems, may just have a good chance of resolving themselves with time, and we may look back on this period as an overpopulated transition to a more stable and gentle older age.
Book:
Heal the Ocean: Solutions for Saving Our SeasAuthor:
Rod FujitaPages:
240Format:
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EnglishISBN10:
0865715009An oil tanker breaks up off the coast of Spain, contaminating beaches and killing over one hundred thousand birds. Colorful coral reefs turn a deathly white around the world. Six whales die in the Bahamas from bleeding near their ears after the Navy tests an active sonar system there. After so much bad news, people are thirsting for workable solutions to the oceans crisis.Heal the Ocean provides a refreshing change in the literature by emphasizing success stories in the struggle to save the seas. The author a marine ecologist dedicated to protecting and restoring ocean ecosystems first describes the nature of ocean environments and then discusses current and emerging threats, including pollution, overfishing, poor land use, deep sea mining, and the search for new energy sources. Heal the Ocean then urges that we build upon efforts that have successfully countered such threats.
Book:
Green Plans: Blueprint for a Sustainable Earth, Revised EditionAuthor:
Huey D. JohnsonPages:
228Format:
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EnglishISBN10:
0803260202I first saw Huey Johnson speak in Sept. 2008 at the LongNow Foundation and then at Bioneers in October 2008. Hearing his LongNow.org talk (available on Fora.tv) made me want more information. This book documents the way in which a few enlightened countries (the Netherlands, New Zealand) have made great strides in reversing environmental decline over 20 years of smart regulation, the result of exercising admirable political will to change. The book is brief and to the point - a very good introduction to interesting material not well known but visionary in its view. Highly recommended.
Book:
Environmental Pollution StudiesAuthor:
Gerry BestPages:
192Format:
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EnglishISBN10:
0853239231This book examines a number of important contemporary environmental issues in an informative and easy-to-read style. The topics covered include sewage treatment, eutrophication, air pollution, acid rain, global warming and pollution from farming. A particularly valuable section of the book describes a range of tests that can be carried out on various environmental parameters. The procedures require relatively simple equipment and they have been pre-tested in a school laboratory. Environmental Pollution Studies will be of value to senior school pupils and students at college or university embarking on courses in environmental science.
Book:
Electric Water: The Emerging Revolution in Water and EnergyAuthor:
Christopher C. SwanPages:
224Format:
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0865715858Energy and water technologies are about to change the world, and ELECTRIC WATER: THE EMERGING REVOLUTION IN WATER AND ENERGY tells how, exploring the combination of energy and water which could lead to the reversal of global warming. Too much of a vision? ELECTRIC WATER is based on technology that already exists, not dreams; thus the book will interest not only high school to college-level collections strong in science, but any public library concerned with alternate energy resources and energy issues.
Book:
Global Warming and Agriculture: Impact Estimates by CountryAuthor:
William R. ClinePages:
201Format:
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EnglishISBN10:
0881324035How will global warming affect developing countries, which rely heavily on agriculture as a source of economic growth? William Cline asserts that developing countries have more at risk than industrial countries as global warming worsens. Using general circulation and agricultural impact models, Cline boldly examines 2070-99 to forecast the effects of global warming and its economic impact. This detailed study: outlines existing studies on the agricultural impact of climate change; estimates projected changes in temperature, precipitation, and agricultural capacity; and concludes with policy recommendations. Cline finds that agricultural production in developing countries may fall between 10 and 25 percent, and if global warming progresses unabated, India s agricultural capacity could fall as much as 40 percent. Thus, policymakers should address this phenomenon now before the world s developing countries are adversely and irreversibly affected.
Book:
Eating Fossil Fuels: Oil, Food and the Coming Crisis in AgricultureAuthor:
Dale Allen PfeifferPages:
125Format:
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0865715653Concerned about food and how a world economy fueled by oil will continue to feed over 6 ? billion people when the oil squeeze comes? I suggest you read this book. Pfeiffer, a geologist and science journalist who has been intimately involved with peak oil issues for more than ten years, provides profound insight with his analysis of two parallel nations suffering from similar predicaments, but with radically different outcomes. He uses the powerful example of how Cuba and North Korea each dealt with nearly instantaneous loss of their supplies of oil after the Soviet Union dissolved. In the case of North Korea, their economy was shattered and millions of people died of starvation and disease. In the case of Cuba, people lost weight and made do with less, but a shift to sustainable agriculture and natural healing averted catastrophe. Cuba provides us with a glimpse of a possible future that avoids violent collapse and provides a good quality of life in spite of having to get by using less energy and buying less stuff.
