Earth Sciences, Geography & Environment Books

Book SynopsisOnce marginalized in the world economy, Africa today is a major global supplier of crucial raw materials like oil, uranium and coltan. China's part in this story has loomed particularly large in recent years, and the American military footprint on the continent has also expanded. But a new scramble for resources, markets and territory is now taking place in Africa involving not just state, but non state-actors, including Islamic fundamentalist and other rebel groups. The second edition of Pádraig Carmody's popular book explores the dynamics of the new scramble for African resources, markets, and territory and the impact of current investment and competition on people, the environment, and political and economic development on the continent. Fully revised and updated throughout, its chapters explore old and new economic power interests in Africa; oil, minerals, timber, biofuels, land, food and fisheries; and the nature and impacts of Asian and South African investment in manufacturing and other sectors. The New Scramble for Africa will be essential reading for students of African studies, international relations and resource politics, as well as anyone interested in current affairs.Trade Review"This �new scramble for Africa� provides an excellent overview of the current development and exploitation of Africa�s resources showing how African development is defined by the �paradox of plenty�. This collection is a must for scholars interested in understanding processes of resource grabbing in Africa from colonial times until now, illustrating the variety of forms it has taken and unrevelaing the various root causes." Annelies Zoomers, Utrecht University "Follow the money is a key message of Carmody�s supercharged analysis of the new competitive scramble for Africa�s petroleum and minerals, for its timber, even for its food crops. Few have so well exposed the mechanisms and consequences of this avarice, and particularly of China�s all-encompassing shaping of Africa�s dynamic future. Carmody is a very reliable guide and his second edition is even more definitive than the first." Robert I. Rotberg, Harvard UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction 1 The New Scramble, Geography and Development 2 Old Economic Power Interests and Strategies in Africa 3 Chinese Interests and Strategies in Africa [with Ian Taylor] 4 Other New Economic Power Interests and Relations with Africa 5 Driving the Global Economy: West African and Sahelian Oil 6 The Scramble for Land: The Ugandan Case [with David Taylor] 7 Powering and Connecting the Global Economy through Conflict: Uranium and Coltan 8 Furnishing and Feeding the World? Timber, Biofuels, Plants, Food and Fisheries 9 The Asian Scramble for Investment and Markets: Evidence and Impacts in Zambia [with Godfrey Hampwaye] 10 Can Africans Unscramble the Continent? Conclusion: The New Scramble in Perspective

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Book SynopsisGiven the escalating and existential nature of our current environmental crises, environmental sociology has never mattered more. We now face global environmental threats, such as climate change and biodiversity loss, as well as local threats, such as pollution and household toxins. The complex interactions of such pervasive problems demand an understanding of the social nature of environmental impacts, the underlying drivers of these impacts, and the range of possible solutions. Environmental sociologists continue to make indispensable contributions to this crucial task. This compact book introduces environmental sociology and emphasizes how environmental sociologists do “public sociology,” that is, work with broad public application. Using a diversity of theoretical approaches and research methods, environmental sociologists continue to give marginalized people a voice, identify the systemic drivers of our environmental crises, and evaluate solutions. Diana Stuart shines a light on this work and gives readers insight into applying the tools of environmental sociology to minimize impacts and create a more sustainable and just world.Trade Review“Stuart presents a superb and highly readable introduction to environmental sociology. Her coverage of up-to-date scholarly work is excellent, as is her emphasis on the utility of much of this work for ‘public sociology.’ Students will find the volume engaging, and I recommend it as a text for undergrad courses and a supplementary text for graduate courses.”Riley E. Dunlap, Past-President, Section on Environmental Sociology, American Sociological Association “Diana Stuart, one of the most knowledgeable environmental sociologists of her generation, is a deep and nuanced thinker who serves as an engaging guide through this field. Insightful and well-rounded, there are no better introductions to the subject than this fine volume.”Richard York, University of OregonTable of ContentsPreface Chapter 1: Environmental Sociology: In Uncharted WatersChapter 2: The Social Dimensions of Environmental ImpactsChapter 3: Examining Drivers of Environmental Impacts Chapter 4: Identifying SolutionsChapter 5: Moving ForwardReferences Cited

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Book SynopsisThe world faces a climate crisis and an ascendant far right. Are these trends related? How does the far right think about the environment, and what openings does the coming crisis present for them? This incisive new book traces the long history of far-right environmentalism and explores how it is adapting to the contemporary world. It argues that the extreme right, after years of denying the reality of climate change, are now showing serious signs of reversing their strategy. A new generation of far-right activists has realized that impending environmental catastrophe represents their best chance yet for a return to relevance. In reality, however, their noxious blend of conspiracy, hatred and violence is no solution at all: it is the ‘eco-socialism of fools’. Only a real commitment to climate justice can save us and stop the far right in its tracks. No-one interested in the struggle against right-wing extremism and the crusade for climate justice can afford to miss this trenchant critique of burgeoning ecofascism.Trade Review“An urgent and comprehensive survey of the risks generated by the nature politics of today's far right – and how to fight them.”Paul Mason, author of How to Stop Fascism “Since the attacks in Christchurch and El Paso in 2019, public discussion of ecofascism has become more urgent than ever. This book adds substantially to our understanding of a challenging subject through critical examination of rapidly evolving environmental politics on the far right.”Peter Staudenmaier, co-author of Ecofascism: Lessons from the German Experience “Essential reading for anyone concerned with politics in a warming world.”Andreas Malm, co-author of White Skin, Black Fuel: On the Danger of Fossil Fascism“The book ranges widely […], from individual terrorists and the fringes of the internet to main stream political parties.”Adam Weymouth, Resurgence & Ecologist“a captivating and important read.”International AffairsTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. A History of Far-Right Ecologism 2. The far right and nature now 3. Online far-right ecologism and far-right movements 4. Deadly Ecofascist Violence 5. Towards Ecofascism Proper? Notes

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Book SynopsisExam board: AQALevel: A-levelSubject: GeographyFirst teaching: September 2016First exams: Summer 2017 (AS); Summer 2018 (A-level)Covering what you really need to know for AQA A-level Geography - in just 120 pages - this revision guide makes revision easy - whether you're getting started early or you need to do some last-minute cramming.> Find key facts at your fingertips with quick summaries of the content, concepts and terms from the AQA A-level Geography specification> Get better grades in your exams with tips on exam technique, mistakes to avoid and important things to remember> Revise and practise using end-of-topic questions and in-depth questions at the end of each section> Benefit from the knowledge of experienced teacher, author and former senior examiner David RedfernThis book covers the core content and the optional topics Coastal systems and landscapes, Hazards, and Contemporary urban environments.

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Book SynopsisThis book will provide the first study of how the Gothic engages with ecocritical ideas. Ecocriticism has frequently explored images of environmental catastrophe, the wilderness, the idea of home, constructions of 'nature', and images of the post-apocalypse – images which are also central to a certain type of Gothic literature. By exploring the relationship between the ecocritical aspects of the Gothic and the Gothic elements of the ecocritical, this book provides a new way of looking at both the Gothic and ecocriticism. Writers discussed include Ann Radcliffe, Mary Shelley, Ambrose Bierce, Algernon Blackwood, Margaret Atwood, Cormac McCarthy, Dan Simmons and Rana Dasgupta. The volume thus explores writing and film across various national contexts including Britain, America and Canada, as well as giving due consideration to how such issues might be discussed within a global context.Trade Review‘As a platform for the development of a distinct ecoGothic theoretical framework, this volume certainly provides some tantalizing ideas, but equally, it invites further academic study surrounding ‘dark ecology’ as a convention to explore contemporary socio-political anxieties.’Teresa Fitzpatrick, The Dark Arts Journal Volume 3.1 April 2017 -- .Table of Contents1. Introduction: defining the ecoGothic - Andrew Smith and William Hughes 2. Panic, paranoia, and pathos: ecocriticism in the eighteenth-century Gothic novel - Lisa Kröger 3. Monsters on the Ice and global warming: From Mary Shelley and Sir John Franklin to Margaret Atwood and Dan Simmons - Catherine Lanone 4. Algernon Blackwood: nature and spirit - David Punter 5. 'A strange kind of evil': superficial paganism and false ecology in The Wicker Man - William Hughes 6. Bodies on earth: exploring sites of the Canadian ecoGothic - Alanna F. Bondar 7. Margaret Atwood's monsters in the Canadian ecoGothic - Shoshannah Ganz 8. From Salem Witch to Blair Witch: the Puritan Influence on American Gothic nature -Tom J. Hillard 9. 'The Blank Darkness Outside': Ambrose Bierce and wilderness Gothic at the end of the frontier - Kevin Corstorphine 10. Locating subjectivity in the post-apocalypse: the American Gothic journeys of Jack Kerouac, Cormac McCarthy, and Jim Crace - Andrew Smith 11. A Gothic apocalypse: encountering the monstrous in American cinema - Susan J. Tyburski 12. The riddle was the angel in the house: towards an American ecofeminist Gothic - Emily Carr 13. 'Uncanny States': global ecoGothic and the world-ecology in Rana Dasgupta's Tokyo Cancelled - Sharae Deckard Index

