Earth Sciences, Geography & Environment Books

Book SynopsisIndigenous leader and activist Ailton Krenak reminds us that we must awaken from the comatose senselessness we have been immersed in since the beginning of the modern colonial project, where order, progress, development, consumerism, and capitalism have taken over our entire existence, leaving us only very partially alive, and, in fact, almost dead. To awaken from the coma of modernity is, for Krenak, to awaken to the possibility of becoming attuned to “the cosmic sense of life.” He points out that the COVID-19 pandemic affects all so-called “human” lives and that the time is ripe for us all to reflect on and undo the exclusivity and distinction that have characterized the concept of humanity throughout Western modernity.Trade ReviewSelected by Mongabay as one of 10 notable books on conservation and the environment published in 2023 “As Krenak contemplates the COVID-19 pandemic in the pithy Life Is Not Useful, he advocates powerfully for a shift away from the way life was before. As he sees it, humans’ detachment from nature and our obsession with extracting profits from the Earth have led to the crises we are facing today. Instead, he puts forth a vision that embraces the interconnected reliance on all life that shares this planet.”Mongabay “Ailton Krenak is a unique voice in contemporary thought and the only one who manages to turn the current crisis into a huge opportunity to rethink the life of humanity. He demonstrates that our political identity is not based on the separate ownership of land, but on the fact that we all share one and the same flesh, which is the same flesh from which planet Earth lives. Earth is not the space where languages and cultures differ and wage war against each other, but the institution that allows us to share dreams with all that lives.”Emanuele Coccia, author of Metamorphoses“A stinging critique of Western thought.”Earthbound Report“Krenak makes a potent anarchist statement, often with simple, sardonic humour … and his solutions are no less radical.”Latin American Review of Books“[A] thought-provoking critique of the individual and the prevailing global political-economic-social system. With his humorous sensitivity, Krenak invites us to reflect on the essence of life, which goes beyond the limited definition assigned to it.”International Journal of Environmental StudiesTable of ContentsAbout the author About this book Acknowledgements Introduction – Natalia Brizuela You Can’t Eat Money Dreams to Postpone the End of the World The Thing-Making Machine Tomorrow is Not for Sale Life is Not Useful

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Book Synopsis''A gripping read for anyone who cares about what we''re doing to the planet and how we can change it'' DAVID SHUKMAN, FORMER BBC NEWS SCIENCE EDITOR''Searing observations focused on our need to protect biodiversity - A tour de force'' SIR TIM SMIT OBE, CO-FOUNDER OF THE EDEN PROJECT''An informative, uplifting and truly important book'' JONATHON PORRITT, AUTHOR AND CAMPAIGNEROne woman''s journey through South America - and the devastating story of our planet''s disappearing biodiversityPedalling hard for thirteen months, eco adventurer Kate Rawles cycled the length of the Andes on an eccentric bicycle she built herself. The Life Cycle charts her mission to find out why biodiversity is so important, what''s happening to it, and what can be done to protect it.From the Pacific Ocean to rainforests and salt flats, Kate learns that armadillos can cross rivers by holding their breath, that Colombia has more species of birds than North America and Europe combined, and that in threatening ecos

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Book SynopsisA beach-goer's pocket companion for lazy days on the shore, or for the armchair beachcomber recalling the feel of sand between their toes. Noticing and collecting shells is an irresistible and accessible activity for pretty much everyone who goes to the beach, young or old, specialist, or first-timer.Learn more about exploring the seashore and the treasures to be found, from seashells and pebbles to seaweed and sand, and discover the secrets of the tide and conservation, plus how to be a responsible collector and how to record your finds.

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Book SynopsisNavigate your way around London with this detailed, easy-to-use, and up-to-date A-Z Premier Map.A full-colour, single sided, fold-out street map, covering a six-mile radius from Charing Cross in Central London. Extending to Muswell Hill to the north, London City Airport to the east, Crystal Palace to the south, and Wembley to the west.Attached to the cover is a booklet containing a comprehensive index of more than 40,000 streets, along with selected flats, walkways, places of interest, fire stations, hospitals and hospices within this region.Also included on the map are postcode districts, one-way streets, the congestion zone boundary and the ULEZ boundary. There is also a separate and up-to-date TfL underground map.This iconic map is a trusted means of finding your way around the capital city.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year""[A] wonderful book. . . . [This] timely and beautifully written work has the potential of enlightening potential learners on all levels."---Steve Dixon, Library Journal, starred review"[A] magnificently-illustrated portal to the secret lives of microbes, fungi, and mosses, squirrels, insects, and lizards alike."---Mike Lunsford, Tribune-Star"In a word, it is superb. James Nardi has done a magnificent job."---David Gascoigne, Travels with Birds"A tree may be bound to a single spot for the whole of its term. It may endure for centuries and seem heroically resigned, doomed even, to isolation. Yet its entire existence is one prolonged process of sharing. It is a lesson from trees we should heed. Nardi’s book is the perfect place to learn it."---Mark Cocker, New Statesman"Fascinating from a British perspective. The presentation in one volume of the sheer number of different species, their interdependence on each other . . . was certainly eye-opening. These organisms need to be less hidden for us all to appreciate and recognise the importance of trees as highly complex ecosystems, to increase the likelihood of them being treated with the respect they deserve."---Mary Cooper, Small Woodland Owners' Group"[The] illustrations are beyond charming and it’s just so packed with information."---Margaret Roach, A Way to Garden"This is a lovely book for anyone keen to dive deep into the wide variety of life supported and sustained by trees. Written by James Nardi . . . the book is a detailed natural history of trees and their interactions with microbes and animals, incorporating tree biology and a lot of entomology."---Penny Sarchet, Wild Wild Life, New Scientist"Highly recommended."---G.C. Stevens, Choice"Ideal for naturalists and examines these relationships [between trees and ecosystems] in an insightful way." * English Garden Magazine *"Wonderfully accessible . . . full of fascinating information and written by a research scientist. . . . Engaging with and encouraging the reader to linger and absorb what is being said at a leisurely pace."---Sean Sheehan, Pris"[A] beautifully presented and well-illustrated book on a unique ecosystem and obviously a real labour of love by the author and full of fascinating information and the latest science."---Roy Stewart, British Naturalists Association

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Book SynopsisThe perfect gift for pub lovers, quiz lovers, history lovers and art lovers: this trivia and matching game has it all.

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Book SynopsisA beautifully illustrated picture book with a powerful message aboutthe carbon cycle from environmental expert Sarah Roberts.

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Book SynopsisBig Cat Phonics for Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised has been developed in collaboration with Wandle Learning Trust and Little Sutton Primary School. It comprises classroom resources to support the SSP programme and a range of phonic readers that together provide a consistent and highly effective approach to teaching phonics.

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Book SynopsisNavigate your way around Bristol with detailed street maps from A-ZThis up-to-date, folded A-Z street map includes all of the 1,500 streets in and around Bristol. Detailed coverage of an area extending from Bishopston in the north to Knowle Golf Course in the south, and from Crew's Hole in the east to Leigh Woods in the west.The large scale 1 mile to 5.5 inch (1 km to 8.68 cm) street map includes the following:Places of interestOne-way streets and car parksIndex to streets, places of interest, place and area names, park and ride sites, national rail stations, hospitals and hospicesThe perfect reference map for finding your way around Bristol.

