Earth Sciences, Geography & Environment Books

Book SynopsisOffers an introduction to the processes and products of change to the Earth's surface. This work explains how the planet is being constantly remodelled by powerful natural forces and guides us through geological time and space to recreate past landscapes. It also features information about the human impact on climate change.

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Book SynopsisThe most comprehensive examination of amphibian evolution ever produced, The Rise of Amphibians is an essential resource for paleontologists, herpetologists, geologists, and evolutionary biologists.Trade ReviewI highly recommend The Rise of Amphibians to anyone interested not only in amphibians but also in the evolutionary history of vertebrates in general. -- Hans-Dieter Sues Integrative and Comparative Biology 2009 A high-quality production, with finely illustrated drawings of skulls, vertebrae, ribs, teeth, and long bones of more amphibians, past and present, than most of us imagined even existed. -- Whit Gibbons Tuscaloosa News 2009 The Rise of Amphibians should be on the bookshelf of anyone involved in vertebrate evolution... an excellent source of information... It is a first-choice reference book that stimulates further studies and research. -- Axel Janke Systematic Biology 2010 Provides a wealth of valuable information about this fascinating history in a clear, easily readable style. -- Robert R. Reisz Quarterly Review of Biology 2010 I enjoyed reading this fascinating book. It will become a landmark and standard reference in early amphibian evolution for years to come. -- Miguel Vences Bioscience 2010 A useful reference catalog for the professional or well-read amateur. -- Richard Kissel American Paleontologist 2010Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgments1. History of the Earth and Life2. Advanced Metazoans and the Ancestry of Vertebrates3. The Origin of Amphibians4. The Radiation of Carboniferous Amphibians5. Adaptation, Radiation, and Relationships6. The Zenith of Amphibian Diversity7. The Origin of Amniotes: Escape from the Water8. Stereospondyls: Escape from the Land9. The Enigma of Modern Amphibian Origins10. The Ancestry of Frogs11. The Ancestry of Salamanders12. Eocaecilia and the Origin of Caecilians13. The Success of Modern Amphibians14. The Future of AmphibiansAbbreviations Used in IllustrationsGlossaryReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisVeron presents the geological history of the Great Barrier Reef, the biology of coral reef ecosystems, and a primer on what we know about climate change. He concludes that most coral reefs will be dead from mass bleaching and irreversible acidification within the coming century unless greenhouse gas emissions are curbed.Trade ReviewVeron once thought Australia's Great Barrier Reef would endure forever, but after witnessing the devastation inflicted on corals by elevated sea temperatures, he now knows this is false. In his impassioned book, the former chief scientist with the Australian Institute of Marine Science highlights reefs as indicators of climate change's effects on marine and other ecosystems...Coral health affects all marine life. According to Veron's detailed analysis, corals will be incapable of relying on genetic adaptation to recover because the time frame for such evolutionary changes is too short. Complex scientific material serves Veron's straightforward message: climate change will soon reach the point of no return--possibly within a decade--and cause disaster for not only corals but many, if not all, marine food webs. * Publishers Weekly *Decades of study of coral reefs inform J. E. N. Veron's big-picture account of the reef's past and future. It is an urgent, rigorous yet accessible tour de force of the geology, evolution, biology and chemistry of the reef presented through the prism of climate change...By looking at past "extinction events," like the one that wiped out the dinosaurs, Veron offers an alarming glimpse into a similar future. -- Fiona Capp * The Age *A historical, geological and biological study of the largest coral reef. The chief scientist of the Australian Institute of Marine Science uses the Great Barrier Reef as an alarming case study on the future of coral reefs. Although it is a hypothetical tale, it is a worrying look at how the Earth is in danger of suffering the worst case of mass extinction seen for 65 million years. * Times Higher Education Supplement *Not a chronicle of the life of coral reefs, but an anticipation of their death. It is a work grounded in science, but which departed from the careful jargon of probability and possibility to become an impassioned, anguished eulogy delivered by a dear friend of the imminently deceased...[Veron‘s] book travels back through the fossil record to the remote past, reflecting on the five great extinction events that wiped out much of life on earth and finding a thread of commonality. -- Jo Chandler * The Age *This is not a book for the fainthearted...Indeed, Veron believes we are on the brink of the sixth mass extinction of the planet. He makes his case in this book and paints a vivid picture of what we will be losing if we do not stop spewing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere...The book is easy to read with well-placed illustrations to explain complex concepts. It presents its argument in a logical and increasingly disturbing sequence that reaches a bleak end. It is a plea for urgent action written by a man who is passionate about the Great Barrier Reef. It should be read widely by anyone who cares about our planet. -- Louise Goggin * Australian Marine Science Association Bulletin *Time is running out for the Great Barrier Reef, and no one knows it better than J. E. N. Veron...A Reef in Time is fascinating in that it puts climate change in context of the history of the earth, by concentrating on one element of it. It's bleak—but not as bleak as the outlook for the reef—and is backed up by extensive data and scientific research and analysis. It is the whole, and last, word on the Great Barrier Reef and climate change. -- Jodie Davis and Margaret Ambrose * Habitat Australia *This impressive volume covers a large topic and does so very well. Though it is ostensibly centered on the Great Barrier Reef, the book treats the general nature of and environmental controls on coral reefs, and their history over geologic time since the Silurian Period...The book is highly readable and well produced. -- N. Caine * Choice *[A Reef in Time] provides a compelling and highly readable account of the formation of the reef, as well as a description of its role as a functioning part of the ocean's ecosystem. Despite its grandeur and the appearance of permanence, the Great Barrier Reef has not always existed, nor is its future secure...Veron's account of the threats that face the Great Barrier Reef make bleak reading...Just as the Great Barrier Reef was built through countless millions of small actions by the organisms within it, so it is being threatened by the accumulation of small activities in each of our lives, events that are individually trivial but, added together, impose a huge burden on ecological communities. Veron asks why we should care. His book makes it impossible not to, and reinforces the growing call for a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. The bigger question--one that is left hanging--is how to bring this about. -- Anne Magurran * Times Literary Supplement *Written by one of the world's foremost experts on coral reefs, this time-traveling book takes readers from the earliest origins of Australia's Great Barrier Reef to its possible future. There's no guarantee of survival for even the best-protected reef on the planet, as this passionate and accessible overview explains. -- Callum Roberts * BBC Wildlife *Table of ContentsPreface 1. The Big Picture 2. The Great Barrier Reef: An Overview 3. Corals and Reefs: Controls and Processes 4. The State of the Great Barrier Reef 5. Mass Extinctions and Reef Gaps 6. Messages from Deep Time 7. The Cenozoic Roller-Coaster 8. Australia Adrift 9. The Ice Ages 10. The Last Glacial Cycle 11. Many Origins 12. Stone Age Utopia 13. An Enhanced Greenhouse World 14. Temperature and Mass Bleaching 15. Ocean Acidity and Coralline Osteoporosis 16. The Ocean's Canary Notes Glossary Acknowledgments Index

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Book SynopsisTextbooks on the principles of conservation biology abound. Yet, how does one put this theoretical knowledge into practice? The aim of The Conservation Handbook is to provide clear guidance on the implementation of conservation techniques. The wide range of methods described include those for ecological research, monitoring, planning, education, habitat management and combining conservation with development. Nineteen case studies illustrate how the methods have been applied. The book will be of interest to conservation biology students and practicing conservationists worldwide. For each copy of the book sold, another copy will be sent free to a practicing conservationist outside Western Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Foreword by E. O. Wilson. Concise, practical guide packed full of ideas, methods and advice. Provides solutions for the main conservation pTrade Review"This is an eminently practical publication. [...] The book is packed with useful information ranging from sections on international agreements, campaigning and fund-raising to descriptions of how to age plants and animals. [...] The strong emphasis throughout on integrating conservation with human development is to be welcomed and will do much to enhance the book's appeal overseas, especially in developing countries. [...] this is a very readable, comprehensive text that fills an important niche." Animal Welfare, Nov 2001 "Overall, the book is a very useful handbook for conservationists both in the industrialised countries and especially for those working in developing countries. [...] To conclude, William Sutherland has written a fine and useful book." Jari Niemela, Biodiversity & Conservation "The strong emphasis throughout the book on integrating conservation with human development is welcomed, and will enhance the book's appeal overseas, especially in developing countries." EASA News, August 2003 Table of ContentsForeword. 1. Introduction. 2. Assessing Biodiversity. 3. Setting Conservation Priorities. 4. Monitoring. 5. Ecological Research Techniques. 6. Diagnosis And Prediction. 7. Conservation Planning. 8. Organisational Management And Fund Raising. 9. Education And Ecotourism. 10. Bringing About Political And Policy Changes. 11. Species Management. 12. Habitat Management. 13. Exploitation. 14. Integrating Development And Conservation

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Book SynopsisIn his seventeen-book Geography, Strabo (ca. 64 BC–ca. AD 25) discusses geographical method, stresses the value of geography, and draws attention to the physical, political, and historical details of separate regions. Geography is a vital source for ancient geography and informative about ancient geographers.