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Book SynopsisFifty years ago Enoch Powell made national headlines with his 'Rivers of Blood' speech, warning of an immigrant invasion in the once respectable streets of Wolverhampton. This local fixation brought the Black Country town into the national spotlight, yet Powell's unstable relationship with Wolverhampton has since been overlooked. Drawing from interviews and archival material, this book offers a rich local history through which to investigate the speech, bringing to life the racialised dynamics of space during a critical moment in British history. What was going on beneath the surface in Wolverhampton and how did Powell's constituents respond to this dramatic moment? The research traces the ways in which Powell's words reinvented the town and uncovers highly contested local responses. While Powell left Wolverhampton in 1974, the book returns to the city to explore the collective memories of the speech which continue to reverberate. In a contemporary period of new crisis and national divisions, revisiting the shadow of Powell allows us to reflect on racism and resistance from 1968 to today.Trade Review‘Enoch Powell made his notorious Rivers of Blood speech in the Midland Hotel in Birmingham on 20 April, 1968. At the time he was the Conservative MP for the constituency of Wolverhampton South West. In her book In the Shadow of Enoch Powell Shirin Hirsch examines the impact of Powell’s speech in the Wolverhampton of 1968 and analyses its significance 50 years later. Hirsch draws on archival material as well as her own contemporary interviews.’Vivek Lehal, Socialist Review, Vol. 444 (March 2019)As the extensive list of secondary sources in the book’s bibliography suggests, Enoch Powellhas been the subject of considerable research. Shirin Hirsch’s short but powerful bookstands out by offering insight into the experience of those both facing and fighting theramifications of Powell’s speech and the attitudes it represented. Hirsch’s masterful commandof contemporary newspapers and oral accounts presents the reader with an excellentperception of the prevailing societal ideas.Midland History -- .Table of ContentsForeword by Patrick VernonIntroduction1 ‘The Commonwealth is much too common for me’: another 19682 The world in Wolverhampton3 Reverberations from ‘Rivers of Blood’4 Resistance in the schools and on the buses5 ‘A monstrous reputation’: remembering Enoch PowellConclusionNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisOver recent years, the issues of Brexit, COVID and the ‘migrant crisis’ put Kent in the headlines like never before. Images of asylum seekers on Kent beaches, lorries queued on motorways and the crumbling white cliffs of Dover all spoke to national anxieties, and were used to support ideas that severing ties with the EU was the best – or worst – thing the UK has ever done. In this coastal driftwork, Phil Hubbard – an exiled man of Kent – considers the past, present and future of this corner of England, alighting on a number of key sites which symbolise the changing relationship between the UK and its continental neighbours. Moving from the geopolitics of the Channel Tunnel to the cultivation of oysters at Whitstable, from Derek Jarman’s feted cottage at Dungeness to the art-fuelled gentrification of Margate, Borderland bridges geography, history, and archaeology, to pose important questions about the way that national identities emerge from contested local landscapes.Trade Review'Borderland deftly combines thorough research and objective analysis with the author’s intimate first-hand knowledge of place, as he revisits sites on foot in an extended field trip. Hubbard’s unflinchingly questioning approach to the contested spaces he encounters is written with the ease of an armchair traveller’s guide. The result is a peregrination peppered with gems of descriptive detail and astute personal reflections. Ultimately, Borderland isn’t just about Kent. It’s a book that scrutinises how – wherever we live – we perceive, shape, reimagine and reinvent place to suit our own uses and desires.' Sonia Overall, author of Heavy Time 'It's been called the "frayed edge" of England, but our coastline is by no means just wearing out. As emerges from this highly revealing excursion around the coast of Kent, it is also being restitched and fortified as the frontline of an "exclusionary nationalism" thanks to which even insects and oysters are being asked to prove they're not aliens. Although horrifying in places, as the times demand, Borderland is full of contrary energy too.' Patrick Wright, author of The Sea View Has Me Again: Uwe Johnson in Sheerness 'A timely interrogation of the connection between place and identity in the post-Brexit era. Hubbard's Kentish borderland is an ever-shifting space, rife with contradictions, culture clashes, and eco-anxiety.' Gareth E. Rees, author of Car Park Life 'With an impressive mix of erudition and accessibility, Phil Hubbard’s Borderland shines the light on an English South East that is rarely apprehended – let alone comprehended – by Middle England and the London establishment. Venturing into a Kentish coastal terrain transformed into a new debatable land by Brexit and recurrent migrant crises, Hubbard manages to combine sympathy for the plight of refugees with great sensitivity in exploring wider questions of twenty-first century citizenship, national identity, and political representation. This is a book which asks all the right questions with immense eloquence and remarkable understanding of a people and a place.' Alex Niven, author of New Model Island'A brilliant book. Superficially, a story of part of the Kent coast. However, under its surface Borderland, is a search for England’s soul – and soullessness.' Danny Dorling, author of Rule Britannia: Brexit and the End of Empire 'A powerful, poignant and beautifully written journey through the frontier lands of Brexit Britain. This is travel writing with a purpose, charting an anxious and often hostile landscape with care and passion.' Alastair Bonnett, author of The Age of Islands: In Search of New and Disappearing Islands'Borderland is a hugely engaging read and offers some profound insights into the past and present of Kent’s coastline and, by extension, of England as a whole. Hubbard examines the myths we summon up to explain our national past together with the malleability of memory and how some will seek to exploit that. This is neither an academic textbook nor a straightforward travel guide. Instead, in a short but cogent review of what he terms the ‘new nature writing’, he clearly seems to wish to ally himself with this approach.'Bobby Seal, Psychogeographic Review 'Overall, Phil Hubbard’s latest book is certainly one of the most inspiring and cogent contributions to critical border studies published in the past years.' Dimitri Almeida, Ethnic and Racial Studies -- .Table of Contents1 The new edge of Europe?2 Natives3 Albion on sea4 Defending the nation5 The white horse6 Boat people7 The strange coastAfterword: The Kent variantList of figuresAcknowledgmentsNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisEnvironmental politics has traditionally been a peripheral concern for international relations theory, but increasing alarm over global environmental challenges has elevated international society’s relationship with the natural world into the theoretical limelight. IR theory’s engagement with environmental politics, however, has largely focused on interstate cooperation in the late twentieth century, with less attention paid to how the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century quest to tame nature came to shape the modern international order.The ideal river examines nineteenth-century efforts to establish international commissions on three transboundary rivers – the Rhine, the Danube, and the Congo. It charts how the Enlightenment ambition to tame the natural world, and human nature itself, became an international standard for rational and civilized authority and informed our geographical imagination of the international. This relationship of domination over nature shaped three core IR concepts central to the emergence of early international order: the territorial sovereign state; imperial hierarchies; and international organizations. The book contributes to environmental politics and international relations by highlighting how the relationship between society and nature is not a peripheral concern, but one at the heart of international politics.Trade ReviewWinner of the BISA 2023 L.H.M. Ling Outstanding First Book Prize2023 Sussex International Theory Book Prize (Honourable Mention)'This is a brilliant book: erudite, thoughtful, beautifully written, richly analysed and theoretically sophisticated. It makes us look again at the way control of rivers – as nature, as resource, as colonial or territorial space – has shaped so many international doctrines, institutions and contestations.'Laleh Khalili, author of Sinews of War and Trade'In sum, Yao's book makes a strong case for paying attention to and leveraging historical material in IR. This is a crucial contribution to the literature, which should inspire others to extend this framework to the study of other environmental agreements or organizations. The book will be of great interest to several research and policy audiences. Particularly, scholars within hydro-politics will find this book useful as it showcases important milestones towards the establishment of river basin governance. Here, the book persuasively demonstrates how environmental politics can enrich our understanding of international organizations more generally.'Stefan Döring, International Affairs -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction: The ideal river1 The taming of nature, legitimate authority, and international order2 Taming the internal highway: Constructing the Rhine3 The 1815 Congress of Vienna and the oldest continuous interstate institution4 Disciplining the connecting river: Constructing the Danube5 The 1856 Treaty of Paris and the first international organization6 Civilizing the imperial river: Constructing the Congo7 The 1885 Berlin Conference and the international organization that never was8 History is a river: The taming of nature into the twenty-first centuryConclusion: The strong brown god of the AnthropoceneBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisThe 1840s witnessed widespread hunger and malnutrition at home and mass starvation in Ireland. And yet the aptly named ‘Hungry 40s’ came amidst claims that, notwithstanding Malthusian prophecies, absolute biological want had been eliminated in England. The eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries were supposedly the period in which the threat of famine lifted for the peoples of England. But hunger remained, in the words of Marx, an ‘unremitted pressure’. The politics of hunger offers the first systematic analysis of the ways in which hunger continued to be experienced and feared, both as a lived and constant spectral presence. It also examines how hunger was increasingly used as a disciplining device in new modes of governing the population. Drawing upon a rich archive, this innovative and conceptually-sophisticated study throws new light on how hunger persisted as a political and biological force.This book is relevant to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2, Zero hunger.Trade Review'The Politics of Hunger is a deeply learned and humane book, rich in archival detail and judiciously deployed anecdotes about the real lives of those who faced food scarcity as their primary, quotidian reality. […] Malthus argued ‘a satisfactory history of this kind, of one people, and of one period, would require the constant and minute attention of an observing mind during a long life.’ Griffin's is such a mind and The Politics of Hunger is such a book.'Journal of Historical Geography'Francis Bacon once observed that “rebellions of the belly are the worst.” This highly original monograph explores how “hunger politics” operated in the 18th and 19th centuries as a weapon of protest wielded by the undernourished urban and rural populations of England. The fierce suppression of the food rioters of the 1790s led to new forms of protest: incendiarism, cattle maiming, and threatening letters. By 1800 wages had replaced the price of food as the “critical component in working families’ living standards.” Griffin (Univ. of Sussex, UK) challenges the conventional idea that the "Hungry Forties" witnessed the rediscovery of hunger. Instead, he shows how the “twin discourses” of hunger and starvation survived from 1801 into the 1840s. A close-grained study of broadsides, ballads, letters, and speeches provides the evidence. Griffin also explores the effects of dubious local and national policies, such as the Speenhamland system for supplementing the wages of workers, which led to their impoverishment as farmers underpaid their workers, knowing that public assistance would make up the difference. English theorists reduced the poor to a “distinct and decidedly animalistic race.” As Griffin concludes, “hunger defined popular protest and popular politics.'--D. R. Bisson, Belmont UniversitySumming Up: Highly recommended.Reprinted with permission from Choice Reviews. All rights reserved. Copyright by the American Library Association.'The politics of hunger is a timely and welcome contribution to ongoing debates surrounding food security,protest, and governmental policy in Britain. [...] This is a pertinent, well-researched, and compassionatebook that should become required reading for students of hunger, protest, politics, and public policy in modern Britain. In every chapter, Griffin combines studious archival research with acute theoretical insights to reveal how the discourses of hunger and starvation became engrained into the fabric of everyday life, governance and resistance. [...] The politics of hunger will stand as a foundational text for a promising vein of future research.'Leonard Baker, Agricultural History Review'The politics of hunger is a pioneering study that examines the concept of hunger including the ways in which policy makers and the poor constructed meaning about hunger. […] It provides an excellent foundation for those who want to rethink the history of families and communities through the lens of hunger.'Family & Community History -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction: ‘the unremitted pressure’: on hunger politicsPart I: Protesting hunger 1 Food riots and the languages of hunger2The persistence of the discourse of starvation in the protests of the poorPart II: Hunger policies 3 Measuring need: Speenhamland, hunger and universal pauperism4 Dietaries and the less eligibility workhouse: or, the making of the poor as biological subjectsPart III: Theorising hunger 5 The biopolitics of hunger: Malthus, Hodge and the racialisation of the poor6 Telling the hunger of ‘distant’ othersConclusions

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Book SynopsisAround the world, leading economies are announcing significant progress on climate change. World leaders are queuing up to proclaim their commitment to tackling the climate crisis, pointing to data that shows the progress they have made. Yet the atmosphere is still warming at a record rate, with devastating effects on poverty and precarity in the world’s most vulnerable communities. Are we being deceived?Climate change is devastating the planet, and globalisation is hiding it. This book opens our eyes. Carbon colonialism explores the murky practices of outsourcing a country’s environmental impact, where emissions and waste are exported from rich countries to poorer ones; a world in which corporations and countries are allowed to maintain a clean, green image while landfills in the world’s poorest countries continue to expand, and droughts and floods intensify under the auspices of globalisation, deregulation and economic growth. Taking a wide-ranging, culturally engaged approach to the topic, the book shows how this is not only a technical problem, but a problem of cultural and political systems and structures – from nationalism to economic logic – deeply embedded in our society.Trade Review'Carbon colonialism is a timely analysis of the contradictions of climate politics. It not only makes visible the concealed costs of extraction hidden beneath the shiny sustainability commitments of Global North politics, but also provides an eye-opening account of climate breakdown in the Global South.'Matthias Schmelzer, author of The Future Is Degrowth 'By taking readers on a journey through landscapes poisoned by the effluvia of economic growth, Laurie Parsons exposes the ongoing impact of colonialism and global capitalism on some of the most vulnerable places on earth. Read this book if you want to understand how the impacts of history are still reverberating today.'Carry Somers, founder of Fashion Revolution'Thoroughly recommend reading this excellent book. A fascinating and well-written explanation of how global capitalism exports environmental destruction to poor places, while extracting wealth to rich ones.'Grace Blakeley, author of The Corona Crash'Carbon colonialism is an uncomfortable book to read from the comforts of the rich world. It is unsettling because Laurie Parsons renders visible through curated cases and close argument the global signatures of environmental risk, exposure and reward, and the structural violence of climate change.'Jonathan Rigg, Professor of Human Geography, University of Bristol'An eye-opening, fact-based indictment of the current path we’re on, one where rich countries and companies are accumulating the resources to mitigate the impacts of climate change rather than moving to stop environmental destruction.'Assaad Razzouk, author of Saving the Planet Without the Bull 'Fantastic. Moving. And beautifully written.' Sven Beckert, author of Empire of Cotton'Carbon colonialism exposes the uneven geography of the climate crises through thoughtful field work, detailing how destructive global environmental change is teleconnected to impoverishment. Parsons traces the ways in which the most egregious effects of climate change are found at the bottom of global gradients of inequality while tackling head on the myths that surround the political economy of climate change.'Andrew Brooks, Reader in Uneven Development, King's College London and author of Clothing Poverty 'Carbon colonialism is a welcome salve to the pernicious greenwashing that pollutes contemporary capitalism. Laurie Parsons skillfully weaves ethnographic encounters with detailed research to craft a book that is both timely and urgently necessary. Carbon Colonialism asks critical questions about the status-quo, where life is cheap, destruction is uneven, and profit is extracted from our planetary future.' Thom Davies, Associate Professor in Geography, University of Nottingham and co-editor of Toxic Truths'Parsons takes everyday objects – bricks, a pair of socks, teabags – and draws out lessons from their global supply chains. And it was great to hear more from Cambodia, a country we don’t hear from very much, and where Parsons has spent a lot of time. Altogether, Carbon colonialism is a stark reminder that for all its apparent environmental progress, consumer capitalism still relies on invisible "elsewheres" to keep the economic wheels turning.'Jeremy Williams, The Earthbound Report'This book explains how wealth is ruling and harming the environment. We are all accountable for our unsustainable overuse of natural resources and climate change. Therefore, this book must be read by every individual, not just those with a specific interest.'Ankita Sharma, Studies of Transition States and Societies, Vol. 15 Issue 1'The paramount merit of Carbon Colonialism resides in shedding light on our present environmental panorama and exposing the intricate interweaving of the capitalist production model with the generation and dissemination of environmental vulnerability worldwide. Acknowledging this underlying rationale within our global economy marks the primary pivotal stride towards steering actions and crafting genuinely effective regulations to mitigate the environmental impact of consumption.'Leonardo Macedo, Ethnic and Racial Studies'Parsons’ major contribution through this book is to identify the political economy of climate change and the vulnerabilities which emerge from it. The book will be especially helpful for economists, political economists and geographers who research issues around climate change policy and accountability. However, anyone interested the current global environmental problem, climate change and sustainability issues will find this book captivating. The book lays bare the dismal state of the global climate crisis and argues convincingly that protecting the planet must go hand in hand with ensuring fairness, equity and social justice for all people.'Sneha Biswas, LSE Review of Books 'Fabulous and much-needed'Melody Kemp, Society of Environmental Journalists'Parsons’s lively and accessible synthesis debunks the myth of a livable and just future under carbon colonialism...'Z. Albertson, Western Washington University, CHOICE (March 2024 Vol. 61 No. 7) -- .Table of Contents1: Moving forwards, or dumping sideways? The myth of a sustainable future Part I: Greenwashing the global factory2: Founding the global factory: the first five hundred years3: Consumer power in the global factory: a lucrative illusion4: Carbon colonialism: hidden emissions in the global peripheryPart II: Manufacturing disaster in the global factory5: Climate precarity: how global inequality shapes environmental vulnerability6: Money talks: who gets to speak for the environment and how7: Wolves in sheep’s clothing: how corporate logic co-opts climate action8: Six myths that fuel carbon colonialism – and how to think differentlyIndex