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Book SynopsisAn immersive and fascinating journey into deep time, charting the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana througha billion years of Earth's history.Gondwana' is a mystery of geological history; a lost supercontinent and a place woven into the consciousness of all who inhabit its scattered fragments. Today, the people who live in Africa, South America, India, Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Arabia spend their lives walking around on what's left of Gondwana. But what was life like when it was whole?The Road to Gondwanatraces the steps science took to find Gondwana, and the evolutionary journey of Gondwana itself. Our tour guide on this journey is Glossopteris an extinct tree that dominated the supercontinent for 50 million years, before vanishing in the most devastating event ever to strike life on this planet, the Permian mass extinction.Thisis a story about deep time and the challenges that face those who venture there. It's about the importance of imagination in science, and the reasons that the journey towards understanding is sometimes more important than the destination.

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Book Synopsis‘Mountains have given structure to my adult life. I suppose they have also given me purpose, though I still can’t guess what that purpose might be. And although I have glimpsed the view from the mountaintop and I still have some memory of what direction life is meant to be going in, I usually lose sight of the wood for the trees. In other words, I, like most of us, have lived a life of structured chaos.’Structured Chaos is Victor Saunders’ award-winning follow-up to Elusive Summits (winner of the Boardman Tasker Prize in 1990), No Place to Fall and Himalaya: The Tribulations of Vic & Mick. He reflects on his early childhood in Malaya and his first experiences of climbing as a student, and describes his progression from scaling canal-side walls in Camden to expeditions in the Himalaya and Karakoram. Following climbs on K2 and Nanga Parbat, he leaves his career as an architect and moves to Chamonix to become a mountain guide. He later makes the first ascent of Chamshen in the Saser Kangri massif, and reunites with old friend Mick Fowler to climb the north face of Sersank.This is not just a tale of mountaineering triumphs, but also an account of rescues, tragedies and failures. Telling his story with humour and warmth, Saunders spans the decades from youthful awkwardness to concerns about age-related forgetfulness, ranging from ‘Where did I put my keys?’ to ‘Is this the right mountain?’Structured Chaos is a testament to the value of friendship and the things that really matter in life: being in the right place at the right time with the right people, and making the most of the view.Trade Review'In his unique, conversational style, Victor Saunders has taken us on a wonderful journey; sometimes heart-breaking, often hilarious. His observations are surgically precise, his evocative descriptions are skilfully penned and his personal reflections are unstintingly honest. From his early awkward years to his many impressive climbs in the Great Ranges, what stands out above all in Structured Chaos is the value he places on friendship.' – Bernadette McDonald, 2021 Book Competition Jury‘Victor is a fine writer, with a vivid authenticity to the narrative of his mountaineering adventures.’ – GRAHAM LITTLE, Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal‘Saunders is a remarkable man who has survived all his life’s mishaps to write his autobiography.’ – STEPHEN A. CRAVEN, The Himalayan Journal‘Whether you are a seasoned alpinist or just starting out, this book sparks the imagination and leaves you psyched to go out there and find your own adventure!’ – GARETH JONES, The Professional Mountaineer

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Book SynopsisThis book traces cultural landscape as the manifestation of the state and national community under the Nazi regime, and how the Nazi era produced what could be referred to as a totalitarian cultural landscape.For the Nazi regime, cultural landscape was indeed a heritage resource, but it was much more than that: cultural landscape was the nation. The project of Nazi racial purification and cultural renewal demanded the physical reshaping and reconceptualization of the existing environment to create the so-called new Nazi cultural landscape. One of the most important components of this was a set of monumental sites thought to embody blood and soil beliefs through the harmonious synthesis of architecture and landscape. This special group of landscape-bound architectural complexes was interconnected by the new autobahn highway system, itself thought to be a monumental work embedded in nature. Behind this intentionally aestheticized view of the nation as cultural landscape lay the all-pervasive system of deception and violence that characterized the emerging totalitarian state.This is the first historical study to consider the importance of these monumental sites together with the autobahn as evidence of key Nazi cultural and geographic strategies during the pre-war years. This book concludes by examining racial and nationalistic themes underlying cultural landscape concepts today, against this historic background.Trade Review"The formal power of buildings in Nazi Germany has tended to focus historical attention upon the architecture at the expense of understanding the larger sites in which they were located. In this fascinating account, Haney forensically examines a range of ‘cultural landscapes’ each conceived to express an aspect of Nazi mythology."Professor Murray Fraser, The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London"This meticulously researched book alerts us to the geopolitical underpinnings of the National Socialist cultural landscape. Never one to bore his audience, David Haney will transform the way in which historians and general readers understand Nazi architectural production."Associate Professor Ian Klinke, School of Geography and the Environment, University of OxfordTable of ContentsIntroduction; 1. From Ratzel to Hitler: Biographical Influences, Geopolitics, and Cultural Landscape; 2. Veins of the Nation: The Nazi Autobahn as Geopolitical Propaganda Device; 3. From Sports Park to Sacred Grove: Embedding the Mass Spectacle in the German Landscape; 4. "Secret Societies Established in Broad Daylight": Symbolic Fortifications as Nazi Institutional Sites; 5. Venerating the Blood-Soaked Soil: Monumentalized Landscapes as Memorials; Conclusion

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Book SynopsisUrbanism for a Difficult Future: Practical Responses to the Climate Crisis is a much-needed guide to launching the next generation of land use planning and urbanism that will enable us to adapt to and survive the consequences of climate change.The book offers strong, straightforward measures for creating a landscape of resilience via pockets of self-sufficiencies. It demonstrates how to secure systems that sustain life (energy, water, food, waste, and production of essential goods) as well as political and social protocols enabling agile decision-making in managing these systems effectively at local levels. It also provides the design principles for creating a built environment that will enable the kind of localization we need for adaptation. The book explores how it is possible to create a life that does not depend on large-scale regional sustenance systems which are likely to be disrupted or fail. This book uncovers how to enable people to be creative, produTrade Review"Here is the rare book that anticipates with commonsense intelligence the most practical problems of how we will inhabit our landscape in the 21st century. The author recognizes the macro trends of downscaling and re-localization that will determine how we live in a coming period of industrial de-growth, changing climate, and social crisis. The writing is straightforward, clear, and muscular, conveying an urgent and purposeful spirit of facing the facts and getting things done."James Howard Kunstler, Author of The Geography of Nowhere, The Long Emergency, and World Made by Hand "In this ground-breaking book, Korkut Onaran tackles the inconvenient truth that humans must adapt to the accelerating impacts of climate change: where we’ll live, how we’ll live – and how we can successfully live together. This is an indispensable starting point for charting a resilient and humane future."Rick Cole, Executive Director of The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU)Table of ContentsForeword by Andrés Duany 1. The Approach 2. Why Adaptation? 3. Adaptation Village: A Development Model 4. Enabling Relocation 5. Localizing Sustenance Systems 6. Social Organization and Governance 7. Design Principles 8. Life in the 21st Century 9. Conclusion Afterword by Paul Crabtree Bibliography Appendix A: Tools for Coding Appendix B: Essential Terms and concepts for Adaptation Urbanism

