Conservation of the environment Books

Book SynopsisWinner of the 2023 Nautilus Book Award in the category of Animals & NatureThe surprising, fascinating, and remarkable ways that animals use creativity to thrive in their habitatsMost of us view animals through a very narrow lens, seeing only bits and pieces of beings that seem mostly peripheral to our lives. However, whether animals are building a shelter, seducing a mate, or inventing a new game, animals' creative choices affect their social, cultural, and environmental worlds.The Creative Lives of Animals offers readers intimate glimpses of creativity in the lives of animals, from elephants to alligators to ants. Drawing on a growing body of scientific research, Carol Gigliotti unpacks examples of creativity demonstrated by animals through the lens of the creative process, an important component of creative behavior, and offers new thinking on animal intelligence, emotion, and self-awareness. With examples of the elaborate dams built byTrade ReviewCarol Gigliotti’s The Creative Lives of Animals deconstructs our conceit that humans alone are capable of emotion, creativity and synthetic thinking. The author joyfully perforates the rigid tenets of behavioral science with vivid stories from the fresh edge of research. It is good to live in a time when human self-reference is finally yielding to the undeniable evidence of magnificent animal minds. -- Julie Zickefoose * Wall Street Journal *The Creative Lives of Animals makes its strongest case when advocating a revision of how to think about, and act towards, animals. Ms. Gigliotti points out that humans are only one of millions of species on Earth. She suggests a retreat from anthropocentrism in favor of recognition that animals are individuals with complicated, powerful, creative lives of their own. * The Economist *An illuminating account of creativity in the wild. Gigliotti makes a solid case that humans have a lot to learn about the creatures that they share the planet with, and that much of what scientists previously thought was uniquely human isn’t. Fans of Jane Goodall and Frans de Waal will be pleased. * Publishers Weekly (starred) *Gigliotti builds the case that animals of all types—from elephants to ants—are intelligent, albeit in ways that may manifest differently than humans, and they can communicate nuance, allowing individual behavioral innovation to spread through a community. Ultimately, her agenda is to seek greater empathy, value, and protection for animals by including them into a global creative force. This broad survey of creative animal behavior will appeal to artists of all types and to animal lovers. * Library Journal *If you’ve ever purchased one of the many different types of ‘squirrel proof’ bird feeders, you can attest to the resourcefulness of animals. In this intriguing investigation of animal ingenuity, Gigliotti contemplates the novelty and meaning of creativity along with some essential elements, such as curiosity, flexibility, and persistence. * Booklist *From playfully bowing puppies to seductively singing alligators, Carol Gigliotti combines examples from interviews with scientists and excerpts of previously published books in this delightful index of animal inventiveness. -- Fionna M. D. Samuels * Scientific American *The Creative Lives of Animals is a game-changer. Carol Gigliotti shows how important creativity –improvisation and invention–is in a wide variety of contexts including expressing different emotions, playing, socially communicating with others, courting, mating, and raising children, and designing and engineering animals' homes. Easy-to-read and science-based, The Creative Lives of Animals will be of interest to a broad audience including researchers and non-researchers alike, and surely will change the ways in which humans view and treat the fascinating animals with whom we share our magnificent planet. * Marc Bekoff, author of Canine Confidential: Why Dogs Do What They Do *Finely written. Gigliotti, tuned into nature and the lives of animals, offers a good model for the rest of us to follow, helping us see the world not from myopic humanism but from the perspective of animals. Implicitly, Gigliotti asks everyone and not just scientists to learn about the lives of animals in our shared ecosphere to which we are all tied with an equal fate. -- Gregory F. Tague * Leonardo Reviews *In her marvelous book, Gigliotti reveals the astonishing depth and genius of animal creativity, demolishing a common view of animals as little more than robots mindlessly enacting the scripts given to them by Nature. Drawing on a century of ethological findings, the author shows how animals bring deep intelligence, emotions, and even an aesthetic sensibility to bear on their daily challenges. Animals are shown to be not mere ‘types,’ but creative individuals and artists of their own lives. This is the rare work that opens our eyes to worlds of experience and being that would otherwise remain hidden from us. * John Sanbonmatsu, author of Critical Theory and Animal Liberation *The Creative Lives of Animals is smart, original, and well-written. Gigliotti topples one of the last remaining conceits about what distinguishes humans from nonhuman animals: the aptitude for creative expression and aesthetic appreciation. The Creative Lives of Animals is masterfully researched, and will surely make vital contributions to debates not only in animal studies but also in the philosophy of mind and even performance studies. At the same time, the writing sparkles, and the book overflows with stories so accessible and well-crafted that the book deserves wide readership. This is a work that has the potential to fundamentally change the way we think about animals--and ourselves. * Colin Jerolmack, author of The Global Pigeon *If you doubt that other beings can create, prepare to be convinced otherwise. With a delightful combination of science and anecdote, Gigliotti explores a neglected facet of the inner lives of our fellow denizens of planet Earth. The result is a highly readable and accessible foray into the creative lives of animals. -- Jonathan BalcombeSo many people are reluctant to admit that the species we share this planet with are also creative. Perhaps this book will change their minds. Eye-opening and fascinating. -- John Yunker * EcoLit Books *Many songbirds are born without the ability to sing. So should those that learn — and other animals — be called creative? Carol Gigliotti interviews scientists who think they should be, and agrees with them. An animal activist, author and artist who has taught design and dynamic media, she defines creativity as a 'dynamic process' in which individuals generate 'novel and meaningful behavior' that might affect others at cultural, species and evolutionary levels. -- Andrew Robinson * Nature *This broad survey of creative animal behaviour makes a compelling case that animals of all types (from insects to mammals) are capable of behavioural innovation and provides artists insight into their own creativity. -- Nathalie Atkinson * The Globe and Mail *Gigliotti's palpable love of the animal world is expressed in graceful and affecting prose… the author deserves praise for creating this beautiful prose paean to the other animals who inhabit our shared world. -- D. Altschiller, Boston University * CHOICE *

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Book SynopsisThe Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) has been off-limits to human habitation for nearly seventy years, and in that time, biodiverse forms of life have flourished in and around the DMZ as beneficiaries of an unresolved war. In Making Peace with Nature Eleana J. Kim shows how a closer examination of the DMZ in South Korea reveals that the area’s biodiversity is inseparable from scientific practices and geopolitical, capitalist, and ecological dynamics. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork with ecologists, scientists, and local residents, Kim focuses on irrigation ponds, migratory bird flyways, and land mines in the South Korean DMZ area, demonstrating how human and nonhuman ecologies interact and transform in spaces defined by war and militarization. In so doing, Kim reframes peace away from a human-oriented political or economic peace and toward a more-than-human, biological peace. Such a peace recognizes the reality of war while pointing to potential forms of human and nonhumaTrade Review"Making Peace with Nature is to be commended for its thoughtful attention to the competing priorities and placemaking of the DMZ region by both human and more-than-human actors. In decentring the human, Kim makes a critical intervention in discourses of peace that instrumentalise the DMZ for political or economic gain. Making Peace with Nature makes a valuable contribution across disciplines and may be of particular interest to scholars and students in Korean studies, Asian studies, cultural anthropology, political science, and the environmental humanities." -- Ivanna Sang Een Yi * Asian Studies Review *"Kim offers an opportunity to think of the ecological ramifications of the closed borders of the last few years. One particularly powerful chapter is her study of undetonated mines along the DMZ from the Korean War." -- Adrian De Leon * Public Books *"Kim’s astute theoretical work … is a refreshing approach to the puzzle of nonhuman agency." -- Caterina Scaramelli * American Ethnologist *"Eleana Kim’s book stands as a thought-provoking contribution to our understanding of the Korean DMZ. ... She presents a compelling case for the future sustainability of the Korean DMZ area and leaves an indelible mark on the discourse surrounding this historic landmark." -- Chae-han Kim * Pacific Affairs *Table of ContentsList of Abbreviations ix The South Korean DMZ Region xi A Note about Romanization and Translation xii Acknowledgments xiii Introduction 1 1. In the Meantime of Division 30 2. Ponds 62 3. Birds 87 4. Landmines 119 Epilogue. De/militarized Ecologies 152 Notes 159 Works Cited 177 Index 191

