Natural disasters Books

Book SynopsisThis book must not be ignored. It really is our final warning.Mark Lynas delivers a vital account of the future of our earth, and our civilisation, if current rates of global warming persist. And it's only looking worse.We are living in a climate emergency. But how much worse could it get? Will civilisation collapse? Are we already past the point of no return? What kind of future can our children expect? Rigorously cataloguing the very latest climate science, Mark Lynas explores the course we have set for Earth over the next century and beyond. Degree by terrifying degree, he charts the likely consequences of global heating and the ensuing climate catastrophe. At one degree the world we are already living in vast wildfires scorch California and Australia, while monster hurricanes devastate coastal cities. At two degrees the Arctic ice cap melts away, and coral reefs disappear from the tropics. At three, the world begins to run out of food, threatening millions with starvation. At fouTrade Review‘Mark Lynas…has time-travelled into our terrifying collective future…Go with him on this breathtaking, beautifully told journey…I promise that you will come back…determined to alter the course of history.’ Naomi Klein, author of This Changes Everything ‘Scientists predict that global temperatures will rise by between one and six degrees over the course of this century and Mark Lynas paints a chilling, degree-by-degree picture of the devastation likely to ensue unless we act now … a rousing and vivid plea to choose a different future' Daily Mail 'Buy this book for everyone you know: if it makes them join the fight to stop the seemingly inexorable six degrees of warming and mass death, it might just save their lives' New Statesman 'An apocalyptic primer of what to expect as the world heats up…it's sobering stuff and shaming too. Despite its sound scientific background, the book resembles one of those vivid medieval paintings depicting sinners getting their just desserts' Financial Times 'The saga of how, in the world as imagined by thousands of computer-modelling studies, global warming kicks in degree by degree. Six Degrees, I tell you now, is terrifying' Sunday Times ‘Those looking for more clarity would do well to read Our Final Warning by Mark Lynas, a campaigner controversial among his fellow environmentalists for supporting nuclear power and GM crops. This book is the clearest account I have come across of what climate change will look like, depending on what we do about it.’ The Times 'A chilling read’ Socialist Review

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Book Synopsis‘A book about one apocalypse – much less five – could have been a daunting read, were it not for the wit, lyricism, and clarity that Peter Brannen brings to every page.’ Ed Yong, author of I Contain Multitudes Apocalypse, now? Death by fire, ice, poison gas, suffocation, asteroid. At five moments through history life on Earth was dragged to the very edge of extinction. Now, armed with revolutionary technology, scientists are uncovering clues about what caused these catastrophes. Deep-diving into past worlds of dragonflies the size of seagulls and fishes with guillotines for mouths, they explore how – against all the odds – life survived and what these ominous chapters can tell us about our future.Trade Review'His evocative prose brings the “incomprehensible eternities” of ancient history vividly alive…A remarkable journey into the deep past that has much to teach us about the future of our planet.' * Guardian *‘Gripping… Brannen excels at evoking lost worlds.’ * The New Yorker *‘Fascinating.’ * The Economist *‘A book about one apocalypse – much less five – could have been a daunting read, were it not for the wit, lyricism, and clarity that Peter Brannen brings to every page. He is a storyteller at the height of his powers, and he has found a story worth telling.’ -- Ed Yong, author of I Contain Multitudes‘An exciting detective story venturing into the extraordinary worlds of our Earth’s past to discover what caused them to end. Brannen describes unimaginable floods, planet-scale catastrophes and incredible creatures that were once common. A cautionary tale for the future of our human age.’ -- Gaia Vince, author of Adventures in the Anthropocene‘[Brannen] is a companionable guide, as good at breathing life into the fossilized prose of scientific papers as he is at conjuring the Ordovician reign of the nautiloids.’ * New York Times Book Review *‘Urgent, compelling and beautifully written, Peter Brannen brings immense geological timescales sharply into focus, forcing us to reflect on humanity’s brief but potent impact on the planet through the lens of deep time. Whether through fascination with the ancient past or grim fear for our future, The Ends of the Worlds is essential reading.’ -- Kat Arney, science writer and broadcaster‘If readers have time for only one book on the subject, this wonderfully written, well-balanced, and intricately researched (though not too dense) selection is the one to choose.’ * Library Journal, starred review *‘A vivid, fascinating story about all the past and future lives of our planet. Peter Brannen has the knack of opening up new worlds under our feet.’ -- Michael Pye, author of The Edge of the World‘History repeats itself, the first time as a tragedy, the second as farce. Human history, that is. But the history of life on planet Earth only ever repeats as tragedy, as Peter Brannen explains in this powerful and unsettling book. The Ends of the World recounts the breath-taking stories of the five mass extinctions that have punctuated and diverted the course of evolution. Its vertiginous sense of the awful fragility of living things will never leave you, not least because humanity may now be writing the ultimate end of Brannen’s riveting tale.’ -- Stephen Curry, professor of structural biology, Imperial College‘Want to know the future? Look to the past, the deep past. That’s one of the many insights you’ll glean from reading Brannen’s entertaining, engaging, elegant book.’ -- David Biello, author of The Unnatural World‘Fascinating.’ * Geographical Magazine *‘Much-needed as a cautionary lesson and a hopeful demonstration of how life on Earth keeps rebounding from destruction.’ * Booklist *'A simultaneously enlightening and cautionary tale of the deep history of our planet and the possible future, when conscious life may become extinct…. Entertaining and informative on the geological record and the researchers who study it. [Brannen] provides a useful addition to the popular literature on climate change.' * Kirkus Reviews *‘Robert Frost only gave us two options to end the world: fire or ice. Peter Brannen informs us in this fun rollick through deep history that there are so many more interesting ways to go.’ -- Paul Greenberg, author of Four Fish

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Book SynopsisForbes Best Graphic Novel list of 2022 United States, 1937. In the middle of the Great Depression, 22-year-old photographer John Clark is brought in by the Farm Security Administration to document the calamitous conditions of the Dust Bowl in the central and southern states, in order to bring the farmers’ plight to the public eye. When he starts working through his shooting script, however, he finds his subjects to be unreceptive. What good are a couple of photos against relentless and deadly dust storms? The more he shoots, the more John discovers the awful extent of their struggles, coming to question his own role and responsibilities in this tragedy sweeping through the center of the country. A moving and unforgettable tale, inspired by real-life stories of courage and perseverance against all odds.