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Book SynopsisWalter Benjamin was perhaps the twentieth century's most elusive intellectual. His writings defy categorization, and his improvised existence has proven irresistible to mythologizers. In a major new biography, Howard Eiland and Michael Jennings present a comprehensive portrait of the man and his times, as well as extensive commentary on his work.Trade Review[An] outstanding and monumental biography of Walter Benjamin… In the thoroughness of their account and the acuity and delicacy of their philosophical analyses, Howard Eiland and Michael Jennings have provided an indispensable sighting of Benjamin’s achievement. -- Anthony Phelan * Times Literary Supplement *[This] is a careful synthesis of all the available sources for Benjamin’s life—letters, diaries, reminiscences of friends—with all of his major writings, to produce the comprehensive account that has been sorely lacking until now… Walter Benjamin: A Critical Life makes clear how intimately Benjamin’s biography was shaped by the history of Europe during his lifetime. -- Adam Kirsch * New York Review of Books *In their superb new biography, Howard Eiland and Michael W. Jennings have given us a portrait of this elusive but paradigmatic thinker that deserves to be ranked among the few truly indispensable intellectual biographies of the modern era. I am tempted to call it a masterpiece. Nearly seven hundred pages in length, this is not only a study of Benjamin’s life, it is also a guide to the bewildering mix of themes and preoccupations that populated this most prolific and unfamiliar of minds… To write the biography of an intellectual is difficult business, since so much of what passes for an event is taking place only in the mind or on the page—but those are the events that really matter. Eiland and Jennings move with deliberation through Benjamin’s major works, expounding and explaining with uncommon lucidity even when the text in question is one of notorious difficulty. The result is not a mere chronicle of a life but also a reliable map into Benjamin’s intellectual labyrinth. -- Peter E. Gordon * New Republic *The most comprehensive biography we are ever likely to have of Benjamin… Both authors have spent close to a lifetime on the subject. The devotion and care evident in their account are clearly based on sympathy and admiration. Their exposition of Benjamin’s thought is exemplary, their sleuthing about his personal life breathtaking. Definitive is an archaic and much abused term that Benjamin would have abhorred; suffice it to say that it is unlikely that anyone will ever be able to tell us more about this German-Jewish thinker or present that knowledge with greater stylistic aplomb. -- Modris Eksteins * Wall Street Journal *[Eiland and Jennings] argue compellingly that as a critic [Benjamin] not only reshaped our understanding of many important writers, but he recognized the potentials and hazards of technological media that revolutionized culture during his lifetime… An impressive work of exegesis… Indispensable. -- Stuart Jeffries * The Guardian *Serious and imposing, it seeks to gather up and bind the threads of Benjamin’s career, unite the unpublished and the half-finished essays and book projects, weaving together a comprehensive biography both of the man and his thought. A great strength of Walter Benjamin: A Critical Life is how it lays out Benjamin’s major works as part of an evolution of thought, providing not only invaluable context to each piece, but tracing each work’s central claims in a lucid and approachable manner. One need not be a PhD to approach this book, and it will intrigue anyone with a passing interest in the intellectual history of the 20th century. With key essays and books given substantive contextualization and explanation, Eiland and Jennings make Benjamin’s work accessible and networked into a larger set of themes and concerns… As omnipresent as [Benjamin’s] tragic fate is throughout the book, Eiland and Jennings also provide a host of surprising (and even delightful) details of Benjamin’s life, which round out the melancholic caricature of him in favor of a complex, conflicted individual. -- Colin Dickey * Los Angeles Review of Books *Impressive… [Eiland and Jennings] portray their subject as a kind of ragpicker in the neglected alleyways of a culture in transition—a specialist in the marginal and mundane, the fragmentary and forgotten… They succeed in offering not only the most comprehensive biography to date, but a tour de force introduction to an incomparably incandescent mind. -- Benjamin Balint * Books & Ideas *Howard Eiland and Michael W. Jennings have rightly sought and successfully produced the thread that gives a biography of Benjamin the kind of weight and significance his influence deserves… Their curiosity in searching out an expanded wealth of details now available about Benjamin, both personal and intellectual, historical and anecdotal, has produced an account that enlivens the already well-known turning points in Benjamin’s development… This biography far surpasses not just any preceding biographical history of Benjamin but in its searching out of what remains consistent in Benjamin it has found the thread that allows a narrative of life and work to unfold in a way that does not subordinate one to the other… This achievement will remain not only a standard and resource-full account of Benjamin but in its comprehensiveness as well as its acute accounts of Benjamin’s thought across the whole range of that thinking, it will continue to provide the foundation for the fuller understanding of his place and contribution to the critical, cultural, political and historical present we have inherited from the twentieth century. -- David Ferris * Critical Inquiry *Walter Benjamin deserves to be more celebrated, and Walter Benjamin: A Critical Life, by Howard Eiland and Michael Jennings, is a step in the right direction. It is an efficient introduction to his work and legacy while also offering a detailed account of Benjamin the man, his strengths and weaknesses and the world he lived in. It is also a deeply poignant story of his struggle to survive in a hostile Europe and his tragic suicide at the age of 48. -- Cyril Kavanaugh * The Guardian *Presented here in what looks like a definitive version, Benjamin’s life emerges as a tragedy of incompleteness. -- John Gray * Literary Review *[Benjamin] produced some of the most memorable and generative critical writing of the last century. There is no end in sight of the need to grapple with that writing and its legacies. This magisterial biography by Eiland and Jennings sets that writing in its place and time with profane illuminations on almost every one of its many pages. Benjamin had scorn for people who produced needlessly ‘fat’ books, but I think this fairly huge one hits the sweet spot of detail. Most biographical treatments to date tend to be half the length or less and content themselves with the highlights and the fairly well known, however well articulated. If one wants more, this ‘critical’ biography is the place to look. -- Ian Balfour * Los Angeles Review of Books *Despite its numerous predecessors, this biography is the first of its kind to succeed in uniting most of the previously published biographical material in one book, including translations of documents which were until now only available in German. With the still-growing interest in Benjamin’s thought, one can expect this book to become the standard English-language biography on Benjamin. In A Critical Life, the contours of Benjamin’s day-to-day life become graspable for the first time. It is fascinating to read about his whereabouts and travels, the people and places that formed the stages for his life and thought… This biography is also an intellectual biography, which puts the reader herself in a position to navigate the labyrinth-like edifice of Benjamin’s thought. For this alone, this biography proves to be a landmark achievement in the history of Benjamin scholarship. -- Sami Khatib * New Inquiry *Through this fair-minded and meticulously detailed biography we can, perhaps for the first time in the extensive literature on Benjamin, see clearly the way that the arc of his life and work, culminating in the overdose of morphine taken in the Hotel de Francia in Port Bou, is an expression of, and also an epic meditation on, the political and aesthetic conditions that provided the context of his coming into maturity as both a thinker and a man. -- Gregory Day * Sydney Morning Herald *[Eiland and Jennings] have produced this massive and gripping account of Benjamin’s life and troubles, testimonial both to their own efforts in bringing his elusive writings into view, and to the circumstances in which Benjamin arrived at such scope, depth and brilliance… This is Benjamin warts and all, but in place of an impressionistic biographical sketch of a life, marked by false starts and a final mischance, what emerges is an astonishing panorama of a life and of theorizing, of research and of publishing, on the crest of that wave of disaster that was the destruction of European Jewry and of German intellectual life. -- Joanna Hodge * Times Higher Education *I’ve been waiting for a book like this since first coming across Benjamin’s mesmerizing essays as a student. Like others who have fallen under his spell, I’ve had to make do with bits and pieces of biographical information over the years, not all of them reliable. Jennings and Eiland have spent almost two decades re-editing and retranslating all of Benjamin’s works and have also managed to create a map through the maze of his restless, exilic life. -- Eric Bulson * Times Literary Supplement *[Benjamin was] one of the most versatile men of letters the 20th century had known… [This is] an epic, 700-page-plus saga of his peripatetic life and his whirlwind of productivity. -- Eric Banks * Bookforum *In this ambitious biography, Benjamin scholars (and editors) Eiland and Jennings chart the protean, prolific—albeit short—life of the German-Jewish critic and philosopher with masterly aplomb. As a literary critic, a dodger of both World Wars, flâneur, and eventual victim of Hitler’s reign, Benjamin (1892–1940) lived with a funny gait, ‘an impenetrable façade’ of courtesy, and severe depression; fearing capture and deportation to Germany, he committed suicide in a Spanish hotel. Born to an affluent Berlin family, Benjamin advocated for the radical youth culture movement and education reform in Germany before he pursued a tenured professor of philosophy post in academia, which he never achieved. With intense wanderlust, Benjamin turned to an itinerant existence as he penned thousands of essays, reviews, and books. Shaping avant-garde realism and arguably inventing pop culture, he wrote that he hoped to be ‘the foremost critic of German literature.’ Leaving Germany for good in 1933, Benjamin spent his last dark decade in exile, where most of his writings contributed to his never completed masterpiece The Arcades Project—‘his cultural history of the emergence of urban commodity capitalism in mid-nineteenth-century France.’ The authors, in impressive and accessible fashion, reveal Benjamin as an eyewitness to Europe’s changing modernity. * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *Here, for the first time, is a thorough, reliable, non-tendentious, and fully developed account of Benjamin’s life and the sources of his work. Walter Benjamin: A Critical Life is by far the best biography of Benjamin that has yet appeared. A remarkable scholarly achievement, it will prove of enduring value and will doubtless become the standard reference work for those who become intrigued by the complicated contours of Benjamin’s life. -- Peter Fenves, Northwestern UniversityWalter Benjamin himself often grappled with the vexed and constantly shifting relations between self and work, life (bios) and writing (graphein). Whatever faint yet abiding hyphen may connect the two, that same line also forever holds them apart. The new biography by Howard Eiland and Michael Jennings, two Benjamin scholars of the first rank, offers a sober, meticulous, and often moving image of Benjamin’s brief life in the shadow of catastrophe. Brilliantly interweaving the conceptual threads of Benjamin’s enigmatic work with his no less enigmatic existence, this impeccably informed and eminently readable account of Benjamin’s life sets a new standard for his biographers and critics in any language. Walter Benjamin: A Critical Life is destined to stand the test of time. -- Gerhard Richter, Brown University

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Book SynopsisThis introductory level text explores various theoretical approaches to human-environment geography, demonstrating how local dynamics and global processes influence how we interact with our environments.Trade Review“This is a great textbook, which introduces students to fundamental concepts in environmental geography and science. . . It is warmly recommended to bachelor students in human ecology and to master degree students in environmental sciences and geography.” (International Journal Environment & Pollution, 1 October 2014) “Contributes a much-needed geographic perspective to the burgeoning, interdiscplinary field of environmental studies...Where many environmental science texts operate from the assumption that nature is a place without humans, this book demonstrates that even forests and soils have a human history...Wellsuited to beginning undergraduates. Chapters contain clear learning objectives, summaries, and end-of-chapter questions. Scientific and social scientific concepts are explained with a minimum of technical terminology. Geography students will find it provides a solid foundation for future studies in human-environment interactions...fills an important niche by adding a distinctly geographical voice to the environmental studies conversation.” (Journal of Geography, September 2014) “As a primer on the sort of ideas that should be considered, this is a useful addition.” (Ecogeog, 1 May 2014) "Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduate and graduate readers." (Choice, 1 May 2014)Table of ContentsNotes on the Authors ix Preface and Acknowledgments xi Part I: Fundamentals of Human–Environment Geography 1 1 Introduction: A Geographic Perspective on Human–Environment Interactions 3 2 The Politics of Nature 31 3 The Biophysical Environment 47 Part II: Contemporary Perspectives in Human–Environment Geography 87 4 Cultural and Political Ecology: Local Human–Environment Interactions in a Global Context 89 5 Environmental History 111 6 Hazards Geography and Human Vulnerability 137 7 Environmental Justice: The Uneven Distribution of People, Pollution, and Environmental Opportunity 157 Part III: Thematic Issues in Human–Environment Geography 189 8 Climate, Atmosphere, and Energy 191 9 The Population–Consumption–Technology Nexus 227 10 Agriculture and Food Systems 255 11 Biodiversity, Conservation, and Protected Areas 285 12 Water Resources and Fishing Livelihoods 309 Part IV: Bridging Theory and Practice 341 13 Geographic Research 343 14 Conclusion: Making a Difference 375 Index 389