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Book SynopsisFor the past decade, historian Dipesh Chakrabarty has been one of the most influential scholars addressing the meaning of climate change. Climate change, he argues, upends long-standing ideas of history, modernity, and globalization. The burden of The Climate of History in a Planetary Age is to grapple with what this means and to confront humanities scholars with ideas they have been reluctant to reconsiderfrom the changed nature of human agency to a new acceptance of universals. Chakrabarty argues that we must see ourselves from two perspectives at once: the planetary and the global. This distinction is central to Chakrabarty's workthe globe is a human-centric construction, while a planetary perspective intentionally decenters the human. Featuring wide-ranging excursions into historical and philosophical literatures, The Climate of History in a Planetary Age boldly considers how to frame the human condition in troubled times. As we open ourselves to the implications of the AnthropoTrade Review“With his new masterwork, Chakrabarty confirms that he is one of the most creative and philosophically-minded historians writing today. The oppositions he proposes between the global of globalization and the global of global warming, between the world and the planet, between sustainability and habitability are illuminating and effective for thinking and acting through our highly uncertain and disoriented times.” * François Hartog, author of 'Chronos' *“One of the first thinkers to reckon with the concept of the Anthropocene and its relation to humanism and its critics, Chakrabarty forges new territory in his account of the planetary. If globalism was an era of human and market interconnection, the planetary marks the intrusion of geological forces, transforming both the concept of ‘the human’ and its accompanying sense of agency. This is a tour de force of critical thinking that will prove to be a game changer for the humanities.” * Claire Colebrook, Pennsylvania State University *"Historian Dipesh Chakrabarty confronts the ‘planeticide’ by calling for a humanistic and critical approach to the Anthropocene. . . . Ever alert to the holistic and far reaching vision upheld by ‘deep history,’ the Chicago professor re-raises the old question of the human condition in the new framework of the geobiological history of the planet." * Arquitectura Viva *"The Climate of History in a Planetary Age, by Dipesh Chakrabarty, is in my judgment the most compelling and encompassing book by a humanist on the complexities and asymmetries of the Anthropocene to date." * The Contemporary Condition *“For Chakrabarty, ‘global’ does not refer to the entirety of the world, but rather to a particular mode of thought. . . . In critiquing the global, Chakrabarty offers another mode of thinking that can perhaps provide the philosophical grounding for a truly ecological approach. He terms it the ‘planetary.’ Chakrabarty argues the ‘planetary’ is not a unified totality, but rather ‘a dynamic ensemble of relationships.’ While the global mode of thought retains the centrality of the human observer, the planetary mode of thought decentres the human and its apprehension of the world. The human becomes only one node within a much more complex and multivalent system of actors, both human and non-human.” -- Christopher McAteer * Green European Journal *"In The Climate of History in a Planetary Age, University of Chicago historian and theorist Dipesh Chakrabarty provides an expansive, but hardly exhaustive, overview of the Anthropocene, focusing on how historians, in particular, have grappled with the conditions of a world under physical duress. As humans have become a 'geological force' in this new epoch and the earth has itself become an archive, with human behavior imprinted in the fossil record and ice caps, we are at the cusp of a new understanding of the agency of humankind and other terrestrial beings. This 'planetary' understanding can, in turn, offer a new ethical paradigm for inhabiting this afflicted present, and can apply to remote pasts and possible futures. Such, at least, is the hope expressed in Chakrabarty’s book." * The Hedgehog Review *"Immensely clarifying and illuminating. . . . while Chakrabarty frequently invokes research produced by natural scientists, his argument carves out an important space for humanists in interpreting and responding to the consequences of anthropogenic geological agency." * Isis Journal *"This book provides a thought-provoking, complex discussion of how climate change challenges the humanities, history, and the human sense of time but presupposes a command of intellectual history. . . . Overall, Chakrabarty outlines the overlapping of different histories once thought to be distinct. The planet itself, he argues, is a 'humanist category.'" * Choice *"Environmental humanists... tend to treat 'globe' and 'planet' as synonyms; Chakrabarty shows the critical and generative importance of the distinction. Evoking geological time is de rigueur; he shows what it means to dwell with that time without displacing it onto world historical time. Rapturous treatments of multispecies agency abound; he challenges the latent anthropocentrism and even paternalism of some new materialisms." * American Literary History *"The Climate of History in a Planetary Age is a breathtaking book. Chakrabarty challenges us to reimagine the human from a planetary perspective, a deep history—an infinite horizon of human history—in order to come to terms with the climate crisis that human actions have precipitated." * The Book Review India *"Chakrabarty’s approach to the Anthropocene is a rich collage of intellectual influences primarily from India, Europe, Australia and North America. The book is an exemplary illustration that the magnitude and scope of the Anthropocene is not only challenging. For many academics, it is an inviting opportunity to take stock of one’s lessons learnt through research and personal experience. At this stage of the academic debate, the Anthropocene offers plenty of room for thematic manoeuvres. Chakrabarty displays a version of such intellectual playfulness in an overall sense-making attempt." * British Journal for the History of Science *"It's no overstatement to think of this book as having clanged the bell for a new normal in the humanities and social sciences when it comes to telling the story of ourselves, that is, when it comes to human history. Responsible history should today be geological even when recounting the human record. Chakrabarty raised a series of open-ended, difficult questions about a range of core concerns in the humanities and social sciences from how we can understand ourselves and society to how we ought to think about political economy and morality." * Environmental Philosophy *"Our academic engagements with law and development and social sciences more broadly must attempt to make sense of the rifts between the global and the planetary, even if such endeavours transcend and disrupt disciplinary confines and assumptions... The objective should be to displace the ideological supremacy of human species, Euroamerican and universalistic cosmologies, and simultaneously further the plurality of human-nonhuman relations, minority thought and just political action. Chakrabarty's book is one essential step in this direction." * Review of European, Comparative and International Environmental Law *"In contrast to most of the interventions that we can read about the ecological catastrophe, Chakrabarty does not rush to give us solutions, but rather seeks to sharpen the problem... By locating this difficulty at the intersection of the two great critical events of our history, decolonization on the one hand and global warming on the other, and by identifying the problematic node from these two distinct figures of totalization that are globalization and planetarization, Chakrabarty inscribes himself in an original way in a body of contemporary research in which the legacy of the critique of colonization and ecological awareness are mixed... Chakrabarty is an Aufklärer, and in this book as in the previous one, a single question is at work: how to inherit the Enlightenment? How to prolong the cosmopolitical project?" * Critique *"Chakrabarty’s argument about what postcolonial studies has to offer the environmental humanities goes well beyond the established appeals to inequality that constitute climate justice discourse . . . As such, this book comes highly recommended for anyone working in the environmental humanities." * Ecozon@ *"The new book by Dipesh Chakrabarty, The Climate of History in a Planetary Age, is to my mind currently the best available introduction to the new challenges for political thinking in the Anthropocene." * Postcolonial Studies *"The challenge of Anthropocene research is not that it compels determining which view is the singly correct one; the challenge is that almost all views (if not all of them) are to some extent correct. How, then, do we go about addressing these multiple (potentially and partially correct) views? Open the pages of The Climate of History in a Planetary Age and see for yourself." * History and Theory *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Intimations of the PlanetaryPart I: The Globe and the Planet 1 Four Theses 2 Conjoined Histories 3 The Planet: A Humanist CategoryPart II: The Difficulty of Being Modern 4 The Difficulty of Being Modern 5 Planetary Aspirations: Reading a Suicide in India 6 In the Ruins of an Enduring FablePart III: Facing the Planetary 7 Anthropocene Time 8 Toward an Anthropological Clearing Postscript: The Global Reveals the Planetary: A Conversation with Bruno Latour Acknowledgments Notes Index

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Book SynopsisConfronting harsh ecological realities and the multiple cascading crises facing our world today, An Inconvenient Apocalypse argues that humanity's future will be defined not by expansion but by contraction.For decades, our world has understood that we are on the brink of an apocalypseand yet the only implemented solutions have been small and convenient, feel-good initiatives that avoid unpleasant truths about the root causes of our impending disaster. Wes Jackson and Robert Jensen argue that we must reconsider the origins of the consumption crisis and the challenges we face in creating a survivable future. Longstanding assumptions about economic growth and technological progressthe dream of a future of endless bountyare no longer tenable. The climate crisis has already progressed beyond simple or nondisruptive solutions. The end result will be apocalyptic; the only question now is how bad it will be.Jackson and Jensen examine how geographic determinism shTrade Review“An Inconvenient Apocalypse pulls no punches. Wes Jackson and Robert Jensen, in this work of Anthropocenic soul-searching, offer an honest, accessible, and ruefully playful look at their own lives and at the predicament of human civilization during this century of upheaval and denial.” —Scott Slovic, co-editor of Ecoambiguity, Community, and Development“The problematic human/earth relationship will not be resolved anytime soon, and Jackson and Jensen’s book makes an important contribution to assessing our situation and envisioning a way forward. Anyone who has a nagging feeling that something is wrong and doesn’t understand the breadth and depth of the problem or how to grapple with it should read this book.” —Lisi Krall, author of Proving Up"While making no religious claims, Jackson and Jensen engage the core questions that religious people must ask, if their own witness is to be credible: Who are we, and where are we in history? Do we have the capacity to make drastic change for the sake of a decent human future? Can we live with humility and grace instead of arrogance and an infatuation with knowledge devoid of wisdom? Read and consider." —Ellen F. Davis, author of Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture"With intrepid honesty, tenderness, and grace, Jackson and Jensen lay out a clear framework for making sense of the most elusive complexities of climate crisis. Through kindred reflections and incisive analysis, they boldly enlighten readers of the probable and the possible in the decades to come. An affirmation and solace for the weary. A beacon for those seeking courage and understanding in unsettling times." —Selina Gallo-Cruz, author of Political Invisibility and Mobilization"The nature of all living organisms, so this book argues, is to go after 'dense energy,' resulting eventually in crisis. If that is so, then the human organism is facing a tough question: Can we overcome our own nature? Courageous and humble, bold and provocative, the authors of An Inconvenient Apocalypse do not settle for superficial answers." —Donald Worster, author of Shrinking the Earth"This is one of the most important books of our lifetime. An Inconvenient Apocalypse can help us face the difficult choices that confront us all and enable us to acknowledge the urgency of our current circumstance." —Frederick L. Kirschenmann, author of Cultivating an Ecological Conscience"Wes Jackson and Bob Jensen have written Common Sense for our time. This book might be the spark that catalyzes the American Evolution." —Peter Buffett, co-president of the NoVo Foundation“In this essential contribution to the public debate, Wes Jackson and Robert Jensen critique the capitalist forces accelerating the climate crisis and the intellectual-activists who have balked at calling for the radical changes in human behavior that could mitigate, if not prevent, environmental and societal collapse. Their contribution will prove as enduring as it is timely.” —Jason Brownlee, author of Authoritarianism in an Age of Democratization“If you’re already concerned about our species’ survival prospects, this book will take you to the next level of understanding. Jackson and Jensen are clear and deeply moral thinkers, and their assessment of humanity’s precarious status deserves to be widely read.” —Richard Heinberg, author of Power"Jackson and Jensen take a hard look at the near future as climate change intensifies and predict looming crises will lead to human suffering and radical changes. . . . [The authors] cut through pervasive denial about humanity's destiny in a more hostile environment. As in an effective seminar, they posit a situation and then raise questions that will resonate with readers." —Library Journal"Harrowing and accessible, this is just the thing for readers interested in a sociological or philosophical examination of the climate crisis." —Publishers Weekly"A hard-hitting philosophical reckoning with climate breakdowns, and with the social collapses that they may entail. ... Climate disasters may render hope for the future tenuous, but the philosophical book An Inconvenient Apocalypse asserts that working toward social justice is still purpose-giving." —Foreword Reviews (starred review)"The goal of An Inconvenient Apocalypse isn’t to try to convince people of the reality of humankind’s environmental and societal crises. . . . Instead the book takes these threats as a starting point and spends the majority of its lean page count exploring their implications and how we might best respond to them. It succeeds commendably in this regard." —Resilience"In An Inconvenient Apocalypse, authors Wes Jackson and Robert Jensen style themselves as heralds of some very bad news: societal collapse on a global scale is inevitable, and those who manage to survive the mass death and crumbling of the world as we know it will have to live in drastically transformed circumstances. . . . The current way of things is doomed, and it’s up to us to prepare as best we can to ensure as soft a landing as possible when the inevitable apocalypse arrives." —The Guardian"Global warming is headed in a calamitous direction. Even if humans can limit the increase in the Earth’s temperature, other factors are pushing us to an apocalypse. . . . This a sobering examination of current trends in human behavior and likely existential consequences." —Intelligencer: Journal of U.S. Intelligence Studies"We are in the midst of a major environmental catastrophe for which we are little prepared, but for which action is desperately needed. An Inconvenient Apocalypse seeks to engage this problem with a deep concern for social justice, equality, and reverence for us and the planet that we have so deeply scarred." —New York Journal of Books"Unlike many works in the eco-catastrophe genre, An Inconvenient Apocalypse isn’t strident, angry, or panicked about the impending collapse. It’s more of an elegy for a dying civilization, which takes a pragmatic but soft-spoken approach to the problems we face; so soft-spoken that it’s a slight shock when we realize what the authors are saying." —Medium"An Inconvenient Apocalypse is one powerful book. It will move many of its readers out of the past and into a reasonable, informed, and passionate space for assessing a difficult future." —Ecological Economics"Read this personal manifesto of wisdom and passion for our suffering planet, a very important, timely, and riveting book." —CounterPunch"Few books can shake up and awaken long-time climate activists, environmental activists, and sustainability activists to expansive new levels of understanding of the big picture of our major crises, but this is one of those books." —Job One for Humanity Climate Blog“Right now, the questions posed by Jackson and Jensen carry more potency than the answers we are being led to believe will resolve the predicaments we are in. That is because we have been asking the wrong questions. Jackson and Jensen ask new, and inconvenient, questions. Get the book and start asking the same questions.” —Rainbow Juice“The authors seek to redefine what hope can be, as the day-to-day expectations of most of us are off the table... Compulsory reading.” —Hastings Independent Press"If we are to see a better future realized, not only do we need to rethink our individual patterns of behavior, but we must also resist cultural formations that reduce our humanity to marketplace identities. . . . If we decide this is who we are, our future may still be bright, even if it is not convenient." —The Christian CenturyTable of ContentsIntroductions: Who are we? 1. Who is “we”? 2. Four hard questions: Size, scale, scope, speed 3. We are all apocalyptic now 4. Saving remnant 5. Ecospheric grace Conclusions: The sum of all hopes and fears