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Book SynopsisThe Responsible Traveller is your ticket to sustainable and ethical travel. This pocket-sized book provides the knowledge and tools that can help you to explore the world with a lighter footprint. Whether you travel out of curiosity, to find respite, to remind yourself of how vast and wonderful our planet is, or in search of life-shaping adventures, having the freedom to explore can be exhilarating and hugely rewarding. However we owe it to the people, cultures, ecosystems and wildlife that we encounter along the way to travel with respect; to preserve our beautiful world for generations to come. The Responsible Traveller will show you how to make actionable changes that result in more thoughtful and adventurous travels, while also doing our very best for Planet Earth. Through case studies and storytelling, you’ll learn about the environmental and social effects of tourism and gain a deeper understanding of cultural sensitivity. And through simple, achievable tips and practical lifestyle changes, you’ll discover how you can make an almighty difference in reducing your impact. Empowered with this information, perhaps your next adventure will be inspired by consideration, understanding and compassion.Trade ReviewA comprehensive, thought provoking and honest discussion of the benefits and problems relating to tourism. * Neil Kitching, author of Carbon Choices *

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Book SynopsisThe culmination of more than two decades of work on the spatiality of economic forms, worlds, and lives, Variegated Economies tackles the question of how to approach, conceptualize, and analyze economies as geographically differentiated phenomena. Staged from the field of economic geography, the book seeks to build bridges to complementary developments in critical political economy and heterodox economic studies by way of a substantive theoretical and methodological program. Jamie Peck advances a series of arguments concerning the inherent-and highly consequential-spatiality of economic forms, worlds, and lives, engaging a range of issues from the diversity of capitalism(s) to the dynamics of late-stage neoliberalization, and from the problematic uneven geographical development to the challenges-cum-opportunities of conjunctural methodologies.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Tables List of Figures Abbreviations Ch. 1 Different Again: Encounters with Economic Geography Ch. 2 Remaking Heterodoxy: Navigating Economic Geographies Ch. 3 Socioeconomic Geographies: Networks, Embeddedness, and More Ch. 4 Rascal Concepts: Tangling with Neoliberalism Ch. 5 Relocating Variety: Towards Variegated Capitalism (with Nik Theodore) Ch. 6 Confounding Variety? Neither Mao nor Market (with Jun Zhang) Ch. 7 Mapping Economies: Substantivism in Space Ch. 8 Arid Comparisons? Economies of Difference Ch. 9 After Variety: Unevenly Developing Capitalism(s) Bibliography

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Book SynopsisNATIONAL BESTSELLER? The Pulitzer Prize?winning author of The Sixth Extinction returns to humanity?s transformative impact on the environment, now asking: After doing so much damage, can we change nature, this time to save it?RECOMMENDED BY PRESIDENT OBAMA AND BILL GATES ? SHORTLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR WRITING ? ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post ? ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Time, Esquire, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews ? ?Beautifully and insistently, Kolbert shows us that it is time to think radically about the ways we manage the environment.??Helen Macdonald, The New York Times With a new afterword by the authorThat man should have dominion ?over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth? is a prophecy that has hardened into fact. So pervasive are human impacts on the planet that it?s said we live in a new geological epoch: the Anthropocene. In Under a White Sky, Elizabeth Kolbert takes a hard look at the new world we are creating.Along the way, she meets biologists who are trying to preserve the world?s rarest fish, which lives in a single tiny pool in the middle of the Mojave; engineers who are turning carbon emissions to stone in Iceland; Australian researchers who are trying to develop a ?super coral? that can survive on a hotter globe; and physicists who are contemplating shooting tiny diamonds into the stratosphere to cool the earth.One way to look at human civilization, says Kolbert, is as a ten-thousand-year exercise in defying nature. In The Sixth Extinction, she explored the ways in which our capacity for destruction has reshaped the natural world. Now she examines how the very sorts of interventions that have imperiled our planet are increasingly seen as the only hope for its salvation. By turns inspiring, terrifying, and darkly comic, Under a White Sky is an utterly original examination of the challenges we face.

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Book SynopsisThis book provides a comprehensive overview of the essential role of trees and forests in cities and examines the creative approaches cities around the world are taking to protect trees and expand their urban forests.Moving beyond the view that trees are luxuries and therefore non-essential to the life of a city, the book examines urban tree policies and approaches that foster tree protection, including tree codes and bylaws, and calls for greater community engagement to preserve this important facet of urban life. Through an international range of examples and case studies, featuring cities in the United States, Canada, Singapore, the Netherlands, Australia, France, New Zealand, Mexico, Sierra Leone, and the United Kingdom. The book offers best practice examples where trees have been further integrated into the fabric of urban planning and design, including forested towers, interior rainforests, tiny urban forests, and metropolitan forests.Written by a leading authoriTable of ContentsList of figuresList of tablesAcknowledgmentsPreface: Raised in an Urban ForestChapter 1: Why Are Trees So Important in Cities?: Urban Life Under a Sheltered CanopyChapter 2: Tree City Visions and AspirationsChapter 3: Tree Codes and Regulating TreesChapter 4: Managing the Urban ForestChapter 5: Forest Architecture and DesignChapter 6: Tree Equity: Towards a Just Urban CanopyChapter 7: It Takes a Wooded VillageChapter 8: Trees Not CarsChapter 9: New Ideas for Urban Tree ConservationChapter 10: Conclusions: The Future of Canopy CitiesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisAn unparalleled how-to guide to citizen-sensing practices that monitor air pollution Modern environments are awash with pollutants churning through the air, from toxic gases and intensifying carbon to carcinogenic particles and novel viruses. The effects on our bodies and our planet are perilous. Citizens of Worlds is the first thorough study of the increasingly widespread use of digital technologies to monitor and respond to air pollution. It presents practice-based research on working with communities and making sensor toolkits to detect pollution while examining the political subjects, relations, and worlds these technologies generate. Drawing on data from the Citizen Sense research group, which worked with communities in the United States and the United Kingdom to develop digital-sensor toolkits, Jennifer Gabrys argues that citizen-oriented technologies promise positive change but then collide with entrenched and inequitable power structures. She asks: Who or what constitutes a “citizen” in citizen sensing? How do digital sensing technologies enable or constrain environmental citizenship? Spanning three project areas, this study describes collaborations to monitor air pollution from fracking infrastructure, to document emissions in urban environments, and to create air-quality gardens. As these projects show, how people respond to, care for, and struggle to transform environmental conditions informs the political subjects and collectives they become as they strive for more breathable worlds.Trade Review"The planet, the region, the community, the neighborhood, the block—these are all sensoria: sites of sense, sensation, and sensibility. Citizens of Worlds offers a powerful and instructive report on how to create everyday sensor infrastructures to register and combat the damage these social sensoria are suffering amidst today’s compromised atmospheres and environments. A critical handbook for theory and action."—Stefan Helmreich, Massachusetts Institute of Technology"In this timely and carefully crafted book, Jennifer Gabrys takes us on a fascinating journey to trace the multiple relations between citizens and their environments mediated though sensors. Throughout the book we encounter diverse sensing technologies, each making us reflect more deeply about how environments are made perceptible and how this allows us to act upon them in novel ways. The concept of ‘citizens of worlds’ sensitizes us to the multiple ways in which these novel experiences of the environment co-constitute political subjects. A mind-opening read inviting further explorations."—Ulrike Felt, University of Vienna