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Book SynopsisThe environment has traditionally been a marginal concern in international relations, but the climate crisis has highlighted the relationship between society and the natural world. In The ideal river, Joanne Yao offers a remarkable account of how nineteenth-century efforts to tame nature shaped our modern international order. Examining three historic attempts to establish international commissions on boundary-crossing rivers – the Rhine, the Danube and the Congo – she reveals how the Enlightenment ambition to subdue the natural world has formed our geographical imagination of the international. This idea of domination over nature shaped three concepts central to the emergence of early international order: the territorial sovereign state, imperial hierarchies and international organisations. As The ideal river shows, the relationship between society and nature is at the heart of international politics.Trade Review'This is a brilliant book: erudite, thoughtful, beautifully written, richly analysed and theoretically sophisticated. It makes us look again at the way control of rivers – as nature, as resource, as colonial or territorial space – has shaped so many international doctrines, institutions and contestations.'Laleh Khalili, author of Sinews of War and Trade'The book persuasively demonstrates how environmental politics can enrich our understanding of international organisations more generally.'Stefan Döring, International Affairs -- .Table of ContentsIntroduction: the ideal river1 The taming of nature, legitimate authority and international order2 Taming the internal highway: constructing the Rhine3 The 1815 Congress of Vienna and the oldest continuous interstate institution4 Disciplining the connecting river: constructing the Danube5 The 1856 Treaty of Paris and the first international organisation6 Civilising the imperial river: constructing the Congo7 The 1885 Berlin Conference and the international organisation that never was8 History is a river: the taming of nature into the twenty-first centuryConclusion: the strong brown god of the AnthropoceneIndex

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Book SynopsisClever, easy-to-follow tips for a fun and sustainable Christmas In the run-up to Christmas, it is all too easy to get overwhelmed by the rush to buy last-minute presents or feel pressurised into buying far more food than you can ever eat. At the same time, you know that tonnes of plastic will be making their way into landfill as a result of unwanted gifts or broken baubles. Not to mention the miles and miles of wrapping paper. If you’re ready for a change this December, then Green Christmas is here to help you bring the focus back to happiness and togetherness. So, slow down, take a breath and approach the season as you should: merrily. Every chapter in this book is brimming with tips to help you seek out sustainable but beautiful alternatives for the things you no longer feel you need, and come up with fun things to do with the people you care about. Once you start the journey of creating your own advent calendar, upcycling a novelty jumper or learning the art of furoshiki gift-wrapping, you’ll be beaming like a child at, well ... Christmas. It’s all about little changes that will bring you joy, year after year. The planet will thank you too!

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Book SynopsisTaking us from the beginning of our story to the present day, A Cold Spell examines how ice has shaped our thoughts, actions and societies – and what it means for us that it is rapidly disappearing from our planet 'A warm-hearted tale of the bizarre, something to cuddle up with in the bleak midwinter . . . Astonishing' THE TIMES 'Bracingly original . . . As the earth warms threateningly, there could hardly be a more pertinent time for a story like this’ MICHAEL PALIN 'A book of limitless fascinations' OLIVIA LAING 'Brightly written, nimbly researched and really quite delightful' LITERARY REVIEW Ice has confounded, delighted and fascinated us since the first sparks of art and culture in Europe and it now underpins the modern world. Without ice, we would not feed ourselves or heal our sick as we do, and our towns and cities, countryside and oceans would look very different. Science would not have progressed along the avenues it did and our galleries and libraries would be missing many masterpieces. A Cold Spell uses this vital link to understanding our past to tell a surprising story of obsession, invention and adventure – how we have lived and dreamed, celebrated and traded, innovated, loved and fought over thousands of years. It brings together a sacrificial Incan mummy, Winston Churchill’s secret plans for unusual aircraft carriers, strange bones that shook Victorian beliefs about the world and a macabre journey into the depths of the human body. It is an original and unique way of looking at something that is literally all around us, whose loss confronts us daily in the news, but whose impact on our lives has never been fully explored. [An] extraordinary, complete and utter history of the human experience of the cold stuff' JOHN LEWIS-STEMPEL, COUNTRY LIFE ‘A thought-provoking chronicle of humanity . . . Leonard consistently frames ice in surprising and insightful ways, and in doing so lends it a magical quality’ GEOGRAPHICALTrade ReviewCharming and quirky . . . This is a warm-hearted tale of the bizarre, something to cuddle up with in the bleak midwinter . . . It’s astonishing how Leonard has managed to cram so much into such a relatively short volume -- Gerard DeGroot * The Times *A fascinating exploration of how ice has shaped human existence . . . Ranging from the last ice age to the Anthropocene, Max Leonard’s beguiling history considers the nature of ice as well as its place in “the popular imagination” -- William Atkins * Guardian *[An] extraordinary, complete and utter history of the human experience of the cold stuff . . . Max Leonard is the most assiduous researcher and has scratched down to the very base of the ice-berg -- John Lewis-Stempel * Country Life *‘A Cold Spell appears when even the most boneheaded climate sceptics are conceding that something is up. Max Leonard, naturally, engages with this. Climate change provides a political dimension, but the book is about far more than that . . . Brightly written, nimbly researched and really quite delightful . . . A Cold Spell brims with such colourful stories -- Peter Moore * Literary Review *A thought-provoking chronicle of humanity through an icy lens. From its hand in shaping the birth and birthplace of the human race to its modern status as a metaphor for civilisation, Leonard charts the role ice has played, and continues to play, in our lives with great curiosity. The book’s success is rooted in Leonard’s ability to weave something so ubiquitous into a journey of twists and turns. Traversing history, culture, language, science and human nature via evocative tangents, he consistently frames ice in surprising and insightful ways, and in doing so lends it a magical quality. Nowhere is this truer than in stories of icy obsession – adventurers sacrificing their lives to navigate its polar domains, scientists dedicating theirs to unravelling the secrets it holds * Geographical *Leonard’s charting of the history of humanity’s interactions with ice is a brisk and fascinating piece of work, encompassing the last hours of Ötzi the Iceman, polar tourism, George Mallory’s Everest camera, and the man who almost two centuries ago came up with the wheeze of exporting ice from America to India. Climate change obviously thrums through the narrative but this is not a didactic read, rather a thoroughly entertaining and absorbing one * New European *Despite its single subject, this is a book that thinks big – or at least, widely and in unexpected places . . . An unusually wide-ranging cultural and intellectual journey . . . Max Leonard’s writing is engaging and well-paced, and he breezily summarises the fruits of voluminous research with a deft touch . . . [A book] of striking revelations, intriguing connections and thought-provoking questions about how the human relationship with ice might yet develop -- Jonathan Dore * TLS *As this entertaining tale reveals, ice has the power to grind mountains to dust, destroy ships – and even swallow up a secret American nuclear bunker . . . This is a book about the marvel of nature and our intrepid, frequently crazy efforts to understand and harness that marvel -- Simeon House * Mail on Sunday *In a bracingly original book, Max Leonard makes something we all take for granted into an absorbing pathway into history, geography and science . . . A highly readable feast of insights and surprises . . . As the earth warms threateningly, there could hardly be a more pertinent time for a story like this -- Michael PalinA book of limitless fascinations, an elegant and subtle accounting of how ice has shaped and changed human life, and how in turn humans have imperilled the existence of icy places -- Olivia LaingA brilliant and surprising book on unexpected ways ice has influenced not just Western thought but the way we live now. Come for the research, stay for the unexpected cameos -- Jennifer Lucy AllanA pleasure on every page. It's packed with fascinating stories and unexpected connections. What you’ve done so successfully is to give the reader the chance to care for ice and to understand the role it’s had in our lives, real and imaginary. Everybody who reads your book will be captivated each time ice chinks and bobs in a glass. Ice is now our destiny. By melting en masse, it is bringing chaos to Earth systems -- Nicholas CraneBeautiful, thoughtful and utterly fascinating on everything from cave paintings to Captain Birdseye – the kind of book you feel compelled to share bits from as you’re reading -- Felicity CloakePut everything on ice and read this book - a wonderful history of ingenuity, wanderlust, preservation and exploitation. Max Leonard has written an original chronicle of human nature, and you’ll skate through it with enduring insight and pleasure -- Simon GarfieldFrom Otzi the Iceman to Alpine adventurers, the invention of the cold chain to cloud seeding, A Cold Spell fills the cryosphere with stories to reconnect us to this all-too-fragile, frozen world. Europeans may have sought mastery over ice for hundreds of years, but Leonard shows how ice has shaped us too: in his deft hands it becomes a mirror revealing "the extraordinary in the ordinary", bringing home both the awe and the unease of the Anthropocene -- Jay Owen

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Book SynopsisTwo hundred and fifty years ago Captain James Cook, during his extraordinary voyages of navigation and maritime exploration, searched for Antarctica - the Unknown Southern Continent. During parts of his three voyages in the southern Pacific and Southern Oceans, Cook narrowed the options' for the location of Antarctica. Over three summers, he completed a circumnavigation of portions of the Southern Continent, encountering impenetrable barriers of ice, and he suggested the continent existed, a frozen land not populated by a living soul. Yet his Antarctic voyages are perhaps the least studied of all his remarkable travels. That is why James Hamilton's gripping and scholarly study, which brings together the stories of Cook's Antarctic journeys into a single volume, is such an original and timely addition to the literature on Cook and eighteenth-century exploration. Using Cook's journals and the log books of officers who sailed with him, the book sets his Antarctic explorations within the context of his historic voyages. The main focus is on the Second Voyage (1772-1775), but brief episodes in the First Voyage (during 1769) and the Third Voyage (1776) are part of the story. Throughout the narrative Cook's exceptional seamanship and navigational skills, and that of his crew, are displayed during often-difficult passages in foul weather across uncharted and inhospitable seas. Captain James Cook and the Search for Antarctica offers the reader a fascinating insight into Cook the seaman and explorer, and it will be essential reading for anyone who has a particular interest the history of the Southern Continent.

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Book SynopsisEver wondered if Cheapside really is cheap, what you do in Threadneedle Street, or who the knights of Knightsbridge were?Did you know that Piccadilly is actually an insult? And that Euston Road was built because there were too many cows on Oxford Street? Or that the River Fleet was covered over partly because of a drunken butcher? Take a trip down narrow lanes, through cobbled streets and crowded markets to discover the meanings behind the city’s place names. Meet forgotten residents whose names survive in the places where they lived, such as Sir George Downing of Downing Street, and uncover tales from London’s murky past that have shaped the modern city.From famous landmarks to forgotten rivers, grand thoroughfares to lost palaces, and ancient villages swallowed up as the city grew, Sunday Times bestselling author Caroline Taggart explains the hidden meanings behind familiar places. If you have ever wanted to learn more about the history of London and discover the people, events and stories that shaped our capital city, then come on a journey that will show you London in a new light...

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Book Synopsis'The most effective ways for individuals to reduce their carbon footprint' INewsClimate Change researcher, Seth Wynes, sets out in the simplest terms how you can make a real and positive impact.Make changes at home, at work, to how you shop, eat, live - start by finding one thing your family can change with this book and do it today. What you do matters - and the science proves it. How many actions can you tick of the list in this book to help save our planet?

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Book SynopsisHave I told you I'm vegan yet?Who is this book for? It’s for vegans, people who want to know about vegans, vegetarians who dabble in the dark arts of soya milk, meat-reducers and full carnivores looking to take the piss out of vegans. What's in this book?Answers to questions like: 'What is a vegan, wait, I don't eat gluten, am I a vegan?!'; pie charts to show how much conversation time with non-vegans will focus on how you're getting your protein; useful recipes and advice (such as how to work on your smugface); inspirational(ish) quotes and much more.What isn’t in this book? Arguments for or against veganism; it’s obvious that you should be vegan and here is how to do it. How to Vegan is the hilarious new book from the infographic genius Stephen Wildish, author of How to Swear and How to Adult.