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Book SynopsisWhat makes a garden good? For Chris McLaughlin, it’s about growing the healthiest, most scrumptious fruits and veggies possible, but it’s also about giving back. How can your little patch of Earth become a sanctuary for threatened wildlife, sequester carbon, and nurture native plants? McLaughlin gives you all the tricks and tips you need to grow the sustainable garden of your dreams. Drawing from established traditions, such as permaculture and French intensive gardening, and McLaughlin’s hard-earned experience, The Good Garden is a joyful guide for newbies and experienced gardeners alike. It will teach you the fundamentals, including how to choose the right plant varieties for your microclimate, and proven methods to fight pests without chemicals. You will also discover the nuances of developing a green thumb, from picking species to attract specific types of pollinators to composting techniques based on time available. Lovely four-colour photography will show you good gardening in action. Most importantly, The Good Garden will help you foster a sense of meaning in your garden. Maybe the goal is to reduce food miles and plastic waste by growing delicious berries. Maybe it’s to meet neighbours who also care about the planet through a seed-swap. Maybe it’s a quiet moment patting the bunny whose manure will replace toxic fertilisers in the soil. A good garden offers endless possibilities, and The Good Garden offers a wealth of knowledge and inspiration.Trade Review"Chris McLaughlin understands that your garden is more than just a plot of land - it's an ecosystem. In this positive, upbeat guide, she shows you how to nurture a thriving garden that includes native plants that support wildlife and how, in doing so, your own garden will reconnect to the greater ecosystem." --David Mizejewski, Naturalist, National Wildlife Federation "From rain barrels to planting choices, this book guides you to endless gardening possibilities and doing it in an all-natural way. Chris has made gardening simple and easy for all." --Lisa Mason Ziegler, author of Cool Flowers and Vegetables Love Flowers "This is the perfect guide to get you started in understanding how your garden functions as a part of the ecosystem. It can help you create a space for all to enjoy--from the tiniest insects to the domestic animal helpers--and for yourself!" --Jessi Bloom, ecological designer and author of Creating Sanctuary and Practical PermacultureTable of ContentsTable of Contents Introduction: What Makes a Good Garden? Chapter 1. Choose and Combine Sustainable Gardening Styles Chapter 2. Know Your Ecosystem Chapter 3. Welcome Pollinators and Wildlife Chapter 4. Control Weeds Naturally Chapter 5. Keep the Bad Bugs at Bay Chapter 6. Nourish Healthy Soil Chapter 7. Cultivate Healthy Food Chapter 8. Enlist Domestic Critters Chapter 9. Build Community Resources: Down the Sustainable Rabbit Hole Acknowledgements About the Author Index

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Book SynopsisThe goal of this accessible book is to articulate a coherent framework that unifies life history theory with comparative functional ecology to advance prediction in plant ecology. Predicting how species respond to global change is perhaps the most important challenge of our time.Trade ReviewThis book is remarkable for the enthusiastic treatment of not only the critique of published ideas about plant strategies, but also the wide range of studies that underpin those ideas. The author seems equally at home as he reviews relevant findings (and gaps in understanding) in areas as different as plant morphology and physiology on the one hand and demography, evolution, and game theory on the other. * Peter Grubb, Professor Emeritus, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, UK *A stout-hearted trek through the rugged landscape of plant ecological strategies, species traits, and how they translate into demographic success in some settings but not others. The writing is energetic and richly illustrated; Laughlin must be a lively teacher! An excellent read for research students and discussion groups. * Mark Westoby, Professor Emeritus, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia *This book is as rich in scientific knowledge as it is passionate about scientific history and the complexity of plant life on earth. With the aim to merge various concepts in plant ecology, the thought-provoking framework it provides will certainly stimulate research in holistic plant functioning. Furthermore, it is simply an absolute pleasure to read! * Joana Bergmann, PhD, Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Germany *Step by step, the reader is patiently guided and encouraged into conceptual thinking in plant ecology, inevitably leading to new hypotheses and ways of testing them in plants at different ecological scales. I specifically admire the tone of the book. When reading, I 'hear' the caring teacher sharing both the concepts and the personal stories beyond the ecology; the true excitement of the botanist discovering the secrets of plants; the experienced scientist leading us to the state-of-art of this field, and the connecting optimist believing that it is still possible to restore the plant diversity in our ecosystems. This is hardcore science, but in an encouraging and light hearted tone. This book is for the new (and old!) generations of students in plant science and ecology! I am deeply impressed. * Liesje Mommer, Professor of Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, Wageningen University, The Netherlands *Table of ContentsPrologue Part 1: Foundations 1: Perspectives on Plant Strategies 2: A Menagerie of Plant Strategy Models 3: The Dimensionality of Plant Strategy Theory Part 2: Demography and Life History 4: Plant Demography 5: Life History Theory Applied to Plants Part 3: Comparative Functional Ecology 6: Plant Functional Traits and the Multidimensional Phenotype 7: Plant Strategies Along Resource, Disturbance, and Temperature Gradients Part 4: The Net Effect of Traits on Fitness 8: Empirical Approaches to Infer Fitness from Traits 9: Game Theoretical Approaches to Infer Fitness from Traits 10: Applying Plant Strategies in Conservation and Restoration Part 5: The Effect of Traits on Demographic Rates 11: Plant Traits That Promote Growth and Enhance Survival 12: Plant Traits That Bolster Recruitment Epilogue

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Book SynopsisPurchased by the city of Manchester in the 1870s, Thirlmere was dammed and converted into a reservoir. This book examines the battle for Thirlmere and the clashes between conservationists who wished to preserve the lake and developers eager to meet the needs of industry and a growing urban population.Trade Review"This is the first detailed study of a pathbreaking late nineteenth-century controversy about whether to turn a lake in England's most scenic district into a reservoir to provide water for the fast-growing industrial city of Manchester. The debate over Thirlmere pitted nature against progress, a conflict that has become common in the century since. Ritvo tells the story with skill and insight, and The Dawn of Green will be widely read." - Adam Rome, author of The Bulldozer in the Countryside: Suburban Sprawl and the Rise of American Environmentalism"Table of ContentsIntroduction One The Unspoiled Lake Two The Dynamic City Three The Struggle for Possession Four The Cup and the Lip Five The Harvest of Thirlmere Epilogue Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Illustration Credits Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Rowan Wright makes a strong case for how choices—big and small, collective and individual—can change the world." * Publishers Weekly *"Rowan Wright’s book emits passion and fire coupled with a growing urgency to 'put things right'—to make good our failings to protect the life of seas and oceans. Wright highlights good practice and encourages its dissemination and adaptation where possible, whilst castigating politicians for ignoring the science and aligning themselves with those who would exploit our seas to the point at which they become lifeless. . . . This book is simply too important not to be read by the general public, marine scientists, ecological/environmental conservationists, representatives of marine-based industries and especially politicians; and since most of it is jargon-free there really is no excuse." -- Stephen R. Hoskins CBiol FRSB FLS * The Biologist *"A profound plan to save the seas. . . . Our ocean life-support system continues to buckle under human pressures. We have been approaching marine conservation backward, Rowan Wright argues at the outset of her new book, Future Sea. Instead of regulating individual fisheries or putting boundaries around select areas of the ocean, we need to protect the whole thing." -- Mary Ellen Hannibal * Science *"In his book Half-Earth, the famous biologist E.O. Wilson proposed setting aside half of the planet’s surface for conservation purposes. Rowan Wright will do you one better; given how important they are for life on the planet, how about we completely protect the oceans. What, all of it? Yes, not half, all of it. We need a gestalt shift, from ‘default profit and exploitation to default care and respect.’ Such a bold proposal is likely to elicit disbelief and cynicism—’Impossible!’—and Rowan Wright has experienced plenty of that. But hear her out, for sometimes we are our own worst enemy. Future Sea is a surprisingly grounded, balanced, and knowledgeable argument that swayed me because, guess what, the oceans are already protected. . . . I admit that Rowan Wright’s initial brief raised my eyebrows. However, her even-handed treatment of the subject and her insights into environmental law quickly tempered my skepticism. The way forward proposed here will not be easy, and she never pretends it will be, but the urgency with which she makes her case is utterly convincing. Future Sea is a galvanizing book." -- Leon Vlieger * The Inquisitive Biologist *“Future Sea sets out marine policy researcher Rowan Wright’s ideas about how to end destructive industrial activities at sea and enable ocean wildlife to return and thrive. Luckily, she includes steps that anyone, from children to political leaders, can take." * New Scientist *"Future Sea delivers not only the promised 'how' but also the reasons why we should safeguard the ocean from human activities. Advocate and researcher Rowan Wright outlines the critical link between the ocean’s health and our ability to mitigate global warming, the tremendous potential of marine renewable energy, and the ocean’s timeless role as a resource to communities around the world. More profoundly, she argues for its intrinsic value, outside of a human context, noting the vastness and richness of coastal and underwater ecosystems, home to millions of species that are yet unclassified, yet unknown. . . . The times when Rowan Wright draws on her own experiences with ocean life and researching her subjects are when the language is liveliest. Her arguments are most convincing when her own voice is clearest—when the frustration, passion, and will for change of an individual emanate in a kind of slow-burning glow of articulate British restraint. The voice of a single rational, concerned woman make the bolder claims and proposals all the more stealthily convincing. . . . It is her sensitivity to both the complex emotional response to environmental destruction and the profound connections human beings have to the natural world that make the book an effective advocacy tool. I certainly didn’t feel emotionally prepared to take in more environmental ‘bad news,’ but found myself changed after reading the book, feeling that understanding, bearing witness, is also part of making a change. The trick is to move past the paralysis. Rowan Wright pinpoints what is perhaps the greatest challenge, our current global leadership vacuum, describing her dream of ‘leaders with compassion and integrity.’ The implicit message is that for good leadership, too, we all bear some responsibility." -- Megin Jimenez * Chicago Review of Books *"A solutions-oriented read about the dire state of our oceans and how we can better protect them. . . . Books about climate change are often rife with doomy predictions, but Future Sea brims with hopeful stories of communities around the world that are working to protect and conserve our oceans. Our seas face many threats, including climate change, pollution, and overfishing, but this book is solutions-oriented. A marine-policy researcher, Rowan Wright puts forth a sweeping—if somewhat radical—plan that offers total protection of all oceans on Earth and all of their living inhabitants. The book also includes actions individuals can take right now to be better stewards of the seas." -- Amy Brady * LitHub *"A very stimulating and rewarding read." -- Mark AveryOne of 2020's "12 books on climate and environment for the holidays." * Yale Climate Connections *“Rowan Wright combines insightful conversations with brilliant minds in marine science with vivid storytelling and detailed analysis to renew readers’ sense of hope that it is not too late to save our seas. . . . All at once eye-opening, thought-provoking, rage-inducing, and empowering, Future Sea is an excellent read for ocean lovers.” -- Rishad Maynard * Marine Biologist *“If you want to get into understanding ocean management—this is the book for you! If you want to know what your government can be doing to help the ocean—this is the book for you! If you just love the ocean, you guessed it—this is the book for you! To all my nature lovers, ocean swimmers, and people who want to see the world not go up in flames.” * Teenage Reads *"An ambitious and useful handbook. . . . It is an eye-opening book that will fill your soul with the right amount of optimism and call for action. It will tell you in an easy-to-read, step-by-step outline of how to save the planet’s seas." * a la luz *"Combines a legal scholar’s understanding of arcane theories and doctrines . . . with a modern conservation practitioner’s knowledge of the many threats to ocean populations and ecosystems. . . . Timely and provocative. . . . Rowan Wright provides us optimists with a roadmap to substantially restore the health of ocean ecosystems. It’s been a few weeks since I finished reading Future Sea and I’m still thinking about it: thinking about how to convince NGOs and governments to start making some big changes. But one of my favorite chapters (‘The Power of Many Small Changes’) lays out a convincing and detailed case that we can all do a lot to reduce our impacts on ocean wildlife: things like reducing our carbon footprint, eating less beef, eating only sustainably harvested seafood, and participating in beach cleanups." * Current Biology *"Independent researcher and ocean advocate Rowan Wright offers an information-packed and carefully crafted review of challenges to the life and health of oceans... Her passionate engagement and work with environmental NGOs, including Friends of the Earth and Marinet (a fish conservation network), have gained her familiarity with relevant international law—the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, UN Fish Stocks Agreement, and the Convention on Biological Diversity—mandating comprehensive stewardship of the oceans. Rowan Wright's unsentimental analysis shows that well-intentioned conventions can suffer from three failings: weak governance, flimsy monitoring, and minimal compliance. . . . Highly recommended." * Choice *“In Future Sea, Rowan Wright makes a convincing call to optimism. From ‘Inky the octopus’ to the Law of the Sea convention she provides a cogent, easy-to-read argument for protecting the whole of our blue marble planet. A fast read on a deep subject, this thoughtful book will leave you feeling empowered to take the plunge, understanding that in saving the natural abundance and diversity of our seas we’re really saving ourselves.” -- David Helvarg, author of "Saved by the Sea" and "The Golden Shore"“Rowan Wright’s book is a clear call to action to modernize the Law of the Sea so that it can deal with the changes in society, in the sea, on land, and in the atmosphere that have arisen since it came into force in 1994. This is the freshest, most sensible, and most optimistic perspective I have seen in a long time. I enjoy very much the positive, can-do approach. Very motivating.” -- Drew Harvell, Cornell University, author of "A Sea of Glass" and "Ocean Outbreak"Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Back-to-Front World 2. The Laws of Life 3. Teeming Seas 4. The Free Sea 5. Theory to Reality 6. Counteroffensive 7. Worrying about the Wrong Stuff 8. The Silver Bullet? 9. The Power of Many Small Changes 10. Finding Like Minds Acknowledgments Notes Index