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Book SynopsisHow would you survive on a planet that doesn''t spin?An awe-inspiring Planetary Romance from Terry Pratchett''s co-author on the Long Earth BooksThe very far future: The Galaxy is a drifting wreck of black holes, neutron stars, chill white dwarfs. The age of star formation is long past. Yet there is life here, feeding off the energies of the stellar remnants, and there is mind, a tremendous Galaxy-spanning intelligence each of whose thoughts lasts a hundred thousand years. And this mind cradles memories of a long-gone age when a more compact universe was full of light ...The 27th century: Proxima Centauri, an undistinguished red dwarf star, is the nearest star to our sun - and (in this fiction), the nearest to host a world, Proxima IV, habitable by humans. But Proxima IV is unlike Earth in many ways. Huddling close to the warmth, orbiting in weeks, it keeps one face to its parent star at all times. The ''substellar point'', wit

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Book SynopsisIn this history of Japanese involvement in northeast China, the author argues that Japan's military seizure of Manchuria in September 1931 was founded on three decades of infiltration of the area. This incremental empire-building and its effect on Japan are the focuses of this book.Trade ReviewLurking behind the deceptively specialist title of this monograph lies an important and engaging book...In the described historical events, Japan found itself pulled deeper and deeper into a quagmire that led to a disastrous war. Matsusaka uses a chronological approach to examine the roles of the Foreign Ministry, the Army, and the South Manchuria Railway. The result casts great light on a crucial phase of Japanese imperial history while at the same time enthralling the reader with a tale to compete with a good novel. -- R. B. Lyman Jr. * Choice *

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Book Synopsis"Modeling the Environment" was the first textbook in an emerging field - the modeling techniques that allow managers and researchers to see in advance the consequences of actions and policies in environmental management. This new edition brings the book thoroughly up to date and reaffirms its status as the leading introductory text on the subject. System dynamics is one of the most widely used methods of modeling. The fundamental principles of this approach are demonstrated here with a wide range of examples, including geohydrology, population biology, epidemiology, and economics. The applications demonstrate the transferability of the systems approach across disciplines, across spatial scales, and across time scales. All of the models are implemented with stock and flow software programs such as Stella and Vensim, which are easy for students to learn and use.

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Book SynopsisThe earth is in great peril, due to the corporatization of agriculture, the rising climate crisis, and the ever-increasing levels of global poverty, starvation, and desertification on a massive scale. This present condition of global trauma is not "natural," but a result of humanity's destructive actions. And, according to Masanobu Fukuoka, it is reversible. We need to change not only our methods of earth stewardship, but also the very way we think about the relationship between human beings and nature. Fukuoka grew up on a farm on the island of Shikoku in Japan. As a young man he worked as a customs inspector for plants going into and out of the country. This was in the 1930s when science seemed poised to create a new world of abundance and leisure, when people fully believed they could improve upon nature by applying scientific methods and thereby reap untold rewards. While working there, Fukuoka had an insight that changed his life forever. He returned to his home village and applied this insight to developing a revolutionary new way of farming that he believed would be of great benefit to society. This method, which he called "natural farming," involved working with, not in opposition to, nature. Fukuoka's inspiring and internationally best-selling book, The One-Straw Revolution was first published in English in 1978. In this book, Fukuoka described his philosophy of natural farming and why he came to farm the way he did. One-Straw was a huge success in the West, and spoke directly to the growing movement of organic farmers and activists seeking a new way of life. For years after its publication, Fukuoka traveled around the world spreading his teachings and developing a devoted following of farmers seeking to get closer to the truth of nature. Sowing Seeds in the Desert, a summation of those years of travel and research, is Fukuoka's last major work-and perhaps his most important. Fukuoka spent years working with people and organizations in Africa, India, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the United States, to prove that you could, indeed, grow food and regenerate forests with very little irrigation in the most desolate of places. Only by greening the desert, he said, would the world ever achieve true food security. This revolutionary book presents Fukuoka's plan to rehabilitate the deserts of the world using natural farming, including practical solutions for feeding a growing human population, rehabilitating damaged landscapes, reversing the spread of desertification, and providing a deep understanding of the relationship between human beings and nature. Fukuoka's message comes right at the time when people around the world seem to have lost their frame of reference, and offers us a way forward. Trade ReviewKirkus Reviews- From the late author of bestseller The One Straw Revolution (1978) comes a similar book about a philosophical approach to natural farming."The fundamental concept of a natural farm," writes Fukuoka (The Natural Way of Farming, 1985, etc.), "begins with intuitively grasping nature's original form, where many varieties of plants and animals live together as a harmonious whole, joyfully and in mutual benefit." In this English translation of the author's last work (first published in Japan in 1996), he decries the "indiscriminate deforestation and large-scale agriculture carried out in order to support the materialistic cultures of the developed countries." This process has created a condition called "desertification," the inability of the soil to grow anything. Because humans have lost their connection with nature, Fukuoka advocates foregoing harmful modern methods of farming in favor of a simpler approach. Based primarily on the success of his farm in Japan, the author believes the solution lies in aerial distribution of a large variety of plants via clay seed pellets, the use of cover crops, and a no-tilling approach to the soil. By seeding a wide variety of species in the desert, nature will select those plants best suited for a particular location. These plants will flourish, drawing water from deep within the earth and thereby allowing other plants and trees to prosper. Taking his philosophy to Africa, India and the United States, among other places, Fukuoka demonstrated that, given sufficient time, seeding fallow earth with vegetables, plants and trees created a lush setting. More a spiritual analysis of farming methods than a hands-on approach, the book still provides viable and simple solutions to the world's increased need for productive land. An enlightened method for reclaiming the barren soils of the world. Booklist- The vision of the late Japanese farmer and philosopher Fukuoka, a pioneer in natural farming techniques and author of the now classic The One-Straw Revolution (1978), extends far beyond agriculture. In his final book, a far-reaching treatise on ‘earth stewardship,’ he considers dragonflies, Darwin, and even a meeting with Einstein’s niece as he reflects on the best possible future for human society. At times Fukuoka’s prose can be striking in its simplicity as when he writes, ‘In nature there are no beneficial or harmful insects,’ and furthermore, ‘this is a human construct akin to saying the right hand is good and the left hand is bad.’ Fukuoka never wastes a word or thought, insisting the reader consider all aspects of how we grow our food everywhere in the world and how the food industry manipulates supply and demand for gross profit in ways both economically and socially damaging. Fukuoka’s techniques have been and still are world-changing; the challenge now is to continue practicing them without the master here to lead the way. ForeWord Reviews- Small-scale and urban farming as well as sustainable living and organic food purchasing are so prevalent right now that these practices are moving from a foodie trend to a fundamental shift in our food system. One of the people to thank for that momentum is Masanobu Fukuoka, whose The One-Straw Revolution became a must-read for organic farmers and their supporters around the world. Before his death in 2008, Fukuoka spent decades working on natural farming techniques that he felt could benefit the world. He didn’t plow his field, use fertilizer, or flood his rice fields, in keeping with the methods traditional to many indigenous cultures. Commonly referred to as ‘Do-Nothing Farming,’ his techniques are part of a wider philosophy about respecting nature’s own principles and rhythms. The success of his work sent Fukuoka from his small village in Japan to speaking engagements across the world, where he spent a great deal of time addressing issues of limited resources in areas like Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. In this, his last major book, Fukuoka draws from those experiences to create, once again, a timeless work that has the ability to create a revolution in agriculture. Beyond Fukuoka’s important philosophy, his book is a lyrical, lovely valentine to nature. He’s passionate about bringing other people to the near-enlightenment state in which he lived, where every single leaf moved him to appreciation. Expertly argued and backed by experience, anecdotes, and simple logic, Fukuoka’s last work shines just as brightly as his first.Publishers Weekly- Renowned Japanese agriculturist and philosopher Fukuoka’s (The One-Straw Revolution) final work calls on modern-day farmers to reconsider their methods and heed the needs of the land. Navigating work with international organizations—particularly in Africa, South Asia, and the United States—he illuminates regional disparities in environmental and agricultural thought and practice. Through trial-and-error and years of acute observation, Fukuoka developed a pioneering vision to ‘avoid unnecessary work, especially work that was created as an adverse side effect of previous actions.’ He describes these misguided experiments and failures, such as leaving an orchard completely on its own, as ‘not natural farming; it was abandonment.’ In clarifying popular misconceptions about organic and natural farming, he advises that we must not focus on cash crops, because ‘there is no good or bad among life-forms on earth.’ Only by the co-existence of myriad micro-organisms and vegetation will we be able to preserve and maintain our land. More important, the best farming was simple, ‘rather than the modern approach of applying increasingly complex techniques to remake nature entirely for the benefit of human beings.’ Though elimination of mechanization might be tough for modern agriculturalists to swallow, Fukuoka’s last message provides a spiritually and environmentally enriching alternative to the farming conditions we know today."Masanobu Fukuoka ran a course on natural farming, and gave our Howard lecture at Navdanya's biodiversity farm in the Doon valley of India, and we even have a cottage named the Fukuoka hut. He was a teacher ahead of his time. 'Sowing seeds in the desert' is what all of humanity has to learn to do, whether it is in economic desert created by Wall Street, or an ecological desert created by globalized corporate agriculture."--Vandana Shiva, founder of Navdanya Research Foundation for Science Technology & Ecology "Distilling what he has gathered from a lifetime of learning from nature, Masanobu Fukuoka offers us his gentle philosophy and a wealth of practical ideas for using natural farming to restore a damaged planet. Sowing Seeds in the Desert will persuade any reader that the imperiled living world is our greatest teacher, and inspire them to care for it as vigorously as Fukuoka has."--Toby Hemenway, author of Gaia's Garden "This book is a bombshell. Forget the gentle and retiring farmer of The One-Straw Revolution fame, replaced now by a flaming, world-travelling revolutionary. To achieve the kind of natural farming that can avoid worldwide collapse, Masanobu Fukuoka bluntly and fearlessly insists that we must first reject traditional ideas about God, the after life, accepted economic systems--especially capitalism--much of current agricultural thinking including organic farming, and even parts of science which he says are based on mistaken notions about the connection between cause and effect. Once we return to a way of life dictated by nature, not institutional religions, he says, we can apply his unorthodox farming methods to make the deserts bloom and the green fields stay lush without much expense or even labor involved.Be prepared to be mystified, irritated, shocked, and maybe even, if you persevere to the end, enlightened and encouraged by this trail-blazing book. Disagree with Fukuoka's provocative pronouncements at your own risk. Some of what he predicted in this book, originally written in Japanese in the 1990s has already happened, especially the collapse of the Japanese economy in recent years and the spread of deserts throughout the world."--Gene Logsdon, author of A Sanctuary of Trees "From our first meeting with Masanobu Fukuoka Sensei in the late 1970's at Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, he has served as a primary guide, teacher, and inspiration in the engaged practice of organic farming and Zen meditation. Now with Sowing Seeds in the Desert, Fukuoka Sensei's teaching of Natural Farming continues to grow, sending deep roots down into the terrain of global restoration and food security for a hungry world. This wonderful book is to be celebrated and savored for its grounded, encouraging wisdom."--Wendy Johnson, author of Gardening at the Dragon's Gate "Fans of Fukuoka's The One-Straw Revolution will be delighted by Sowing Seeds in the Desert, his last book. It is a rich treasure trove detailing how his own philosophy of farming evolved and how he decided to apply what he learned on his own farm in Japan to other parts of the world. His insights into the tragedies of taking Western, industrial agriculture to places like Africa to 'enrich the national economy,' and his alternative approach of working with indigenous farmers to enable them to become self-sufficient, is instructive for all of us."--Frederick Kirschenmann, Author of Cultivating an Ecological Conscience: Essays From a Farmer Philosopher "This book is not a breath of fresh air, it's a howling gale from the East. It challenges us to think outside our normal, rational frames and venture into a whole new way of relating to spirituality, the earth, and the growing of food. As I read, I was tempted to pick holes in Fukuoka's prescriptions for greening the world's deserts, but I kept coming back to the inescapable fact that he farmed his own land according to these principles over many years and produced a lot of food."--Patrick Whitefield, author of The Earth Care Manual Table of Contents1. The call to natural farming 2. Reconsidering human knowledge 3. Healing a world in crisis 4. Global desertification 5. Revegetating the earth through natural methods 6. Travels on the west coast of the United States

