Environmental policy and protocols Books

Book SynopsisThis book explores the link between climate change and resiliency on each continent of the world. It reviews how climate change affects populations, not only through environmental exposures and health outcomes, but how people live their lives. Zolnikov brings together a set of experts to offer a novel perspective on understanding climate change vulnerability alongside adaption measures being implemented. Each chapter includes an overview on how climate change will affect that continent alongside current adaptation, mitigation, and policies that seek to improve population outcomes. As a whole, the book explores why a “one size fits all” approach to promote climate change resiliency does not work; however, a global perspective can facilitate people learning from one another and facing climate change together. Table of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction to climate change vulnerability, adaptation, and resiliency.- Chapter 2 Africa.- Chapter 3 Antarctica.- Chapter 4 Asia.- Chapter 5 Australia.- Chapter 6 Europe.- Chapter 7 North America.- Chapter 8 South America.- Chapter 9 The world adapting to climate change.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book offers a prospective analysis of the anticipated security consequences of climate change in relation to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Using climate and security literature to complement recent foresight and scenario analysis developed by NATO, the author applies the International Risk Governance Council’s (IRGC) Risk Governance Framework to identify the considerations and actions that could assist NATO in a context where climate and environmental factors more intensively shape security. Tyler Lippert explores how climate change has the potential to increase the need for humanitarian assistance and disaster response, to create tension over shared resources, to renew and enhance geo-political interest in the Arctic, and to deepen concern with respect to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Within this new political and environmental reality, NATO must consider how to adapt to meet new demands, prepare for new security challenges, as well as manage unforeseen consequences. Offering a corrective, this book identifies near-term actions for NATO to improve its risk governance posture, providing a basis upon which longer-range policy considerations can be developed. This analysis is only the opening salvo of what is likely to be a complicated process that spans many years, if not decades. However, in mapping the risk governance dimensions to the security and climate nexus from the perspective of NATO, Lippert provides a foundation for risk-based policy planning for NATO. The book will be of immense value to policy and decision makers: NATO leadership and its affiliated organizations as well as to academics across a broad span of subject areas, particularly environmental sociology, defense and foreign policy, and the political sciences.Table of ContentsTable of ContentsI. AbstractII. Chapter 1: IntroductionA. OverviewB. Research Aims and ObjectivesC. AbbreviationsD. Scope of the AnalysisIII. Chapter 2: Literature ReviewA. IntroductionB. Climate Change and Security ConsequencesC. Critical Aspects of Climate ChangeD. Empirical Models of Climate SecurityE. ConclusionsIV. Chapter 3: Taking Stock of the Situation: NATOA. IntroductionB. NATO’s Big Picture—What Future? C. Historical development and transformation of NATOD. NATO, Climate, and the Environment1. NATO and Middle East/North Africa2. NATO and the Arctic3. Creation of NATO’s Emerging Security Challenges DivisionE. NATO Foresight Efforts: The Future Security Environment1. NATO ACT Strategic Foresight Analysis2. NATO ACT—Framework for Future Alliance Operations3. Instability Situations - (Hazards) a) Access and Use of Global Commons Challengedb) Disruptive Impact of Migrationc) Large-Scale Disaster4. Review and Critique of Instability Situations5. To What Extent do the NATO ACT Instability Situations Represent NATO's Perspective? F. ConclusionsV. Chapter 4: Methodology & ContextA. IntroductionB. Why Risk Governance? NATO and Climate Security RiskC. The IRGC Risk Governance Framework1. Summary of Characteristics: NATO, Climate Security, and Risk Governance2. Previous Application of the IRGC Risk Governance FrameworkD. Risk Governance: Institutions & Context1. The Institutional Structures2. Climate Policies and Plans: NATO Militaries and Defense Ministries3. The Context of NATO Decision Making: Consensus and the Silence Procedure4. NATO in the context of a new environment5. The Potential for ConfoundednessE. ConclusionsVI. Chapter 5: A Risk Governance Case StudyA. IntroductionB. Phase 1: Pre-Assessment1. Risk (or, Problem) Framing2. Early Warning3. Screening4. Scientific Conventions5. NATO’s ability to perform pre-assessmentC. Phase 2: Risk Appraisal1. Risk Assessmenta) Complexityb) Uncertaintyc) Ambiguity2. Concern Assessment3. NATO’s ability to perform Risk AppraisalD. Phase 3: Tolerability and Acceptability Judgment1. Risk Characterization & Evaluation: Climate and Security for NATOa) Risk Characterizationb) Risk Evaluation2. NATO’s ability to perform Tolerability and AcceptabilityE. Phase 4: Risk Management1. NATO’s ability to perform Risk ManagementF. Risk Communication1. NATO’s ability to perform Risk CommunicationG. ConclusionsVII. Chapter 6: Major FindingsA. IntroductionB. Findings: Climate Change and International Security: NATO’s Risk GovernanceC. Recommendations: A Basis for Prospective Risk Management OptionsD. Discussion: Assessment of the IRGC FrameworkE. Closing RemarksVIII. Bibliography