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Book SynopsisItalian Ecocinema Beyond the Human is an ecocritical study of five Italian films. It explores the ways in which on-location filming impacts the relationships between the production crew and the environment, and ultimately the story told in the resulting cinematic narrative.Trade ReviewPart memoir, part close analysis of the films themselves, and illustrated with numerous excellent frame grabs, Past's book casts a dreamlike spell as it contemplates the past, present, and future of the cinema and moves smoothly between environmental issues and aesthetic and practical concerns. * Choice *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsNote on TranslationOn Location: Italian Ecocinema1. Hydrocarbons, Moving Pictures, Time: Red Desert2. Location, Dirty Cinema, Toxic Waste, Storytelling: Gomorrah3. Posthuman Collaboration, Cohabitation, Sacrifice: The Wind Blows Round4. Silence, Cinema, More-than-Human Sound: Le quattro volte5. Volcanoes, Transgenerational Memory, Cinema: Return to the Aeolian IslandsEpilogueBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"This is a well-researched, richly detailed history of trout and trout fishing in the Mountain West that, as the author promises, 'overturns the biggest fish story ever told.'" -- John Gierach * Wall Street Journal *"Readable and thought-provoking. . . . The author does not sugarcoat the story of trout fishing in the West, and she deserves credit for being a voice for the native fish of all species that existed prior to human attempts to change nature’s plan and for documenting how the trout and angling opportunities we have in the Rocky Mountain West came to be." -- James Thull * Montana *"[A] remarkable book. Brown’s pithy, beautifully written prose conveys an important message: that anglers and managers need to stop imagining western lakes and rivers as wild places and start thinking about how the human history of Rocky Mountain trout has had a disastrous impact on ecologically significant native species that genteel recreationists too readily deemed ‘trash fish.’" -- Miles Powell * Western Historical Quarterly *"Trout Culture appealingly recounts the complex dance of environmental and social changes that led to the western icon. . . . A valuable, clear, and timely contribution. . . . Trout Culture is an excellent, engaging book that will appeal to scholars and general readers alike" -- Terence Young * Environmental History *"Engaging, perceptive, interpretive, meticulously researched and documented. . . . This careful delineation and assessment of the evolution of western trout culture will be valuable for those interested in the history of the American West as well as students of science and aquaculture." * Choice *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1. Headwaters 2. Trout Empire 3. Trout Culture 4. Trash Fish 5. Lunkers 6. Wild Trout Epilogue Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Michael Dwyer’s engaging analysis of upland geopolitics shows that Laos has been the mother of many outlandish ideas, but these ideas have had real, material, environmental and political consequences." * Journal of Peasant Studies *"This book and its focus not only raise critical questions about the stories of Laos but about how scholars can contribute to a lineage of attempts at understanding Southeast Asia in the world. This book and the questions it raises will be of interest to scholars and students focusing on natural resource governance, land grabbing, transnational investment, political ecology, and geopolitics, within and beyond Southeast Asia." * Eurasian Geography and Economics *"With an innovative methodology which accepts complexity rather than obliterating it, Upland Geopolitics epitomizes the difficulties and the struggles that state administrators face in their strive to project state power on a territory over which they proclaim sovereignty." * Asia Major *

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Book SynopsisExplores how questions of national identity become entangled with environmental concerns in Bangladesh, Nepal, and India. This work provides an insight into the motivations of national governments in managing nature, and deals with the different kinds of regional political conflicts that invoke nationalist sentiment through claims on nature.Trade Review"The editors of this volume have begun a valuable process of understanding which must now be pursued." * Journal of Contemporary Asia *"The cases in Ecological Nationalisms— much too rich to summarize here— all take different positions on the relative importance of the ideas, interests, and identities activated or deployed in the politics of nature. . . . Beautifully produced, rich in content, and important; it is genuinely South Asian in scope and both international and interdisciplinary in execution." * Journal of Asian Studies *"Ecological Nationalisms, an edited volume of essays. . . is an ambitious and successful addition to the steadily growing literature on South Asian environmental history. . . . This work asks many good questions and should inspire subsequent research." * Environmental History *"[Ecological Nationalisms] opens the door to a remarkably wide body of research and enquiry. Most of the studies are not only very detailed but soundly based in an historical and conceptual background. The result is not easy reading but certainly provides an excellent base for understanding the interactive patterns at work in each of the areas studied.. it would be very valuable indeed to post-graduate students focusing on related problems and to senior practitioners." * Electronic Green Journal *"Informative and thought-provoking . . . Ecological Nationalisms is a must-read for serious scholars of South Asia studies." * American Anthropologist *Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments Notes on Contributors 1. Introduction: Ecological Nationalisms: Claiming Nature for Making History / K. Sivaramakrishnan and Gunnel Cederlof Part One | Regional Natures, Nations, and Empire 2. Environmental History, the Spice Trade, and the State in South India / Kathleen D. Morrison 3. The Toda Tiger: Debates on Custom, Utility, and Rights in Nature, South India 1820-1843 / Gunnel Cederlof 4. Contested Forests in North-West Pakistan: The Bureaucracy between the "Ecological," the "National," and the Realities of a Nation's Frontier / Urs Geiser Part Two | Competing Nationalisms 5. Indigenous Forests: Rights, Discourses, and Resistance in Chotanagpur, 1860-2002 / Vinita Damodaran 6. Nature and Politics: The Case of Uttarakhand, North India / Antje Linkenbach 7. Indigenous Natures: Forest and Community Dynamics in Meghalaya, North-East India / Bengt G. Karlsson 8. Sacred Forests of Kodagu: Ecological Value and Social Role / Claude A. Garcia and J.-P. Pascal Part Three | Commodified Nature and National Visions 9. Knowledge Against the State: Local Perceptions of Government Interventions in the Fishery (Kerala, India) / Gotz Hoeppe 10. Shifting Cultivation, Images, and Development in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh / Wolfgang Mey 11. Forest Managementin a Pukhtun Community: The Construction of Identities / Sarah Southwold-Llewellyn 12. "There Is No Life Without Wildlife": National Parks and National Identity in Bardia National Park, Western Nepal / Nina Bhatt Bibliography Index

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Trade Review"DDT, Silent Spring, and the Rise of Environmentalism provides an important survey of petrochemical use in the postwar United States. It is both a thought-provoking text for undergraduates and a diverse collection of primary sources for scholars..Dunlap valuably provides a succinct overview of the complicated relationships between industry, environment, and the chemical debate." * Agricultural History *"Thomas R. Dunlap's purpose as editor is one of historian rather than judge; every essay—- no matter which side it argues from—- is precise, intelligent, and revealing of the biases and limits of the decade. Dunlap's introductions to each section adds hints of reflection and even redemption. Books like this remind people to treat today's new miracles with delicate care until they know where every path might lead." * ForeWord *Table of ContentsForeword by William Cronon Preface and Acknowledgments Introduction Part 1: BACKGROUND Views of Nature 1. Stephen A. Forbes, "The Ecological Foundations of Applied Entomology" 2. Leland O. Howard, "The War against Insects" -Pre-DDT Pesticides and DDT's Use in World War II 3. Paul Neal et al., "A Study of the Effects of Lead Arsenate Exposure on Orchardists and Consumers of Sprayed Fruit" 4. Paul Neal et al., "Toxicity and Potential Dangers of Aerosols, Mists, and Dusting Powders Containing DDT" Part 2: DDT'S BRIGHT PROMISE AND NEGLECTED PROBLEMS (1942-1958) DDT as Miracle Chemical 5. Brigadier General James Stevens Simmons, "How Magic is DDT?" 6. "Aerosol Insecticides" 7. Clay Lyle, "Achievements and Possibilities in Pest Eradication" -Early Warnings 8. Paul B. Dunbar, "The Food and Drug Administration Looks at Insecticides" 9. Clarence Cottam and Elmer Higgins, "DDT and Its Effect on Fish and Wildlife" Part 3: RISING CONCERN ABOUT NEW PROBLEMS DDT, Food Chains, and Wildlife 10. Roy J. Barker, "Notes on Some Ecological Effects of DDT Sprayed on Elms" 11. Editorial from Bird Study 12. Derek A. Ratcliffe, "The Status of the Peregrine in Great Britain" 13. Robert Rudd, Pesticides and the Living Landscape 14. Thomas R. Dunlap, Interview with Joseph J. Hickey 15. Robert S. Strother, "Backfire in the War against Insects" Part 4: THE STORM OVER SILENT SPRING Public Alarm 16. Morton Mintz, "'Heroine' of FDA Keeps Bad Drug Off Market" 17. Rachel Carson, "A Fable for Tomorrow" -Reactions 18. President's Science Advisory Committee, Use of Pesticides 19. Robert H. White-Stevens, "Communications Create Understanding" 20. Edwin Diamond, "The Myth of the 'Pesticide Menace'" 21. Robert Gillette, "DDT: Its Days are Numbered, Except Perhaps in Pepper Fields" Part 5: DDT AND MALARIA 22. Thomas Sowell, "Intended Consequences" 23. Thomas R. Hawkins, "Rereading Silent Spring" 24. May Berenbaum, "If Malaria's the Problem, DDT's Not the Only Answer" Notes on Further Reading Credits Index

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Book SynopsisClimate anxiety is real—and this practical, accessible guide helps address it on personal, relational, and structural levels, from the founder of the Climate Anxiety Counseling Booth. Summer after summer is the hottest on record. People’s homes are flooding, burning, blowing away. We live with the loss, pain, and grief of what’s happened, and anxiety for what might happen next, as the systems in which we live are increasingly strained. Lessons from the Climate Anxiety Counseling Booth addresses our collective concerns with empathy, grace, and practical strategies to help us all envision a viable future. By moving through your personal and general climate anxiety, frustration, helplessness and grief, you can move toward a sense of shared purpose and community care. You’ll find actionable steps for connecting with others, identifying and activating community abundance, matching your skills with organized climate activism, and imagining a

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Book SynopsisArborist William Bryant Logan recovers the lost tradition that sustained human life and culture for ten millennia.Trade Review"William Bryant Logan’s vision of a world in which humans and trees work together to mutual benefit—a world that has existed in the past and can exist again in the future—is cause for deep joy, for celebration and hope." -- Peter Wohlleben, author of The Hidden Life of Trees"... this vividly insightful exploration of tree regeneration." -- Nature

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Book SynopsisOffers memories, myths, and meanings of the contiguous piece of wild area in Michigan's ""Lower Peninsula"". This book provides comprehensive discussions of the area's flora and fauna. It guides to the trails and camping sites, and a photo section showcasing the evolving face of this national treasure.