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Book SynopsisA journey of discovery through our natural world.Bushcraft and survival legend Ray Mears takes us on his own lifetime's journey through the natural world, into the British countryside and across continents, and shows us how to tune our senses, enhance our experience of nature, and understand our place within it.Guiding us through practical fieldcraft tips, Ray brings us up close with creatures we share our planet with, and reveals how we can learn from them, from the stealth of the leopard to the patience and stillness of the crocodile, and even the colour-changing camouflage of the octopus.With Ray as your companion, you will unlock the hidden secrets of the wild and begin to see, instead of merely look.

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Book SynopsisFor many younger and lower-income people, housing affordability continues to worsen. Based on the academic research of two distinguished housing economists – and stimulated by working with governments across the world - this wide-ranging book sets out clear theoretical and empirical frameworks to tackle one of today’s most important socio-economic issues. Housing unaffordability arises from complex forces and a prerequisite to effective policy is understanding the causes of rising house prices and rents and the interactions between housing, housing finance and the macroeconomy. The authors challenge many of the conventional wisdoms in housing policy and offer innovative recommendations to improve affordability.Table of ContentsCrisis, What Crisis? Is Housing Really Unaffordable? What Factors Determine Changes in House Prices and Rents? Influences on Household Formation and Tenure Rental Affordability What Determines the Number of New Homes Built? Housing Demand, Financial Markets and Taxation Housing, Affordability and the Macroeconomy Planning and the Assessment of Housing Need and Demand Raising the Level of Provate Housing Construction Subsidizing the Supply of Rental Housing Subsidizing the Housing Costs of Lower-Income Tenants Increasing Home Ownership Where Do We Go from Here?

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Book SynopsisExamines the political and economic factors that determine how climate change is portrayed and perceived, and frames environmental problems in a social and behavioural context.Table of ContentsPart 1: The State of the World 1. Setting the Context 2. The State of the World 3. Implications of COVID-19 Part 2: The Process of Change 4. Preparing for Change 5. Effective Government Intervention 6. The Energy Transition 7. Moving Away from Growth and Profit 8. Factors Critical to Successful Change 9. Barriers to Change 10. Perceptions and Reality Part 3: The Call to Action 11. The Great Transition 12. Action Plans for Governments 13. Personal Accountability 14. A New Political Movement 15. Can We Make It?

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Book SynopsisSixty years ago, an upsurge of social movements protested the ecological harms of industrial capitalism. In subsequent decades, environmentalism consolidated into forms of management and business strategy that aimed to tackle ecological degradation while enabling new forms of green economic growth. However, the focus on spaces and species to be protected saw questions of human work and histories of colonialism pushed out of view. This book traces a counter-history of modern environmentalism from the 1960s to the present day. It focuses on claims concerning land, labour and social reproduction arising at important moments in the history of environmentalism made by feminist, anti-colonial, Indigenous, workers’ and agrarian movements. Many of these movements did not consider themselves ‘environmental,’ and yet they offer vital ways forward in the face of escalating ecological damage and social injustice.Table of Contents1. Introduction: Beyond Modern Environmentalism 2. Suburb, Field, Laboratory: Recomposing Geographies of Early Environmentalism First Interlude: Green and White Dreams 3. Revolt Against One-Worldism: Radical Claims on Land and Work Post-1968 Second Interlude: Planetary Icons 4. The Right to Subsist: Transnational Commons Against the Enclosure of Environments and Environmentalism Third Interlude: Witnessing in the Global Resonance Machine 5. Earth Politics: Disagreement and Emergent Indigeneity in the So-Called Anthropocene Fourth Interlude: Making Things Resonate 6. Conclusion: Resonance Beyond Environmentalism Coda: Afterlives

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Book SynopsisExploring what it means to enact feminist geography, this book joins cases of collaborative research with social justice activist movements. From Black feminist organizing in the American South to feminist geography collectives in Latin America, the book showcases activist-engaged scholarship from the global north and south.

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Book SynopsisA buoyant, creative economy can be seen as the saviour of many cities, but behind such ‘urban makeovers’ lie serious problems such as widening inequalities, job precarity, gentrification and environmental issues. In light of the pandemic and climate crisis, how well are city economies, based largely on culture, nightlife and tourism, meeting basic societal needs? Blending lively case studies of alternative cultural practices and spaces with broader theoretical debates, this book explores the opportunities for a more just and sustainable urban future.Table of Contents1. Neoliberalism, Creativity and Cities 2. Urban Entrepreneurialism: The Emergence of the Cultural Economy 3. Critiquing the Neoliberal Creative City: But Long Live Alternative Creative Spaces! 4. Urban Cultural Movements and Anti-Creative Struggles 5. Neoliberal Nightlife and its Alternatives 6. Rethinking the Tourist City: Contestation and Alternative Cultural Tourism 7. Creative Polarization, Division and Exclusion 8. Beyond the Neoliberal Creative City

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Book SynopsisA Financial Times BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021'Engaging, authoritative and very timely. Marco Alverà spells Hydrogen's critical role as an energy store in the clean power transition' - Mike Berners-Lee, author of THERE IS NO PLANET BPicture this: the looming shadow of climate change is finally receding. The planet's temperature is stabilising. Rainforests and coral reefs are beginning to thrive once more.This isn't just wishful thinking - it can be our reality if we embrace the power of hydrogen. Hydrogen is simple to harness, simple to use, and has the potential to bring clean energy to every corner of the globe. As leading energy expert Marco Alverà explains, if we're going to heal the climate, we need to start thinking big. So whether you're a policy-maker, a business person, an activist, or just simply curious, this book is a blueprint for how to get us there. 'An important contribution to advance the energy transition' Mark Carney 'A comprehensive and comprehensible vision for hydrogen from a top business leader' Jonathan Stern, Oxford Institute for Energy StudiesTrade Review[This] lively book is an engaging guide to a fuel that could go mainstream faster than expected. * Financial Times, FT BOOKS OF THE YEAR *Engaging, authoritative and very timely. Marco Alverà spells Hydrogen's critical role as an energy store in the clean power transition, and who can do what right now to kick it over the line -- Mike Berners-Lee, author of THERE IS NO PLANET BNo one company can solve the challenge of climate change. We share responsibility, not just across our direct emissions, but across our supply chain too. We must take responsibility for the carbon footprint of our own technology and company, but we will also go beyond that. In his new book, Marco Alverà offers a clear and compelling vision and a blueprint to ensure its success. -- Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO, MicrosoftTo achieve the climate goals from the Paris Agreement, we need a wholesale transformation of our energy system. This book sets out compellingly the role that Hydrogen plays in this transformation and is an important contribution to advance the energy transition. -- Mark CarneyAn engaging and insightful overview of the tiny molecule that could revolutionise climate action. Like hydrogen itself, Marco Alverà is a superb connector - of ideas, approaches and practical, positive solutions. -- Dr Gabrielle WalkerIn The Hydrogen Revolution Marco has written an invaluable explainer on hydrogen - a key to us achieving net zero. But perhaps more importantly the book is an urgent rallying call for action, a call policy-makers across the globe need to heed. -- Peter MandelsonAs the challenges of the energy transition become more apparent, hydrogen is coming to be seen not only as a new entrant but also an essential fuel for the decades ahead. Marco Alvera, a leader in the international energy industry, explains how he went from being a hydrogen skeptic to seeing the big role that hydrogen can play in the future. And more than that - a hydrogen revolution is coming, he predicts, and sooner than many expect! -- Daniel Yergin, Pulitzer Prize winning author of THE PRIZEThis book presents a vision for the future based on hydrogen and renewables that is clear, grounded and hopeful. It also provides crucial tools and information to fully understand the forces shaping the energy transition - and get involved. -- Francesco La Camera, Director General of IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency)This book offers clear and thought-provoking ideas about the future of hydrogen. It can help inform the conversation on how to enable hydrogen to play an important role in global clean energy transitions. -- Dr Fatih Birol, IEA Executive DirectorA comprehensive and comprehensible vision for hydrogen from a top business leader. -- Jonathan Stern, Oxford Institute for Energy StudiesMarco Alverà paints a vibrant and achievable vision for green hydrogen's role in the transition towards a sustainable global energy system. -- Jules Kortenhorst, CEO of RMIA comprehensive and up to date piece of work on the compelling reality and value proposition of green hydrogen to decarbonize the hard to abate sectors, presented in an engaging, easy to read and assimilated style; a must read for all. -- Paddy Padmanathan, CEO of ACWA PowerIn this excellently-written and engaging book, Marco Alverà sets out an attractive vision for a hydrogen-fuelled future. -- Myles Allen, Director of Oxford Net Zero.Hydrogen will undoubtedly play a crucial role in tomorrow's zero carbon economy and few people have thought more deeply about that role than Marco Alverà. In this insightful and powerfully argued book he sets out not only the feasible and attractive vision of an economy dominated by electricity and hydrogen, but the practical steps we must now take to speed progress towards that end. -- Lord Adair Turner, Chair of the Energy Transitions CommissionThe hydrogen revolution is coming, and this book paves the way to achieving it. Powerful, pragmatic and compelling, Marco sets out with clarity the critical role of hydrogen alongside renewable electricity to reach net-zero objectives. -- Lei Zhang, Founder and CEO of EnvisionMarco Alverà's new book is a rare thing - a thoughtful and deliberate manifesto to galvanize investment and public support for an essential element of the zero-carbon energy future and a pathway to stronger global partnerships. The book is an instant classic - breezy, fun, personal and easy to read, the book presents vivid and actionable choices to all readers. Alverà skilfully makes some very complex parts of the energy system easy to understand - a marvel in our jargon-strewn field. Stop reading this note already and read the book! -- Dr Julio Friedmann * Columbia University, SIPA Center on Global Energy Policy *A clear articulation of how hydrogen can help save the planet. I was skeptical about hydrogen's potential, but this book changed my mind. The Hydrogen Revolution is an essential read for every climate-conscious individual. -- Charles Edgar Haldeman, former Chairman of S&P GlobalThis is an excellent contribution to the current and essential debate on the energy revolution with a very powerful argument in favour of hydrogen, which will certainly be part of the solution to the global response to climate change. -- José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, 2004/2014Compelling stuff and a must-read for armchair eco-warriors everywhere * The Swansea Bay *

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Book Synopsis''Superb'' Telegraph''Marvellous'' New York Review of Books ''Brilliant'' Sunday Times''Eye-opening . . . impressive'' Guardian''Powerful'' Nature __________Dust may seem inconsequential, so tiny and mundane as to slip below the threshold of thought. Yet within the next one hundred years, life on Earth will be profoundly changed by heat and drought - and that means dust. In this ground-breaking book, Jay Owens shows how the modern world is made through both the creation and expulsion of dust. From particle air pollution and burning fossil fuels to land degradation, desertification and nuclear fallout, we find out the immense challenges confronting people and the planet.With clarity and insight, Dust: The Modern World in a Trillion Particles helps us understand our legacy and discovers the biggest ideas can be found in the smallest particles.__________<

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Book SynopsisHave you ever stopped and thought about the name of your home country or one you're travelling to? What it means, where it came from, how it came to be? From The Land of Many Rabbits to The Land of the Thunder Dragon, and many places in between, Found in Translation is a fascinating, extraordinary and frequently funny journey into the history of the naming of the world. Filled with extraordinary stories of invasion and rebellion, culture and religion, misunderstanding and the curiosities of language as it has evolved over the ages, it offers etymological insight into how and why the countries we live in and travel to got their names - and their often bizarre meanings.