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Book SynopsisKatie has been writing non-fiction children's books for almost half her life and loves questioning the world from a child's point of view. She's developed some of Usborne's bestselling series, including the See Inside books and Lift-the-flap Questions & Answers. When she's not writing, she likes drinking coffee, walking on the moors and playing competitive board games with her children.Table of Contents1 What's the weather like today?2 Where does weather come from?3 World climates4 Water and clouds5 Sun and air6 Wild winds7 Icy extremes8 Changing climates

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Book SynopsisThe Katrina disaster was not a weather event of summer 2005. It was a disaster a century in the making, a product of lessons learned from previous floods, corporate and government decision making, and the political economy of the United States at large. New Orleans’s history is America’s history, and Katrina represents America’s possible future.Trade ReviewThe main thrust of Horowitz’s account is to make us understand Katrina—the civic calamity, not the storm itself—as a consequence of decades of bad decisions by humans, not an unanticipated caprice of nature…He leaves readers with a strong sense that it’s only a matter of time before there is a similar disaster in New Orleans, and that, in whatever lull there is between now and then, things aren’t great. -- Nicholas Lemann * New Yorker *Brilliant…If you want to read only one book to better understand why people in positions of power in government and industry do so little to address climate change, even with wildfires burning and ice caps melting and extinctions becoming a daily occurrence, this is the one… Horowitz shows—patiently and damningly—how the decisions made by Louisiana’s political and business elite systematically rendered the region vulnerable to disaster. -- Scott W. Stern * Los Angeles Review of Books *Easily the best book on the subject since Douglas Brinkley’s 2006 The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast…The fact that Katrina’s impact fell disproportionately on poor Louisianans raises a host of issues that Horowitz addresses better than any previous narrative history of the catastrophe. -- Steve Donoghue * Christian Science Monitor *Horowitz does a masterful job of describing the public and private engineering projects that made possible real estate construction, oil exploration, and other forms of economic expansion in New Orleans during the twentieth century, building fortunes for a few while putting thousands in the path of the next big storm… Disasters have the power to reveal who we are, what we value, what we’re willing—and unwilling—to protect. -- Eric Klinenberg * New York Review of Books *Horowitz is engrossed by the stark imbalance that pandering to the powerful industries of shipping and oil and gas has produced between ‘private profits and public liabilities.’ His story is a feisty blend of urban environmental history and history of political economy, of land subsidence (drained land sinks) and subsidized loans that create a false sense of impermeability…From start to finish, Horowitz’s necessary book is passionately political. -- Peter Coates * Times Literary Supplement *This masterful history opens nearly a century before the storm and examines how so many people came to live in such a vulnerable place. * The Economist *Horowitz chronicles an endless hustle in which governments and wealthy developers seize landscapes and mold them without regard to long-term consequences, and in which white people and moneyed interests have fixed advantages…A sadly predictable, distinctly American story. -- John McQuaid * Washington Monthly *Politicians and corporations, among others, have made poor communities of color vulnerable to climate disasters. As Katrina: A History demonstrates, political and economic choices traded the present and future lives of Louisiana’s poor (and especially poor Black) people for unevenly distributed short-term gain…Attentive to history, Horowitz has harsh words for climate utopians who look for technological solutions to the city’s problems. -- Elias Rodriques * Bookforum *Calling upon a century of history to tell the story of what many Americans limit to a span of days or weeks, Horowitz’s Katrina is a devastating and important text for understanding the deep-seated inequality, infrastructure failure, and government carelessness that led to one of America’s worst disasters…Reading Horowitz in the age of COVID-19, as the powerful determine who and what are expendable, feels especially instructive. -- Andru Okun * Los Angeles Review of Books *The definitive portrait of the ‘causes and consequences’ of Hurricane Katrina. Horowitz brilliantly explores the disastrous links between warming temperatures, systemic racism, government mismanagement, and corporate greed. Few books better capture the monumental threat that climate change poses to America’s cities. * Publishers Weekly *For those who are interested in getting through this current disaster by reading about other disasters…The whole idea is that Katrina was not just a tragic singular event that happened in 2005, but the result of centuries of terrible—often intentional—political and business decisions that had been made over the course of the hundred years prior…A super lively and engaging writer. * The Strategist *[A] sweeping overview of the historic, social and economic factors that played into the disaster and its aftermath. * The Times-Picayune *A vivid and persuasive chronicle of the ‘causes and consequences’ of Hurricane Katrina…Horowitz argues that a combination of environmental challenges, structural racism, and governmental misjudgment resulted in a massive loss of life…Even readers who have never visited the Crescent City will be moved by this incisive account. * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *Incisive…Horowitz argues persuasively that the destruction incurred by Hurricane Katrina was not merely a meteorological event, but part of a long process of political, environmental, economic, and cultural decisions…An eye-opening environmental history. * Kirkus Reviews *Horowitz’s lucid, detailed, and balanced account of the long, crooked paths that led up to Katrina reinforces one of history’s most important lessons. * Daily Beast *Horowitz disrupts the narrative of disaster as exception…[Tells] the story of Katrina as a cycle of profit-driven and government-sanctioned growth and dispossession. -- Maia Silber * Public Books *Horowitz relentlessly pursues how the history of New Orleans, Louisiana, and the United States produced Katrina over the course of a century…Horowitz’s argument…has the potential to make a radical contribution to the history of technology…The writing is masterful, at times transcendent. -- Cornelis Disco * Technology and Culture *This thoroughly researched and clearly written book exposes the relationship between inequality and urban geography, offering a chilling glimpse of future disasters in the making. * Climate and Capitalism *Among the best histories of modern New Orleans. It is, moreover, a towering intervention in modern urban environmental and political history that shows not only how human actions shape disasters, but also how urban history is inseparable from metropolitan, regional, and national histories. Finally, it offers a warning that in an age of climate change and rising sea levels, no one may assume that future crises will visit themselves only on the disadvantaged in urban America. -- J. Mark Souther * The Metropole *Not only a definitive analysis of the storm as it affected New Orleans but also a peerless example of how historians should understand disasters—regardless of specialization—and why those events might matter even to scholars normally unconcerned with such seemingly extraordinary phenomena…As Horowitz goes on to illustrate in gripping detail, the wreckage of Hurricane Katrina is inextricable from decades of slow-moving, unexceptional events that are as much the province of social or political history as environmental history. -- Adam Mandelman * Environmental History *Horowitz is a gifted storyteller…This book is the best published history of Katrina. It is a major contribution to urban history, environmental history, and disaster studies, with relevance far beyond southern Louisiana. -- Josiah Rector * Journal of Southern History *Katrina: A History is a beautiful book about a long, ugly chapter in our nation’s history. Horowitz brilliantly demonstrates that the storm carried with it a century of poor decisions that both preceded and followed the disaster. Corporate greed, misguided policymaking, environmental blindness, corrupt politics, crippling racism, and class inequality: all these human failings were as significant as the broken levees and hurricane-force winds. This is not just a compelling history; it is a distressing warning about our future. -- Lizabeth Cohen, author of Saving America’s Cities: Ed Logue and the Struggle to Renew Urban America in the Suburban AgeThis is by far the most important treatment of Hurricane Katrina—an extraordinarily valuable work of scholarship. Andy Horowitz offers a fresh perspective that serves both as a corrective and also an entirely different way of understanding one of the most critical chapters in the nation’s environmental and political history. -- Ari Kelman, author of A River and Its City: The Nature of Landscape in New OrleansIn 2005, in the eyes of many, the history of New Orleans and lower Louisiana shrank to a single moment of natural disaster. Andy Horowitz’s Katrina recovers the all-too-human policies, limited perspectives, and sheer greed that created the conditions for the events of 2005 over the course of the previous century—conditions that prevented an equitable recovery process, and continue to obscure the ways in which ‘Katrina’ was not just about one unfortunate group of people, but also heralds our collective future. This book is an important reinterpretation of the history of New Orleans, the history of disaster, and the history of our nation. -- Leslie M. Harris, author of In the Shadow of Slavery: African Americans in New York City, 1626–1863This book sees not only the forest and the trees but the blades of grass between the trees. Horowitz properly places the disaster of Hurricane Katrina in the much larger context of regional history, national and local policy decisions, and societal mores which all added up to having tragic if—mostly—unintended consequences, while not losing sight of intimate details and the personal stories of those who experienced the storm and rebuilt the city. Well-written and at times gripping, this is the most important book about Katrina so far. -- John M. Barry, author of Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed AmericaAlthough it is difficult to imagine a fresh take, Andy Horowitz has provided one…Horowitz has made a superb contribution to the field. His long view of the conditions that created New Orleans’s particular vulnerability fundamentally shifts the paradigm for understanding both the impact of and recovery from the storm, and his extraordinary prose will make the reader stop and read twice just for the fun of it. -- Christopher Manning * Louisiana History *Meant to be read, and ought to be read, by anyone who wishes to be an engaged citizen in our current moment of climate change, racial reckoning, and vast economic inequality. -- Aaron Sachs * California History *Katrina is a masterful work that is multi-disciplinary in its approach to a very complex city situated in a hazardous environment…[and] a model for the evaluation of exposure and vulnerability in other cities and communities that experience geophysical events (such as earthquakes and tornadoes). It makes a strong case that ‘disasters’ are not natural. -- Gerald Mills * Society *