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Book SynopsisThe most up-to-date executive world map from the cartographers at National Geographic, in a smaller poster size. This map features the Winkel Tripel projection to reduce distortion of land masses as they near the poles. Features an antique-style colour palette for a more upscale look. Separate insets show the North and South Polar Regions, world vegetation and land use, and world population density. Scale 1:45,500,000. Laminated. 91.4 x 61 cm.

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Book SynopsisThe European railway sector has gone through profound, yet mostly institutional, changes over the past 20 years, owing mainly to the initiatives of the European Commission. This book constitutes a first systematic account and assessment of the recent transformations of the European railway sector, whilst also covering the main segments such as passenger transport, high speed and freight.The expert contributors have been charting these developments over the past five years. They provide a critical analysis of relevant, yet contentious, issues such as competition, unbundling, regulation, access charging, standards and interoperability, and public-private partnerships.Practically-minded academics, as well as academically-oriented practitioners, interested in the railway sector and other public transport sectors will find this book to be a crucial read. It will also be of use to postgraduates studying infrastructure economics, policy and regulation.Contributors: N. Baron, A.S. Bergantino, J. Dehornoy, M. Dillon, N. Fearnley, M.Finger, R. Gevaers, T. Holvad, A. Jan, N. Keogh, G. Knieps, J. Maes, A. Meaney, P. Messulam, F. Mizutani, C. Nash, S. Olsen, J. Runde Krogstad, M. Sanchez-Borras, D. van de Velde, E. Van de Voorde, T. VanelslanderTrade Review'Railways - they are one of the most powerful and symbolic modes of transport. They are especially important for Europe and for many decades the EU has tried to facilitate their development. This book provides a lot of good analysis of the problems of contemporary European railways. It also contains many interesting proposals on how to solve these problems. Highly recommended reading for all who are interested in transport and logistics.' --Siim Kallas, former Vice-President of the European Commission, Commissioner for Transport 2010-2014Table of ContentsContents: Introduction Matthias Finger and Pierre Messulam 1. Rail Economics and Regulation Matthias Finger and Pierre Messulam 2. Railways and Demographic Change Nacima Baron 3. Competition and Third-party Access in Railroads Günter Knieps 4. European Railway Reform: Unbundling and the Need for Coordination Didier van de Velde 5. Commercialization and Managerial Independence Silvia Olsen, Nils Fearnley and Julie Runde Krogstad 6. High-speed Rail in Europe Marta Sánchez-Borràs 7. Incumbents and New Entrants in European Rail Freight Roel Gevaers, Jochen Maes, Eddy Van de Voorde and Thierry Vanelslander 8. Incumbents and New Entrants Angela Stefania Bergantino 9. Rolling Stock Companies (Roscos) – Eexperience from Great Britain Matthew Dillon, Alexander Jan and Neil Keogh 10. What Does a Best-practice Railway Look Like? Chris Nash 11. Public-private Partnerships in the Rail Sector Julien Dehornoy 12. Mutual Recognition, Standards and Interoperability Torben Holvad 13. Non-discriminatory Access Beyond the Tracks Andrew Meaney 14. Rail Access Charges Pierre Messulam and Matthias Finger 15. Looking beyond Europe Fumitoshi Mizutani Index

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Book SynopsisWith a New Preface by the Author Through personal journeys and historical inquiry, this PEN Literary Award finalist explores how America’s still unfolding history and ideas of “race” have marked its people and the land.Sand and stone are Earth’s fragmented memory. Each of us, too, is a landscape inscribed by memory and loss. One life–defining lesson Lauret Savoy learned as a young girl was this: the American land did not hate. As an educator and Earth historian, she has tracked the continent’s past from the relics of deep time; but the paths of ancestors toward her—paths of free and enslaved Africans, colonists from Europe, and peoples indigenous to this land—lie largely eroded and lost.A provocative and powerful mosaic that ranges across a continent and across time, from twisted terrain within the San Andreas Fault zone to a South Carolina plantation, from national parks to burial grounds, from “Indian Territory” and the U.S.–Mexico Border to the U.S. capital, Trace grapples with a searing national history to reveal the often unvoiced presence of the past.In distinctive and illuminating prose that is attentive to the rhythms of language and landscapes, she weaves together human stories of migration, silence, and displacement, as epic as the continent they survey, with uplifted mountains, braided streams, and eroded canyons. Gifted with this manifold vision, and graced by a scientific and lyrical diligence, she delves through fragmented histories—natural, personal, cultural—to find shadowy outlines of other stories of place in America.Every landscape is an accumulation, reads one epigraph. Life must be lived amidst that which was made before. Courageously and masterfully, Lauret Savoy does so in this beautiful book: she lives there, making sense of this land and its troubled past, reconciling what it means to inhabit terrains of memory—and to be one.

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Book SynopsisRapid economic development has been a boon to human well-being. It has lifted millions out of poverty, raised standards of living, and increased life expectancies. But economic development comes at a significant cost to natural capital--the fertile soils, forests, coastal marshes, farmland--that support all life on earth, including our own. The dilemma of our times is to figure out how to improve the human condition without destroying nature's. If ecosystems collapse, so eventually will human civilization. One answer is inclusive green growth--the efficient use of natural resources. Inclusive green growth minimizes pollution and strengthens communities against natural disasters while reducing poverty through improved access to health, education, and services. Its genius lies in working with nature rather than against it. Green Growth That Works is the first practical guide to bring together pragmatic finance and policy tools that can make investment in natural capital both attractive and commonplace. The authors present six mechanisms that demonstrate a range of approaches used around the globe to conserve and restore earth's myriad ecosystems, including: Government subsidies Regulatory-driven mitigation Voluntary conservation Water funds Market-based transactions Bilateral and multilateral payments Through a series of real-world case studies, the book addresses questions such as: How can we channel economic incentives to make conservation and restoration desirable? What approaches have worked best? How can governments, businesses, NGOs, and individuals work together successfully? Pioneered by leading scholars from the Natural Capital Project, this valuable compendium of proven techniques can guide agencies and organizations eager to make green growth work anywhere in the world.

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Book SynopsisRegional Geology Guides provide a broad view and interpretation of the geology of a region.

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Book SynopsisNow in a completely updated, full-color edition, this leading textbook has been thoroughly revised to reflect the sweeping economic, social, and political changes the past decade has brought to Europe and to incorporate new research and teaching approaches in regional geography. The authors have especially expanded their discussion of climate change and other environmental challenges facing Europe, migration and the rise of right-wing populist movements, and Brexit and other challenges facing the EU. They employ a cultural-historical approach that is ideally suited to facilitate understanding of Europe’s complex geographical character. Their topical organization—including environment, ethnicity, religion, language, demography, politics, industry, and urban and rural life—offers students a holistic understanding of the diverse cultural area that is Europe. Inclusive, rich in ideas, lively, interesting, and humanistic, The European Culture Area remains the text of choice for courses on the geography of Europe.

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Book SynopsisWhat does it mean for the future of the planet when one of the world’s most durable authoritarian governance systems pursues “ecological civilization”? Despite its staggering pollution and colossal appetite for resources, China exemplifies a model of state-led environmentalism which concentrates decisive political, economic, and epistemic power under centralized leadership. On the face of it, China seems to embody hope for a radical new approach to environmental governance. In this thought-provoking book, Yifei Li and Judith Shapiro probe the concrete mechanisms of China’s coercive environmentalism to show how ‘going green’ helps the state to further other agendas such as citizen surveillance and geopolitical influence. Through top-down initiatives, regulations, and campaigns to mitigate pollution and environmental degradation, the Chinese authorities also promote control over the behavior of individuals and enterprises, pacification of borderlands, and expansion of Chinese power and influence along the Belt and Road and even into the global commons. Given the limited time that remains to mitigate climate change and protect millions of species from extinction, we need to consider whether a green authoritarianism can show us the way. This book explores both its promises and risks.Trade Review“A clearly written, comprehensive and timely volume, China Goes Green will help students, researchers, and the general public understand how to think about China’s ’authoritarian environmentalism’ — or more accurately, as Li and Shapiro argue — ‘environmental authoritarianism’ under Xi Jinping. A concise guide to a very important issue.”Emily Yeh, University of Colorado Boulder “China Goes Green brilliantly redefines our understanding of modern Chinese governance, dismantling a simplified portrait and illuminating the force, and the flaws, of the centralized approach that some officials call the ‘era of coercion.’ These insights are vital to understanding not only China’s environmental policy but also its handling of public-health emergencies and other issues of urgent global interest.” Evan Osnos, author of Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth and Faith in the New China“Even as someone well versed in this material, I learned a great deal from this impressive text. I would absolutely use it with my students.”Matto Mildenberger, University of California, Santa Barbara“Faith in the capacity of western forms of governance to meet the rising challenges of the Anthropocene is waning. Many find in China's brand of authoritarian environmentalism an appealing alternative. But can the appeal of this alternative withstand close scrutiny? Without denying or downplaying China's environmental achievements, Li and Shapiro subject China's environmental record to a systematic assessment. The result is a sobering account of what the authors describe as environmental authoritarianism in contrast to authoritarian environmentalism. An important argument that is particularly timely at this moment.”Oran Young, University of California, Santa Barbara‘Li and Shapiro trenchantly explore environmentalism as an element of China’s deepening and globalizing authoritarianism, while also showing that a measure of citizen involvement, or “supervision by the masses,” is required for such projects to succeed. Through nuanced case studies from urban air quality to reforestation, China Goes Green inspires us to focus on the relationship between sustainability and freedom – an endangered species in our increasingly illiberal world.’Jesse Ribot, American University “China Goes Green: Coercive Environmentalism for a Troubled Planet is a nuanced account of what China has done so far, and what lessons the world can learn from the authoritarian tone of environmentalism in China.”The Earthbound Report“broad and deep, well documented and clear”Asian Review of Books “an important work that recasts the trade-offs of tackling catastrophic climate change.”Journal of Political Ecology “Highly recommended for China scholars, those interested in the impact of China's growing global role, and everyone looking to understand how much coercion is necessary in environmental politics.”Jessica C. Teets, Governance “a deeply perceptive book”Mahesh Rangarajan, The Telegraph India “timely…a deep exploration of the environmental governance system under China’s characteristic authoritarian regime.”International Journal of Asian Studies“[A]n in-depth analysis of the Chinese approach to solving environmental issues.”Europe-Asia Studies"(a) remarkable and long overdue book... its enormous strength is its comprehensive and well-balanced combination of ambitious theorizing and hard empirics." The China Quarterly