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Book SynopsisDespite living and working in California, one of the county's most environmentally progressive states, environmental justice activists have spent decades fighting for clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and safe, healthy communities. Evolution of a Movement tells their storyfrom the often-raucous protests of the 1980s and 1990s to activists' growing presence inside the halls of the state capitol in the 2000s and 2010s. Tracy E. Perkins traces how shifting political contexts combined with activists' own efforts to institutionalize their work within nonprofits and state structures. By revealing these struggles and transformations, Perkins offers a new lens for understanding environmental justice activism in California. Drawing on case studies and 125 interviews with activists from Sacramento to the California-Mexico border, Perkins explores the successes and failures of the environmental justice movement in California. She shows why some activists have moved away from the disrTrade Review"Evolution of a Movement is a well-researched, well-written treatment of the arc of California environmental justice…a fresh addition to the literature." * Mobilization *Table of ContentsContents List of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: Environmental Justice Activism Then and Now 1. Emergence of the Disruptive Environmental Justice Movement 2. The Institutionalization of the Environmental Justice Movement 3. Explaining the Changes in Environmental Justice Activism 4. Kettleman City: Case Study of Community Activism in Changing Times 5. California Climate Change Bill AB 32: Case Study of Policy Advocacy Conclusion: Dilemmas of Contemporary Environmental Justice Activism Appendix: Arguments for and against the Environmental Justice Lawsuit Brought against the California Air Resources Board Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA free open access ebook is available upon publication. Learn more at www.luminosoa.org. Landlocked and surrounded by South Africa on all sides, the mountain kingdom of Lesotho became the world's first water-exporting country when it signed a 1986 treaty with its powerful neighbor. An elaborate network of dams and tunnels now carries water to Johannesburg, the subcontinent's water-stressed economic epicenter. Hopes that receipts from water sales could improve Lesotho's fortunes, however, have clashed with fears that soil erosion from overgrazing livestock could fill its reservoirs with sediment. In this wide-ranging and deeply researched book, Colin Hoag shows how producing water commodities incites a fluvial imagination. Engineering water security for urban South Africa draws attention ever further into Lesotho's rural upstream catchments: from reservoirs to the soils and vegetation above them, and even to the social lives of herders at remote livestock posts. As we enter our planeTrade Review"Overall, the book was a fascinating read and source of discussion in our classroom. An approach to constructing an ethnography of a landscape spoke to the issues of environmental change in the Anthropocene so central to our current crisis." * African Journal of Range and Forage Science *"The book is enjoyable to read and the argument is clear and easy to follow, with little jargon or theory to get in the way of the non-anthropologist reader." * Journal of Environmental Anthropology and the Interpretation of Landscapes *"The work of Colin Hoag is an outstanding work of political ecology and environmental humanities. All the chapters demonstrate his capacity to consider both the broader context (analyzing the history of Lesotho and using socio-economic data, particularly those linked to pastoralism) and the local perspective (through ethnographic approach and in-depth analysis of discourses and landscape)." * Water Alternatives Book Review *

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Book SynopsisGeorge Catlin gained renown for his nineteenth-century paintings of Indians and their lands. The author argues that, despite his sympathies, Catlin's work embodied the same prevailing sentiment toward Nature that sanctioned Indian removal and thus undercut his own alternate vision for westward expansion.Trade ReviewA clear, coherent, provocative reconsideration of Catlin that challenges readers to reexamine their perceptions of the artist; to explore their understanding of nineteenth-century American attitudes toward expansion, Indians, and nature; and to contemplate how underlying intellectual attitudes and epistemologies may shape and constrain social criticism, including our own. George Miles, coeditor of Under an Open Sky: Rethinking America's Western Past ""Hausdoerffer's innovative and richly suggestive book leaves no question or controversy surrounding Catlin unexplored. His compelling answers to those questions alone make this rewarding reading for scholars working in environmental studies, environmental ethics, American studies, and ecocriticism."" Joni Adamson, author of American Indian Literature, Environmental Justice and Ecocriticism

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Book SynopsisBrings together the latest research on southeastern prairie systems and species, provides a complete picture of an increasingly rare biome, and offers solutions to many conservation biology queries. Contributors address questions related to the diversity, ecology, and management of southeastern grasslands.Trade ReviewSoutheastern Grasslands offers a good representation of the biological significance bestowed upon these systems and the efforts currently underway to restore and maintain them for future generations to know and appreciate."" - Alfred R. Schotz, botanist and community ecologist with the Alabama Natural Heritage Program (ALNHP) at Auburn University""An excellent and thorough account, past and present, of the grasslands of the southeastern United States. The information included in this volume will be of interest to anyone studying grasslands, whether in the southeastern United States or elsewhere."" - Robert H. Mohlenbrock, author of Vascular Flora of Illinois: A Field Guide and This Land: A Guide to Eastern National ForestsTable of Contents Preface by JoVonn G. Hill and John A. Barone Chapter 1. A Synopsis of Southeastern Blackland Prairies by S. Lee Echols and Wendy B. Zomlefer Chapter 2. Historical Distribution of Prairies in Arkansas by John A. Barone Chapter 3. The Use of General Land Office Survey Notes to Locate Prairie Patches in the Jackson Prairie Region by Toby Gray and Timothy J. Schauwecker Chapter 4. Eastern Texas Prairie Landscapes by Jason R. Singhurst and Matt White Chapter 5. Floristics of the Louisiana Cajun and Inland Prairies by Charles Allen Chapter 6. The Native Flora of Grasslands and Associated Woodlands in the Grand Prairie Ecoregion of Eastern Arkansas by C. Theo Witsell, Thomas L. Foti, and Brent T. Baker Chapter 7. Vegetation and Flora on Lowlands in the Central Black Belt of Mississippi—How Low Did the Original Prairie Go? by J. J. N. Campbell and W. R. Seymour Jr. Chapter 8. An Alternative Natural Distribution for Osage Orange, Maclura pomifera, Including the Prairies of the Southeast by Jennifer L. Seltzer Chapter 9. Prehistoric Molluscan Faunas of the Mississippi Black Prairie by Evan Peacock Chapter 10. The Grasshopper Fauna of Southeastern Grasslands: A Preliminary Investigation by JoVonn G. Hill Chapter 11. Encroachment and Persistence of Trees in Southeastern Grasslands by J. Morgan Varner Chapter 12. Experimental Removal of Eastern Redcedar to Restore Black Belt Prairie Remnants: Effects on Plant, Ant, and Grasshopper Communities by John A. Barone, JoVonn G. Hill, and Lisa McInnis Chapter 13. Conservation and Management of Subtropical Grasslands in South-Central Florida by Elizabeth H. Boughton, Patrick J. Bohlen, Steve L. Orzell, Edwin L. Bridges, and Reed F. Noss Chapter 14. Effects of Landscape History on Plant Communities in Semi-natural Grassland Buffers by Jolie G. Dollar, Timothy J. Schauwecker, Samuel K. Riffell, and L. Wes Burger Jr. Chapter 15. Ground Cover Assessment of CRP Conservation Practice 36 in Georgia by James W. Tomberlin, Nicholas Brown, and Reggie E. Thackston Chapter 16. Forb Community Response to Management of Grassland Buffers by Jolie G. Dollar, Timothy J. Schauwecker, Samuel K. Riffell, and L. Wes Burger Jr. Chapter 17. Highway Right-of-Way Mowing Regimens in Northeastern Mississippi: Effects on Native Prairie Plant Species by Edward D. Entsminger, John W. Guyton, Raymond B. Iglay, and Jeanne C. Jones Chapter 18. Reconstructing Prehistoric Prairie Habitat Types Using Archaeological Data by Jennifer L. Seltzer and Evan Peacock Chapter 19. A Preliminary Study of Learning about Prairie Restoration Ecology: A Comparison between Biology Major and Nonmajor Students by Bruno Borsari and Malcolm F. Vidrine Chapter 20. Attempts at Converting a Southern Mississippi Bahia Grass Pasture to Diverse Prairie via Local-Provenance, Source-Certified Seed by Marc G. Pastorek, Malcolm F. Vidrine, Charles Allen, Bruno Borsari, and Gail Barton References Cited Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisIn Nature in Translation Shiho Satsuka studies Japanese tour guides who lead Japanese tourists on trips through the Canadian Rockies. By presenting nature in ways attuned to Japanese culture, these guides translate nature, a process that makes visible the cultural construction of nature and subjectivities.Trade Review"Nature in Translation is an excellent ethnographic monograph that is both theoretically innovative and eminently readable.... Her work is pioneering in bringing both the Japanese studies and STS into one volume.... Nature in Translation is an excellent read for scholars and students who are interested in contemporary Japan as well as science studies of nature. Satsuka’s discussion of translation should provide fertile theoretical ground for upcoming studies on STS, and it has also opened up exciting new ways to study contemporary Japan." -- Satsuki Takahashi * Journal of Anthropological Research *"I... recommend this book to serious scholars of the cross-cultural dimensions of tourism. It is not a light read but it is an insightful read for tourism scholars with an interest in nature, translation and cross-cultural interactions." -- Tom Hinch * Tourism Geographies *"...an extraordinary achievement; a work at once ethnographically sensitive and theoretically innovative—not to mention operating as a marvelous travel guide to the travels of other guides. I hope this beautiful ethnography will be read widely by those who are interested in postcolonial science studies, in ecology, Japan studies, in the ontological turn(s) in STS and anthropology, and, of course, in multispecies anthropology." -- Moe Nakazora * Science as Culture *"Nature in Translation will interest many who wish to know more about how perceptions of nature and environment, as well as the explanatory framework, vary in different cultures and intellectual traditions, between Japan and Canada in particular. It will also benefit those in tourism studies in that it directs our attention to more complicated touristic encounters than a simple and straightforward encounter between hosts and guests." -- Okpyo Moon * Journal of Japanese Studies *Table of ContentsNotes on Transliteration vii Acknowledgments ix Prologue. A Journey to Magnificent Nature . . . or Why Nature Needs to Be Understood in Translation 1 Introduction 9 1. Narratives of Freedom 39 2. Populist Cosmopolitanism 67 3. The Co-Modification of Self 95 4. Gender in Nature Neverland 122 5. The Interpretation of Nature 147 6. The Allure of Ecology 183 Epilogue. Found in Translation 213 Notes 223 Reference List 241 Index 255