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Book Synopsis'A remarkable and deeply moving book' Henry Marsh, bestselling author of Do No Harm'A breathtaking, extraordinary work of non-fiction' Times Literary SupplementOn 11 March 2011, a massive earthquake sent a 120-foot-high tsunami smashing into the coast of north-east Japan. It was Japan's greatest single loss of life since the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.Richard Lloyd Parry, an award-winning foreign correspondent, lived through the earthquake in Tokyo, and spent six years reporting from the epicentre. Learning about the lives of those affected through their own personal accounts, he paints a rich picture of the impact the tsunami had on day to day Japanese life.Heart-breaking and hopeful, this intimate account of a tragedy unveils the unique nuances of Japanese culture, the tsunami's impact on Japan's stunning and majestic landscape and the psychology of its people.Ghosts of the Tsunami is an award-winning classic of literary non-fiction. It tells the moving, evocative story of how a nation faced an unimaginable catastrophe and rebuilt to look towards the future.**WINNER OF THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE**Trade ReviewThe definitive book on the quake which killed more than 15,000 people and led to the Fukushima nuclear disaster. * Mail Online *Every time I think of it, I’m filled with wonderment... This book is a future classic of disaster journalism, up there with John Hersey’s Hiroshima. -- Rachel Cooke * Observer *Mr Lloyd Parry offers a voice to the grieving who, too often, found it hard to be heard. It is a thoughtful lesson to all societies whose first reaction in the face of adversity is to shut down inquiry and cover up the facts. You will not read a finer work of narrative non-fiction this year. * Economist *A stunning book from the man who has a strong claim to be the most compelling non-fiction writer in the world. -- Johann HariA book of absolute, harrowing truth and beauty. I'd give up four of my novels to have written this book. -- Jim Crace * Guardian *A breathtaking, extraordinary work… Parry writes with great fluency and timing, like a novelist alternating cadences and withholding information from the reader so as to create moments of tension and surprise. And there is something of the folklorist in the way he discusses the tradition of ghost stories in places such as Tohoku and Sendai. -- Gavin Jacobson * Times Literary Supplement *Compassionate and piercing... giving it the character of a finely conceived crime fiction or a psychological drama… Tragic, engrossing. -- Eri Hotta * Guardian *Parry, a journalist and long-time Tokyo resident, is able to draw something meaningful, even lovely, from the well of misery… Overall, the strength of the book lies in its stories, its observations and its language… The language is daring throughout. -- David Pilling * Financial Times *Ghosts of the Tsunami is alert to the social and political ramifications and transfixed by the spectral quality of the post-disaster landscape… These twin streams – one universal, the other intensely particular – come together in the mystery that is at this book’s core… Some of his most fascinating chapters take in the disaster’s psychological aftermath… It is full of stories of human endeavor, of individual and collective triumph over well-nigh insuperable odds… As well as being full of ghosts, Lloyd Parry’s A-grade reportage is also full of metaphors. -- D. J. Taylor * The Times *A remarkable and deeply moving book – describing in plain and perfect prose the almost unimaginable devastation and tragedy of the Japanese tsunami. -- Henry MarshGhosts of the Tsunami is enthralling and deeply moving, fully conveying and involving the reader in the sheer horror and tragedy of all that happened yet with such beauty, honesty and sincerity. Richard Lloyd Parry has returned the trust and done justice to the victims and their families a hundredfold. -- David PeaceWhen Lloyd Parry wrote Ghosts of the Tsunami, he was seeking “the gift of imagination… the paradoxical capacity to feel tragedy on the surface of the skin, in all its cruelty and dread, but also to understand it… with calm and penetration”. It is to his great credit that, once he attained this gift, he so generously shared it with us here. -- Yo Zushi * New Statesman *Ghosts of the Tsunami is a deeply moving and powerfully intimate work about the enduring strength of community and family in the face of unimaginable destruction and loss. This is a haunting, beautiful, and unforgettable book. -- Héctor Tobar, author of DEEP DOWN DARKA well-researched, polyphonic narrative of what happened on the day 133-ft waves swept in — and how the story continued long after the news cameras left… Lloyd Parry offers a rare glimpse into the history and culture of a region where entire villages were wiped out… By gaining the trust of those on the ground, the author has created an unrivalled account of how Tohoku grieved, and is still grieving. -- Emily Finch * Prospect *The character sketches are colourful; the chapters end on cliffhangers. Lloyd Parry’s prose is fast-flowing, occasionally stopped short by a blunt sentence… His treatment evokes John Hersey’s Hiroshima, published a year after the dropping of the bomb… He has done a fine job of fashioning a focused story, and some powerful arguments, from the tsunami’s wreckage. But his book gives vivid expression to what should be obvious: there is nothing neat or aesthetic about a natural disaster like this. -- Alex Dudok de Wit * Daily Telegraph *Extraordinary… Lloyd Parry writes movingly about the emotional chasm that now separates the parents who saved their children and those who assumed the authorities knew best… God isn’t very popular in the West these days, so it’s striking to read a book written in civilized, elegant prose that doesn’t rip apart Buddhist priests and Christian pastors at the first mention. -- John Sweeney * Literary Review *Ghosts of the Tsunami is a brilliant chronicle of one of the modern world's worst disasters, but it's also a necessary act of witness. The stories Parry tells are wrenching, and he refuses to mitigate the enormity of the tsunami with false optimism or saccharine feel-good anecdotes. Above all, it's a beautiful meditation on grief. * NPR *Parry studs the story with gems of language and detail... The result is a spellbinding book that is well worth contemplating in an era marked by climate change and natural disaster. -- Kathleen Rooney * Chicago Tribune *Parry spoke to the parents and friends of the children and staff involved, and his relating of first-hand accounts of the tragedy is almost unbearable to read at times… Not an easy read, but a rewarding one all the same. -- Doug Johnstone * Big Issue *The human cost of the deadly Japanese tsunami is examined in this powerful and absorbing work that exposes the emotional trauma the mountain of water left in its wake… Parry, who has worked in Japan for years, documents with great closeness and insight the impact of such staggering loss on people living in a society not noted for its emotionality. -- David Wilcock * Belfast Telegraph Morning *His central narrative swirls around the black hole formed in those 45 critical minutes between quake and tsunami. He knows that its awful gravity may pull some readers in, and push others away. -- Stephen Phelan * Herald Scotland *Natural disaster is given a jarringly human constitution in Ghosts Of The Tsunami… This is "literary non-fiction", full of gilded language and sensations as Parry recounts the scene he was met with when he travelled up the coast of Japan to where the giant waves had hit. A transcendental reading experience. -- Hilary A White * Irish Independent *Ghosts of the Tsunami deals mainly with the aftermath of the tragedy – days, weeks and months in which parents continued doggedly looking in the mud for their children, knowing full well that there was no chance of finding them alive. Their testimonies are unbearably moving. -- Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday *This is a haunting account of Okawa’s loss and it is almost unbearably sad. Parry rarely speaks of his own reactions but he is the most compassionate of writers, allowing the voices of those he encounters to be heard… Exceptional. * Lady *Powerful and absorbing. * i *A sobering and compelling narrative of calamity. * Kirkus *This is a piercing look at the communities ravaged by the tsunami -- Eri Hotta * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisFROM THE MASTER STORYTELLER WHOSE BOOKS HAVE TOUCHED THE HEARTS OF OVER 40 MILLION READERS''Mitch Albom sees the magical in the ordinary'' Cecilia Ahern__________Chika Jeune came into Mitch Albom''s life by chance. Growing up in the aftermath of the devastating 2010 Haiti Earthquake, at three years old she tragically lost her mother and was brought to the orphanage run by Mitch and his wife, Janine. Chika made a quick impression. Brave and self-assured, she delighted those around her. But everything changed when Chika was diagnosed with a terminal disease that no doctor in Haiti could treat. This discovery sparked a two-year, around-the-world journey in search of a cure. As Chika''s boundless optimism and humour taught Mitch the joys of caring for a child, he learned that a relationship built on love can never be lost.__________WHAT READERS ARE SAYING ABOUT FINDING CHIKA''A powerful, emotional story'Trade ReviewUplifting . . . Although Finding Chika makes for heart-wrenching reading, it is also a tale of resilience and decency - and the memorable cheerfulness of a dying child * Independent *Heartrending . . . A touching rumination on the magic of children, the extraordinary lengths parents will go for them and the unlikely family that came together across continents * Mail Online *Mitch Albom breaks hearts with his story * Mirror *A heartbreaking story of love, grief and what it really means to be a family * Daily Express *A beautiful, heart-breaking, heart-warming read * My Weekly *