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Book Synopsis'Agile, wryly funny and wise' Robert Macfarlane A search for nearby nature and wildness After years of expeditions all over the world, adventurer Alastair Humphreys spends a year exploring the detailed local map around his home. Can this unassuming landscape, marked by the glow of city lights and the hum of busy roads, hold any surprises for the world traveller or satisfy his wanderlust? Could a single map provide a lifetime of exploration? Discovering more about the natural world than in all his years in remote environments, he learns the value of truly getting to know his neighbourhood. An ode to slowing down, Local is a celebration of curiosity and time spent outdoors, as well as a rallying cry to protect the wild places on our doorstep.Trade Review"Agile, wryly funny and wise." - Robert Macfarlane 'Alastair Humphreys is the consummate roamer: big of heart, curious of mind, light of step' - Amy-Jane Beer, winner of the 2023 Wainwright Prize 'A paean to the benefits of determined noticing. What really shines through its pages is Humphreys' omnivorous curiosity' Financial Times 'Thanks to some genuinely thoughtful writing about planet, place and political purpose, Humphreys finds beauty in the scruffy margins and makes readers look anew at what might easily be familiar or forgotten' The Observer 'A vivid, wry, angry, passionate read from Mr Adventure' Saga Magazine 'I wholeheartedly recommend the book. Anything that establishes the view that exploration is an attitude, not an activity, has to be a good thing. The physical bounds of our children will be smaller than ours. It is up to us to show that by rewilding the mind and finding adventure in the commonplace, a life constrained by necessity is still a life worth living' Chris Gibson Wildlife 'Witty and gritty, affectionate and mildly censorious, eager and sometimes weary. This is still a book of a traveller and adventurer - it's just he can cycle home quite quickly each day. Readable, well-written, stimulating' Mark Avery

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Book SynopsisTable of Contents1. Basic Concepts 2. Surface Waters 3. The Subsurface Environment 4. The Atmosphere Appendix A. Dimensions and Units for Environmental Quantities B. Models for Chemical Equilibrium, Surface Waters, Groundwater, the Atmosphere, and Global Climate

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Book SynopsisPursuing a dream instilled by early David Attenborough television adventures, a young man from the industrial northwest of England is advised at school to become a veterinary surgeon as a first step towards a career working with wild animals in Africa. His misgivings about the values and justification of domestic veterinary practice are contrasted with a passion for wilderness and wildlife conservation. Early experiences in the vivid Uganda of Idi Amin are juxtaposed with life in a grey Pennines veterinary practice. Eventually arriving as a veterinary officer in newly independent Botswana he finds adventure with wild animals as a veterinarian and later as an ecologist, survey pilot, game capture operator and even a safari hunter, becoming a passionate conservationist… all while starting the first veterinary practice in the country.