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Book SynopsisDELICIOUS PLANT-BASED RECIPES TO WASTE LESS FOOD!Max La Manna, low waste chef and climate activist, bridges the gap between vegan food and waste-free cooking - inviting us to channel the MORE PLANTS LESS WASTE mindset and discover a stronger purpose in the kitchen and in our daily routines. --Through his viral recipe videos and work with BBC Earth and beyond, Max has inspired hundreds of thousands of people across the world to rethink their approach to food consumption and made it his mission to breathe new life into our leftovers that are typically destined for the bin. In his first cookbook he shares 80 of his tastiest, healthy recipes that are bursting with flavour, will help you save money, food and ensure you eat well - from Sumptuous Spag Bol and Vegan Shepherd's Pie to Pumpkin Pasta, Crunchy Cauliflower Curry or Leftover Veggie Nachos in a Hurry.. MORE PLANTS->LESS WASTE INCLUDES: - simple, accessible ingredients that celebrate the power of vegetables and wholefoods at their best- breakfasts, lunches, dinners, soups, stews and salads - plus sweet treats- all-natural home hacks from DIY deodorant to Citrus Bomb House Cleanser - the life tools you need to add value to what you already own and set you on the path to living more sustainably - a 21-day zero waste challenge

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Book SynopsisAn inspiring and approachable tip-filled guide to changing your habits, living more sustainably, and taking action, by Greenpeace ambassador Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter movies)Go Gently is a practical guide for sustainability at home that offers simple, tangible steps towards reducing our environmental impact by looking at what we consume and the waste we create, as well as how to take action for environmental change. The title reflects Bonnie's belief that the best way to change our planet and ourselves is through a gentle approach, rather than a judgmental one. This is a book of do's rather than don'ts. Going through every room in her home, Bonnie helps us assess which products are sustainable, and offers alternatives for those that are not. She shares recipes to avoid food waste, homemade self-care products to avoid packaging, small space friendly gardening ideas and a template for creating your own compost system. Finally, there are exercises and meditation prompts to keep you energised, as well as tips on how to get involved in wider community activism.Trade ReviewThe impacts of the climate crisis can feel overwhelming and daunting. Bonnie's approach to explaining the moment we are in now, coupled with concrete strategies that we can take to make our planet a sustainable place, reminds us that there is hope! Environmental Activism lives in each of us and Bonnie has provided the roadmap in Go Gently. * Ebony Twilley Martin, Co-Executive Director Greenpeace USA *

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Book SynopsisThis practical guide for students focuses on the city and on the different ways to research it. The authors explain how urban studies research is done, from the original idea to design and implementation, through to writing up and representation. Substantive chapters explain each method in detail, from using archival methods, interviews, ethnography, questionnaires, discourse analysis and diaries, to using GIS and visual methods. This second edition offers: · A thorough introduction to the research process · Revised and updated discussions of foundational methods · A new chapter on sensory methods · A new chapter on social media as an object or a method of studying the city. With real world examples throughout and guided further reading for each chapter, it is an inspiring guide for students carrying out their own research in urban geography, urban planning, urban sociology and urban studies. Trade ReviewMy copy of Researching the City is well worn and rarely sits still. As with all of the most valuable texts for teaching, it shuttles frequently between a shelf in my office and the hands of urban geography students who find it to be a highly accessible and useful guide. Dr Tim Bunnell, Professor of Geography, National University of Singapore -- Dr Tim BunnellThis refreshingly honest and accessible book about the messiness of doing research is a boon for undergraduate students; a diving board into the urban, it propels students to explore a variety of methods to answer their research questions. Such a resource, updated and expanded, is a very welcome addition to the urban geographer’s library. Professor Linda Peake is Director of the City Institute at York University, Toronto, Canada. -- Professor Linda PeakeTable of Contents1 Introduction by Kevin Ward 2 Designing an urban research project by Kevin Ward 3 Archival research by Stephen V. Ward 4 Interviews by Allan Cochrane 5 Urban ethnographic research by Kate Swanson 6 Using questionnaires to survey hidden populations by Nik Theodore 7 Discourse and linguistic analysis by Annette Hastings 8 Using diaries to study urban worlds by Alan Latham 9 GIS: a method and practice by Matthew Wilson 10 Worlds through glass: photography and video as geographic method by Bradley L. Garrett 11 Researching urban life through social media by Susan Moore and Scott Rodgers 12 Mapping the urban experience digitally by Monica Degen and Manuela Barz 13 Writing up by Kevin Ward

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book Synopsis*First Place Winner of the Society of Environmental Journalists' Rachel Carson Environment Book Award*With urgency and wit, Tatiana Schlossberg explains that far from being only a distant problem of the natural world created by the fossil fuel industry, climate change is all around us, all the time, lurking everywhere in our convenience-driven society, all without our realizing it.By examining the unseen and unconscious environmental impacts in four areas-the Internet and technology, food, fashion, and fuel - Schlossberg helps readers better understand why climate change is such a complicated issue, and how it connects all of us: How streaming a movie on Netflix in New York burns coal in Virginia; how eating a hamburger in California might contribute to pollution in the Gulf of Mexico; how buying an inexpensive cashmere sweater in Chicago expands the Mongolian desert; how destroying forests from North Carolina is necessary to generate electricity in England.Cataloging the complexities and frustrations of our carbon-intensive society with a dry sense of humor, Schlossberg makes the climate crisis and its solutions interesting and relevant to everyone who cares, even a little, about the planet. She empowers readers to think about their stuff and the environment in a new way, helping them make more informed choices when it comes to the future of our world.Most importantly, this is a book about the power we have as voters and consumers to make sure that the fight against climate change includes all of us and all of our stuff, not just industry groups and politicians. If we have any hope of solving the problem, we all have to do it together."A compelling-and illuminating-look at how our daily habits impact the environment."-Vanity Fair"If you're looking for something to cling to in what often feels like a hopeless conversation, Schlossberg's darkly humorous, knowledge-is-power, eyes-wide-open approach may be just the thing."-Vogue"Shows how even the smallest decisions can have profound environmental consequences."--The New York Times

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Book SynopsisIf, in the ancient world, it was guns and germs and steel that determined the fates of people and nations, in modern times it is electricity. No other form of power translates into affluence and influence like it. Though demand for it is growing exponentially, it remains one of the most difficult forms of energy to supply and to do so reliably. Storage is even harder. This paradox has shaped global politics, affected the outcome of wars, and underlies the growing chasm between rich and poor, educated and uneducated. It is changing the game for business, and the requirements of national defence. It is altering the landscape and complicating the task of dealing effectively with climate change.In this book, Robert Bryce explains the unique nature of electricity as a commodity. He draws on stories from history to illustrate the stunning impact of our quest to harness it, illuminates exactly what is required to successfully sustain it, and explores the impact on societies and individuals when it collapses.As billions of people around the world still live in darkness, the gap between the electricity haves and have-nots widens, with profound political and ethical consequences. Modern life, even civilisation, has become ever more dependent on a source of energy that must be produced locally and in the moment, in a reliably steady stream at particular wattage, conveyed on wires strung on poles or threaded through pipes. If the lights go out, so does our manner of living, with potentially devastating consequences.