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Book SynopsisCurrowan is a portrait of tragedy, survival and the power of community. Bronwyn tells her story and those of many others - what they saw, thought and felt as they battled the most ferocious fire Australia has ever seen.

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Book Synopsis''The future of all life on this earth depends on our willingness to take action now'' David AttenboroughThe official companion to the ground-breaking Netflix original series.With a foreword by Sir David Attenborough, breathtakingly beautiful still photography, specially commissioned maps and graphics, and compelling text expanding on the remarkable TV stories and giving the reader a depth of information that is impossible on screen, this companion book presents a whole new view of the place we call home.Featuring some of the world''s rarest creatures and previously unseen parts of the Earth from deep oceans to remote forests to ice caps, Our Planet takes nature-lovers deep into the science of our natural world.Revealing the most amazing sights on Earth in unprecedented ways, alongside stories of the ways humans are affecting the world''s ecosystems, from the wildebeest migrations in Africa to thTrade ReviewAstonishing book...full of beautiful photographs * Radio Times *Featuring some of the world's rarest creatures and previously unseen parts of the Earth - Our Planet travels deep into the science of our natural world. Revealing the most amazing sights, alongside stories of the way humans are affecting the world's ecosystems - this book is part of a vital global conversation about protecting and preserving the planet. * Compass Magazine *A treat on your coffee table and a fine companion to any binge watch of the series * Wanderlust *Breathtaking photographs * Radio Times *Revealing the most amazing sights on Earth, alongside stories of the way humans are affecting the world's ecosystems, this book places itself at the forefront of a global conversation as we work together to protect and preserve the planet. * Catholic Times *