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Book SynopsisThis book offers a concise overview of climate adaptation governance. In clear, accessible language, Lisa Dale presents the theory and practice that underlie climate adaptation efforts at local and global scales, providing illuminating case studies that foreground the problems facing developing countries.Trade ReviewThis book is an excellent introduction to the increasingly relevant challenge of climate adaptation. It addresses the main strands of this knowledge and policy domain in a highly structured way, referring to both knowledge and emerging governance practices. A strength is that it manages to explain the complexity of the adaptation challenge in a very clear and accessible way. Another strength of the volume is that it refers to challenges in wealthier, industrialized countries, as well as the specifics of developing countries, based on the authors experience in both contexts. Because of its clarity in writing, its governance focus and its comprehensive, yet introductory character, it is certainly a book that can guide researchers, policy makers and civil society actors, based on a solid basic understanding, towards further exploring the topic in an ever expanding knowledge field. -- Hans Bruyninckx, Executive Director of the European Environment AgencyIn the world of today, there are few competencies as important as the ability to manage the risks, impacts and uncertainties of a changing climate. No economy, no policy sector, and no institution is immune – yet many decision-makers find the essential concepts of climate change adaptation buried under a blanket of buzzwords, fuzzwords and murky relationships with other policy debates. In this primer, Lisa Dale charts a clear and accessible pathway through the most pertinent questions of climate change adaptation and provides a comprehensive overview of the strategies and solutions that are available to deal with the impacts of a heating planet in key policy sectors. Essential reading for times of growing uncertainty in our natural as well as institutional environments. -- Gernot Laganda, Chief of Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction Programmes, UN World Food ProgrammeLisa Dale has written a comprehensive and accessible guide to current thinking and approaches related to climate adaptation. As a fellow traveler in the field of climate adaptation who recognizes the importance of the social sciences to helping humanity navigate increasingly severe climate impacts, I am impressed by Lisa's ability to summarize a complex field so clearly. This book presents a systematic account of the strengths and limitations of various adaptation strategies - from disaster risk reduction and large-scale infrastructure to "climate smart" agriculture. She also addresses human mobility as an adaptation strategy, and the vital importance of addressing equity and justice in a world where those least responsible for past emissions often bear the brunt of our collective failure in climate mitigation. -- Alex de Sherbinin, Associate Director and Senior Research Scientist, Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), The Earth InstituteA wonderful outline of contemporary problems and practices that have grown out of DRR [Disaster Risk Reduction]. Effective at connecting readers with lived experience and at grounding what can otherwise be an overwhelmingly complex subject. * The Quarterly Review of Biology *In clear, accessible language that draws on her expertise in sustainable development, Lisa Dale describes key strategies that governments, communities, and the private sector are deploying in order to govern climate adaptation. Provid[es] illuminating case studies that foreground the problems facing developing countries. An invaluable introduction for all readers interested in how societies can meet the challenges of an altered climate. * Yale Climate Connections *Table of ContentsList of AcronymsIntroduction 1. Foundations: Science, Policy, and Institutions2. Disaster Risk Management: Early Warning, Early Action3. The Built Environment: Infrastructure and Nature-Based Solutions4. Urban Planning for Climate Adaptation5. Agriculture, Land Use, and Food Security6. Insurance as Risk Transfer7. Migration and Managed Retreat8. Inequality and Justice9. Synergies and Best PracticesGlossaryNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book Synopsis‘Powerful, purposeful and persuasive … This book is transformative. We must read, mark and learn, fast’ Michael Morpurgo ‘A call to action – to change our world from the ground up. A vitally necessary book’ Isabella Tree ‘Philip Lymbery pulls no punches in cataloguing the calamitous mistakes we’ve made in our food system, but he has bold and inspiring solutions to offer, too.’ Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall _______________ Taking its title from a chilling warning made by the United Nations that the world’s soils could be lost within a lifetime, Sixty Harvests Left uncovers how the food industry is threatening the planet. Put simply, without soils there will be no food: game over. And time is running out. From the United Kingdom to Italy, from Brazil to the Gambia to the USA, Philip Lymbery, the internationally acclaimed author of Farmageddon, goes behind the scenes of industrial farming and confronts ‘Big Agriculture’, where mega-farms, chemicals and animal cages are sweeping the countryside and jeopardising the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and the nature that we treasure. In his investigations, however, he also finds hope in the pioneers who are battling to bring landscapes back to life, who are rethinking farming methods, rediscovering traditional techniques and developing technologies to feed an ever-expanding global population. Impassioned, balanced and persuasive, Sixty Harvests Left not only demonstrates why future harvests matter more than ever, but reveals how we can restore our planet for a nature-friendly future.Trade ReviewPRAISE FOR SIXTY HARVESTS LEFT: Philip Lymbery pulls no punches in cataloguing the calamitous mistakes we’ve made in our food system, but he has bold and inspiring solutions to offer, too. It’s time for Big Food, and governments everywhere, to act on them. -- Hugh Fearnley-WhittingstallBeautifully crafted. A compelling, excoriating account of industrial farming – how it is driving the climate and biodiversity emergencies, while also undermining our health. Full of insights and encounters with pioneers of new ways of farming, Sixty Harvests Left is a call to action – to change our world from the ground up. A vitally necessary book. -- Isabella TreeIn this beautifully written book, Philip Lymbery describes how intensive agriculture harms the environment and inflicts suffering on sentient animals. But after visiting and talking to those on the front line – scientists, farmers and food providers – he is able to show that there are sustainable alternatives. And that they are working. There is indeed hope for the future of our planet, and each one of us can play a part. I urge you to read Sixty Harvests Left. -- Dr Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of PeaceThe chilling title is the red flag; the contents, however, lay out all the remedies to save the planet and its species, including ours, and make for absorbing and sometimes terrifying reading. Minutely researched, and written for laymen as well as experts, Sixty Harvests Left deserves to be read world-wide and acted upon immediately. I cannot recommend it highly enough. -- Joanna LumleyPowerful, purposeful and persuasive, read Philip Lymbery’s book and we know what has to be done. It’s simple really, look after the land, farm it sensitively, tread softly on this earth and all can still be well. We need to transform ourselves rapidly. This book is transformative. We must read, mark and learn, fast. -- Michael MorpurgoThe true horror story of our current dependence on factory farming and intensive agriculture gets clearer by the day. Philip Lymbery pulls no punches in painting that grim picture. This dependence will bring down our civilisation as surely as our dependence on fossil fuels. But that is not our destiny, and you need to read Sixty Harvests Left more for its utterly convincing alternative vision of farming and food production available to us in the near future – all based on the three Rs: regenerative farming, reduction of animal protein, and rewilding the soil. I’d be very surprised if you don’t end up appreciating this book as much as I did. -- Jonathon PorrittPhilip Lymbery’s great service, through beautiful prose and deep research, is to amplify the siren call from our planet and the web of life. Through him, change becomes not only necessary and desirable, but irresistible. -- Raj PatelThought-provoking. Told through the seasons and finishing with a new start in Spring, Sixty Harvests Left gives us reason to look forward to a brighter farming future and the possibilities that can be achieved through care of our greatest natural asset, soil. Home to a quarter of the world's biodiversity, soil is life and our life depends on it. Lymbery speaks to practitioners with their feet firmly on the ground and gives hope that new ways in farming will provide for a better future. A fascinating and positive read! -- Jake FiennesThis profoundly important book should be read by all who would like humanity to survive beyond one more human lifetime, and the solutions it proposes should implemented as if our futures depend on it – which they do -- Andrew Knight, Professor of Animal Welfare and Ethics, University of WinchesterAn urgent, evidence-based, visionary approach to the most challenging decisions facing humanity. This is a brave, fascinating, game-changing book. -- Sophia PavelleSixty Harvests Left is not only beautifully written, it is jam-packed with the evidence we need to change our lives in order to save our planet. Philip Lymbery draws us in, in a lyrical and seductive manner, whilst imparting vital, life-changing information. Only we can save our planet and Sixty Harvests Left shows us how. Make sure you read it before it’s too late. You won’t regret it. -- Peter EganSixty Harvests Left is excellent – personal and engaging. Lymbery’s life experiences make it very readable, allowing him to speak with authority and honesty … An important challenge to the vested interests that make our life on earth unsustainable. -- Rebecca Nesbit, author of Tickets for the ArkPhilip Lymbery is one of the few who really understand the connections between farming and nature ... He is the most important thinker writing about these crucial issues – and the way forward -- Carl Safina, author of Becoming Wild and Beyond WordsThis is a clever, insightful and well informed work that’s easy to read. While those who know Philip might expect nothing more, it lays out quite clearly for those who do not know the shocking poverty and decrepitude of our chemically farmed landscapes, the great cruelties in our systems of livestock production, the destruction of biodiversity and the pollution of the Earth's soils and water. Philip's book is an eloquent appeal against this being so. Do buy it and enjoy -- Derek GowPraise for Farmageddon: Lymbery brings to this essential subject the perspective of a seasoned campaigner – he is informed enough to be appalled, and moderate enough to persuade us to take responsibility for the system that feeds us * Guardian, Book of the Week *An engaging read ... Anyone after a realistic account of our global food chain, and the changes necessary for a sustainable future, will find much to get their teeth into here * New Statesman *

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Book SynopsisMosses have a spectacular diversity of beautiful and surprising forms. They are nearly always, what we as humans would consider, small; but they play a critical role in climate change prevention and have an ability to hold and control water in forests, uplands and valleys. Hidden World of Mosses explores the tiny, intriguing environments of these plants that have their own miniature forests filled with grazers and predators, and their own ecological norms and mechanics.

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Book SynopsisThere's an activist in all of us, and you don't have to shout about it to be heard. In Small World, Big Ideas, Satish Kumar collects the voices of some of the most passionate activists fighting for a better world, and shares their insights into how we can achieve this.Table of ContentsIntroductionSatish KumarFranny ArmstrongBob BrownHelen BeynonDeepak ChopraTim FlanneryJane GoodallRoger HallamPolly HigginsCaroline LucasBill MckibbenCarlo PetriniVandana ShivaGreta ThunbergResurgenceAcknowledgements

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Book SynopsisWhat is driving climate change? What impact does it have on the Earth's ecosystems, our environment, and us? What can I do? This book explains in a clear and understandable way the interrelationships, influencing factors and effects of the greatest challenge facing mankind: climate change.The team of authors presents over 100 aspects in clear language, each on a double-page spread. With impressive sketchnotes, professor and sketchnoter Katharina Theis-Bröhl illustrates and explains the sometimes simple, sometimes complicated issues always understandable. Because: Sketchnotes are not only beautiful to look at – they are also an effective mnemonic, a structural tool and an aid to crystallize the essentials. Comprehensible accompanying texts by Cecilia Scorza and Harald Lesch round off each topic in an informative way. With this book, you can understand the causes of climate change, discover the physical connections, and recognize both local and global impacts. You will learn about the role our location in the solar system plays, the feedback processes involved in global warming, and what it means when the oceans acidify. And ultimately, the question will be asked: How much time do we have left to act? From the contents:How special is the Earth? – Understanding the greenhouse effect – The Earth's climate system – The climate change – Effects of climate change – What can I do? – A look ahead Table of ContentsHow special is the Earth?.- The sun as a source of energy.- Understanding the greenhouse effect.- The Earth's climate system.- Climate change.- Effects of the climate system.- What can I do?.- Future view.