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Book SynopsisThe climate futurist presents a sobering analysis of America's future in the face of climate changeand how we can prepare to make the most of it. After decades of missed opportunities, the door to a sustainable future has closed, and the future we face now is one in which today''s industrial civilization unravels in the face of uncontrolled climate change and resource depletion. What is the world going to look like when all these changes have run their course?John Michael Greer seeks to answer this question, using a clear-eyed analysis of ecology, economics, and history to discern what the next 500 years or so might look like. As globalization ends, the United Statesand Western civilizationwill enter the stages of decline and fall.Though Dark Age America offers an uncompromising assessment of our collective future, it is by no means without hope. Knowing where we''re headed is a crucial step in responding to the challenges of the futureTrade ReviewGreer's Dark Age America is the essential education and impetus for boomers who choose legacy focus over longevity fixation. We've lived through peak oil, peak debt, peak comfort, peak me-ness, peak pettiness. Now, let us become ancestors our grandchildren will be proud of. --- Connie Barlow, science writer, creator of Torreya Guardians and TheGreatStory John Michael Greer is a modern-day prophet speaking on behalf of Reality. Dark Age America draws upon Greer's vast knowledge of the patterns and rhythms of history to yield insights grounded in our best evidential understandings of ecology, economics, systems science, and human nature. The result is a work of remarkable clarity and searing wisdom vital for these confusing times." --- Rev. Michael Dowd, author, Thank God for Evolution and host, "The Future Is Calling Us to Greatness" If the future trajectory of our civilization follows the same general patterns laid down by previous ones, then John Michael Greer's new book gives us perhaps the best view of the future currently available. His thoughts on the great unraveling ahead are rooted in a broad and deep knowledge of history: even if you disagree with him about the future, you will learn a great deal from his survey of the relevant human past. ---Richard Heinberg, author, The End of Growth Dark Age America argues cogently and compellingly the inevitable decline of industrial civilization and its ramifications within the next five centuries. Whereas the human psyche may hold out for a faux Great Turning or the fantasy that "this time it will be different," Greer demonstrates that ecologically, politically, economically, and technologically, the decline is not only inevitable but well underway. How the demise unfolds and whether any members of our species prevail may well be determined by the choices we make now. Business as usual is not an option. ---Carolyn Baker, Ph.D., author, Love In The Age Of Ecological Apocalypse and Collapsing Consciously Whether you only just figured it out or have known for a long time that globalized consumer culture is a sinking ship, it really helps when a polite steward comes to your cabin and offers to guide you to the lifeboat and then chats breezily, easing your fears, as he guides you down the metallic corridors with blinking fluorescent lights, describing all you may need to know to get your life back on track once the lifeboats reach safe harbor. Dark Age America is John Michael Greer's finest work. He does not cut any slack, even for his own predictions. Read it slowly, in a comfortable chair, with a cup of your favorite warm beverage. ---Albert Bates, author, The Post-Petroleum Survival Guide and Cookbook, The Biochar Solution, and The Paris Agreement Civilization isn't selling too well. The would-be masters of the universe want billions of consumers, productivity gains, growth and profits. In return they offer open borders, fancy widgets, gender equality for a rainbow of genders and space exploration pipe dreams. But there are no takers; what the people want is nine hours of sleep, summers in the country, family and friends around and somebody to buy their rutabagas. A dark age cometh, but don't worry. As Greer explains, this is perfectly normal--just takes some getting used to. A dark age is a great time to catch up on sleep. ---Dmitry Orlov, author, Reinventing Collapse and The Five Stages of Collapse Dark Age America is a courageous, thoughtful, timely and well-researched prognosis for the next five centuries of life on Earth. John brings to bear a thorough knowledge of how past civilizations have unraveled, an appreciation of how complex systems work (and when they don't), and an understanding of how humans behave in crises that are not sudden and transitory, but gradual, uneven, profound and enduring. No matter where on the political spectrum your sensibilities lie, this intelligently reasoned, thought-provoking and important work will challenge your ways of thinking and prod you to take useful preparatory actions. ---Dave Pollard, author, How to Save the WorldTable of Contents Chapter One: The Wake of Industrial Civilization Chapter Two: The Ecological Aftermath Chapter Three: The Demographic Consequences Chapter Four: The Political Unraveling Chapter Five: The Economic Collapse Chapter Six: The Suicide of Science Chapter Seven: The Twilight of Technology Chapter Eight: The Dissolution of Culture Chapter Nine: The Road to a Renaissance Bibliography Index About the Author A Note About the Publisher

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Book SynopsisThis book addresses an important problem in ecology: how are communities assembled from species pools? This pressing question underlies a broad array of practical problems in ecology and environmental science, including restoration of damaged landscapes, management of protected areas, and protection of threatened species. This book presents a simple logical structure for ecological assembly and addresses key areas including species pools, traits, environmental filters, and functional groups. It demonstrates the use of two predictive models (CATS and Traitspace) and consists of many wide-ranging examples including plants in deserts, wetlands, and forests, and communities of fish, amphibians, birds, mammals, and fungi. Global in scope, this volume ranges from the arid lands of North Africa, to forests in the Himalayas, to Amazonian floodplains. There is a strong focus on applications, particularly the twin challenges of conserving biodiversity and understanding community responses to clTrade Review'… this book opens many intriguing questions about the theoretical framework of community ecology … The rather idiosyncratic positions expressed by the authors may be stimulating for a broad audience of ecologists, even (perhaps especially) for those who disagree. It is exactly the unusual character of this book that makes it particularly interesting.' Simone Fattorini, Community EcologyTable of ContentsPreface; 1. A general framework for community ecology; 2. Filters; 3. Species pools; 4. Traits; 5. Trait-environment interactions; 6. Functional groups; 7. Predictive models of community assembly; 8. Prospects and possibilities; References; Index.

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Book SynopsisDrawing on the author's personal experiences working across the globe, this book explains why we need to conserve biodiversity, the threats it faces, how we can successfully conserve biodiversity, and some success stories of how we have conserved it.This is a personal journey from being an environmental vandal to internationally renowned conservationist. The book follows the authorâs life and career in conservation, from scarring koala-feed trees to being chased by elephants, sniffed by lions, gored by quokkas, and watched by wolves. It mixes robust facts with fun stories to engage a broad audience spanning the general public to academics and enthuse them into promoting the conservation of the plants and animals humanity relies on. Split into five sections, the first explains why we should conserve Nature and the value it holds. Section 2 discusses the threats to biodiversity, and Section 3 describes the authorâs personal experiences in conserving biodiversity, from creating

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Book SynopsisBrings together disparate conversations about wildlife conservation and renewable energy, suggesting ways these two critical fields can work hand in hand. Renewable energy is often termed simply green energy, but its effects on wildlife and other forms of biodiversity can be quite complex. While capturing renewable resources like wind, solar, and energy from biomass can require more land than fossil fuel production, potentially displacing wildlife habitat, renewable energy infrastructure can also create habitat and promote species health when thoughtfully implemented. The authors of Renewable Energy and Wildlife Conservation argue that in order to achieve a balanced plan for addressing these two crucially important sustainability issues, our actions at the nexus of these fields must be directed by current scientific information related to the ecological effects of renewable energy production. Synthesizing an extensive, rapidly growing base of research and insights from practitionerTrade ReviewA coming-together of noted authorities in [the energy and conservation] fields seeking a beneficial solution to both their respective purposes is heartening indeed. Given this, and all the information presented in its pages, Renewable Energy and Wildlife Conservation is a book that should be read by all who are professionally involved in both these fields as well as any others who are simply in search of a better understanding of two of the defining challenges of our age.—Johannes E. Riutta, The Well-Read NaturalistTable of ContentsList of ContributorsIntroduction. Renewable Energy and Wildlife ConservationChristopher E. Moorman, Steven M. Grodsky, and Susan P. RuppPART I BIOENERGY AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION1 Short-Rotation Woody Crops and Wildlife ConservationRachel Greene, James A. Martin, and T. Bently Wigley2 Effects of Harvesting Forest-Based Biomass on Terrestrial WildlifeJessica A. Homyack and Jake Verschuyl3 Impacts on Wildlife of Annual Crops for Biofuel ProductionClint Otto4 Second-Generation Feedstocks from Dedicated Energy Crops:Implications for Wildlife and Wildlife HabitatSusan P. Rupp and Christine A. RibicPART II WIND ENERGY AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION5 Wind Energy Effects on BirdsRegan Dohm and David Drake6 Wind Energy Effects on BatsCris D. Hein and Amanda M. Hale7 Effects of Wind Energy on Wildlife: Emerging Issues and Underrepresented TaxaNicole M. Korfanta and Victoria H. ZeroPART III SOLAR ENERGY, WATERPOWER, AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION8 Solar Energy: A Technology with Multi-Scale Opportunities to Integrate Wildlife ConservationBrian B. Boroski9 Waterpower: Hydropower and Marine Hydrokinetic EnergyHenriette I. Jager and Lindsay M. WickmanPART IV THE FUTURE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION10 Renewable Energy Policy Directives: Implications for Wildlife ConservationEdward B. Arnett11 Renewable Energy Ecology: The Next Frontier in Wildlife ScienceSteven M. Grodsky, Sarah R. Fritts, and Rebecca R. HernandezIndex

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Book SynopsisA seasoned writer and teacher of memoir explores both the difficulties inherent in writing about personal trauma and the techniques for doing so in a compelling way. Since 2013, David Chrisinger has taught military veterans, their families, and other trauma survivors how to make sense of and recount their stories of loss and transformation. The lessons he imparts can be used by anyone who has ever experienced trauma, particularly people with a deep need to share that experience in a way that leads to connection and understanding. In Stories Are What Save Us, Chrisinger showsthrough writing exercises, memoir excerpts, and lessons he's learned from his studentsthe most efficient ways to uncover and effectively communicate what you've learned while fighting your life's battles, whatever they may be. Chrisinger explores both the difficulties inherent in writing about personal trauma and the techniques for doing so in a compelling way. Weaving together his journey as a writer, editor, andTrade ReviewI was thoroughly engaged both by Chrisinger's stories of his family and friends, as well as his journey to craft his experiences into stories.—John Capecci, Living Proof AdvocacyTable of ContentsForeword, by Brian TurnerAcknowledgmentsIntroduction. AtonementPart I. The SearchingChapter 1. Finding Your Story of TransformationChapter 2. Uncovering Your Object of DesireChapter 3. Recognizing the Story underneath Your StoryChapter 4. Turning Yourself into a CharacterPart II. The StructureChapter 5. Incorporating the Five Essentials of StorytellingChapter 6. Starting with One True ThingPart III. The StoryChapter 7. Crafting Immersive ScenesChapter 8. Using Fiction to Tell the TruthChapter 9. Telling Your Story to Build Connection and UnderstandingAfterword, by Angela RickettsStorytelling ExercisesSuggested Further ReadingAbout the AuthorIndex