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Book SynopsisBuilding resilience,the ability to bounce back more quickly and effectively,is an urgent social and economic issue. Our interconnected world is susceptible to sudden and dramatic shocks and stresses: a cyber-attack, a new strain of virus, a structural failure, a violent storm, a civil disturbance, an economic blow. Through an astonishing range of stories, Judith Rodin shows how people, organizations, businesses, communities, and cities have developed resilience in the face of otherwise catastrophic challenges: Medellin, Colombia, was once the drug and murder capital of South America. Now it's host to international conferences and an emerging vacation destination. Tulsa, Oklahoma, cracked the code of rapid urban development in a floodplain. Airbnb, Toyota, Ikea, Coca-Cola, and other companies have realized the value of reducing vulnerabilities and potential threats to customers, employees, and their bottom line. In the Mau Forest of Kenya, bottom-up solutions are critical for dealing with climate change, environmental degradation, and displacement of locals. Following Superstorm Sandy, the Rockaway Surf Club in New York played a vital role in distributing emergency supplies. As we grow more adept at managing disruption and more skilled at resilience-building, Rodin reveals how we are able to create and take advantage of new economic and social opportunities that offer us the capacity to recover after catastrophes and grow strong in times of relative calm.Trade Review"You have to read only one book: The Resilience Dividend by Judith Rodin...The book provides a tour de force of why and how resilience matters in different countries, industries and settings...Rodin's book will prove to be essential reading to leaders across sectors that are addressing the complexity of challenges facing humanity...The Resilience Dividend should be compulsory reading in the social investment community." --Alliance Magazine "An inspiring book about preparing for major disruptions...Using an astonishing array of real-life situations, Rodin illustrates how individuals, organizations, businesses and communities can develop resilience after suffering catastrophic challenges."--The Missourian "An inspiring and optimistic look at what humankind can do to respond to what appear insurmountable challenges"--Library Journal "Rockefeller Foundation president Rodin writes in an expert and straightforward manner about the character trait of resilience, addressed here in socioeconomic terms and on nothing less than a global scale... While every author may hope to end a book with an indelible sentence, Rodin proves herself one of the select few who can pull this off." --Publishers Weekly "Humanity has long celebrated those able to avoid, overcome or bounce back from adversity. And, in an increasingly interdependent and volatile world, resilience has never been more valuable--or seemed in shorter supply. Indeed, as we strive to make progress in our communities, organizations and families, we must seek to understand and build resilience. With her new book, The Resilience Dividend, Judith Rodin provides valuable insights into the growing importance and transformative potential of resilience. Highly recommended for all those seeking to create lasting positive change in the world."-- Muhtar Kent, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Coca-Cola Company "The Resilience Dividend delivers powerful proof that building resilience helps individuals, communities and cities better recover from disasters and disruptions. Judith Rodin details connections between human, environmental and economic systems, and offers a strategy to proactively address the threats they face. This very important book will help tackle complex challenges today and well into the future."--Mark R. Tercek, President and CEO, The Nature Conservancy and author of Nature's Fortune: How Business and Nature Thrive by Investing in Nature "This book makes a compelling case, drawing on stories from countries and communities across the world, that resilience is not just a defense mechanism but a positive gain or dividend, with added value in economic and social terms. The message is timely, given the increasingly disruptive force of climate change and the need to encourage communities to respond positively. It is also a highly readable account because it relies on actual human experience."--Mary Robinson, President Mary Robinson Foundation-Climate Justice, UN Special Envoy on Climate Change "From climate change, to economic adjustment, to the breakdown in political governance,the scale and complexity of threats and challenges in today's interconnected world are immense. This timely and insightful book by Judith Rodin, president of The Rockefeller Foundation, reminds us that we urgently need to build greater resilience to enable individuals, businesses, and communities to prepare for both systemic disruptions and new opportunities in the world order."--Kofi A. Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations (1997--2006) and chairman of the Kofi Annan Foundation "In a world where disruption is a fact of life and uncertainty is guaranteed, Judith Rodin draws on years of experience to offer an inspiring look at how we can prepare for the unexpected-and by doing so makes our communities stronger, more prosperous and more connected in the process."-- President Bill Clinton "Judith Rodin's groundbreaking work at the Rockefeller Foundation is helping cities adapt to a changing climate--and a changing world. In her new book, The Resilience Dividend, she lays out a powerful case for why governments and companies should prepare for-and not just react to--disruptions to business as usual."--Michael R. Bloomberg, Founder of Bloomberg LP & Bloomberg Philanthropies, and 108th Mayor of New York City "She is a good story teller, and her stories from the United States and around the world form the heart of the book... Crisis planners will find useful material in 'The Resilience Dividend,' not just a "template for thinking" about crisis management but also, as Ms. Rodin puts it, the 'methods for putting that thinking into practice.' The rest of us will take heart that, in a world of disruption, there are ways to cope with crisis and even, perhaps, grow stronger as a result."--Wall Street Journal "A revealing examination of the anatomy of resilience...[Rodin] clearly shows what went right and what went wrong and what can be learned from past experiences. A convincing argument that becoming resilient is not only possible, but essential; food for thought for all and especially recommended for community leaders." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Rodin...takes an insightful look at what is known as the resilience dividend, opportunities that come out of disasters and make for progress whether or not another occurs." --Booklist "Her book's central argument offers resilience as a reason to adopt policies that allow for mass-scale preparation in the face of certain but unknowable future disasters. And though the book discusses resilience primarily in context of disasters such as devastating storms, Rodin's concept also sees dividends when applied to crises that stem from social stratification and unrest." --The Atlantic's CityLab "Judith Rodin is a world-class entrepreneurial philanthropist. In The Resilience Dividend, she brings her life's work to bear on the subject, drawing on her deep and personal experiences from around the world. She uses every tool available (including the world's most advanced technologies) to understand the urban terrain and to deploy real-world solutions. All with the goal of saving and improving human lives." --Dr. Alex Karp, cofounder and CEO, Palantir "Dr. Rodin's extraordinary leadership has helped introduce the world to the concept of resilience--the critical strategy for breaking the endless cycle of emergency response and relief for millions of people. From supporting our nation's recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy to helping megacities in Asia protect their most vulnerable citizens, Dr. Rodin has made resilience a global priority at home and abroad. Rigorously analytical and powerfully argued, Dr. Rodin's book challenges us to work smarter and more collaboratively to predict disasters before they strike and enable citizens to build stronger communities and thriving economies."--Dr. Rajiv Shah, administrator of USAID "Ms. Rodin, currently president of the Rockefeller Foundation in New York, is especially suited to analyze these disruptive threats and to propose recommendations to upgrade resiliency to redress them... 'The Resilience Dividend' is a must-read for all those concerned about proactively building a tough and rebounding capacity, 'without waiting for disaster to push us into it." --Washington Times "A fresh take on the many ways that organizations can recover and grow from unexpected setbacks... It's intriguing that the author of The Resilience Dividend is the head of a leading philanthropy. In the early 1990s, Peter Drucker made a strong argument that neither government nor the private sector could build the sense of community needed to meet the challenges of what he labeled the Knowledge Society. He thought the 'social sector' was our last, best hope for that. Judith Rodin's thoughtful, organic approach to enhancing the resilience of social groups suggests that Drucker's faith in NGOs might not have been misplaced."--Strategy + Business "Rodin writes in an easy style. Drawing on a number of inspiring stories...she shows how resilience can be achieved through 'readiness, responsiveness and revitalization.' Upbeat and optimistic, this is not a book for cynics. Rodin marshals a strong case that the resilience dividend is 'real and achievable,' and if followed it can make a difference in the lives of millions of people the next time disaster strikes." --Maclean's "Positive, pragmatic, and powerful, Judith Rodin's The Resilience Dividend is precisely the innovative thinking we need. By focusing on the ways individuals, businesses, and communities can build a foundation for resilience, Rodin gives us a blueprint for a future where we are stronger, more adaptable, and better equipped to meet the world's greatest challenges."-- Arianna Huffington, president and editor-in-chief, The Huffington Post Media Group "Embracing and driving change is key to adapting to our customers' needs and is a big part of what enables us to deliver great service. Every company must adapt and change in order to grow and succeed. The Resilience Dividend makes a powerful case for doing business differently in a dynamic and disruptive world." --Tony Hsieh, NY Times best-selling author of Delivering Happiness and CEO of Zappos.com, Inc.