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Book SynopsisExplore new places with handy pocket maps from Collins.Handy little full-colour map of Dorset. Detailed mapping and tourist information ideal for any road trip.Main features of this map include: Clear mapping Main tourist attractions located and described Ideal for touring with sights, places to stay, cafe/restaurant, golf courses, things to do all on the map Essential travel information Index to places of interest and place namesEssential for those planning a trip to Dorset.

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Book SynopsisThe Atlas of Geographical Curiosities – a glorious celebration of an unusual world. Welcome to this compendium of interesting, unexpected and downright bizarre geographical anomalies that are guaranteed to delight and inspire. The world is full of little-known facts that have sometimes been a source of diplomatic or military struggle. Many still exist under the radar now to be revealed by this entertaining treasure trove. Where else can you discover: Countries that do not really exist A UK hotel room which became Yugoslavian for one day only An island which is Spanish for six months of the year and French for the other six A city which is officially constituted by one single high-rise (14 floor) building The world's first and only railway that belonged to one country and ran across another A hotel room whose bedroom is in France and whose bathroom is in Switzerland Bir Tawil which is one of the very few territories on earth not claimed by any country The only place in the world where you can find so-called counter-enclaves where in a 20-minute walk around the town you can cross an international border at least 50 times at 50 different points The world is full of wonderful and strange geographical irregularities. Turn to the Atlas of Geographical Curiosities to uncover more little known but important facts.