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Book SynopsisA NPR Best Book of 2023A Shelf Awareness Best Nonfiction Book of 2023An August 2023 Indie Next Pick, selected by booksellersA Vogue Most Anticipated Book of 2023A WBUR Summer Reading RecommendationA Next Big Idea Club's August 2023 Must-Read BookAn astonishing, vital book about Antarctica, climate change, and motherhood from the author of Rising, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction.In 2019, fifty-seven scientists and crew set out onboard the Nathaniel B. Palmer. Their destination: Thwaites Glacier. Their goal: to learn as much as possible about this mysterious place, never before visited by humans, and believed to be both rapidly deteriorating and capable of making a catastrophic impact on global sea-level rise.In The Quickening, Elizabeth Rush documents their voyage, offering the sublime—seeing an iceberg for the first time; the staggering waves of the Drake Passage; the torqued, unfamiliar contours of Thwaites—alongside the workaday moments of this groundbreaking expedition. A ping-pong tournament at sea. Long hours in the lab. All the effort that goes into caring for and protecting human life in a place that is inhospitable to it. Along the way, she takes readers on a personal journey around a more intimate question: What does it mean to bring a child into the world at this time of radical change?What emerges is a new kind of Antarctica story, one preoccupied not with flag planting but with the collective and challenging work of imagining a better future. With understanding the language of a continent where humans have only been present for two centuries. With the contributions and concerns of women, who were largely excluded from voyages until the last few decades, and of crew members of color, whose labor has often gone unrecognized. The Quickening teems with their voices—with the colorful stories and personalities of Rush’s shipmates—in a thrilling chorus.Urgent and brave, absorbing and vulnerable, The Quickening is another essential book from Elizabeth Rush.Trade ReviewPraise for The Quickening “The Quickening, Elizabeth Rush’s new work of nonfiction, reframes the end of the world—geographical and climatological. [. . .] Alongside recitations of the science as well as meditations of a much more personal nature, the intrepid reader is treated to prose that lifts Rush’s work far above standard journalism.”—Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times“Elizabeth Rush's The Quickening is one part memoir, one part reporting from the edge—think Elizabeth Kolbert's The Sixth Extinction—a book that feels as though it was written from the brink. In this case the extreme scenario is literal: Rush, a journalist, joins a crew of scientists aboard a ship headed for a glacier in Antarctica that is, like much of the poles, rapidly disappearing. The book brings the environmental crisis into a personal sphere, asking what it means to have a child in the face of such catastrophic change. [. . .] Rush writes with clarity and precision, giving a visceral sense of everything from the gear required to traverse an arctic landscape to the interior landscape of a woman facing change both global and immediate.”—Vogue, “Most Anticipated Books of 2023”“[The Quickening] offers an exploration story that is also a literature of community, as attentive to the cooks and the marine techs as it is to the scientists whose work they support. [. . .] Ultimately Rush determines that the work of parenting, like the floating village of people studying the glacier, is paving the way for other, better futures.”—Rachel Riederer, Scientific American“In The Quickening, Elizabeth Rush takes readers to the precipice of the climate crisis. Aboard the Nathaniel B. Palmer, an American icebreaker, Rush and a crew of scientists, journalists, and support staff set bow and stern in front of Thwaites Glacier for the first time in history [. . .] The Quickening is a poignant, necessary addition to the body of Antarctic literature, one that centers—without glorifying—motherhood, uncertainty, community, vulnerability, and beauty in a rapidly melting world.”—Science“[The Quickening is] a distinctive addition to the Antarctic canon. [. . .] Rush centers women’s voices in her exploration of motherhood and the Earth, gliding between her personal reflections, descriptions of life aboard the ship and stories of what comes after. Simultaneously lyrical and analytical, The Quickening depicts Rush’s search for meaning while rejecting easy answers.”—BookPage, starred review“Elizabeth Rush takes readers along as she documents the 2019 Thwaites Glacier expedition in Antarctica. The voyage had 57 scientists, researchers and recorders onboard to document the groundbreaking glacier, which has never been visited by humans. [. . .] Rush ties her findings of the Thwaites Glacier expedition to raising kids and living in a quickly changing world.”—WBUR, “8 Books to Add to Your Summer Reading List”“The fascinating inside story of climate science at the edge of Antarctica [. . .] In this follow-up to Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore, Rush shows us how data collection happens, capturing the intriguing details of climate science in the field [. . .] The scientists are not the only heroes of Rush’s book, which emphasizes above all the collaborative and interdependent nature of such voyages, where so much depends on the staff and crew. In addition to her own poetic voice, the author incorporates the voices of everyone on the ship, highlighting women and racial and ethnic minorities, who have been overlooked in the canon of Antarctic literature.”—Kirkus Reviews“Rush’s reporting is top-notch, and her personal reflections make this an unusually intimate account of climate change. Readers will find plenty to ponder.”—Publishers Weekly“Elizabeth Rush, Pulitzer Prize finalist for Rising, is no stranger to chronicling difficult narratives about climate change, and conveys profound urgency without ever descending into panic. In The Quickening, she turns that skill to a most daunting task: joining the crew of the Nathaniel B. Palmer and the team of scientists attempting to gather data from Antarctica's never-before-explored Thwaites Glacier. [. . .] As impressive as the structure is, it's at the sentence level that Rush's artistry shines, each description a pearl, and the string of them a thing of undeniable beauty. Rush is a journalist, with a scientist's curiosity and powers of observation, but she is also a poet, and sentences like this one demonstrate her formidable skills: 'I get the sense that all afternoon, I have been eavesdropping on a conversation that has been taking place over hundreds of years, a conversation whose language is material, written in ice and rock and bone.”—Shelf Awareness, starred review"An astonishing, vital book about Antarctica, climate change, and motherhood from the author of Rising, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction."—Next Big Idea Club"In 2019, a group of scientists set out for Thwaites Glacier, which has the ominous nickname of Doomsday Glacier, in the Antarctic. It had never been visited before by humans, and the goal was to gather as much information as possible. The glacier itself is suspected to be deteriorating, which could have catastrophic effects on sea levels.Rush not only documents the scientific journey and gives voice to various crew members, but also explores what it means to bring a new life into the world, as she starts to contemplate motherhood in the time of climate change."—Book Riot“The Quickening took me on an immersive journey through both exterior and interior landscapes, deftly crossing the boundaries between the frigid Antarctic and the warm heart. Elizabeth Rush’s writing is multilayered, from fascinating scientific accounts to intimate human stories and deep examinations of how we live deliberately in a melting world.”—Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass“In The Quickening, Elizabeth Rush chronicles a months-long journey to the Thwaites glacier in Antarctica with scientists who are conducting research that will help us better understand how global warming is reshaping our planet. As with Rising, this book is beautifully written, deeply felt, and thoroughly researched. [. . .] Antarctica is a mysterious, terrifying, vast place and Rush captures all of it with genuine curiosity and intelligence. This book is at once a love letter and a meditation and a gentle warning—and we very much need all three.”—Roxane Gay, Goodreads“The Quickening is the Antarctic book I've been waiting for—an immersive modern day expedition tale, a reflection on science and knowledge-making, a confrontation with gendered histories, and a brilliant writer's spellbinding meditation on human mistakes, distant goals, and courage.”—Megha Majumdar, author of A Burning: A Novel“The Quickening is about the end of a great glacier and the beginning of a small life. It is a book about imagining the future, and it is a book of hope.”—Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Under a White Sky“Going to the Antarctic is an adventure, big science is an adventure, having a child is an adventure—and all of these adventurers are shaded by the great and tragic adventure of our time, the plunge into an ever-warmer world. So, this is an adventure story for the ages!”—Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature“An Antarctic book like no other, this mesmerizing account of a writer contemplating motherhood tagging along on a scientific voyage to the literal bottom of the world is the best writing I have read about climate change yet. The poetically personal account, mixed with the chorus of the scientists’ statements of purpose, catches the reader’s attention in a way no dry facts could.”—Sam Miller, Carmichael’s Bookstore, Louisville, KY“One of the most insightful expeditions I have read in quite some time. Not only does Elizabeth Rush sail into the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, but she also elegantly navigates the difficult questions of meaning and purpose that hold together the center of our communities and selves. Rush’s narration is one that will find an audience of questioners and explorers, both of the world and the soul, for years to come.”—Emerson Sistare, Toadstool Bookstore, Keene, NH“Elizabeth Rush is a proven chronicler of our changing planet, and in The Quickening, she turns her perspicacious gaze to the complex entwining of birth and loss. Told in a chorus of voices, this is a vital addition to the literature of the climate emergency.”—Stephen Sparks, Point Reyes Books, Point Reyes, CA“At one point in The Quickening, Rush makes the point that we know more about the moon than we do about the Antarctic ocean, which feels impossible and isn’t. This whole book was like that, bringing fantastical truths about the natural world into sharp focus alongside our personal, everday decision-making. As Rush witnesses firsthand the effects of climate change on the glacier Thwaites while hoping to become a mother, we’re able to focus on hope even as we reckon with our impact on the planet.”—Ellie Ray, Content Book Store, Northfield, MN“Ranging from glaciers to what grows within, this journey to Antarctica is like none you’ve read before—delightful and devastating, profound and grounded, but most of all shimmering with life. The Quickening is a mesmerizing ode to the power of melting ice and the necessity of creation amid world-altering change. I cried and laughed from cover to cover.” —Bathsheba Demuth, author of Floating Coast: An Environmental History of the Bering Strait“In The Quickening, Elizabeth Rush offers readers a symphony of voices from the people who stand at the forefront of climate investigations, woven with the singular lyrical story about a woman’s embodied hope for the future. On a ship bound for the uncharted edge of the fragile Thwaites Glacier, experience an Antarctic voyage you’ve never heard before, about a warming world breaking apart, even as new life begins.” —Meera Subramanian, author of A River Runs Again: India’s Natural World in Crisis, from the Barren Cliffs of Rajasthan to the Farmlands of KarnatakaPraise for RisingFINALIST FOR THE PULITZER PRIZE IN GENERAL NONFICTIONWINNER OF THE NATIONAL OUTDOOR BOOK AWARDA CHICAGO TRIBUNE TOP TEN BOOK OF 2018A GUARDIAN, NPR’s SCIENCE FRIDAY, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, AND LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF 2018 “A rigorously reported story about American vulnerability to rising seas, particularly disenfranchised people with limited access to the tools of rebuilding.”―Jury Citation, Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction“Deeply felt . . . Rush captures nature with precise words that almost amount to poetry; the book is further enriched with illuminating detail from the lives of those people inhabiting today’s coasts. . . . Elegies like this one will play an important role as people continue to confront a transformed, perhaps unnatural world.”—New York Times“The book on climate change and sea levels that was missing. Rush travels from vanishing shorelines in New England to hurting fishing communities to retracting islands and, with empathy and elegance, conveys what it means to lose a world in slow motion. Picture the working-class empathy of Studs Terkel paired with the heartbreak of a poet.”—Chicago Tribune (Best Ten Books of 2018)“Sea level rise is not some distant problem in a distant place. As Rush shows, it’s affecting real people right now. Rising is a compelling piece of reporting, by turns bleak and beautiful.”—Elizabeth Kolbert, author of Under a White Sky“A smart, lyrical testament to change and uncertainty. Rush listens to both the vulnerability and resiliency of communities facing the shifting shorelines of extreme weather. These are the stories we need to hear in order to survive and live more consciously with a sharp-edged determination to face our future with empathy and resolve. Rising illustrates how climate change is a relentless truth and how real people in real places know it by name, storm by flood by fire.”—Terry Tempest Williams, author of Erosion“Lovely and thoughtful . . . Reading [Rush’s] book is like learning ecology at the feet of a poet.”―Minneapolis Star Tribune“With tasteful and dynamic didactic language, [Rush] informs the layperson about the imminent threat of climate change while grounding the massive scope of the problem on heartfelt human and interspecies connection.”―Los Angeles Review of Books“Moving and urgent . . . Rush’s Rising is a revelation. . . . The project of Rising, like the project of Matthew Desmond’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, is to draw attention to ongoing material crisis through the stories of the people who are surviving within it. Rising is a clarion call. The idea isn’t merely that climate change is here and scary. There’s a more important message: There are people out here who need help.”―Pacific Standard“A sobering, elegant look at rising waters, climate change, and how low lying areas and the vulnerable people who live in those areas are at risk.”—Roxane Gay, author of Hunger, via Goodreads“Rush’s innovative, brave Rising [is] about the changing coastlines of America in a time of climate breakdown, and part of a growing wave of what might be called Anthropocene non-fiction, seeking to find a form for the challenges of our epoch. . . . [Rising] will stay long with me.”—Robert Macfarlane, author of Underland“Really powerful . . . An exciting book not only because it has these really compelling stories about American climate refugees and people whose lives have already been disrupted by rising seas and other climate catastrophes, but also [Rush is] trying to see if there’s a way that creative nonfiction can convey this problem. . . . I had to read it slowly, but I paid close attention, and I felt sort of spiritually nourished by the experience.”—Claire Vaye Watkins, Los Angeles Review of Books“Timely and urgent, this report on how climate change is affecting American shorelines provides critical evidence of the devastating changes already faced by some coastal dwellers. Rush masterfully presents firsthand accounts of these changes, acknowledging her own privileged position in comparison to most of her interviewees and the heavy responsibility involved in relaying their experiences to an audience. . . . In the midst of a highly politicized debate on climate change and how to deal with its far-reaching effects, this book deserves to be read by all.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)“Rush traffics only sparingly in doomsday statistics. For Rush, the devastating impact of rising sea levels, especially on vulnerable communities, is more compellingly found in the details. From Louisiana to Staten Island to the Bay Area, Rush’s lyrical, deeply reported essays challenge us to accept the uncertainty of our present climate and to consider more just ways of dealing with the immense challenges ahead.”―The Nation“[Rush’s] work does something that other superb science writing on climate change does not: It brings a poetic feeling and personal narrative to the subject. Her warm and informed presence is felt throughout Rising—a reminder that now more than ever we need the storytelling skills of nature writers to engage people and change policies given these pressing environmental times.”—Kathryn Aalto, BuzzFeed (“11 Women Who Have Changed the Way We See the Natural World”)“In this moving and memorable book, the voice of the author mingles with the voices of people in coastal communities all over the country—Maine, Rhode Island, Louisiana, Florida, New York, California—to offer testimony: The water is rising. Some have already lost their homes; some will soon; others are studying or watching or grieving. Though they haven’t met each other, their commonality forms a circle into which we are inexorably pulled by Rush’s powerful words.”—Anne Fadiman, author of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down“A poetic meditation on the nature of change, on how people can make peace with a changing world and our agency in it . . . Rising [offers] pulsing, gleaming prose and a stubborn search for, if not hope, then peace in the face of disaster.”―Shelf Awareness“The strength of [Rising] lies not only in the pulse and momentum of her prose but in the relationships she built while writing it: relationships with scientists and with the many people whose homes are already underwater. Rush is an unusually courageous individual, and the book reverberates with heart. It helps us both to grapple with the mourning we must do as the holocene crumbles around us, and to do the radical work of imagining a way forward.”—Michigan Quarterly Review“Rush rises. She brings stories out of the woodwork, revealing the true effect of sea level rise on the land, on the sea, and on people. She writes from a generation not asking if climate change is true or not, but how to live in the face of it, how we adapt, lose, or gain. Logging the finest, most intuitive details, Rush holds her subjects in tight focus, each coastline conveyed down to its grains of sand and inflections in the tides. Her writing is present among relocations and dying swamps, conveying the intricate nature of sea level rise. How do levees work? What does saltwater do to a freshwater aquifer? What voices are coming out of the wrack line, and what does it sound like as a coast is rewritten? Rush makes real a monolithic subject often too large to digest. You can taste the coming salt.”—Craig Childs, author of The Animal Dialogues“Rising is not just a book about rising sea levels and the lost habitats and homes—it’s also a moving rumination on the rise of women as investigative reporters, the rise of tangible solutions, the rise of human endeavor and flexibility. It is also a rising of unheard voices; one of the eloquent beauties of this book is the inclusion of various stories, Studs Terkel–style, of those affected most by our changing shoreline. A beautiful and tender account of what’s happening—and what’s in store.”—Laura Pritchett, author of Stars Go Blue“From the edges of our continent, where sea level rise is already well underway, Rush lays bare the often hidden effects of climate change—lost homes, lost habitats, broken family ties, chronic fear and worry—and shows us how those effects ripple toward us all. With elegance, intelligence, and guts, she guides us through one of the most frightening and complex issues of our time.”—Michelle Nijhuis, author of Beloved BeastsTable of ContentsCast of Characters 1Prologue 5 ACT ONEPart One | Departures 13Part Two | Stalled 43Part Three | First Passage 61 ACT TWOPart One | Into the Ice 97Part Two | Islands 119Part Three | Between the Past and the Future 163 ACT THREEPart One | Arrival 197Part Two | Nameless Bay 213Part Three | Underneath 247 ACT FOURPart One | The Quickening 277Part Two | Holding Season 299Part Three | Going to Pieces 323 Epilogue 345Notes 359 Acknowledgments 392

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Book SynopsisExplores capitalism’s role in creating the current state of climate emergency Over the last 11,700 years, during which human civilization developed, the earth has existed within what geologists refer to as the Holocene Epoch. Now science is telling us that the Holocene Epoch in the geological time scale ended, replaced by a new more dangerous Anthropocene Epoch, which began around 1950. The Anthropocene Epoch is characterized by an “anthropogenic rift” in the biological cycles of the Earth System, marking a changed reality in which human activities are now the main geological force impacting the earth as a whole, generating at the same time an existential crisis for the world’s population. What caused this massive shift in the history of the earth? In this comprehensive study, John Bellamy Foster tells us that a globalized system of capital accumulation has induced humanity to foul its own nest. The result is a planetary emergency that threatens all present and future generations, throwing into question the continuation of civilization and ultimately the very survival of humanity itself. Only by addressing the social aspects of the current planetary emergency, exploring the theoretical, historical, and practical dimensions of the capitalism’s alteration of the planetary environment, is it possible to develop the ecological and social resources for a new journey of hope.Trade ReviewJohn Bellamy Foster has returned Marxism to a serious and sincere engagement with nature. He is as adept at navigating the latest scientific literature as he is comfortable with the immense body of Marxist theory. JBF is a key reference for the elaboration of our political struggles and for the expansion of our political imagination. -- " Vijay Prashad, Director, Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research"

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Book SynopsisSpatial statistics empowers you to go beyond visual analysis to answer questions confidently and make data-driven decisions.Thanks to the data and computational power now at our fingertips, data science is in every aspect of our lives. But with so many algorithms and buzzwords floating around, where do you start to solve complex problems or figure out where to go next?There has never been a more exciting time to learn about spatial statistics. Spatial statistics uses an aspect of geography that helps you quantify patterns and relationships so that you can feel confident in your analysis.Spatial Statistics Illustrated is an introductory book for learning the concepts behind the powerful spatial statistics tools in ArcGIS.With approachable explanations and uncomplicated drawings, Spatial Statistics Illustrated gives readers an accessible understanding of some of the most widely used spatial statistics methods, including how they work and when to use them. In a friendly, conversational tone, the authors share techniques that can help you explore your data in meaningful ways; quantify patterns and relationships; understand trends, and make informed, impactful decisions.This book has something for everyone analyzing data, including: seasoned data scientists looking to explore the value that spatial analysis offers GIS analysts looking to expand their spatial statistics skill set new GIS users discovering the value of spatial statistics Spatial Statistics Illustrated is a perfect complement to more traditional, technical statistics and spatial statistics texts and is also ideal as supplemental reading for academic courses.Based on the popular series of Spatial Statistics workshops presented by the authors at the annual Esri User Conference, Spatial Statistics Illustrated welcomes readers into the unparalleled world of spatial statistics.