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Book SynopsisGalveston, Texas, 8 September 1900. It’s another fine day in the Gulf according to Isaac Cline, chief observer of the new US Weather Bureau, but one day later, 6-10,000 people were dead, wiped out by the biggest storm the coast of America had ever witnessed.Trade ReviewGripping, informative and imaginative’New Statesman ‘Roof slates became spinning blades… a timely and chillingly detailed reminder of what nature can do.’Mail on Sunday ‘Mixing individual narratives of the townsfolk and a history of the Weather Bureau with terrific descriptions the evolving storm, Larson cooks up an awesome tale.‘Daily Telegraph ‘Dickensian… A scholarly and factual book that reads like fiction.’Independent

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Book SynopsisJust after half past nine on the morning of Sunday 1 November 1755, the end of the world came to the city of Lisbon. On a day that had begun with blue skies and gentle warmth, Portugal's proud capital was struck by a massive earthquake. After a brief, two-minute tremor came six minutes of horror as Lisbon swayed 'like corn in the wind before the avalanches of descending masonry hid the ruins under a cloud of dust'. A third tremor shook most of the buildings still standing to the ground, causing catastrophic loss of life. Lisbon had been struck by a seismic disturbance estimated at 8.7 on the Richter scale - more powerful than the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. An hour later, riverine Lisbon and the Algarve coast were engulfed by a series of tsunamis. In areas of the city unaffected by the waves, fires raged for six days, completing the destruction of Europe's fourth-largest city. By the time it was all over, 60,000 souls had perished and 85% of Lisbon's buildings, plus an unimaginable wealth of cultural treasures, had been destroyed by quake, fire or water. The earthquake had a searing impact on the European psyche. Theologians and philosophers were baffled by this awesome manifestation of the anger of God. How could the presence of such suffering in the world be reconciled with the existence of a beneficent deity? For Portugal itself, despite an ambitious programme of reconstruction (which gave birth to the modern science of seismology), the quake ushered in a period of decline, in which her seaborne supremacy was eclipsed by the inexorable rise of the British Empire. Drawing on primary sources, Edward Paice paints a vivid picture of a city and society changed for ever by a day of terror. He describes in thrilling detail the quake itself and its immediate aftermath, but he is interested just as much in its political, economic and cultural consequences. Wrath of God is a gripping account from a master writer of a natural disaster that had a transformative impact on European society.Trade Review'Paice paints a spirited picture of pre-earthquake Lisbon… making good use of primary sources, he imagines the terror through the eyes of various witnesses' TLS. * TLS *'Admirably clear, wide-ranging and restrained' Daily Telegraph. * Daily Telegraph *'Well-grounded in the history and culture of its chosen period and admirably at ease within its Portuguese context, Wrath of God is an equally expert essay in the kind of nail-biting narrative which makes such events memorable' Literary Review. * Literary Review *'Edward Paice is a remarkably good guide to this world of turmoil and upheaval, navigating neatly between description and explanation. His eye for detail is strong - his description of the Lisbon of the early 18th century is a treat' Spectator. * Spectator *'Paice's achievement is…a valuable contribution to 18th century history' BBC History Magazine. * BBC History Magazine *Table of ContentsList of illustrations. Map. Acknowledgements. Introduction: Earthquake? What Earthquake? Part One - A Gilt-Edged Empire: Quem nunca viu Lisboa nao viu coisa boa (He who has not seen Lisbon has seen nothing); At the Court of King John; Terra Incognita; The Gathering Storm. Part Two - An Axis of Elements: All Saints' Day; A City Laid in Ruins; Shockwaves; Fire and Water; Teletsunami; The Second Aftershock; The First Night; Horroroso Deserto; Laws and Disorder; News Spreads; Aid and Anxiety; The Toll; Rain, Ruination and Revolution; Fasting and Philosophy. Part Three - Aftermath: Executions; The End of Optimism, the Birth of a Science; Slow Progress, Slump and a Reign of Terror; The End of Pombol; Memories and Memorials. Notes. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisNow in its second edition, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Disaster Management has been completely updated to take account of new developments in the field. Using a hands-on approach grounded in relevant GIS and disaster management theory and practice, this textbook continues the tradition of the benchmark first edition, providing coverage of GIS fundamentals applied to disaster management. Real-life case studies demonstrate GIS concepts and their applicability to the full disaster management cycle. The learning-by-example approach helps readers see how GIS for disaster management operates at local, state, national, and international scales through government, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and volunteer groups.New in the second edition: a chapter on allied technologies that includes remote sensing, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), indoor navigation, and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS); thirteen new technTrade Review"I enjoyed the book immensely. The book provides a comprehensive discussion of using geospatial data sets, tools and techniques to address different phases of emergency management along with examples and implementation steps. The book can easily be used in the classroom or as a reference book by both novice professionals and experts." Bandana Kar, R & D Staff in the National Security Sciences Directorate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory "We need spatial information more than ever to help plan for, respond to, and recover from disasters. This book does an outstanding job of laying the foundations and providing the contextual knowledge needed to leverage geospatial data and make maps that matter in crisis situations." Anthony C. Robinson, Department of Geography, Penn State University "Disasters--human and natural--make it painfully clear how relevant the geographic perspective is to our modern world. Dr Tomaszewski's book not only will equip its readers with theoretical foundations and practical skills to apply GIS workflows and tools to such diverse situations as wildfires, floods, and chemical spills, but will make strides in building a workforce that puts "spatial first" in its decision-making." Joseph Kerski, GISP, Esri and University of Denver Table of Contents1. A Survey of GIS for Disaster Management 2. Fundamentals of Geographic Information and Maps 3. Geographic Information Systems 4. Geographic Information Systems and Allied Technologies 5. Disaster Management and Geographic Information Systems 6. Geographic Information Systems and Disaster Planning and Preparedness 7. Geographic Information Systems and Disaster Response 8. Geographic Information Systems and Disaster Recovery 9. Geographic Information Systems and Disaster Mitigation 10. Special Topics, Future Technology, Professional Career Options and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Trends