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Book SynopsisThe triple bottom line has become the standard modus operandi for assessing the sustainability of financial markets, industries, institutions and corporations. This Research Handbook provides the most recent developments, current practices and new initiatives related to sustainable finance and impact investing. In doing so, it demonstrates how the triple bottom line principle can be used to design sustainable strategies for firms, markets and the economy as a whole. The Handbook covers aspects of socially responsible investment, finance and sustainable development, corporate socially responsible banking, green bonds and sustainable financial instruments. Comprising 20 topical chapters from experts in the field, this Handbook is a comprehensive investigation of financial services and products that help cope with sustainable investing and climate risk management. Chapters discuss the role of regulation framework in guaranteeing the stability and resilience of financial markets and offer insight into governance issues including the management of organizational risks, CSR culture, and social-impact investing culture. An essential reference for scholars and students, the multidisciplinary approach covers business, finance, accounting, management and entrepreneurship. Practitioners such as financial analysts, rating agencies and regulators will also find this an accessible read for exploring the possibilities the triple bottom line principle can provide.Contributors include: M. Amidu, W.R. Ang, M. Ariff, F. Aubert, H. Bassan, F. Bazzana, K. Berensmann, N. Boubakri, E. Broccardo, F. Dafe, F. de Mariz, K. Delchet-Cochet, M. Dempsey, G.N. Dong, K.U. Ehigiamusoe, J. Fouilloux, R. Gabriele, J.-F. Gajewski, J. Grira, K. Gupta, H. Issahaku, L. Kermiche, H.H. Lean, K.T. Liaw, N. Lindenberg, J.R. Mason, M. Mazzuca, R. McIver, C. Nitsche, G. Porino, J.M. Puaschunder, J.R.F. Savoia, M. Schröder, V. Tankoyeva, J.-L. Viviani, L.-C. Vo, O. Weber, A. ZareiTable of ContentsContents: Part I Sustainability, Financial Stability and Fraud 1. Financial Regulation and Fraud in CO2 Markets Joseph R. Mason 2. How to Better Detect Cases of Financial Reporting Fraud: Some New Findings from Earnings Restatements François Aubert, Jean-François Gajewski and Lamya Kermiche 3. Fostering green investment decisions: the real option approach Jessica Fouilloux and Jean-Laurent Viviani 4. Exchange Rate Instability: Relative Volatility, Risk and Adjustment Speed Mohamed Ariff and Alireza Zarei 5. Financial Instability: Economic and Financial Perspectives Michael Dempsey 6. The Stability of Financial System: An Analysis of the Determinants of Russian Bank Failures Viktoryia Tankoyeva, Flavio Bazzana and Roberto Gabriele 7. Sovereign Wealth Funds and Macroeconomic Stability: Before and After their Establishments Kizito Uyi Ehigiamusoe and Hooi Hooi Lean Part II Sustainability and Financial Markets 8. Financial Markets like Potter’s Hands? Rethinking Finance for Sustainability in a Civil Society Perspective Giulia Porino 9. An Alternative Way to Think of Finance: The Case of Innovative, Sustainable Financial Instruments Eleonora Broccardo and Maria Mazzuca 10. The Market Premium of Sustainability in Health-Care Sector Firms Gang Nathan Dong 11. Environmental Sustainability and Inter- and Intra- Industry Variation in Stock Returns: International Evidence Harjap Bassan, Kartick Gupta and Ron P. McIver 12. The Role of Financial Markets in Promoting Sustainability – A Review and Research Framework Mohammed Amidu and Haruna Issahaku 13. Financial Innovation with a Social Purpose: The Growth of Social Impact Bonds Frédéric de Mariz and José Roberto Ferreira Savoia 14. Asset Allocation and Green Bond Market K. Thomas Liaw 15. Demystifying Green Bonds Kathrin Berensmann, Florence Dafe and Nannette Lindenberg Part III CSR and Socially Responsible Investment 16. Models of Corporate Socially Responsible Banks: Financial Cooperatives, Islamic Banks, and Micro-Finance Institutions Narjess Boubakri and Jocelyn Grira 17. CSR Implementation in French SMEs: An Adapted Framework Karen Delchet-Cochet and Linh-Chi Vo 18. The Performance, Volatility, Downside Risk and Persistence of Socially Responsible Investments in Korea and the Impact of Korea Green New Deal Wei Rong Ang and Olaf Weber 19. Are SRI Funds Conventional Funds in Disguise or Do They Live up to Their Name? Christin Nitsche and Michael Schröder 20. Socio-psychological Motives of Socially Responsible Investors Julia M. Puaschunder Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Against all-too-human accounts of the Anthropocene, Jamie Lorimer envisions a dynamic cosmopolitics for wildlife. He demonstrates how species ‘conservation’ can somehow proceed as neither mastery nor naturalism but, instead, as necessary experiments in interspecies responsibility."—Stacy Alaimo, author of Bodily Natures: Science, Environment, and the Material Self"Jamie Lorimer has written a very provocative and relevant book about the future of conservation."—CHOICE"An enlightening and very readable introduction to some key concepts."—Human Geography"An important book for anyone engaged in conservation."—Quarterly Review of BiologyTable of ContentsContentsIntroduction: After the Anthropocene1. Wildlife: Companion Elephants and New Grounds for Multinatural Conservation2. Nonhuman Charisma: Counting Corncrakes and Learning to Be Affected in Multispecies Worlds3. Biodiversity as Biopolitics: Cutting Up Wildlife and Choreographing Conservation in the United Kingdom4. Conservation as Composition: Securing Premodern Ecologies in the Hebrides5. Wild Experiments: Rewilding Future Ecologies at the Oostvaardersplassen6. Wildlife on Screen: The Affective Logics and Micropolitics of Elephant Imagery7. Bringing Wildlife to Market: Flagship Species, Lively Capital, and the Commodification of Interspecies Encounters8. Spaces for Wildlife: Alternative Topologies for Life in Novel EcosystemsConclusion: Cosmopolitics for WildlifeAcknowledgmentsNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade Review "Debt to Society provides an innovative and ambitious scholarly intervention across a wide swath of fields, with much fresh thinking and provocative reframing in every one. Miranda Joseph analyzes the diverse and conflicted neoliberal norm of entrepreneurial subjectivity, searching for and illuminating its possible breaking points." —Lisa Duggan, New York University"I’ve been distressed by the increasing focus on debt as a central instrument of social control. Miranda Joseph offers a much richer reading of how debt is embedded in a larger system of social control via accounting. But this is no screed against accounting—it is instead a guide to thinking about how we use statistics and other forms of abstraction, and how we might rethink the practice to produce a better world. I learned a lot from it." —Doug Henwood editor, Left Business ObserverTable of ContentsContentsIntroduction: Modes of Accounting 1. Accounting for Debt: Toward a Methodology of Critical Abstraction 2. Accounting for Justice: Beyond Liberal Calculations of Debt and Crime3. Accounting for Time: The Entrepreneurial Subject in Crisis4. Accounting for Gender: Norms and Pathologies of Personal Finance5. Accounting for Interdisciplinarity: Contesting Value in the AcademyAcknowledgmentsNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisThis book is intended to be the most complete and up-to-date guide to the geology and fossils of the New Forest, providing a wealth of information of interest to both the amateur fossil collector and the professional geologist. It includes some 200 field photographs, palaeogeographic maps, digitised borehole/outcrop logs, and geological cross sections. Also included is a tour of the regional geological evolution of southern England since the Permian Period (-280 million years ago), based on deep boreholes and coastal exposures, including the world-famous Jurassic coast of Dorset and east Devon. The author discusses the petroleum geology of southern England and the New Forest and gives a detailed overview of the stratigraphy of the Hampshire Basin, followed by related aspects of economic geology within this area, including ironstones, freshwater aquifers, geothermal energy, sand, clay and peat resources. Finally, there is an up-to-date and complete account of the principal fossil localities, together with a comprehensive gallery of photographs with accompanying descriptions of the most abundant fossils within the New Forest National Park.Trade ReviewThere are lots of good UK guides like this one, to areas such as Dorset and Yorkshire, and many areas of Scotland and Wales, for example.. another excellent example of that genre. In fact, this is the book is the first I have seen on the New Forest of Hampshire. -- John Trevelyan * Deposits Magazine *Dr Barnet's guide is a handy and well written book that any geologist - professional or amateur - interested in Palaeogene life will find informative and of practical use. -- Dr David M. Jones, OUGS Proceedings Editor * Proceedings of the Open University Geological Society Volume 7 2021 *Before visiting a new area, I always like to check out the geology (doesn’t everyone?) and will definitely be taking this book with me when I go to the New Forest. The aim of being a complete guide to the geology and fossils of the area is achieved in an engaging and accessible way. -- Caroline Jones * Geoscientist - magazine of the Geological Society of London *