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Book SynopsisA galvanizing road trip across California''s immense public wilderness from a beloved adventurer.It all began with a camping trip. Outdoor enthusiast Josh Jackson had never heard of "BLM land" before a casual recommendation from a friend led him to a free campsite in the desert—and the revelation that over 15 million acres of land in California are owned collectively by the people. In The Enduring Wild, he takes us on a road trip spanning thousands of miles, crisscrossing the Golden State to seek out every parcel of public wilderness therein belonging to the federal Bureau of Land Management, from the Pacific shores of the King Range down to the Mojave Desert. Over mountains, across prairies, and through sagebrush, Jackson unravels the stories of these lands. He tells of the Indigenous peoples who have called them home for millennia, of the extractivist threats that imperil them today, and of the grassroots organizers and political champions who have rallied to their common defense to uphold the radical mandate to protect these natural treasures for generations to come. For the adventurers, campers, explorers, map readers, road trippers, nature enthusiasts, and public lands lovers out there, The Enduring Wild is an indispensable invitation to know these places more deeply and to embrace our common inheritance.

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Book Synopsis*2011 Winner, International Association of Culinary Professionals Jane Grigson Award *2011 Finalist, International Association of Culinary Professionals in the Culinary History category Throughout history, people have had a complex and confusing relationship with mushrooms. Are fungi food or medicine, beneficial decomposers or deadly "toadstools" ready to kill anyone foolhardy enough to eat them? In fact, there is truth in all these statements. In Chanterelle Dreams, Amanita Nightmares, author Greg Marley reveals some of the wonders and mysteries of mushrooms, and our conflicting human reactions to them. With tales from around the world, Marley, a seasoned mushroom expert, explains that some cultures are mycophilic (mushroom-loving), like those of Russia and Eastern Europe, while others are intensely mycophobic (mushroom-fearing), including, the US. He shares stories from China, Japan, and Korea-where mushrooms are interwoven into the fabric of daily life as food, medicine, fable, and folklore-and from Slavic countries where whole families leave villages and cities during rainy periods of the late summer and fall and traipse into the forests for mushroom-collecting excursions. From the famous Amanita phalloides (aka "the Death Cap"), reputed killer of Emperor Claudius in the first century AD, to the beloved chanterelle (cantharellus cibarius) known by at least eighty-nine different common names in almost twenty-five languages, Chanterelle Dreams, Amanita Nightmares explores the ways that mushrooms have shaped societies all over the globe. This fascinating and fresh look at mushrooms-their natural history, their uses and abuses, their pleasures and dangers-is a splendid introduction to both fungi themselves and to our human fascination with them. From useful descriptions of the most foolproof edible species to revealing stories about hallucinogenic or poisonous, yet often beautiful, fungi, Marley's long and passionate experience will inform and inspire readers with the stories of these dark and mysterious denizens of our forest floor.Trade ReviewBooklist- Mushroom lovers who can only get their fix by sampling the often paltry array that appears in their grocer’s produce section may be sorely tempted to indulge their mycophilia when they encounter some choice fungi in the wild. Unlike many Asian and European cultures, however, most Americans are hesitant to just pluck one off the forest floor and eat it on the spot. Perhaps such evocative names as the “Death Cap” mushroom has something to do with this mycophobia. Yet, says Marley, armed with proper background, this culinary caution can turn into complete confidence. From the fabled psychedelic “magic mushrooms” to the duplicitous appearance of “false morels,” Marley examines these fungal fiends and provides thorough descriptions of their habitat, appearance, and toxic properties to ward off potential misadventures. An avowed mycophile, Marley offers an entertaining and inquisitive look at both the heroes and villains of the kingdom Fungi in an enlightened guide that comprehensively examines their nutritional benefits, undesirable properties, and diverse cultural history. -- Carol HaggasPublishers Weekly- By following a few basic guidelines, readers interested in foraging for their food will find themselves with a wealth of culinary opportunities courtesy of longtime amateur mycologist Marley (Mushrooms for Health). An enthusiastic guide, Marley introduces foragers to the most common wild edible shrooms - morels, puffballs, chicken mushrooms, and shaggy mane - as well as their more recognizable cousins in the market, such as chanterelles. Basic recipes for preparation (risottos, simple pastas, and the like) are included, enabling readers to get the most from their bounty. But Marley spends equal time with their more toxic and psychedelic brethren, describing key characteristics, common regions, and potential side effects, ensuring that initiates spend more time in the woods than the ER. While the book does have a set of color slides to aid in identification of edible and poisonous varieties, the sample pales in comparison to the many species Marley mentions.Booklist- “Mushroom lovers who can only get their fix by sampling the often paltry array that appears in their grocers produce section may be sorely tempted to indulge their mycophilia when they encounter some choice fungi in the wild. Unlike many Asian and European cultures, however, most Americans are hesitant to just pluck one off the forest floor and eat it on the spot. Perhaps such evocative names as the Death Cap mushroom has something to do with this mycophobia. Yet, says Marley, armed with proper background, this culinary caution can turn into complete confidence. From the fabled psychedelic magic mushrooms to the duplicitous appearance of false morels, Marley examines these fungal fiends and provides thorough descriptions of their habitat, appearance, and toxic properties to ward off potential misadventures. An avowed mycophile, Marley offers an entertaining and inquisitive look at both the heroes and villains of the kingdom Fungi in an enlightened guide that comprehensively examines their nutritional benefits, undesirable properties, and diverse cultural history.”This book is an enticing invitation into the fungal realm, accessible and a pleasure to read. Author Greg Marley's enthusiasm is infectious, as he encourages an appreciation of fungi as essential ecological partners, and empowers readers with practical tools. These pages are filled with foraging and cultivation tips, scientific explanations, ancient lore, literary references, and entertaining stories, with the mission of transforming mycophobia into mycophilia.--Sandor Ellix Katz, author of Wild Fermentation and The Revolution Will Not Be MicrowavedTable of ContentsTales from the forest floor Part 1. Mushrooms and culture Passionate about mushrooms : the Russian and Slavic experience Overcoming distrust : mushrooming in America Part 2. Mushrooms as food Leading with our stomachs The Foolproof Four : updated for a new millennium Chanterelles Boletus edulis The Agaricus brothers Part 3. Dangerously toxic, deadly interesting poisonous mushrooms : not as bad as you fear Mushroom poisoning : not as bad as you fear ; Mushroom poisoning : the potential risks and ways to avoid them Amanita nightmares : the Death Cap and Destroying Angel False morels : the Finnish Fugu A fallen angel The poison pax : a deadly mystery Part 4. Mushrooms and the mind : the origin of religion and the pathway to enlightenment Entheogens : a new way to view hallucinogenic mushrooms Amanita muscaria : soma, religion, and Santa Psilocybin : gateway to the soul or just a good high? Part 5. Mushrooms within living ecosystems Honey mushrooms : the race for the world's largest fungus Fairy rings and fairy tales Fungal bioluminescence : mushroom nightlights Who's eating the truffles? Woodpeckers, wood decay fungi, and forest health Part 6. Tools for a new world Growing mushrooms in the garden : a how-to story

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Book SynopsisEnormous ecological losses and profound planetary transformations mean that ours is a time to grieve beyond the human. Yet, Joshua Trey Barnett argues in this eloquent and urgent book, our capacity to grieve for more-than-human others is neither natural nor inevitable. Weaving together personal narratives, theoretical meditations, and insightful readings of cultural artifacts, he suggests that ecological grief is best understood as a rhetorical achievement. As a collection of worldmaking practices, rhetoric makes things matter, bestows value, directs attention, generates knowledge, and foments feelings. By dwelling on three rhetorical practices—naming, archiving, and making visible—Barnett shows how they prepare us to grieve past, present, and future ecological losses. Simultaneously diagnostic and prescriptive, this book reveals rhetorical practices that set our ecological grief into motion and illuminates pathways to more connected, caring earthly coexistence.

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Book SynopsisWhat can any one of us--as ordinary citizens--really do about climate change? A lot!Advocating for the Environment is based on a vision where all life is respected, revered, and nurtured. The shifts we need to achieve this vision are profound--from how we do business to how we educate, govern, and care--for all people and life on the planet. Written by environmental policy expert Susan B. Inches, Advocating for the Environment is an easy-to-understand, empowering guide to help you take action and enact environmental change.Part I begins with how we must learn to think differently in order to achieve this vision and heal the planet. It discusses storytelling, empathy, worldviews, and how understanding and effective communication can help us collaborate with others--even those with opposing views. And it shows the important role that citizen advocates play in achieving a healthy future.Part II of the book is all about action. How to use power for good, work with decision-makers, organize events, manage a coalition, communicate with the public, and work with the media are all laid out in an easy-to-read and easy-to-reference format. The book also includes case studies, research, and templates to deepen learning. Professors and teachers, students, legislators, environmental clubs, and church groups will also find useful ideas and strategies on every page. Advocating for the Environment is a guide to environmental action that readers will want to read and keep for reference for years to come.