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Book SynopsisThis book examines the growing role and importance of 'Protection Gap Entities' (PGEs). The authors use practical examples from different countries to explain how PGEs step in to maintain disaster insurance and how their work can, but does not always, improve financial and physical resilience to disaster.Trade ReviewAs the rising frequency, severity and variety of catastrophic loss events challenge the efficacy - and perhaps even the relevance - of the traditional insurance model, the authors identify and analyze a diverse set of promising but ad hoc collaborative programs for managing catastrophe risks. From this survey emerges a practical framework through which governments, the private sector, and impacted communities may constructively engage to develop holistic and sustainable solutions to some of today's most difficult-to-insure risks. * Jason Schupp, Founder & Managing Member, Center for Better Insurance *How can individuals, cities and societies insure against increasingly extreme disasters? Protection Gap Entities, as organizational innovations created between market and state, are an answer. This important and superbly clear book shows how PGEs aim to correct insurance market disequilibrium and to re-imagine insurability in a riskier world. Based on immersion in PGEs across the globe, the authors demonstrate the varied operational challenges they face as they try to save insurance from its own paradoxes. But this is much more than a book about insurance; its subject matter is urgent and existential. For this reason, it should be read widely by social scientists and policymakers * Michael Power, Professor of Accounting, London School of Economics and Political Science *Who pays for our increasing global disasters? This brilliantly researched book highlights how this complex problem depends on a fine-tuned balancing of paradoxical tensions. Anyone that wants to make more transparent the hidden realities of disaster responses, financial markets and the paradoxical tensions that inform them must read this book * Wendy Smith. Dana J. Johnson Professor of Management, University of Delaware *This timely book is essential reading for anybody with a stake in insurability at a time of intensifying natural disasters: from risk specialists to those interested in building resilient systems in the face of climate change, such as governments, development and humanitarian organizations. The way the authors discuss Protection Gap Entities (PGEs) via interlinked paradoxes is illuminating. Readers will learn to appreciate the fine balance on which insurance is built, encompassing questions of knowledge, responsibility, and market structure. I would use the authors' conceptual framework not only to discuss specialist topics around disaster insurability, but also to teach insurance fundamentals to diverse audiences, from technical experts to policymakers. * Andreas Tsanakas, Professor of Risk Management, City, University of London *Many have observed the limitations of private insurance when it comes to financial protection from disasters. When people face disasters without insurance, harm and heartache multiplies. With this book, we finally have the tools to understand why those limitations exist and the critical role played by Protection Gap Entities (PGEs) when those limitations cannot be overcome by the private sector alone. This book is essential reading; not only for what it teaches us about the complex landscape of insurance today, but also for the ways it pushes us to think creatively about how to build more sustainable and humane forms of social protection in the future. A timely, stimulating, major contribution. * Rebecca Elliott, London School of Economics and Political Science *The frequency and intensity of weather extremes is increasing due to climate change. Most affected regions are well advised to establish new and strengthen already existing disaster risk pooling arrangements. The book provides strong evidence for the effectiveness of Protection Gap Entities (PGEs) in helping close the disaster loss gap, not least as they comprehensively convene risk owners and often incentivise prevention and preparedness. A must read for decision makers aiming to strengthen disaster resilience in a comprehensive and sustainable fashion * David N. Bresch, Professor for Weather and Climate Risks, ETH Zurich / MeteoSwiss *This book is essential and riveting reading for policymakers and risk professionals interested in how we build financial and physical resilience to disasters. It provides a ground-breaking exposition of the vital role public-private partnerships (Protection Gap Entities - PGEs) play in covering insurance protection gaps. It provides an insightful tour of developed and developing insurance markets confronting disasters from earthquake, flood, cyclone, and drought to terrorism. Based on an unprecedented multi-stakeholder dataset from 17 PGEs providing disaster insurance in 49 countries, Paula and her co-authors explain why PGEs are established, how they evolve, and imagine what future role they can play in enabling insurability in the face of escalating risk. * Julian Enoizi, Global Head of Public Sector Practice, Guy Carpenter *In face of extreme weather, terrorist attacks, seismological disasters, financial collapse, and other calamities, how can we do disaster insurance well? This timely and deeply researched book, based on hundreds of interviews and hours of fieldwork across multiple countries, provides essential learning lessons for academics and practitioners alike. An outstanding contribution to unveiling the complexities of the disaster insurance system, it also illuminates crucially how cross-sector collaborations can be leveraged to bring about economic stability and greater equity. * Nina Bandelj, Chancellor's Professor, University of California, Irvine *This book reimagines disaster insurance at times where the world is facing compounding crises that can further widen the protection gap. As the climate and disaster risk finance and insurance landscape is quickly evolving, especially in emerging markets and developing economies, this book provides the reader with the right tools to understand how protection gap entities can help governments, firms and households access disaster insurance solutions and reduce the protection gap. * Olivier Mahul, Global Lead and Program Manager, Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance Program, World Bank *Disaster Insurance Reimagined: Protection in a Time of Increasing Risk is a must-read book for all catastrophe insurance professionals and all others interested in the role insurance can play in dealing with the growing loss from both the rise in exposure and climate change. Clever and easy to read, this work provides framework, sets the issues at stake and makes explicit the underlying philosophy by which catastrophe insurance is provided in very different jurisdictions. * Francisco Espejo Gil, Consorcio de Compensacion de Seguros *Table of Contents1: Protection Gap Entities: Saving insurance from itself? 2: Paradoxes of origination: Between too little and too much knowledge 3: Shouldering the burden: Who controls the market and has responsibility for protection? 4: Problem solved? Between static remits and evolving environments 5: Limiting loss: Between financial and physical resilience 6: Reimagining disaster insurance: Towards a new equilibrium Appendix A: The disaster risk transfer process Appendix B: Methodology Glossary