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Book SynopsisHere is a comprehensive examination of the newly recognized callimico/marmoset clade, which includes the smallest anthropoid primates on earth. It features sections on phylogeny, taxonomy and functional anatomy, behavioral ecology, and reproductive physiology.Trade ReviewFrom the reviews:“Provides a timely review and summary of … anthropoid primates. … Primatologists in general who want to update their knowledge on callitrichids or specifically on marmosets will find this book very useful. Specialists involved in research on callitrichid biology … will find specific sections and chapters helpful and informative. Outside the primatological realm anthropologists mammalogists and zoologists will find this book a useful source … . I consider this book an important contribution to callitrichid biology and hope it will find a wide audience.” (Eckhard W. Heymann, Folia Primatologica, Vol. 81 (1), 2010)“This new, comprehensive volume, edited by primatologists Ford (Southern Illinois Univ.), Porter (Northern Illinois Univ.), and Davis (Northeastern Illinois Univ.), brings together 23 chapters by 59 contributors who focus specifically on marmosets and Callimico. … In addition to the subject index, the volume includes a taxonomic index, which allows the reader to easily find information on genera and species discussed in the book. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals in primatology, biological anthropology, and zoology.” (E. J. Sargis, Choice, June, 2010)Table of ContentsPhylogeny.- Molecular Phylogenetics of the Callitrichidae with an Emphasis on the Marmosets and Callimico.- The Systematics and Distributions of the Marmosets (Callithrix, Callibella, Cebuella, and Mico) and Callimico (Callimico) (Callitrichidae, Primates).- The Vocal Identity of the Callithrix Species (Primates, Callitrichidae).- Reproductive, Social, and Cognitive Behavior.- Social Behavior of Callimicos: Mating Strategies and Infant Care.- Genetic Structure Within and Among Populations of the Common Marmoset, Callithrix jacchus: Implications for Cooperative Breeding.- Mating Systems and Female–Female Competition in the Common Marmoset, Callithrix jacchus.- Balancing Cooperation and Competition in Callitrichid Primates: Examining the Relative Risk of Infanticide Across Species.- Social Hierarchy and Dispersal in Free-Ranging Buffy-Headed Marmosets (Callithrix flaviceps).- Emigration as a Reproductive Strategy of the Common Marmoset (Callithrix jacchus).- Social and Physical Cognition in Marmosets and Tamarins.- Ranging Behavior and Locomotion.- Limited Dispersal and Genetic Structure of Silvery Marmosets (Mico argentatus) in the Fragmented Landscape of Central Amazonia.- Habitat Use and Ranging Behavior of the Silvery Marmoset (Mico argentatus) at Caxiuanã National Forest (Eastern Brazilian Amazonia).- Ranging Patterns of Callimico goeldii (callimico) in a Mixed Species Group.- A Comparative Study of the Kinematics of Trunk-to-Trunk Leaping in Callimico goeldii, Callithrix jacchus, and Cebuella pygmaea.- Locomotion, Postures, and Habitat Use by Pygmy Marmosets (Cebuella pygmaea).- Anatomy.- Mother’s Little Helper? The Placenta and Its Role in Intrauterine Maternal Investment in the Common Marmoset (Callithrix jacchus).- Size and Shape in Callimico and Marmoset Skulls: Allometry and Heterochrony in the Morphological Evolution of Small Anthropoids.- Cranial Morphology of the Dwarf Marmoset Callibella in the Context of Callitrichid Variability.- The Functional Significance of Jaw-Muscle Fiber Architecture in Tree-Gouging Marmosets.- The Evolutionary Morphology of Tree Gouging in Marmosets.- Marmoset Postcrania and the Skeleton of the Dwarf Marmoset, Callibella Humilis.- Conservation.- Conservation Status of Pygmy Marmosets (Cebuella Pygmaea) in Ecuador.- Conservation of the Marmosets and Callimicos.

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Book SynopsisIn The Birth of Energy Cara New Daggett traces the genealogy of contemporary notions of energy back to the nineteenth-century science of thermodynamics to challenge the underlying logic that informs today''s uses of energy. These early resource-based concepts of power first emerged during the Industrial Revolution and were tightly bound to Western capitalist domination and the politics of industrialized work. As Daggett shows, thermodynamics was deployed as an imperial science to govern fossil fuel use, labor, and colonial expansion, in part through a hierarchical ordering of humans and nonhumans. By systematically excavating the historical connection between energy and work, Daggett argues that only by transforming the politics of work—most notably, the veneration of waged work—will we be able to confront the Anthropocene''s energy problem. Substituting one source of energy for another will not ensure a habitable planet; rather, the concepts of energy and work themsTrade Review“Cara New Daggett's The Birth of Energy is a landmark work in the emergent field of energy humanities. In it, Daggett offers a brilliant genealogy of our modern conception of energy, explaining how Victorian empire, evolutionary theory, Presbyterianism, and thermodynamics helped to refashion the Aristotelian idea of energy as ‘dynamic virtue’ into a phenomenon having to do with the movement of matter and, above all, labor. Now facing a world warmed by burning fossil fuels, Daggett gives us a roadmap to thinking energy beyond the Protestant ethic of perpetual work.” -- Dominic Boyer, author of * Energopolitics: Wind and Power in the Anthropocene *“This complex, ambitious book represents a significant contribution to energy studies, offering an innovative history that situates the scientific discovery of energy within nineteenth-century cultures of imperialism, industrialization, and the governance of work. Cara New Daggett helps reframe the Anthropocene as the most recent realization of our profoundly misguided understanding of energy.” -- Stephanie LeMenager, author of * Living Oil: Petroleum Culture in the American Century *"The Birth of Energy is without doubt a landmark contribution to energy humanities and political theory, and one that greatly enriches and advances conceptual debates about energy and work in the Anthropocene." -- James Palmer * Antipode *“The Birth of Energy is a major contribution to the environmental humanities that speaks to the notion of ‘political ecology’ in the most literal sense.” -- Gustav Cederlöf * Journal of Political Ecology *“The book is at its strongest when diagnosing the reverberations of the past in the current moment…. The Birth of Energy has much to offer to scholars engaged in questions of fossil fuels, imperialism, labor, and environmental politics.” -- Jennifer Thomson * Environmental History *“Daggett’s The Birth of Energy is an impressive book, timely in our political and ecological climate and thorough in its systematic narration of energy in the Victorian period.... The book will appeal to a range of scholars, including those interested in the history of science, the energy humanities, global nineteenth-century studies, and post-colonial studies.” -- Kameron Sanzo * Victorian Review *“The Birth of Energy is packed with fascinating details, and Daggett provides an impressive synthesis of a wide range of scholarship on energy.... Daggett argues for interrogating our received concepts and ways of knowing.” -- Alyssa Battistoni * Perspectives on Politics *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Introduction: Putting the World to Work 1 Part I. The Birth of Energy 1. The Novelty of Energy 15 2. A Steampunk Production 33 3. A Geo-Theology of Energy 51 4. Work Becomes Energetic 83 Part II. Energy, Race, and Empire 5. Energopolitics 107 6. The Imperial Organism at Work 132 7. Education for Empire 162 Conclusion. A Post-Work Energy Politics 187 Notes 207 Bibliography 239 Index 255

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Book SynopsisIndustrial agriculture is generally characterized as either the salvation of a growing, hungry, global population or as socially and environmentally irresponsible. Despite elements of truth in this polarization, it fails to focus on the particular vulnerabilities and potentials of industrial agriculture. Both representations obscure individual farmers, their families, their communities, and the risks they face from unpredictable local, national, and global conditions: fluctuating and often volatile production costs and crop prices; extreme weather exacerbated by climate change; complicated and changing farm policies; new production technologies and practices; water availability; inflation and debt; and rural community decline. Yet the future of industrial agriculture depends fundamentally on farmers’ decisions.In Defense of Farmers illuminates anew the critical role that farmers play in the future of agriculture and examines the social, economic, and envirTrade Review“Valuable for food system leaders and policy-makers and in graduate seminars. . . . [Analyses] highlight unsustainable methods and suggest improvements that could serve as a starting point for dialogues and decisions on changing the food system framework.”—Stacey F. Stearns, Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development "In Defense of Farmers delivers a timely contribution to helping us better understand how we got to the corporate-hijacked food system we have today and how farm managers navigate this framework as they simultaneously promote and resist it. This edited volume is sharp in its critique while careful in its delivery, making it an important book for both scholars in the humanities and practitioners in the agricultural sciences. Through its successful disciplinary bridging, certainly contributing to its considerate tone, In Defense of Farmers will prove a useful foundation for practical conversations about the future of food production."—Nicole Welk-Joerger, H-Environment"In Defense of Farmers provides a solid overview of the current moment in industrialized agriculture and its human costs."—Megan Birk, New Mexico Historical Review“Feeding the world’s population in a sustainable manner is a topic of critical importance for all humankind. Those of us living in the developed world need to be cognizant of the perils of the industrialized model of agricultural production and the consequences of its adoption around the world. . . . Farmers’ voices are rarely heard, but this book now allows them to be heard with respect to the challenges of groundwater depletion, ‘big chicken,’ climate change, or the consequences of adopting new precision farming technologies.”—Michael J. Broadway, professor of geography at Northern Michigan University and coauthor of Slaughterhouse Blues: The Meat and Poultry Industry in North America“In Defense of Farmers is critical from the empirical standpoint of those disturbing processes that have taken us to a standardized place where too few corporate actors make too many decisions about what we eat, where we eat it, and who reaps food production’s benefits while others bear the costs of compromising animal welfare, the environment, and the quality of food. Gibson and Alexander have assembled an impressive, interdisciplinary volume of authors who know their subjects so well that their disgust at capital concentration, environmental destruction, and routine violations of human and animal rights is palpable.”—David Griffith, professor of anthropology at East Carolina University and author of American Guestworkers: Jamaicans and Mexicans in the U.S. Labor MarketTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Foreword by John K. Hansen Acknowledgments Introduction: A Food System Imperiled Jane W. Gibson 1. Power, Food, and Agriculture: Implications for Farmers, Consumers, and Communities Mary K. Hendrickson, Philip H. Howard, and Douglas H. Constance 2. Chickenizing American Farmers Donald D. Stull 3. Industrial Chicken Meat and the Good Life in Bolivia Sarah Kollnig 4. Automating Agriculture: Precision Technologies, Agbots, and the Fourth Industrial Revolution Jane W. Gibson 5. Water to Wine: Industrial Agriculture and Groundwater Regulation in California Casey Walsh 6. Forecasting the Challenges of Climate Change for West Texas Wheat Farmers Sara E. Alexander 7. From Partner to Consumer: The Changing Role of Farmers in the Public Agricultural Research Process on the Canadian Prairies Katherine Strand 8. Transmission of the Brazil Model of Industrial Soybean Production: A Comparative Study of Two Migrant Farming Communities in the Brazilian Cerrado Andrew Ofstehage 9. The Price of Success: Population Decline and Community Transformation in Western Kansas Jane W. Gibson and Benjamin J. Gray 10. An Alternative Future for Food and Farming John Ikerd List of Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisOff the coast of California, running from Santa Barbara to La Jolla, lies an archipelago of eight islands known as the California Channel Islands. The northern five were designated as Channel Islands National Park in 1980 to protect and restore the rich habitat of the islands and surrounding waters. In the years since, that mission intensified as scientists discovered the extent of damage to the delicate habitats of these small fragments of land and to the surprisingly threatened sea around them. In Restoring Nature Lary M. Dilsaver and Timothy J. Babalis examine how the National Park Service has attempted to reestablish native wildlife and vegetation to the five islands through restorative ecology and public land management. The Channel Islands staff were innovators of the inventory and monitoring program whereby the resource problems were exposed. This program became a blueprint for management throughout the U.S. park system. Dilsaver and Babalis presenTrade Review“An outstanding environmental history of a little-studied area of enormous complexity on the doorstep of one of the most densely populated parts of North America. It will become the standard reference for the region and the National Park Service policies that shaped it for the next generation.”—William Wyckoff, author of How to Read the American West: A Field Guide“I know of no other book that examines rigorously the effects of National Park Service policies in the Channel Islands. All of the material in Restoring Nature is handled in a balanced, fair-minded manner. . . . Critically important, where possible the authors have woven fact-laden, scientific material into an engaging narrative.”—Thomas J. Osborne, author of Coastal Sage: Peter Douglas and the Fight to Save California’s ShoreTable of ContentsList of Illustrations List of Maps Acknowledgments Introduction 1. The Channel Islands of California 2. A Monumental Task 3. Legislative Protection for the Islands and the Sea 4. Resource Management in the Early Years 5. Building the New Park 6. Growth of the Natural Resource Management 7. Managing the Resources on Santa Rosa Island 8. New Owners on Santa Cruz Island 9. Restoring Nature 10. Channel Islands National Park in the New Century Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisOff the coast of California, running from Santa Barbara to La Jolla, lies an archipelago of eight islands known as the California Channel Islands. The northern five were designated as Channel Islands National Park in 1980 to protect and restore the rich habitat of the islands and surrounding waters. In the years since, that mission intensified as scientists discovered the extent of damage to the delicate habitats of these small fragments of land and to the surprisingly threatened sea around them. In Restoring Nature Lary M. Dilsaver and Timothy J. Babalis examine how the National Park Service has attempted to reestablish native wildlife and vegetation to the five islands through restorative ecology and public land management. The Channel Islands staff were innovators of the inventory and monitoring program whereby the resource problems were exposed. This program became a blueprint for management throughout the U.S. park system. Dilsaver and Babalis presenTrade Review“An outstanding environmental history of a little-studied area of enormous complexity on the doorstep of one of the most densely populated parts of North America. It will become the standard reference for the region and the National Park Service policies that shaped it for the next generation.”—William Wyckoff, author of How to Read the American West: A Field Guide“I know of no other book that examines rigorously the effects of National Park Service policies in the Channel Islands. All of the material in Restoring Nature is handled in a balanced, fair-minded manner. . . . Critically important, where possible the authors have woven fact-laden, scientific material into an engaging narrative.”—Thomas J. Osborne, author of Coastal Sage: Peter Douglas and the Fight to Save California’s ShoreTable of ContentsList of Illustrations List of Maps Acknowledgments Introduction 1. The Channel Islands of California 2. A Monumental Task 3. Legislative Protection for the Islands and the Sea 4. Resource Management in the Early Years 5. Building the New Park 6. Growth of the Natural Resource Management 7. Managing the Resources on Santa Rosa Island 8. New Owners on Santa Cruz Island 9. Restoring Nature 10. Channel Islands National Park in the New Century Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe East Country is a work of creative nonfiction in which the acclaimed nature writer Jules Pretty integrates memoir, natural history, cultural critique, and spiritual reflection into a single compelling narrative. Pretty frames his book around Aldo Leopold and his classic A Sand County Almanac, bringing Leopold's ethicthat some could live without nature but most should notinto the twenty-first century. In The East Country, Pretty follows the seasons through seventy-four tales set in a variety of landscapes from valley to salty shore. Pretty convinces us that we should all develop long attachments to the local, observing that the land can change us for the better.Trade ReviewI'm in step with Prof Jules Pretty. Who wouldn't be, when he rightly recognises the link between a healthy natural world and good mental health in humans – and trumpets the message? Like him, I love getting outdoors to feel the sun (and rain) on my skin and notice the different rhythm. You could say I've bought the T-shirt along with the waterproof walking boots and warm coat. * The East Anglian Daily Times *His celebration of the landscape incorporates memoir and poetry, natural history and spiritual reflection, but also a critique of where current policies are leading us. ‘Nature will carry on regardless,’ he suggest. ‘It is just that we might not.’ -- Matthew Reisz * Times Higher Education *Table of ContentsPreface A Geographic Locator January 1. The Winter Hesitation 2. One Glossy Ibis and Many Ticks 3. Winter Gales and Beliefs 4. Walk the Line 5. The Weight of a Snipe 6. The Old Battlefield February 7. Paths and Prints in Snow 8. Closing Time 9. To Iken 10. Saturation 11. The Box Valley March 12. Disturbing Hints of Spring 13. The Beach Crows 14. Some Spring for Celandine 15. Blackthorn Days 16. The Blue Light of Spring April 17. Two Buzzards 18. The Long Night of Hope 19. Mystery Solved 20. Nightingales and Green Men 21. Sailors' Reading Room 22. The Assington Elms May 23. The Owl and the Sun 24. The Bat and the Wild 25. Time Travel 26. Since Records Began 27. Bells in the Cow Parsley Section 28. Encounters 29. The Northern Sky 30. All Four Margins June 31. Magic in the Thicks 32. The Lost Shore 33. Hollyhock Summer 34. A Submission 35. Lay-Bys of the A12 36. The Cottage Hospital 37. Come Back the Wild 38. Anniversary July 39. Village Edgelands 40. Nature at a Nuclear Power Station 41. Digging for Victory 42. Under Another Atomic Sky 43. Heat Wave August 44. Pause for Ragwort 45. The End of the Road 46. Nightwalk 47. Soon, the Departure 48. The Tinker's Cottage 49. The Turn September 50. The Path 51. Mud Birds 52. Angels in the Back Lanes 53. Season of Mist and Fire 54. In Memoriam 55. The Rhythym of Farm Names October 56. Insect Life 57. A New Anniversary 58. Things and Doubt 59. Alarm Call 60. The Sands of Another Summer 61. Wait for the End November 62. Bonfire Night 63. At First, Silence 64. The Night Hours 65. Leaf Fall and Mists 66. Beach Fishermen and Water Sprites 67. Much Can Change in a Short Time 68. Passing Years December 69. A Marsh Murmuration 70. Poor Man's Heaven 71. Dark and Wet at Solstice 72. Pruning and Planning 73. Dark and Wet, Again 74. An East Wind Crossing the New Year Acknowledgments Notes by Tale Bibliography List of Photographs