Book:
Climate Change: Turning Up the HeatAuthor:
A. Barrie PittockPages:
272Format:
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EnglishISBN10:
1844073009Climate Change: Turning up the Heat explains how our attitudes toward risk and uncertainty – constant companions in life – influence our decision-making and, ultimately, how much we and future generations stand to lose from rapid climate change. It outlines the current concerns of the major international players and reviews the response to date, detailing national interests. Importantly, it shows there is real hope of managing climate change and minimizing the risk of disaster if we step up efforts to develop and apply innovative technological and policy solutions.
Book:
The Good Earth: Introduction to Earth ScienceAuthor:
David McConnellPages:
536Format:
PDFLanguage:
EnglishISBN10:
0073018473This text is the product of collaboration between the content rigor provided by Earth Science specialists (McConnell, Park, Steer) and the results of research on learning as contributed by pedagogical experts (Knight, Owens). It has been explicitly designed to be compatible with inquiry-based, active learning in the college classroom. The structural elements of this text will allow the instructor to incorporate these student-centered teaching methods into their Earth Science course. The authors have tested the book's content and pedagogy in large Earth Science classes for non-majors that are populated with mostly freshmen. Their experiences show that the materials and methods in the book can improve students' learning, increase daily attendance, reduce attrition, and increase students' enthusiasm in comparison with classes taught following a traditional lecture format. The authors have chosen to emphasize three scientific themes throughout the text: scientific literacy; Earth Science and the human experience; and, the science of global change. The discussion of scientific methods is woven into the text throughout. They have included numerous examples of human interaction with the Earth that can serve as entry points for students to appreciate the nature of science. Global change is a theme that is evident in much current Earth Science research so our authors have used global change as a content theme throughout the book.
Book:
Frontiers of Geographic Information TechnologyAuthor:
Sanjay Rana, Jayant SharmaPages:
329Format:
PDFLanguage:
EnglishISBN10:
3540256857Originally intended for desktop mapping and analysis, Geographic Information Systems have been coupled to other technologies, due to the limitations in commercially available systems, and has occurred in areas including visualisation, simulation, data storage and management and decision support. This book, written by an international group of experts, focuses on the use of GIS and the technology it has been allied to. A companion website offers additional materials and links.
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Environmental Risks and the MediaAuthor:
Barbara AdamPages:
278Format:
pdfLanguage:
EnglishISBN10:
0415214475Environmental Risks and the Media explores the ways in which environmental risks, threats and hazards are represented, transformed and contested by the media. At a time when popular conceptions of the environment as a stable, "natural" world with which humanity interferes are becoming increasingly contested, the media's methods of encouraging audiences to think about environmental risks--from the "mad cow" crisis to global warming--are becoming more and more controversial. Examining large-scale disasters as well as "everyday" hazards, the contributors consider the tensions between entertainment and information in media coverage of the environment. The issues explored include: how the media frame "expert," "counter-expert" and "lay public" definitions of environmental risk; the role played by environmental pressure groups like Greenpeace in shaping media coverage; and the media's emphasis on spectacular events at the expense of issue-sensitive reporting.
Book:
El Nino in History: Storming Through the AgesAuthor:
Cesar N. CaviedesPages:
304Format:
pdfLanguage:
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0813020999The author issues a direct challenge to readers of his book who are fond of environmental history. He suggests that they search written sources for references to extreme climatic events that serve as a back drop for notable historical circumstances to see if they can be related to a specific El Nino occurrence.Dr. Caviedes is to be complimented on his excellent presentation of a complex and intriguing subject. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a multi-disciplinary interest in history. Accept his challenge and identify a previously unknown civilization altering El Nino!
Book:
Early Spring: An Ecologist and Her Children Wake to a Warming WorldAuthor:
Amy SeidlPages:
192Format:
pdfLanguage:
EnglishISBN10:
0807085979This book is really about the butterfly effect and how an action miles away can wreck havoc on your environment. The author does give some great personal insights as the actions of man cause many unintended things to happen locally and on a small level that are adding up to a grim reality. I wish some people who say global warming does not exist would read this personal account of how the weather is not "normal" anymore.
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DroughtsAuthor:
Michael AllabyPages:
176Format:
pdfLanguage:
EnglishISBN10:
0816047936This technical, comprehensive entry in the Dangerous Weather series explores the mystery of rain and what happens when it does not come. Allaby (Tornadoes, p. 1384) first defines drought before discussing the reasons for and results of long periods without rain. Readers will gain a clear understanding of scientific terms that are in use, about air movements in the tropics and subtropics, subtropical deserts, desert life, precipitation, evaporation, ocean currents, jet streams, blocking highs, and more. As with the previous book, it may not interest general readers, but it will make research a breeze and may inspire further inquiries into the subject of droughts and water conservation.