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Book SynopsisSHORTLISTED FOR THE 2020 WAINWRIGHT PRIZE A naturalist’s passionate dive into the lives of bees (of all stripes)—and the natural world in her own backyard Brigit Strawbridge Howard was shocked the day she realised she knew more about the French Revolution than she did about her native trees. And birds. And wildflowers. And bees. The thought stopped her—quite literally—in her tracks. But that day was also the start of a journey, one filled with silver birches and hairy-footed flower bees, skylarks, and rosebay willow herb, and the joy that comes with deepening one’s relationship with place. Dancing with Bees is Strawbridge Howard’s charming and eloquent account of a return to noticing, to rediscovering a perspective on the world that had somehow been lost to her for decades and to reconnecting with the natural world. With special care and attention to the plight of pollinators, including honeybees, bumblebees, and solitary bees, and what we can do to help them, Strawbridge Howard shares fascinating details of the lives of flora and fauna that have filled her days with ever-increasing wonder and delight.Trade ReviewKirkus Reviews— A British naturalist offers crisp essays on her relationship with bees. In her debut book, Howard, a devoted bee advocate, pens a lengthy, knowledgeable, and occasionally poetic tribute to honeybees, bumblebees, and other buzzy creatures . . . [She] provides a nice balance between the very real science of studying bees and their function in nature and her cleareyed and eloquent observations about the natural world. Because of that balance, what might have sounded like a dry lecture turns into something far more interesting. Whether she's explaining how different bee species are classified, describing her mother's deteriorating health (and eventual death), or simply ruminating on the beauty around her, Howard creates a text that is compelling and worth your time even if you're not a fellow bee advocate."Library Journal— "[A] fascinating and wide-ranging exploration of nature. . .This satisfying memoir of a woman’s reawakening to the importance of nature in her life will appeal to fans of natural history memoirs, bees, the natural world, or ecology."Booklist, Starred Review— “[An] engaging, richly descriptive tale of natural discovery."“In this delightful book, Brigit Strawbridge Howard brings us into the fascinating and often overlooked world of bees. She introduces us to solitary nesting bees that lay their eggs in empty snail shells, cuckoo bees that make other bees take care of their eggs, and the amazing social lives of bumblebees and honeybees. Her curiosity and wonder at these small creatures are infectious and will inspire a greater appreciation of our natural world.”—Nancy J. Hayden, coauthor of Farming on the Wild Side“Hovering through Brigit Strawbridge Howard’s remarkable encounters with bees, alighting on beautiful and often unexpected descriptions of bumblebees, miner bees, and even parasitizing cuckoo bees, one dips into a world most of us have forgotten. By leading us gently and discretely into the minutiae of nature, Brigit shows how rewarding it is to reconnect—how the world’s tiniest beings can not only lift our spirits, but signal the way to a richer, wilder future.”—Isabella Tree, author of Wilding“Dancing with Bees is a passionate hymn to nature, a joyful celebration not just of bees, but of the power of paying attention. Strawbridge Howard’s rediscovery of the natural world is infused with a sense of wonder both irresistible and infectious. And the promise of this beautiful book is that if we take the trouble to notice our natural surroundings, we too can find a way to reconnect not just to nature, but to a deeper sense of ourselves.”—Caroline Lucas, MP, former Green Party Leader“I devoured this book as I would a jar of exquisite honey. I was as fascinated by it as I would be watching a hive of bees at work. I may read another nature book this year, but not a better one. Or a more important one. As is made so manifestly clear in these pages, we need our bees. Thank God, then, for Brigit Strawbridge Howard, our queen bee-advocate.”—John Lewis-Stempel, author of Still Water and Meadowland“Dancing with Bees is one of the most important and accessible and entertaining books I’ve ever read. Brigit has poured meticulous detail and research into her book, which has left me with even more respect for our precious bees than I ever thought possible. What’s more, it’s a touching, sensitive account of what makes us human and how we connect to the natural world. Everyone should read it.”—Kate Bradbury, author of Wildlife Gardening and The Bumblebee Flies Anyway“A beautiful book and one that hums with good life. Brigit Strawbridge Howard came late to bees but began noticing them at a time when their going was being widely announced. Her attention has been clear-sighted but also loving. By looking closely at the hummers and the buzzers, she has begun to take in the whole of what Charles Darwin called the ‘tangled bank’ of life, where there are bees (and Brigit’s winning descriptions will help you know them) and there are plants, and there are other pollinators and nectar-seekers, including Homo sapiens. No other insect—surely no other animal—has had such a long and life-giving relationship with humans. Bees may well have shaped our evolution; our continued well-being is certainly dependent on them. Bees have long been part of our consciousness and art, buzzing in parables and fables and ancient and modern poems made out of their industry and their organisation and their marvellous sweet products. All that is in this book: It is ambrosia.”—Tim Dee, author of Landfill“While the plight of our overworked honeybees elicits much hand-wringing, the rest of Earth’s splendorous apian diversity has remained unjustly obscure. In this winning tribute to our black-and-yellow fellows, Brigit Strawbridge Howard celebrates the virtues of dozens of less heralded, but no less crucial, wild species—mining bees, leaf-cutting bees, mason bees, cuckoo bees. Like a bee herself, Strawbridge Howard is at once pragmatic and whimsical, flitting lightly between practical advice for crafting a bee-friendly garden and wise digressions about our manipulative relationship with nature. By the end of Dancing with Bees, you’ll wholeheartedly agree that these indispensable creatures should be extolled as ‘our equals, not our minions.’”—Ben Goldfarb, author of Eager“A joy-filled voyage of discovery through the wonderful world of bees.”—Dave Goulson, author of Bee Quest and A Sting in the Tale“Sprinkled with moments of pathos, this exquisite book is the perfect introduction to the often neglected world of wild bees—and the beautiful plants with which they dance an ecosystem into life.”—Hugh Warwick, author of Linescapes and Hedgehog“Brigit Strawbridge Howard is an excellent pollinator of information. Dancing with Bees is a book teeming with love: for bees but also for the natural world as a whole and, by extension, for life itself. Everyone who cares about the future of our planet should read it.”—Tom Cox, author of 21st-Century Yokel“Dancing with Bees is an antidote to the reality of modern life that’s spent nose down in our smartphones while the wondrous stuff—nature—goes on all around us. Brigit Strawbridge Howard chronicles her own journey of reconnecting with the natural world with heartfelt eloquence. Her descriptions of the creatures, plants, and landscapes that populate her journey are made with the unabashed joy of someone for whom a veil has been lifted, revealing a world to be cherished but also in great need of our protection.”—Matthew Wilson, garden designer; author; panelist, BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time“We are handed a lens—light, bright, beautiful things come into focus. Brigit’s flare for observation and description, passion for knowledge, and ease with communication involve us in adventuring through the looking glass to explore with her the intimate life of wild bees. Gently, this timely book reminds us that nature is in trouble and that we must all join the dance.”—Sue Clifford and Angela King, founding directors, Common Ground“Dancing with Bees is a brilliantly described journey of discovery of bees, trees, people, and places, imbued with a childlike wonderment. Learn about cuckoo bees, carder bees, bees that are not bees, the commonplace and the rare. It is never too late to reconnect with nature and rewild oneself.”—Steven Falk, author of Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland“Well written and researched, beautifully illustrated, and packed with natural history detail, Dancing with Bees is a book to start you off on a journey that could well become an obsession. Even if you are well versed in the ways of bees, you will still want to wrap yourself in the warmth of this charming book. Brigit Strawbridge Howard gently shows you all the things you may have been missing; you are about to enter a macro-world of wonder and delight. I absolutely loved this book. If, due to infirmity perhaps, I am ever unable to walk in the countryside, I can now go dancing with bees whenever I choose.”—Dr. George McGavin, president, Dorset Wildlife Trust; honorary research associate, Oxford University Museum of Natural History“Brigit Strawbridge Howard leads us on a wistful pilgrimage of awakening into the world of bees who are among the most fascinating, charismatic, and important of insects. Written in an easy, accessible style without shying away from solid facts and beguiling detail, and beautifully illustrated by renowned Devon naturalist John Walters, Strawbridge Howard’s book is the result of hundreds of hours of watching, listening, and learning in her garden and the wider countryside, wondering what the future might bring and how human excesses may be curbed.”—Stuart Roberts, entomologistTable of ContentsPreface: Realisations Introduction: The Honey Trap 1. Spring on the Wing 2. A Nest of One's Own 3. What's in a Name? 4. The Boys Are Back in Town 5. Bees Behaving Badly 6. The Upside-Down Bird 7. The Cabin by the Stream 8. Cuckoo, Cuckoo 9. On Swarms and Stings 10. To Bee, or Not to Bee 11. Seeking the Great Yellow Bumblebee, Part 1 12. Seeking the Great Yellow Bumblebee, Part 2 13. On Bovey Heathfield 14. In Praise of Trees 15. Sedgehill, a Natural History 16. Cotton Weavers 17. Time for Tea 18. Evergreen 19. Amongst the Snowdrops Epilogue. Reflections Acknowledgements List of Illustrations Selected Bibliography Index

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Book Synopsis“An exacting look at gentrification” (New York Times Book Review)—and the lives devastated in the process The term gentrification has become a buzzword to describe the changes in urban neighborhoods across the country, but we don’t realize just how threatening it is. It means more than the arrival of trendy shops, much-maligned hipsters, and expensive lattes. The very future of American cities as vibrant, equitable spaces hangs in the balance.  A vigorous exposé revealing who holds power in our cities, How to Kill a City uncovers the massive systemic forces behind gentrification in New Orleans, Detroit, San Francisco, and New York. Now with a new preface reflecting on the present-day political landscape surrounding the housing crisis, How to Kill a City is essential reading for anyone who cares about the fate of our cities and our nation. 

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Book SynopsisAn introduction to the geology of Egypt and its influence on ancient Egyptian cultureWhile much is known about Egypt’s towering pyramids, mighty obelisks, and extraordinary works of art, less is known about the role played by Egypt’s geological history in the formation of pharaonic culture’s artistic and architectural legacy. The fertile soils that lined the Nile Valley meant that the people of Egypt were able to live well off the land. Yet what allowed ancient Egypt to stand apart from other early civilizations was its access to the vast range of natural resources that lay beyond the Nile floodplain.In this engagingly written book, Colin Reader invites readers to explore the influence of geology and landscape on the development of the cultures of ancient Egypt. After describing today’s Egyptian landscape and introducing key elements of the ancient Egyptian worldview, he provides a basic geological toolkit to address issues such as geological time and major earth-forming processes. The developments that gave the geology of Egypt its distinct character are explored, including the uplifting of mountains along the Red Sea coast, the evolution of the Nile river, and the formation of the vast desert areas beyond the Nile Valley. As the story unfolds, elements of Egypt’s archaeology are introduced, together with discussions of mining and quarrying, construction in stone, and the ways in which the country’s rich geological heritage allowed the culture of ancient Egypt to evolve. Ideal for non-specialists and specialists alike, and supported with over one hundred illustrations, A Gift of Geology takes the reader on a fascinating journey into Egypt’s geological landscape and its relationship to the marvels of pharaonic culture.Trade Review"Fascinating . . . hugely ambitious . . . .This is a book that should be on every Egyptologist’s bookshelf."—Ancient Egypt Magazine"[A] travel-sized masterclass. . . . The breadth of this volume makes it perfect for anyone wanting to ground their knowledge of ancient Egypt into a geographic reality, and it should be essential reading for undergraduates in the field."—Egyptian Archeology "A fascinating overview of the Egyptian landscape and the long geological processes that gave rise to one of the world's most unique civilizations."—The Explorers Journal“[A] congenial . . . easy read. . . . a delight.”—Litro Magazine"An authoritative, valuable, accessible introduction to Egypt's geology and its influence on understanding ancient Pharaonic Egyptian culture. Highly recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals. General readers."—CHOICE"Colin Reader is an established authority in Egyptology, and one of only a handful to have specialist knowledge of both geology and ancient Egypt, expertise now distilled into this very readable volume."—Chris Naunton, author of Egyptologists' Notebooks“Colin Reader’s guide to all things geological in Egypt is the perfect handbook for the interested lay reader. Colin takes us from the vast swaths of geological time, across the full range of Egyptian landscapes, to the archaeological context for the building of the pyramids and the quarrying of the unfinished obelisk. His illustrated book is a comprehensive geological companion and, with its suggested further reading, a starting point for deeper investigation.”—Judith Bunbury, University of Cambridge"In this book, Colin Reader skillfully combines his long-standing and scholarly interest in Egyptology with his professional career as a geologist. The result is an accessible, engaging, and up-to-date account of Egypt’s natural landscape and how it came to support the ancient Egyptians’ civilization. This work also successfully demonstrates how events taking place over millions of years are connected to the modern, built environment with which we are familiar today. In this way, A Gift of Geology takes the reader on a deeper exploration of ancient Egypt, encouraging us to think not only in dynasties and periods, but also in eras and eons."—Glenn Godenho, University of LiverpoolTable of ContentsList of FiguresIntroductionChapter 1 The Egyptian LandscapeChapter 2 An Introduction to GeologyChapter 3 The Geology of Egypt Part 1- The Pre-CambrianChapter 4 The Geology of Egypt Part 2 – The Palaeozoic and MesozoicChapter 5 The Geology of Egypt Part 3 – The Cenozoic: a land of riversChapter 6 The Evolution of the River NileChapter 7 The Eastern DesertChapter 8 The Western Desert Part 1Chapter 9 The Western Desert Part 2Chapter 10 Mining and Quarrying.Chapter 11 Building in Stone in Ancient EgyptChapter 12 The Interaction of Monuments and LandscapeChapter 13 A Gift of GeologyFurther Reading

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Book SynopsisEnvironmental Conflicts and Peacebuilding in Africa covers pressing issues of environmental politics, such as environmental activism and litigation, climate change, conservation, the challenges of coastal communities, flood prevention, and waste management. Oil subsidy removal, rule of law, and the roles of media and religion are also closely considered.This collection of essays also covers domestic security issues, such as policing, ethno-religious conflicts, local conflicts between farmers and herdsmen, and strategies of conflict resolution affecting the environment. Other issues under discussion include peacebuilding, urban machine politics, the place of children and youth in nation building, and the intersection of politics and psychology in self-determination struggles. Of vital importance to any student of modern Africa, these chapters offer a solid and detailed compendium of readings to contextualize key international relations subjects in the real world. The compendium is also a fitting tribute to the life’s work of one of the brightest scholarly minds Africa has produced.

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisA powerful argument that our current path toward progress, based on continual economic expansion and inefficient use of resources, runs contrary to three foundational scientific laws. In this compelling, cogently argued, and acclaimed book, Tom Wessels demonstrates how our current path toward progress, based on continual economic expansion and inefficient use of resources, runs contrary to three foundational scientific laws that govern all complex natural systems. It is a myth, he contends, that progress depends on a growing economy. Wessels explains his theory with his three laws of sustainability: the law of limits to growth; the second law of thermodynamics, which exposes the dangers of increased energy consumption; and the law of self-organization, which results in the marvelous diversity of such highly evolved systems as the human body and complex ecosystems. Wessels argues that these laws, scientifically proven to sustain life in its myriad forms, have been cast aside since the eighteenth century, first by Western economists, political pragmatists, and governments attracted by the idea of unlimited growth, and more recently by a global economy dominated by large corporations, in which consolidation and oversimplification have created large-scale inefficiencies in both material and energy usage. Wessels makes scientific theory readily accessible by offering examples of how the laws of sustainability function in the complex systems we can observe in the natural world around us. Demonstrating that all environmental problems have their source in a disregard for the laws of sustainability, he concludes with an impassioned argument for cultural change. This new edition has a new preface wherein the author regards The Myth of Progress as his most important work. It has been in constant demand since it was first published in 2006. Trade Review“Wessels is a tried-and-true master of nature writing. . . . [He] argues deftly that due to the limits of material resources, the finitude of time itself and the laws which govern the states in which energy can be captured, transferred or lost, we simply cannot expect to progress for no other reason than progress itself. We must have a moral underpinning that grounds and informs our interactions, both economic and interpersonal, within the world we inhabit.” * Monadnock Ledger-Transcript *“This is an impassioned, critical, and bold book. Wessels is guided by his overwhelming sense that the laws of sustainability demand respect, understanding, and interpretation, and unless we educate ourselves about their full complexity and truth, we will do irreparable damage to the landscapes we love.” * Northern Woodlands *Table of ContentsPreface to the Revised EditionAcknowledgmentsPrologueIntroduction1.The Myth of Control: Complex versus Linear Systems2.The Myth of Growth: Limits and Sustainability3.The Myth of Energy: The Second Law of Thermodynamics4.The Myth of the Free Market: The Loss of Diversity, Democracy, and Economic Resiliency5.The Myth of Progress: A Need for Cultural ChangeEpilogue: From Consumption to ConnectionGlossary of Scientific TermsIndex

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