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Book Synopsis'The Handbook of Diverse Economies offers a rich, beautiful, organic garden of ideas to nourish the project of ''doing economy'' differently. These sprouts and vines will, eventually, alter the institutional structures we inhabit.' - Nancy Folbre, University of Massachusetts Amherst, US'Let us forget, just for a moment, ''capitalism'' and instead investigate the diversity of new forms of economic activities that are flourishing everywhere: this is the essential, energizing, message of J. K. Gibson-Graham, Kelly Dombroski and her colleagues. This innovative book must be absolutely put into all hands. It takes us on a long and rewarding journey around the world to explore ongoing experiences that all attempt to invent new ways of living together.' - Michel Callon, Centre de Socologie de l'Innnovation, Mines ParisTech, FranceTheorising and illustrating diverse, more-than-capitalist economies, this broad-ranging Handbook presents ways in which it is possible to imagine and enact other ways of being. It gathers together empirical examples of diverse economic practices and experiments from across the world, framed by in-depth discussions of key theoretical concepts.Organised into thematic sections, the Handbook moves from looking at diverse forms of enterprise, to labour, transactions, property, and finance as well as decentred subjectivity and diverse economies methodology. Chapters present a wide diversity of economic practices that make up contemporary economies, many of which are ignored or devalued by mainstream economic theory. Pushing the boundaries of economic thinking to include more than human labour and human/non-human interdependence, it highlights the challenges of enacting ethical economies in the face of dominant ways of thinking and being.Economic geography, political economy and development studies scholars will greatly appreciate the empirical examples of diverse economic practices blended with theory throughout the Handbook. It will also benefit policy-makers and practitioners working within diverse economies, or looking to create more ethical ways of living.Trade Review‘This impressive collection of stimulating theorization and descriptions of a multitude of other-than-capitalist economic practices could not have been published at a more pertinent time. The Handbook is truly international in terms of authors’ affiliations and case studies’ geographies, covering the 'minority world' (developed countries) and the 'majority world' (those less developed). The Handbook offers key conceptual tools for housing scholars to unlock the diverse economies of housing. It also makes an inspiring read for students and scholars of any discipline who want to imagine alternative, more ethical futures which are already seeded in the practices of today.’ -- Adriana Mihaela Soaita, Housing, Theory and Society‘The editors and their many contributors have to be congratulated for an impressive volume that succeeds in presenting an empirically grounded and theoretically robust Marxism which is fit for the challenges of the Anthropocene. Whether one agrees with their approach and visions or not, this is a highly recommended read and a valuable resource for teaching on economic practices in our more-than-capitalist world.’ -- Jens Kaae Fisker, Eurasian Geography and Economics‘The Handbook of Diverse Economies offers a rich, beautiful, organic garden of ideas to nourish the project of “doing economy” differently. These sprouts and vines will, eventually, alter the institutional structures we inhabit.’ -- Nancy Folbre, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, US‘Let us forget, just for a moment, “capitalism” and instead investigate the diversity of new forms of economic activities that are flourishing everywhere: this is the essential, energizing, message of J. K. Gibson-Graham, Kelly Dombroski and her colleagues. This innovative book must be absolutely put into all hands. It takes us on a long and rewarding journey around the world to explore ongoing experiences that all attempt to invent new ways of living together.’ -- Michel Callon, Centre de Socologie de l'Innnovation, Mines ParisTech, France'So much of the world's economy is informal, cooperative, community-based and unwaged: a diverse kaleidoscope of activities, all with their own ecologies, for worse . . . and often for better. How do they work? What work do they do? Finally a global, inclusive, and exhaustive guide to the planet s actually-existing economies.' --Paul Robbins, University of Wisconsin-Madison, US'In the face of a zombie capitalism that will not die, The Handbook of Diverse Economies offers the most potent response possible: the fierce creativity of life itself. The 58 essays of this book introduce us to a pluriverse of practical, non-capitalist lifeforms that are humane, socially grounded, and constantly evolving. Be prepared to enter a portal of new perspectives that loosens the grip of the capitalist imaginary and opens up a fertile transdisciplinary space for envisioning and making a new world.' --David Bollier, coauthor of Free, Fair and Alive: The Insurgent Power of the Commons'The Handbook of Diverse Economies marks a major milestone for the influential program of research, action, and experimentation initiated by Gibson-Graham's The End of Capitalism (As We Knew It) some 25 years ago. It presents an array of provocative strategies for ''doing economy'' differently, and for imagining and enacting different economic worlds.' --Jamie Peck, University of British Columbia, CanadaTable of ContentsContents: 1 Introduction to The Handbook of Diverse Economies : inventory as ethical intervention 1 J.K. Gibson-Graham and Kelly Dombroski PART I ENTERPRISE 2 Framing essay: the diversity of enterprise 26 Jenny Cameron 3 Worker cooperatives 40 Maliha Safri 4 Self-managed enterprise: worker-recuperated cooperatives in Argentina and Latin America 48 Ana Inés Heras and Marcelo Vieta 5 Community enterprise: diverse designs for community-owned energy infrastructure 56 Jarra Hicks 6 Eco-social enterprises: ethical business in a post-socialist context 65 Nadia Johanisova, Lucie Sovová and Eva Fraňková 7 Enterprising new worlds: social enterprise and the value of repair 74 Isaac Lyne and Anisah Madden 8 Anti-mafia enterprise: Italian strategies to counter violent economies 82 Christina Jerne 9 State and community enterprise: negotiating water management in rural Ireland 90 Patrick Bresnihan and Arielle Hesse 10 Independent and small businesses: diversity amongst the 99 per cent of businesses 98 Peter North 11 Homo economicus and the capitalist corporation: decentring authority and ownership 106 Jayme Walenta PART II LABOUR 12 Framing essay: the diversity of labour 116 Katharine McKinnon 13 Precarious labour: Russia’s ‘other’ transition 129 Marianna Pavlovskaya 14 The persistence of informal and unpaid labour: evidence from UK households 137 Colin C. Williams and Richard J. White 15 Paid and unpaid labour: feminist economic activism in a diverse economy 146 Megan Clement-Couzner 16 Caring labour: redistributing care work 154 Kelly Dombroski 17 Non-human ‘labour’: the work of Earth Others 163 Elizabeth Barron and Jaqueline Hess 18 Collectively performed reciprocal labour: reading for possibility 170 Katherine Gibson 19 Informal mining labour: economic plurality and household survival strategies 179 Pryor Placino 20 Migrant women’s labour: sustaining livelihoods through diverse economic practices in Accra, Ghana 186 Chizu Sato and Theresa Tufuor PART III TRANSACTIONS 21 Framing essay: the diversity of transactions 195 Gradon Diprose 22 Gleaning: transactions at the nexus of food, commons and waste 206 Oona Morrow 23 Direct producer–consumer transactions: Community Supported Agriculture and its offshoots 214 Ted White 24 Direct food provisioning: collective food procurement 223 Cristina Grasseni 25 Alternative currencies: diverse experiments 230 Peter North 26 Transacting services through time banking: renegotiating equality and reshaping work 238 Gradon Diprose 27 Fair trade: market-based ethical encounters and the messy entanglements of living well 246 Lindsay Naylor 28 Social procurement: generating social good through market transactions, directly and indirectly 254 Joanne McNeill 29 Sharing cities: new urban imaginaries for diverse economies 262 Darren Sharp PART IV PROPERTY 30 Framing essay: the diversity of property 271 Kevin St. Martin 31 Commoning property in the city: the ongoing work of making and remaking 283 Anna Kruzynski 32 Community land trusts: embracing the relationality of property 292 Louise Crabtree 33 Urban land markets in Africa: multiplying possibilities via a diverse economy reading 300 Colin Marx 34 A Slow Food commons: cultivating conviviality across a range of property forms 308 Melissa Kennedy 35 Free universities as academic commons 316 Esra Erdem 36 Diverse legalities: pluralism and instrumentalism 323 Bronwen Morgan and Declan Kuch PART V FINANCE 37 Framing essay: the diversity of finance 332 Maliha Safri and Yahya M. Madra 38 Islamic finance: diversity within difference 346 Gemma Bone Dodds and Jane Pollard 39 Rotating savings and credit associations: mutual aid financing 354 Caroline Shenaz Hossein 40 Indigenous finance: treaty settlement finance in Aotearoa New Zealand 362 Maria Bargh 41 Community finance: marshalling investments for community-owned renewable energy enterprises 370 Jarra Hicks 42 Hacking finance: experiments with algorithmic activism 379 Tuomo Alhojärvi PART VI SUBJECTIVITY 43 Framing essay: subjectivity in a diverse economy 389 Stephen Healy, Ceren Özselçuk and Yahya M. Madra 44 More-than-human agency: from the human economy to ecological livelihoods 402 Ethan Miller 45 On power and the uses of genealogy for building community economies 411 Nate Gabriel and Eric Sarmiento 46 Techniques for shifting economic subjectivity: promoting an assets-based stance with artists and artisans 419 Abby Templer Rodrigues 47 Affect and subjectivity: learning to be affected in diverse economies scholarship 428 Gerda Roelvink 48 Diverse subjectivities, sexualities and economies: challenging heteroand homonormativity 436 Gavin Brown 49 Journeys of postdevelopment subjectivity transformation: a shared narrative of scholars from the majority world 444 Anmeng Liu, S.M. Waliuzzaman, Huong Thi Do, Ririn Haryani and Sonam Pem PART VII METHODOLOGY 50 Framing essay: diverse economies methodology 453 Gerda Roelvink 51 Translating diverse economies in the Anglocene 467 Tuomo Alhojärvi and Pieta Hyvärinen 52 Reading for economic difference 476 J.K. Gibson-Graham 53 Field methods for assemblage analysis: tracing relations between difference and dominance 486 Eric Sarmiento 54 Visualizing and analysing diverse economies with GIS: a resource for performative research 493 Luke Drake 55 Working with Indigenous methodologies: Kaupapa Māori meets diverse economies 502 Joanne Waitoa and Kelly Dombroski 56 Action research for diverse economies 511 Jenny Cameron and Katherine Gibson 57 Focusing on assets: action research for an inclusive and diverse workplace 520 Leo Hwang 58 How to reclaim the economy using artistic means: the case of Company Drinks 527 Kathrin Böhm and Kuba Szreder Index 535