Read more less

Book SynopsisTable of Contents1. Introduction PART I: HEAT ENGINES 2. A Minimum of Thermodynamics and of the Kinetic Theory of Gases 3. Mechanical Heat Engines 4. Ocean Thermal Energy Converters 5. Thermoelectricity 6. Thermionics 7. AMTEC 8. Radio-Noise Generators PART II: THE WORLD OF HYDROGEN 9. Fuel Cells 10. Hydrogen Production 11. Hydrogen Storage PART III: ENERGY FROM THE SUN 12. Solar Radiation 13. Biomass 14. Photovoltaic Converters PART IV: WIND AND WATER 15. Wind Energy 16. Ocean Engines PART V: LAND AND BEYOND 17. Nuclear Energy 18. Storage of Energy

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn account of the Flint water crisis shows that Flint''s struggle for safe and affordable water is part of a broader struggle for democracy.When Flint, Michigan, changed its source of municipal water from Lake Huron to the Flint River, Flint residents were repeatedly assured that the water was of the highest quality. At the switchover ceremony, the mayor and other officials performed a celebratory toast, declaring “Here''s to Flint!” and downing glasses of freshly treated water. But as we now know, the water coming out of residents'' taps harbored a variety of contaminants, including high levels of lead. In Flint Fights Back, Benjamin Pauli examines the water crisis and the political activism that it inspired, arguing that Flint''s struggle for safe and affordable water was part of a broader struggle for democracy. Pauli connects Flint''s water activism with the ongoing movement protesting the state of Michigan''s policy of replacing elected officials in fi