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Book SynopsisPresents an opinion that we must understand the complexity and interdependency of species and habitats from the microscopic level to the gigantic. This book shows how easily observable species are part of a complicated infrastructure. It also shows that forests are far more complicated, which means simplistic policies will not save them.Trade ReviewAccurate and authentic, Trees, Truffles, and Beasts makes a major contribution to the field of natural resource management. This is a clear and compelling argument that there's much more to forests than meets the eye. -- Jim Furnish * Deputy Chief (ret.), USDA Forest Service *This book is an excellent introduction to the world of mycorrhizal fungi in forests and their importance in food webs as highlighted by truffles. This book should encourage readers to investigate further the intricate and essential interactions occurring in forests, which make them work. -- John Dighton * professor and director of Rutgers University Pinelands Field Station *"The book provides excellent coverage of the symbiosis between trees, fungi, and animals, an orverarching theme. . . . Few works take these personal views into account to give such a holistic view of the forested landscape. Highly recommended." * Choice *The authors. all keenly qualified to write on the topic, begin by discussing the importance of sustainable ecosystem policies and preserving our environment, and then point out that to be able to do that, one must understand those environmental systems. What follows is an entire college course on just how forests work. * Funghi *These authors weave together a broad array of personal observations and pertinent scientific research into a sweeping account of forest ecology and conservation. This book is an interesting and well-priced addition to the mycologist's bookshelf. * Inoculum *Trees, Truffles, and Beasts reveals a belowground world that we cannot see, and for that reason, often overlook when thinking about forests. The authors deftly link this belowground world of fungi and soil microorganisms to the aboveground world that we know. The story-telling style of writing makes the book engaging and easy to read, and at the same time, the book is packed with interesting facts. * Northwest Science *"Lucidly written and accessible to professionals and the general public alike, the authors adeptly tease out the intimate details and fascinating ecological interactions of a world hidden within the soil. I highly recommend this book for a fascinating glimpse into the wondrous web life and complex ecological relationships that sustain our natural forests." -- Alan Watson Featherstone * Trees for Life, Scotland *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 The Forest We See 2 The Unseen Forest 3 Trees, Truffles, and Beasts: Coevolution in Action 4 Of Animals and Fungi 5 The Importance of Mycophagy 6 Landscape Patterns and Fire 7 Forest Succession and Habitat Dynamics 8 Of Lifestyles and Shared Habitats 9 Lessons from the Trees, the Truffles, and the Beasts

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Book SynopsisAmericans see water as abundant and cheap: we turn on the faucet and out it gushes, for less than a penny a gallon. We use more water than any other culture in the world, much to quench what’s now our largest crop—the lawn. Yet most Americans cannot name the river or aquifer that flows to our taps, irrigates our food, and produces our electricity. And most don’t realize these freshwater sources are in deep trouble. Blue Revolution exposes the truth about the water crisis—driven not as much by lawn sprinklers as by a tradition that has encouraged everyone, from homeowners to farmers to utilities, to tap more and more. But the book also offers much reason for hope. Award-winning journalist Cynthia Barnett argues that the best solution is also the simplest and least expensive: a water ethic for America. Just as the green movement helped build awareness about energy and sustainability, so a blue movement will reconnect Americans to their water, helpin

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Book SynopsisEarly Earth Systems provides a complete history of the Earth from its beginnings to the end of the Archaean. This journey through the Earth''s early history begins with the Earth''s origin, then examines the evolution of the mantle, the origin of the continental crust, the origin and evolution of the Earth''s atmosphere and oceans, and ends with the origin of life. Looks at the evidence for the Earth''s very early differentiation into core, mantle, crust, atmosphere and oceans and how this differentiation saw extreme interactions within the Earth system. Discusses Archaean Earth processes within the framework of the Earth System Science paradigm, providing a qualitative assessment of the principal reservoirs and fluxes in the early Earth. The book would be perfect for a graduate-level or upper level undergraduate course on the early Earth. It will also serve as a great starting point for researchers in solid-Earth geochemistryTrade Review“This is a book for everyone fascinated by a description of the Earth's history in terms of Earth system science.” (Pure and Applied Geophysics) "Hugh Rollinson sets out in his book Early Earth Systems: A Geochemical Approach to summarize what we know (and don’t know) about this enigmatic portion of our planet’s evolution. He does an excellent job of it." (Geological Magazine, November 2008)Table of Contents1. The Earth System. Introduction. The Nature of the Early Geological Record. Archaean Lithological Associations. The Oldest Rocks. How Much do we Really Know About the Early Earth?. 2. The Origin and Differentiation of the Earth. The Origin and Early History of the Universe. Star Formation. The Condensation of the Solar System. Earth Differentiation – the First Earth System. 3. The Evolution of the Earth’s Mantle. Understanding the Mantle. The Earth’s Earliest Mantle. Mantle Models. 4. The Origin of the Continental Crust. Modern Crust Formation – Models and Mechanisms. First Order Constraints on the Origin of the Continental Crust. The Secular Evolution of the Earth’s Continental Crust. Crustal Growth During the Archaean. Crust-Mantle Interactions: Reservoirs and Fluxes. 5. The Origin of the Earth’s Atmosphere and Oceans. The Volatile Budget of the Modern Earth. The Origin of the Earth’s Atmosphere and Oceans. The Nature of the Archaean Atmosphere. The Nature of the Archaean Oceans. 6. The Origin of Life. Setting the Scene for Life. Geochemical Signals of Biological Activity. The Geological Record of Life’s Origins. The Microbial Record of Life’s Origins. In the Beginning…. 7. Postscript. References. Index

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Book SynopsisUnbuilt tells the stories of the plans, drawings and proposals that emerged during the 20th century in an unparalleled era of optimism in architecture. Many of these grand projects stayed on the drawing board, some were flights of fancy that couldn't be built, and in other cases test structures or parts of buildings did emerge in the real world. The book features the work of Buckminster Fuller, Geoffrey Bawa, Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright and Archigram, as well as contemporary architects such as Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid, Will Alsop and Rem Koolhaas. Richly illustrated with photographs, drawings, maps, collages and models from all over the world, it covers everything from Buckminster Fuller's plan for a 'Domed city' in Manhattan to Le Corbusier's utopian dream of skyscraper living in central Paris, from a proposed network of motorways ploughing through central London to a crazy-looking scheme for 'rolling pavements' in post-war Berlin. This is an important book, not just for the rich stories of what might have been in our built world, but also to give understanding to the motivations and dreams of architects, sometimes to build a better world, but sometimes to pander to egos. It includes plans that pushed the boundaries – from plug-in cities, moving cities, space cities, domes and floating cities to Maglev, teleportation and rockets. Many ideas were just ahead of their time, and some, thankfully, we were always better without. Trade Review‘Told in clean, clear prose accompanied by collages, sketches, models and maps, Beanland’s book plumbs the archives of 20th-century plans for alternate visions of our cities’ -- Monocle Weekend Newsletter‘Discover a plethora of boundary pushing ideas ahead of their time and designs that never left the drawing board’ -- The Modern House‘A fantastic survey of 20th century architectural ambitions. It spans a host of ideas that … run the gamut of the sublime to the ridiculous, often calling into question some of the great visionaries of the modern age’ * The London Society *‘A very beautiful hardback book full of colour illustrations and fascinating stories of dreams that never became reality’ * Roads.co.uk *‘A thing of beauty’ -- John Grindrod * Twitter *‘Runs the gamut of the sublime to the ridiculous, often calling into the question some of the great visionaries of the modern age’ * London Society Journal *

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Book SynopsisFROM THE AUTHOR OF THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER,THE HIDDEN LIFE OF TREESA simultaneously stimulating and soothing blend of nature writing and science Strongly encourages tree hugging for our own, human sake' Guardian Summer Reads 2021A powerful return to the forest, where trees have heartbeats and roots are like brains that extend underground. Where the colour green calms us, and the forest sharpens our senses.In The Heartbeat of Trees, renowned forester Peter Wohlleben draws on new scientific discoveries to show how humans are deeply connected to the natural world. In an era of climate change, many of us fear we've lost our connection to nature, but Wohlleben is convinced that age-old ties linking humans to the forest remain alive and intact. We just have to know where to look.Drawing on science and cutting-edge research, The Heartbeat of Trees reveals the profound interactions humans can have with nature, exploring:the language of the forestthe consciousness of plantsand the eroding Trade Review‘A simultaneously stimulating and soothing blend of nature writing and science’ Guardian ‘Wohlleben confronts [climate change] directly. He is trenchant in his critique of tree plantations and wood-pellet-power plants, which claim to help the climate but, he argues, end up destabilizing it further’ New Yorker ‘[A] detailed, easy-to-read summary of what research has shown us about “the language of the forest, the consciousness of plants, and the eroding boundary between flora and fauna.” In this excellent and updated sequel to his The Hidden Life of Trees,[…] Wohlleben writes beautifully about the reciprocal bonds we can form with trees and all sorts of nature’ Psychology Today ‘It’s hard to dispute the book’s overall message; namely, that time spent in nature can serve as both a balm for anxiety and a bulwark against despair’ Globe and Mail ‘[An] eclectic look at humanity’s relationships with trees… Nature-minded readers will enjoy this episodic deep dive’ Publishers Weekly ‘Drawing on scientific evidence and his many years of experience, [Peter Wohlleben] extolls the wonders of the forest. A persuasive invitation to get outside and bathe in nature, perfect for tree huggers and fans of the author’s other books’ Kirkus Reviews ‘A return to the wonders of trees’ Booklist ‘[The Heartbeat of Trees] showcases the interconnectedness of humans and nature … Wohlleben takes a multidisciplinary approach, incorporating history, science, medicine, and mysticism. He balances poetic descriptions with analytical thoughts; beauty is at the heart of both. The result is a text that is full of wonder and insatiable curiosity, and that invites love for humanity and the natural world’ Foreword Reviews ‘[Like] a walk in the woods…[Wohlleben] urges hope, not despair, about our environmental malaise. [The Heartbeat of Trees] will appeal to fans of popular science and anyone curious about natural history’ Library Journal

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Book SynopsisThis book is intended as an introductory text for students studying a wide range of courses concerned with animal management, zoo biology and wildlife conservation, and should also be useful to zookeepers and other zoo professionals. It is divided into three parts.Trade Review“Overall, this is an exemplary introductory text, with masses of invaluable supporting information in appendices and a companion website: www.wiley.com/go/rees/zoo. Giant pandas, by the way, get almost fifty mentions in an excellent index.” (British Ecological Society Bulletin, 1 August 2012) Table of ContentsPreface. PART 1 – HISTORY, ORGANISATION AND REGULATION. 1 The Purpose and Popularity of Zoos. 2 Conservation. 3 A Short History of Zoos. 4 Zoo Organisation and Management. 5 Zoo Legislation. 6 Ethics and Zoos. PART 2 – ENCLOSURES, HUSBANDRY AND BEHAVIOUR. 7 Zoo and Exhibit Design. 8 Nutrition and Feeding. 9 Reproductive Biology. 10 Zoo Animal Behaviour, Enrichment and Training.> 11 Animal Welfare and Veterinary Care. PART 3 - CONSERVATION. 12 Collection Planning and Captive Breeding. 13 Record Keeping. 14 Education, Research and Zoo Visitor Behaviour. 15 In-situ Conservation and Reintroductions. Appendix I. Appendix II. Index.