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Book Synopsis'A lyrical meditation on landscapes and cities, vivid reportage and a memoir. And also a beautifully realised and moving read.' Financial Times'A beguiling mix of history, geology, folklore and memoir that captivated me from the first page.' Lara Maiklem, author of Mudlarking'Tom Chivers brings a poet's sensibility to this book about the hidden parts of the capital, mixing the past with the present, the known with the unknown and his personal story with social history and geology.' Bernardine Evaristo, author of Girl, Woman, OtherWhat secrets lie beneath a city?Tom Chivers follows hidden pathways, explores lost islands and uncovers the geological mysteries that burst up through the pavement and bubble to the surface of our streets. From Roman ruins to a submerged playhouse, from an abandoned Tube station to underground rivers, Chivers leads us on a journey into the depths of the city he loves.A lyrical interrogation of a capital city, a landscape and our connection to place, London Clay celebrates urban edgelands: in-between spaces where the natural world and the metropolis collide. Through a combination of historical research, vivid reportage and personal memoir, it will transform how you see London, and cities everywhere.'Tom Chivers, with the forensic eye of an investigator, the soul of a poet, is an engaging presence; a guide we would do well to follow.' Iain Sinclair, author of The Last LondonTrade ReviewWill open readers' eyes to what is around and below them ... Its delight in exploration is matched by a thoughtful meditation on grief. * Economist *Periodic surprises even for the most dedicated student of this subject ... movingly written. -- Caroline Crampton * Spectator *Incredible ... More than a simply a cracking read, it's a book that will inspire you to go out and make your own discoveries. You'll never look at the city in the same way again. * Londonist *London Clay by Tom Chivers, is perfect. He brings a poet's sensibility to this prose nonfiction book about the hidden parts of the capital, mixing the past with the present, the known with the unknown and his personal story with social history and geology. -- Bernardine Evaristo, author of Girl, Woman, Other[Chivers] combines the modern phenomenon of psycho-geographer with the ancient trade of poet ...Action-packed, erudite... an audiobook to savour slowly. -- Christina Hardyment * The Times *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Longlisted for the Non-Obvious Book Awards""The subtitle says it all—Bjornerud and graphic artist Hagerman have compiled a wonderfully quirky collection of 'curiosities' that, collectively, detail the Earth’s transformation over eons and illustrate how our understanding of the planet has deepened through time. . . . A charming work, chock-full of information."---Laurie Selwyn, Library Journal, starred review"This is a garnet of a geology book: rooted in the planet, jewel-like and multi-coloured."---Andrew Robinson, Nature"[Geopedia] is a buffet of bite-size chapters perfect for dipping in and out of. . . . Its pocket-size format makes it perfect as a traveling companion, and its short chapters suit our frazzled attention spans, making it a fun alternative to night-time doomscrolling or heavier nonfiction. No matter if you’re a hard-core rockhound or a geological outsider, you’ll get something worthwhile from this little gem of a book."---Howard Lee, Ars Technica"A neat little book . . . . Take a dip into Geopedia for a bit of quirky fun." * Descent *"A fascinating, illuminating read. Organized alphabetically, the articles span the gamut of the sub-disciplines. Bjornerud explores both the etymology of the scientific terms and their scientific import. Readers who pick it up will learn a lot."---I. D. Sasowsky, Choice"perfect for casual reading .... Bjornerud...is a gifted writer" * Choice *"A cute little book of curiosities to dip in and out of but, like a box of rich chocolates, you probably will not want to finish it off all in one sitting."---Helen Coombs, Proceedings of the Open University Geological Society

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Book Synopsis''Exquisite and timely.'' Maggie O''Farrell''A rare and magical book. I didn''t want it to end.'' Bill Bryson''A witty, intoxicating paean to Earth's wondrous creatures.'' Observer''A total miracle.'' Max Porter** Shortlisted for Waterstones and Foyles Book of the Year **** Shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing **** A Top Ten Sunday Times bestseller **The world is more astonishing, more miraculous and more wonderful than our wildest imaginings. In this passionately persuasive and sharply funny book, Katherine Rundell tells us how and why.A lavishly illustrated collection of the lives of some of the Earth's most astounding animals, The Golden Mole is a chance to be awestruck and lovestruck to reckon with the beauty of the world, its fragility, and its strangeness.A swift flies two million kilometres in its lifetime. That's far enough to get

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Book SynopsisToday, waste management – especially plastic – on a global scale is more worrying than ever. The Democratic Republic of Congo stands among countries most affected by the lack of accountability of manufacturers relocating and outsourcing huge landfills on its soil. Ranked as the 8th poorest population in the world despite their country’s immense mineral wealth, the Congolese people is overrun by garbage left by goods produced with their own resources and labor but yet designed for others. A folk-art movement was born from the junkyards of Kinshasa. Dressed in masks and costumes made from rubbish, a generation of street children and artists from Kinshasa's Academy of Fine Arts have come together to create “Ndaku ya la vie est belle”. Founded in 2015 by visual artist Eddy Ekete, this art collective brings together 25 creators who draw their inspiration from ancestral clothing arts to stand against the ecological disaster their country suffers. To amplify their struggle and celebrate their craft, Stéphan Gladieu creates a series of totemic portraits merging documentary photography with artistic practice. In a live studio set up on the streets of Kinshasa, he highlights the militant artists’ surrealist silhouettes and vibrant creations. Introduced by novelist Wilfried N'sondé, these portraits tell a story of creative talent passed on despite the attacks of consumerism.

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Book SynopsisReeds Cloud Handbook is a quick-access, easy-to-use guide to identifying cloud types and how to predict what each cloud type can tell us about the weather and predict how it will change. This concise pocket reference will appeal to those who spend time outdoors and wants to better understand the weather, with its principal focus for sailors and also anyone going walking, fishing, cycling etc. This portable handbook will give you the essential information about common and unusual cloud types, how they form and what weather patterns are associated with them.Fully illustrated with colour photography and clear diagrams, this cloud identification guide includes sections on different weather patterns and how clouds form, different clouds according to where they appear in the sky, related features and different forms of fog. Each entry gives guidance on how and when to spot different cloud types and effects, and how the clouds relate to wind and rain patterns.Table of ContentsIntroduction to the weather How to use this book A brief introduction to the clouds Deciphering cloud names A bit of history Weather systems Air masses Depressions Anticyclones High clouds Cirrus Thick cirrus (cirrus spissatus) Cirrostratus Cirrocumulus Contrails (cirrus homogenitus) Middle clouds Altocumulus floccus Altocumulus castellanus Altocumulus sheets (altocumulus stratiformis) Altocumulus lenticularis Thin altostratus (altostratus translucidus) Thick altostratus (altostratus opacus) Lower clouds Cumulus Cumulus fractus Fair weather cumulus (cumulus humilis) Towering cumulus (cumulus congestus) Cumulus cloud streets (cumulus radiatus) Featureless stratus (stratus nebulosus) Broken stratus (stratus fractus) Stratocumulus Stratocumulus stratiformis Stratocumulus castellanus Nimbostratus Cumulonimbus calvus Cumulonimbus capillatus Thunderstorms Supplementary features and accessory clouds Supplementary features Asperitas Mamma Fall streaks (virga) Anvil (incus) Funnel cloud (tuba) Shelf and roll clouds (arcus) Kelvin-Helmholtz waves (fluctus) Accessory clouds Cap clouds (pileus) Pannus Velum Fog Sea fog (advection fog) Land fog (radiation fog) Upslope fog Frontal fog Sea smoke Clouds outside the troposphere Nacreous (mother of pearl) Noctilucent Optical phenomena Rainbow Corona Halo Mock sun/sun dog/parhelion Iridescence Ice rainbow (circumzenithal arc) Sunbeams and crepuscular rays Glory Cloud weather lore Glossary Quick cloud identifier Index

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Book SynopsisSent to live on a remote island in the Tanzanian half of Lake Victoria, Mark Weston finds a community grappling with one of the world's great unknown environmental crises. "You used to be able to stand on the beach and fish. In my father's time you could catch them with your bare hands." Lake Victoria was once one of the most biodiverse places on Earth, but a predator released into its waters by East Africa's British colonisers has left a trail of destruction in its wake. The lives of millions of people have been upended, as a fateful confluence of overfishing, pollution and deforestation has triggered one of history's greatest mass extinctions. On remote Ukerewe Island, Mark Weston finds out how local communities are responding to the crisis. He lives for two years alongside the families and fishermen hardest hit by the upheaval and gets to know the aid workers, sorcerers and holy men whose businesses are booming. A captivating blend of travel writing and environmental reportage, The Saviour Fish paints an intimate picture of rural Tanzanian life, and of the human cost of biodiversity loss.

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