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Book SynopsisChronicles is a major work, a collection of current, pressing and inspirational stories of Indigenous communities from the Canadian subarctic to the heart of Dine Bii Kaya, Navajo Nation. Chronicles is a book literally risen from the ashes-beginning in 2008 after her home burned to the ground-and collectively is an accounting of Winona's personal path of recovery, finding strength and resilience in the writing itself as well as in her work. Long awaited, Chronicles is a labour of love, a tribute to those who have passed on and those yet to arrive.

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Book Synopsis“Deep down, there is just something that draws us to the land, to wild places. We were there to listen to the land.”When National Geographic Adventurers of the Year Amy and Dave Freeman marry, they set out on an unusual honeymoon: a three-year, 12,000-mile journey across North America. From Alaska’s Inside Passage to Florida’s Key West, they traverse the continent by kayak, canoe, dogsled, and skis, encountering wildlife, sublime landscapes, and harrowing challenges.Along the way, the Freemans also bear witness to environmental degradation and climate change—from plastic-covered beaches to forest fires to retreating glaciers. And as they engage with Native and rural communities most impacted by the changes resulting from modern industrial society and meet individuals and organizations dedicated to protecting the natural world, their adventure deepens in ways they never imagined.From the white-knuckle rush of paddling white wa

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Book SynopsisJournalist and bestselling author Kristin Ohlson makes an elegantly argued, passionate case for "our great green hope"—a way in which we can not only heal the land but also turn atmospheric carbon into beneficial soil carbon—and potentially reverse global warming.Thousands of years of poor farming and ranching practices—and, especially, modern industrial agriculture—have led to the loss of up to 80 percent of carbon from the world''s soils. That carbon is now floating in the atmosphere, and even if we stopped using fossil fuels today, it would continue warming the planet. As the granddaughter of farmers and the daughter of avid gardeners, Ohlson has long had an appreciation for the soil. A chance conversation with a local chef led her to the crossroads of science, farming, food, and environmentalism and the discovery of the only significant way to remove carbon dioxide from the air—an ecological approach that tends not only to plants and animals but also to the vast population of underground microorganisms that fix carbon in the soil. Ohlson introduces the visionaries—scientists, farmers, ranchers, and landscapers—who are figuring out in the lab and on the ground how to build healthy soil, which solves myriad problems: drought, erosion, air and water pollution, and food quality, as well as climate change. Her discoveries and vivid storytelling will revolutionize the way we think about our food, our landscapes, our plants, and our relationship to Earth.

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Book SynopsisHow does China speak for nature? How are the pollution and climate change crises being addressed? What are the possibilities and limitations of mobilizing publics to care about the environment through new media, tourism, and government policy? Green Communication and China is the first volume to identify the importance of studying environmental communication in, about, and with China, a rising global environmental leader whose ecological and political controversies often make international headlines. Organized into three sections on communicating crisis, communicating care, and environmental futurity, these essays span multimodal communication practices and methods in green public culture and address topics ranging from The North Face advertisements to NGO advocacy to global governmental policy. The volume showcases the work of leading scholars, all of them deeply intimate with China, in disciplines ranging from cultural studies and rhetoric to public opinion polling, discourse analysis, ethnic studies, and sociology. These complex projects engage transnational and national politics, ecological and economic challenges, media saturation, and government control. Holding these tensions together without glossing over differences, Green Communication and China will inform new agendas for environmental communication in China, the United States, and beyond.Trade ReviewA must-read for those interested in environmental issues in the globalized China. This collection eloquently weaves influential forces from various sectors to examine how the environment is engaged from the Chinese cultural lens. A groundbreaking resource for researchers and practitioners working in the field of environmental communication." - Hsin-i Cheng, Associate Professor, Department of Communication, Santa Clara University

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Book SynopsisThe inspiring people and grassroots organizations that are on the front lines of the battle to save the planet As the world's scientists have come together and declared a "climate emergency," the fight to protect our planet's ecological resources and the people that depend on them is more urgent than ever. But the real battles for our future are taking place far from the headlines and international conferences, in mostly forgotten American communities where the brutal realities of industrial pollution and environmental degradation have long been playing out. The World We Need provides a vivid introduction to America's largely unsung grassroots environmental groups—often led by activists of color and the poor—valiantly fighting back in America's so-called sacrifice zones against industries poisoning our skies and waterways and heating our planet. Through original reporting, profiles, artwork, and interviews, we learn how these activist groups, almost always working on shoestring budgets, are devising creative new tactics; building sustainable projects to transform local economies; and organizing people long overlooked by the environmental movement—changing its face along the way. Capturing the riveting stories and hard-won strategies from a broad cross section of pivotal environmental actions—from Standing Rock to Puerto Rico—The World We Need offers a powerful new model for the larger environmental movement, and inspiration for concerned citizens everywhere.Trade ReviewPraise for The World We Need:"[An] illuminating anthology. . . . Lim crisscrosses the country and selects her profile subjects wisely, resulting in an invigorating survey that breaks down stereotypes about tree-hugging coastal elites and highlights just how much change can be achieved at the local level. Progressive policy makers and environmental activists should take note.”—Publishers Weekly “A gripping new anthology. . . . [The World We Need] expertly shows how and why environmental science and social justice activism must work together.”—Forbes “This book is a testament to the idea that choosing people over profits is environmental justice.”—Catherine Coleman Flowers, author of Waste: One Woman’s Fight Against America’s Dirty Secret and a 2020 MacArthur “genius” fellow “This is a truly important book, piecing together the story of what is, cumulatively, a massive uprising for environmental justice. I’ve gotten to know and work with many of these activists, and everyone should get a charge of optimism from their stories, as well as a sense of the daunting odds they face down so skillfully. We use the word ‘heroes’ a little loosely sometimes, but these people surely are!”—Bill McKibben, author of Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?

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Book SynopsisIn March 2011, people in a coastal Japanese city stood atop a seawall watching the approach of the tsunami that would kill them. They believed—naively—that the huge concrete barrier would save them. Instead, they perished, betrayed by the very thing built to protect them. Erratic weather, blistering drought, rising seas, and ecosystem collapse now affect every inch of the globe. Increasingly, we no longer look to stop climate change, choosing instead to adapt to it. Never have so many undertaken such a widespread, hurried attempt to remake the world. Predictably, our hubris has led to unintended—and sometimes disastrous—consequences. Academics call it maladaptation; in simple terms, it’s about solutions that backfire. Over the Seawall tells us the stories behind these unintended consequences and about the fixes that can do more harm than good. From seawalls in coastal Japan, to the re-engineered waters in the Ganges River Delta, to the artificial ribbon of water supporting both farms and urban centres in parched Arizona, Stephen Robert Miller traces the histories of engineering marvels that were once deemed too smart and too big to fail. In each he takes us into the land and culture, seeking out locals and experts to better understand how complicated, grandiose schemes led instead to failure, and to find answers to the technologic holes we’ve dug ourselves into. Over the Seawall urges us to take a hard look at the fortifications we build and how they’ve fared in the past. It embraces humanity’s penchant for problem-solving, but argues that if we are to adapt successfully to climate change, we must recognize that working with nature is not surrender but the only way to assure a secure future.Table of ContentsIntroduction Part I: Soutei-gai – Northeast Japan Part II: Pagal, By Any Other Name – Southwest Bangladesh Part III: The Audacity of Desert Living – Central Arizona Acknowledgments Notes About the Author Index

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Book Synopsis

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