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Book SynopsisPlacing twenty first-century climate change in deep context, A Brief History of Earth is an indispensable look at where we’ve been and where we’re going.Features original illustrations depicting Earth history and nearly 50 figures (maps, tables, photographs, graphs).Trade Review“A fantastic distillation of Earth's history, from one of the world’s leading geologists: Andrew H. Knoll has written an engrossing, witty, and eminently readable romp through our home planet’s 4.5 billion years, from trilobites and dinosaurs to human origins and our rapidly changing modern times.” — Steve Brusatte, New York Times bestselling author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs "Having spent decades at the forefront of discovery and research, Andrew H. Knoll has been one of our planet's leading scientists. In A Brief History of Earth, Knoll treats us to a 4.6-billion-year detective story revealing the origins and inner workings of our home in the solar system. In these pages you'll discover something profound: how our past, present, and future are grounded in Planet Earth." — Neil Shubin, author of Your Inner Fish and Some Assembly Required "Covers the arc of our planet’s history from its earliest formation to the present day in a succinct and deftly-written way." — Forbes “Charts the planet’s history in accessible style, from its beginning as ‘a small planet accreted out of rocky debris circling a modest young star’ through the development of minerals, geographical formations, atmosphere, and life forms large and small.” — Associated Press "Skillfully condenses the history of the Earth. ... An expert primer on the history of everything." — Kirkus Reviews "A sublime chronicle of our planet’s formation and beginnings, the perhaps unlikely yet awe-inspiring interactions that created life, diverse and abundant, and mass extinctions and recoveries. Knoll skillfully presents the extreme conditions, violence, and delicate fragility that mark the cycles and evolution of our home." — Booklist (starred review) "The type of book that is sorely needed at this moment in history. ... Knoll assembles facts from a wide variety of fields to tell our planet’s story in a clear and accessible narrative." — Scientific Inquirer “An eloquent call to action.” — CNN.com "In spite of its sweeping scale, the Harvard geologist and natural history professor’s primer not only makes the titular four billion years understandable – his accessible expertise makes it interesting." — Globe and Mail (Toronto)

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Book SynopsisKatie has been writing non-fiction children's books for almost half her life and loves questioning the world from a child's point of view. She's developed some of Usborne's bestselling series, including the See Inside books and Lift-the-flap Questions & Answers. When she's not writing, she likes drinking coffee, walking on the moors and playing competitive board games with her children.Trade ReviewI love the mix of positivity and information, and the myriad ways the children start to make change happen. * Juno Magazine *This book was brilliant in using age-appropriate language to explain climate change and our impact on the earth to younger children. We highly recommended this book! * The Green Parent *

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Book Synopsis Showcasing cutting-edge underwater photography from the world’s leading marine and nature photographers, The Life & Love of the Sea is a breathtaking visual tour of the ocean, from its coasts and beaches to the wildlife beneath its surface. With Lewis Blackwell, the author of The Life & Loves of Trees and The Life & Loves of the Forest, anyone can celebrate and explore the world’s oceans. Here you’ll share the experience of land meeting sea and the spectacular power of the ocean with a stunning collection of wave photography, and you will dive down to have a close-up look at many of the ocean’s most fascinating and beautiful inhabitants. Blackwell presents a wide-ranging variety of incredible images showcasing the ocean in all its power and diversity: Humpback whales Manta rays Clownfish Penguins Octopi Dramatic coastlines

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Book SynopsisThe result is a single volume that offers a comprehensive understanding of North Atlantic right whales, the role they played in the many cultures that hunted them, and our modern attempts to help them recover.Trade ReviewAlthough the text is written for a technical audience, the lucid and fluid narrative is combined with sufficient engaging descriptions to make this work accessible to all audiences. Statistics about whale populations and whaling are present, but unlike many books on whaling that overwhelm readers with extensive tables, quantitative information is placed judiciously in the narrative to illustrate specific points. The figures are well-rendered and useful. Recommended.—ChoiceThe back cover states that the work is a masterpiece and I have to agree. Whatever you want to know about Atlantic whaling, its history and the eventual conservation of whales, this is the text to read.—The BiologistThis book’s highly detailed historical record without a doubt required an enormous effort to research, assemble, and present for a popular audience... Laist’s treatment of the right whale encompasses its entire history, from years of exploitation, to the first conservation concerns, to current threat-mitigation actions.—Irina S. Trukhanova, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Polar Science Center, Seattle, WA, Conservation BiologyTable of ContentsChapter Title Preface I A Right Whale Named Nantucket II What's In A Name? III Foraging with a Smile IV. Evolution V. The Origin of Whaling VI Medieval Whaling in Northern Europe VII Ghost Whalers VIII Basque Whaling in Terranova IX The Dawn of International Whaling X A Fitful Start for Colonial Whalers XI Long Island Whaling XII Cape Cod Whaling XIII Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and Cape May XIV Whaling in North Carolina and the Southeastern United State XV Estimating Pre-Exploitation Population Size XVI A Second Chance XVII A Dedicated Recovery Program XVIII Nobody Wants to Hit a Whale XIX. Slow Speed Ahead XX Entanglement XXI Oh What A Tangled Web XXII Ten Thousand Right WhalesAcknowledgementsReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisCharting the political, social, and environmental history of efforts to conserve crop diversity. Many people worry that we're losing genetic diversity in the foods we eat. Over the past century, crop varieties standardized for industrial agriculture have increasingly dominated farm fields. Concerned about what this transition means for the future of food, scientists, farmers, and eaters have sought to protectfruits, grains, and vegetables they consider endangered. They have organized high-tech genebanks and heritage seed swaps. They have combed fields for ancient landraces and sought farmers growing Indigenous varieties. Behind this widespread concern for the loss of plant diversity lies another extinction narrative that concerns the survival of farmers themselves, a story that is often obscured by urgent calls to collect and preserve. Endangered Maize draws on the rich history of corn in Mexico and the United States to uncover this hidden narrative and show how it shaped the conservation strategies adopted by scientists, states, and citizens. In Endangered Maize, historian Helen Anne Curry investigates more than a hundred years of agriculture and conservation practices to understand the tasks that farmers and researchers have considered essential to maintaining crop diversity. Through the contours of efforts to preserve diversity in one of the world's most important crops, Curry reveals how those who sought to protect native, traditional, and heritage crops forged their methods around the expectation that social, political, and economic transformations would eliminate diverse communities and cultures. In this fascinating study of how cultural narratives shape science, Curry argues for new understandings of endangerment and alternative strategies to protect and preserve crop diversity.Trade Review"Maize diversity is threatened by many factors, as science historian Helen Curry expertly discusses with specialists." * Nature *"What Curry analyzes through deft and accessible writing is not so much the danger maize faces, but the ways we understand it, and the narratives we use to tell its stories, which shape conservation efforts." * Civil Eats *"Curry has written a brilliant history that shows us how the narrative of crop diversity loss is itself jam-packed with troubling worldviews. . . .Endangered Maize is an enormously useful book, and one that will shape conversations about agricultural and human diversity for many years to come." * Metascience *"An excellent, captivating description of the origins, ideas, and motivations behind the narratives of maize as an endangered genetic resource and how these narratives have shaped the methods and tools of conservation adopted by scientists and states. . . . As a historian, Curry skillfully recounts the origins and evolution of narratives of extinction of indigenous​ ​landraces and conservation strategies, highlighting the complexity of preservation initiatives and the multiple actors​ ​involved and suggesting pathways for the future. A key merit of her account is a sound understanding of underlying​ ​aspects of the biology and genetics of maize and its conservation.​"" * Journal of Agrarian Change *"Curry’s…whole history of seed-seeking overturns its own motivations and puts people first." * Technology and Culture *"A thought-provoking book that combines excellent research with lucid writing." * Isis *Table of ContentsContents List of Figures Acronyms Introduction 1 • Collect 2 • Classify 3 • Preserve 4 • Copy 5 • Negotiate 6 • Evaluate 7 • Grow Coda Acknowledgments Notes Archives and Bibliography Index

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Book Synopsis________________WINNER OF THE 2015 PULITZER PRIZE FOR GENERAL NON-FICTION________________''An invaluable contribution to our understanding of present circumstances, just as the paradigm shift she calls for is sorely needed'' - Al Gore, New York Times''Compelling ... It is a disquieting tale, related with rigour and restraint by Kolbert'' - Observer''Passionate ... This is the big story of our age'' - Sunday Times________________A major book about the future of the world, blending natural history, field reporting and the history of ideas and into a powerful account of the mass extinction happening todayOver the last half a billion years, there have been five mass extinctions of life on earth.Scientists around the world are currently monitoring the sixth, predicted to be the most devastating extinction event since the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs.Elizabeth Kolbert combines brilliant field reportiTrade ReviewA distinctive and eloquent voice of conscience ... In her timely, meticulously researched and well-written book, Kolbert combines scientific analysis and personal narratives to explain it to us. The result is a clear and comprehensive history of earth’s previous mass extinctions ... “People change the world,” Kolbert writes, and vividly presents the science and history of the current crisis. Her extensive travels in researching this book, and her insightful treatment of both the history and the science all combine to make The Sixth Extinction an invaluable contribution to our understanding of present circumstances, just as the paradigm shift she calls for is sorely needed * Al Gore, New York Times *I tore through Elizabeth Kolbert's The Sixth Extinction with a mix of awe and terror. Her long view of extinction excited my joy in life's diversity – even as she made me aware how many species are currently at risk * Dava Sobel, author of Longitude and A More Perfect Heaven *Elizabeth Kolbert writes with an aching beauty of the impact of our species on all the other forms of life known in this cold universe. The perspective is at once awe-inspiring, humbling and deeply necessary * T.C. Boyle *Well-composed snapshots of history, theory and observation that will fascinate, enlighten and appal many readers * Guardian *Compelling ... It is a disquieting tale, related with rigour and restraint by Kolbert * Observer *Passionate ... This is the big story of our age. We are living through the historically rare elimination of vast numbers of species. And for the first time, it is our fault ... Uplifting prose about the wonders of nature. But the overwhelming message of this book is as clear as that of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring in 1962. We humans have become a geological force in our own right – and, unless we act, the consequences will be devastating * Sunday Times *It is oddly pleasurable to read Elizabeth’s Kolbert’s new book, which offers a ramble through mass extinctions, present and past ... A wonderful chapter covers the North Atlantic’s once-abundant, flightless great auks ... Wisely, Ms Kolbert refuses to end on an optimistic note * Economist *While plants and animals can evolve to cope with a hotter world, that will take far too long for humans ... That is ultimately what makes this engaging study scary * Scotland on Sunday *The scariest paperback of the year * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"[An] intellectually adventurous, wide-ranging, and boldly integrative study." * Foreign Affairs *