Read more less

Book SynopsisReframes standard accounts of American history based on the simple but radical premise that historical events are shaped by natural circumstances. From the natural philosophy of the founding fathers to environmental forces behind Brown v Board of Education, this book focuses on nature that reveals a perspective on the familiar icons of US history.Trade Review"Fiege has written a book that will undoubtedly leave an imprint on the field of environmental history and beyond. . . . he has added his book to a short list of must-reads in the field of environmental history." -- David Arnold * Pacific Northwest Quarterly *"Fiege makes a powerful case for always asking the question 'How does nature matter?' when thinking about any present or historical issue or social policy." * Tikkun *"This smart and well-written book, one both synthetic and generative, hopefully will, in fact, prompt students, researchers, and the public to further explore the 'paths that circle through the nature of American history . . .'." -- Brett Mitzelle * Southern California Quarterly *"The Republic of Nature is an incredibly ambitious and completely unprecedented book… Fiege's goal is no less than to demonstrate the centrality of the nonhuman world to any understanding of the American past. The intended audience is wide, and this book invites the broadest consideration and debate." -- Linda Nash * Isis 104 *"Mark Fiege re-frames the canonical account of American history based on the simple but radical premise that nothing in the nation's past can be considered apart from the natural circumstances in which it occurred…and points to a different version of history that prompts us to reconnect with fundamental forces that shaped the American experience." -- Tom Williams * Utah Public Radio *"The Republic of Nature dares us to think differently in the way the best history books do—by thoroughly engaging readers in unexpected ways and in challenging our perceptions of the ways the world works." -- Raechel Lutz * Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography *"Readers will be surprised and delighted by how much Fiege accomplishes in each case study. . . . a fine and affordable supplement to U.S. history surveys . . . [and] American environmental history courses." -- Paul W. Hirt * Oregon Historical Quarterly *"Fiege's book is extraordinary: beautifully written, ambitious in its arguments, and impressive in scope and scholarship. . . a compelling and ambitious study of American history that will enrich the classroom and provoke new scholarship." -- James Morton Turner * Journal of American History *"Fiege is a fine storyteller with a powerful sense of historical context, and popular readers will like that this book is environmental history served up in a rich mixture of information they'll find familiar and grounding." * Montana: The Magazine of Western History *"This imaginative and well-researched . . . approach should prompt scholars to continue to reexamine US history through an environmental prism. Recommended." * Choice *"Fiege is a good storyteller; he is knowledgeable; he writes well; and he keeps it simple." -- Robert Pogue Harrison * New York Review of Books *"The Republic of Nature compellingly demonstrates the value of applying environmental perspective to historical events. From this we can learn the value of applying environmental perspectives to the history we are creating today." -- Robert E. Hoopes * Wildlife Activist *"Fiege’s fresh new spin on important historical events of U.S. history places social and political factors on the background to highlight the environmental context. This thought-provoking book tells a different version of American history than the one we are used to, where nature plays a fundamental role in the events that shaped the nation." * Institute for Global Environmental Strategies *"Mark Fiege's book presents a concept that is as revolutionary as it is obvious, writing history as if the natural world mattered. . . . Fiege takes a look at historical events so well-worn they've become platitudes and makes them fresh again . . . by . . . examining them through an environmental lens . . ." -- Christian Martin * Cascadia Weekly *"For readers swayed by Fiege's persuasive pages, American history will never look quite the same again. . . . This is unconventional environmental history just as it is unorthodox American history. . . . It is not a book to whip through in search of useful data . . . but one to savor on Sunday afternoons." -- J. R. McNeill * Science *". . . eminently readable . . . an original contribution . . ." -- Publishers Weekly * January 2012 *"The writing is compelling and will reward general readers as well as environmental historians with a new way of thinking about history." * Minnesota History *"The Republic of Nature is going to improve the teaching of and the study of American history for years to come. Although he did not attempt to craft a complete synthesis, having mastered the synthetic nature of environmental history, Mark Fiege demonstrates that the workings of the biophysical world were essential to the nation’s development." -- Zachary Falck * Journal of Social History *Table of ContentsForeword Environmental History Comes of Age by William Cronon Land of Lincoln 1. Satan in the Land: Nature, the Supernatural, and Disorder in Colonial New England 2. By the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God: Declaring American Independence 3. King Cotton: The Cotton Plant and Southern Slavery 4. Nature’s Nobleman: Abraham Lincoln and the Improvement of America 5. The Nature of Gettysburg: Environmental History and the Civil War 6. Iron Horses: Nature and the Building of the First U.S. Transcontinental Railroad 7. Atomic Sublime: Toward a Natural History of the Bomb 8. The Road to Brown v. Board: An Environmental History of the Color Line 9. It’s a Gas: The United States and the Oil Shock of 1973–1974 Paths That Beckon Acknowledgments Notes References Illustration Credits Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe year 2008 is the deadline set by President Mbeki for the finalization of all land claims by people who were dispossessed under the apartheid and previous white governments.Trade Review“Interested outsiders have often reflected on why South Africa’s complex land reform programme failed to meet the high expectations of the early 1990s. Landmarked provides by far and away the most insightful explanation for this. It is a profound, subtle and nuanced study—and because of that might well irritate those, on both left and right, who prefer to remain in their blinkered comfort zones.” * African Affairs *“(Landmarked) juxtaposes and interrelates the three elements and perspectives: emotive personal memories and indelible images of dispossession; a planner’s account of the mechanisms and frustrations of restitution; and the evaluation of the record.” * African Studies Review *“This is a highly readable and deeply reflective personal assessment.…Landmarked is most certainly not a dry, academic text and this reviewer would recommend this book to anyone who wants to approach the study of land restitution without any prior, detailed knowledge of South Africa’s recent history or the politics and economics of loss and restoration of land.” * Journal of Southern African History *“This well-written text vividly exposes the tragedy that was South African apartheid and so, too, the resilience of its victims. Summing Up: Highly recommended.” * Choice *“An analytically solid but also deeply personal account of the process of land reform since 1994.” * International Journal of African Historical Studies *“Landmarked is a wonderful book because it reflects so well and so strongly all these aspects of her life and work in South Africa. Her practical experience of the problems about which she writes is unrivalled. Her analysis is incisive and extremely well informed. Her writing style is humanely engaged in the best possible sense.”