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Book SynopsisVictims of Progress, now in its sixth edition, offers a compelling account of how technology and development affect indigenous peoples throughout the world. Bodley's expansive look at the struggle between small-scale indigenous societies, and the colonists and corporate developers who have infringed their territories reaches from 1800 into today. He examines major issues of intervention such as social engineering, economic development, self-determination, health and disease, global warming, and ecocide. Small-scale societies, Bodley convincingly demonstrates, have survived by organizing politically to defend their basic human rights.Providing a provocative context in which to think about civilization and its costsshedding light on how we are all victims of progressthe sixth edition features expanded discussion of uprising politics, Tebtebba (a particularly active indigenous organization), and voluntary isolation. A wholly new chapter devotes full coverage to the costs of global warmingTrade ReviewIn this latest edition Bodley surveys the conditions of indigenous peoples in a wide range of places and times. As in earlier editions, in the first two-thirds of the book, the author reviews the conflicts at contact between Native peoples and colonizing Europeans and Americans. The theme is twofold: constantly changing boundaries were unable to keep the two peoples apart and at peace, but the resilience of indigenous societies in the face of decimating disease, land loss, and deforestation saw them through to a time when their rights and interests could garner somewhat greater international concern. Thus, the most recent chapters follow the course of UN and International Labour Organization conventions, national treaties, and the effects of global climate change and commercial contact to give a fuller picture of the current state of indigenous interests and situations. Brief yet striking examples from a wide variety of groups result in a very useful overview with enough specifics to keep the analysis from becoming too generalized. Useful for anthropology and public policy collections and courses, particularly when supplemented with more-detailed accounts and visual aids. Summing Up: Recommended. General university and high school libraries. * CHOICE *Victims of Progress appears in its sixth updated edition to consider, as an ongoing project, how technology is affecting indigenous peoples around the world, and is recommended for college-level collections strong in anthropology as well as global social issues and cultural studies. It considers the histories of struggles between small-scale indigenous communities and colonists and developers, examines intervention techniques, and posits the theory that these small-scale communities have done a good job in contemporary times of organizing as a political force to defend their territories, lifestyles, and interests. This sixth edition holds expanded discussions of both rebellions and deliberate isolationist tactics, and adds further details on the costs and threats posed to such communities by global warming. No global issues collection should be without this solid reference. * Midwest Book Review *Essential for its scope, detailed analysis, and documentary rigor, the sixth edition of Victims of Progress is an exceptionally learned and uncompromising critique of the neocolonial expansion of capitalist market economy into indigenous peoples’ homelands. Bodley’s updated classic is both an indictment of Euro-American aggressive world expansion and a eulogy of Native civilizations and their wisdom. -- Stefano Varese, professor emeritus, University of California, DavisA must-read… Through its clear arguments and abundant case materials, the sixth edition of Victims of Progress shows how far humans have come in mitigating the damage of an expanding commercial world—where tribal peoples were merely the first to suffer—and in defending our rights to exist as ourselves. It is a book not only of human tragedies, but also of human strengths. Useful in courses on culture change, modernization, and economic development. -- Pasang Yangjee Sherpa, Penn State UniversityVictims of Progress reveals the political and ethnocentric nature of development in the name of 'progress' and contradicts the justification of 'inevitable' ethnocide, genocide, and ecocide found around the world and throughout time. A must-read for anyone interested in models of success based on demonstrated resiliency and dedication of small-scale peoples fighting for autonomy and sovereignty. -- Kerensa Allison, Lewis-Clark State CollegeThis unparalleled survey is an in depth analysis of the problems of survival, adaptation, and human rights faced by indigenous peoples the world over. From the imposition of external economic and political forces to colonialism to globalization, the sixth edition of Bodley’s Victims of Progress covers a wide range of topics. This should be required reading for every student and professional in anthropology. -- Leslie Sponsel, University of Hawai`i, author of Spiritual Ecology: A Quiet RevolutionA beautifully written account of the tragic plight of indigenous peoples under the impact of technological and economic ‘progress’ of industrial nation-states over many centuries. Bodley’s analysis skillfully combines quantitative data with qualitative assessments to illuminate global issues affecting us all. The book is a must for anyone concerned with issues of genocide, environmental destruction, and human rights. Thoroughly updated, this sixth edition will be a valuable asset in undergraduate and graduate courses alike. -- Linda Stone, professor emeritus, Washington State UniversityTable of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments 1: Introduction: Indigenous Peoples and Culture Scale Culture Scale, Culture Process, and Indigenous Peoples Large-Scale versus Small-Scale Society and Culture The Problem of Global-Scale Society and Culture Social Scale and Social Power Negative Development: The Global Pattern Policy Implications 2: Progress and Indigenous Peoples Progress: The Commercial Explosion The Culture of Consumption Resource Appropriation and Acculturation The Role of Ethnocentrism Civilization’s Unwilling Conscripts Cultural Pride versus Progress The Principle of Stabilization 3: The Uncontrolled Frontier The Frontier Process Demographic Impact of the Frontier 4: We Fought with Spears The Punitive Raid Wars of Extermination 5: The Extension of Government Control Aims and Philosophy of Administration Tribal Peoples and National Unity The Transfer of Sovereignty Treaty Making Bringing Government to the Tribes The Political Integration Process Anthropology and Native Administration 6: Land Policies The People–Land Relationship Land Policy Variables 7: Cultural Modification Policies These Are the Things That Obstruct Progress Social Engineering: How to Do It 8: Economic Globalization Forced Labor: Harnessing the Heathens Learning the Dignity of Labor: Taxes and Discipline Creating Progressive Consumers Promoting Technological Change Tourism and Indigenous Peoples 9: The Price of Progress Progress and the Quality of Life Diseases of Development Ecocide Deprivation and Discrimination 10: The Political Struggle for Indigenous Self-Determination Who Are Indigenous Peoples? The Initial Political Movements Creating Nunavut Guna Self-Determination: The Comarca Gunayala The Political Struggle The Shuar Solution CONAIE: Uprising Politics Reshaping Ecuador’s Political Landscape The Dene Nation: Land, Not Money Land Rights and the Outstation Movement in Australia Philippine Tribals: No More Retreat Indigenous Peoples and the Arctic Council The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Tebtebba: An Indigenous Partnership on Climate Change and Forests 11: Petroleum, the Commercial World, and Indigenous Peoples Petroleum: The Unsustainable Foundation of the Commercial World The Gwich’in and Oil Development in the Sacred Place Where Life Begins Petroleum Development and Indigenous Rights in Ecuador First Nations Opposition to Canadian Tar Sand Development Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN) vs. Shell Oil Assigning Responsibility for Tar Sand Development 12: Global Warming and Indigenous Peoples The Indigenous Response to Global Warming Indigenous Peoples as Climate Change Refugees Arctic Warming and Alaska Natives Global Warming Perpetuators and Beneficiaries Assessing the Global Costs of Climate Change & the Carbon Economy 13: Human Rights and the Politics of Ethnocide The Realists: Humanitarian Imperialists and Scientists The World Bank: Operational Manual 2005 and False Assurances The Idealist Preservationists You Can’t Leave Them Alone: The Realists Prevail Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Advocates Voluntary Isolation in the Twenty-First Century Indigenous Peoples as Small Nations Conclusion Appendixes Bibliography Index About the Author

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Book SynopsisGerry Smyth has gathered together myths and folktales from cultures around the world – Native American, Caribbean, Polynesian, Persian, Indian, Scandinavian and European.

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Book SynopsisDrones are revolutionizing ocean conservation. By flying closer and seeing more, drones enhance intimate contact between ocean scientists and activists and marine life. In the process, new dependencies between nature, technology, and humans emerge, and a paradox becomes apparent: Can we have a wild ocean whose survival is reliant upon technology? In Oceaning, Adam Fish answers this question through eight stories of piloting drones to stop the killing of porpoises, sharks, and seabirds and to check the vitality of whales, seals, turtles, and coral reefs. Drone conservation is not the end of nature. Instead, drone conservation results in an ocean whose flourishing both depends upon and escapes the control of technologies. Faulty technology, oceanic and atmospheric turbulence, political corruption, and the inadequacies of basic science serve to foil governance over nature. Fish contends that what emerges is an ocean/culture—a flourishing ocean that is distinct from but exists

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Book Synopsis(Edition revised in 2023) , MICHELIN National Map Hungary will give you an overall picture of your journey thanks to its clear and accurate mapping scale 1/400,000. Our National Map Series will help you easily plan your safe and enjoyable journey thanks to a comprehensive key, a complete name index as well a clever time & distance chart. Michelin's driving information will help you navigate safely in all circumstances. In addition, some MICHELIN National Maps are cross-referenced with the MICHELIN Green Guide highlighting destinations worth stopping for! With MICHELIN National Maps, find more than just your way! MICHELIN NATIONAL MAPS feature: * Up-to-date mapping * A scale adapted to the size of the country * A clear and comprehensive key * Distance and time chart * Place name index * Driving and road safety information * Tourist sights information Our maps are regularly updated even if the ISBN does not change.

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Book SynopsisBeautiful, accurate, and up-to-the-minute, this completely updated mini atlas puts the entire world in the palm of your hand in an amazingly accessible format.National Geographic's maps and atlases are critically acclaimed and world-renowned for their accuracy, originality, authoritative content, and clean design. Now, the most convenient package of this trusted map content has been completely updated in Compact Atlas of the World, Second Edition. Sized at 4 x 6 inches with a resilient soft cover, this atlas is designed for easy reference and convenient storage in a pocket, backpack, or desk. All maps are newly researched and updated. Other enhancements include a new physical world map reflecting the latest cartographic techniques, plus world and continental coverage of population, climate, land cover, fresh water, and natural hazards such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis. Superb overall readability, engaging design, and navigational ease allow the reader

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Book SynopsisObject Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.Grave takes a ground-level view of how burial sites have transformed over time and how they continue to change. As a cemetery tour guide, Allison C. Meier has spent more time walking among tombstones than most. Even for her, the grave has largely been invisible, an out of the way and unobtrusive marker of death. However, graves turn out to be not always so subtle, reverent, or permanent. While the indigent and unidentified have frequently been interred in mass graves, a fate brought into the public eye during the COVID-19 pandemic, the practice today is not unlike burials in the potter's fields of the colonial era. Burial is not the only option, of course, and Meier analyzes the rise of cremation, green burial, and new practices like human composting, investigating what is next for the grave and how existing spaces of death can be returned to community life.Object Lessons Trade ReviewBeautifully written and filled with empathy and insight, Grave is a rumination over the how and why of human burial, complete with a slew of little known historical tidbits pulled together from years of the author’s fascination with the topic. It should be considered essential reading for anyone interested in funerary history, especially in the United States. * Paul Koudounaris, author of Heavenly Bodies, Memento Mori, and Empire of Death: A Cultural History of Ossuaries and Charnel Houses *A thorough, insightful survey of the past, present, and future of the grave, and how humanity has grappled with the many problems and possibilities it represents. With compassion and an uncommon eye for detail, Allison Meier examines how the grave has functioned as a site of social inequality for centuries, and how a mixture of new technology and a revival of older practices may enliven cemeteries as sites of renewed community meaning. * Bess Lovejoy, author of Rest in Pieces: The Curious Fates of Famous Corpses (2016) *Table of Contents1. The Grave: Our House of Eternity 2. Navigating Through Necrogeography 3. The Living and the Dead 4. The Privilege of Permanence 5. An Eternal Room of Our Own 6. No Resting Place 7. To Decay or Not to Decay 8. New Ideas for the Afterlife 9. Dead Space Notes Index

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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