Read more less

Book SynopsisClimate change is a product of the entire social and economic system within which we exist, in a word, capitalism.Trade ReviewDerek Wall’s book Climate Strike was a pleasure to read because of his lively, accessible style and in-depth discussion of the multi-fold dimensions of climate politics. His erudition shines through, provoking the reader to dig deeper, inspiring her to plunge into action informed by Wall’s analysis. - Science and SocietyTable of ContentsContents: From icy puddles to a burning planet; Hothouse Earth; Another Green World; Green Parties and Climate Change; Trade Unions for Life on Earth; Extinction Rebellion; The Climate Accelerationists; The Unconscious, the Imaginary and the Real; Don't Trust the State; Green Lenin, Green Machiavelli. Glossary, Further Reading, Bibliography, Index.

Read more less

Book SynopsisBringing together a comparative analysis of the accessibility by public transport of 23 cities spanning four continents, this book provides a hands-on introduction to the evolution, rationale and effectiveness of a new generation of accessibility planning tools that have emerged since the mid-2000s. The Spatial Network Analysis for Multimodal Urban Transport Systems (SNAMUTS) tool is used as a practical example to demonstrate how city planners can find answers as they seek to improve public transport accessibility. Uniquely among the new generation of accessibility tools, SNAMUTS has been designed for multi-city comparisons. A range of indicators are employed in each city including: the effectiveness of the public transport network; the relationship between the transport network and land use activity; who gets access within the city; and how resilient the city will be. The cities selected enable a comparison between cities by old worldnew world; public transport modes; governance apTrade Review"The final chapter of the book (Chapter 9) summarizes the overall findings and reflects upon answers to introductory questions such as “What structures and types of urban form can optimize accessibility?” or “How should we invest in public transport infrastructure?” (p. 3) leading to the conclusion that a “one size fits all-appoach” (p. 291) does not provide a realistic accessibility-optimizing perspective. This is also what I consider the top contribution of this book. [T]his book an important and well-needed pioneering contribution for accessibility planners worldwide."Katrin Lättman, Journal of Transport GeographyPublic transit is an essential component of a sustainable future, but how to design a system that meets accessibility needs given finite budgets? Curtis and Scheurer offer help in the form of a sophisticated yet practical tool for analyzing transit accessibility. They demonstrate its use with a fascinating comparison across four continents that yields insightful lessons for planners. Susan Handy, University of California, Davis, USAThis is a unique and comprehensive sourcebook in the field of transport and urban planning. If you want to understand how cities and metropolitan areas around the globe are performing in terms of public transport accessibility, and what opportunities there are to improve it, read this book. Karst Geurs, University of Twente, the NetherlandsTable of Contents1. Introduction: What is accessibility planning and why does it matter? 2. Spatial Network Analysis for Multimodal Urban Transport Systems (SNAMUTS): Understanding the Indicators3. Continuity and change in Australasian cities4. Stagnation and aspiration in North American cities5. More with less? Accessibility and public transport efficiency in European cities6. Eclipsing the car? Public transport designed to out-compete private transport7. Public Transport Dominance in Wealthy Asian Cities8. Polycentric and Multimodal Interfaces in the Dutch Randstad9. Conclusion: Accessibility and best-practice land use-transport integration

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is one of the most critical federal agencies. It's also the most criticized-bar none. Those glory days of battling burning rivers and smog-chocked air are behind us, along with appreciation of the agency that made it all possible. Over the past couple of decades, an overall war on science and environmental protections has been steadily gaining ground. The Trump administration is the latest (and most serious) threat.Trade ReviewIf you care about the health of American families and the future of your children, then read this book. It will make you stand up, shout out and take action to defend science and EPA at a time when we are losing the battle against life-threatening pollution. -- Gina McCarthy, former U.S. EPA Administrator (2013-2017)Accessible yet detailed, science-based yet politically-savvy, factual yet gripping, The War on the EPA assembles the government agency's history, the toxic tragedies that prompted its creation, the people who made it work, and, sadly, the people who try to undermine and dismantle this protector of our air, land, and water. It presents a vital account beneath profit and material prosperity. What use are they if our skin breaks out in rashes, our water brings cancer, and our children are born malformed with lower IQs? This book is a timely resource to remedy our situation, more valuable now than ever. -- Joshua Spodek, PhD MBA, host of the Leadership and the Environment podcast and author of "Initiative"

Read more less