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Book SynopsisDuring the last century humanity acquired the ability to destroy itself. The direct approach to destruction can be seen in such facts as the ever-present threat of nuclear war, but we have also developed the capacity to do indirect harm by altering conditions necessary for survival, including the looming cloud of climate change. How can we look forward and work past the dire position we now find ourselves in to achieve a sustainable future? This volume presents a new way of thinking about the future as it examines catastrophe and the human response. It examines different kinds of catastrophes that range from natural (e.g., earthquakes) to industrial (e.g., Chernobyl) and concludes that the traditional distinctions between them are only becoming blurrier by the day. This book aims to build a general theory of catastrophes—a new form of apocalyptic thinking that is grounded in science and philosophy. An ethics for the sake of the future is what is required, which in turn necessitates a new metaphysics of temporality. If a way out of the imminent danger in which we find ourselves is to be found, we must first look to radically alter our ethics.

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Book SynopsisPandemic, climate change, or war: our era is ripe with the odor of doomsday. In movies, books, and more, our imaginations run wild with visions of dreadful, abandoned cities and returning to the land in a desperate attempt at survival.In The Next Apocalypse, archaeologist Chris Begley argues that we completely misunderstand how disaster works. Examining past collapses of civilizations, such as the Maya and Rome, he argues that these breakdowns are actually less about cataclysmic destruction than they are about long processes of change. In short: it's what happens after the initial uproar that matters. Some people abandon their homes and neighbors; others band together to start anew. As we anticipate our own fate, Begley tells us that it was communities, not lone heroes, who survived past apocalypses-and who will survive the next.Fusing archaeology, survivalism, and social criticism, The Next Apocalypse is an essential read for anxious times.

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Book Synopsis* Natural disasters regularly reach a high degree of prominence in the media, but we rarely see the political aspects of the ways that disasters are managed and dealt with. * This book offers a comprehensive survey of the political history of disaster management, from World War I onwards.Trade Review"An enjoyable, easily accessible read." Global Journal "This fluent, critical and accessible book provides a wealth of detail and insight into the political and social pressures that shape discourse, international organization and policy for disaster management. A strongly recommended text for students of humanitarianism, disaster risk management, and international development policy, and a wake-up call for practitioners." Mark Pelling, King’s College London "This volume highlights the interplay of normative, political, and institutional factors steering how we conceptualize and respond to disasters. As such it provides readers with an understanding of how actors at different levels actually make sense of disasters, a perspective that is rarely explored in the current literature." Ian Christoplos, Danish Institute for International Studies "...comprehensive and applicable to any border region. The book is easy to read..." D. Rick Van Schoik, North American Research Partnership "An important read for researchers and advanced students interested in the politics of international emergency management and disaster assistance." ChoiceTable of ContentsAcknowledgments vi Glossary of Abbreviations and Acronyms viii Text Boxes x Introduction 1 1 The Disaster Politics Nexus 6 2 The Global Policy Field of Natural Disasters 18 3 The Kindness of Strangers 42 4 A Safer World? 59 5 Climate of Concern 78 6 Disaster Politics as Game Playing 97 7 Mass Media and the Politics of Disaster 115 8 Disaster Politics: A Discursive Approach 130 9 Conclusion 146 Notes 159 References 167 Index 188

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Book SynopsisIn the tradition of The Perfect Storm and Into Thin Air, Rachel Slade's Into the Raging Sea is a nail-biting account of the sinking of the container ship El Faro, the crew of thirty-three who perished onboard, and the destructive forces of globalisation that put the ship in harm's way.On October 1, 2015, Hurricane Joaquin barreled into the Bermuda Triangle and swallowed the container ship El Faro whole, resulting in one of the worst shipping disasters in decades. No one could fathom how a vessel equipped with satellite communications, a sophisticated navigation system, and cutting-edge weather forecasting could suddenly vanish until now.Relying on hundreds of exclusive interviews with family members and maritime experts, as well as the words of the crew members themselves whose conversations were captured by the ship's data recorder journalist Rachel Slade unravels the mystery of the sinking of El Faro. As she recounts the final twenty-four hours onboard, Slade vividly depicts the oTrade Review‘An extraordinary piece of reporting. Slade has accomplished what very few authors ever attempt: to explain the loss of a ship with no survivors. I tore through it like a novel but with the inside knowledge of how insulated the shipping industry is, how well it protects secrets and of the countless nets it deploys to entangle journalists. Slade pushes through the waves, heavy seas, and military court imbroglio in the same way El Faro faced hurricane Joaquin – dead on at Full Speed Ahead’ John Konrad, author of Fire on the Horizon: The Untold Story Of Deepwater Horizon Disaster “The one account I’ve read that solves the riddle of El Faro convincingly and thoroughly. Rachel Slade mashes up The Perfect Storm with a suspenseful, page-turning thriller, cutting through the corporate double-speak to shine a light on how it was that thirty-three men and women sailed into Hurricane Joaquin. Superbly written, this deserves a place on the bookshelf of modern maritime classics. Even those who have followed El Faro closely will find major surprises here’ Robert Frump, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of Until the Sea Shall Free Them: Life, Death, and Survival in the Merchant Marine

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Book SynopsisSuitable for moms who know that the well-being of their brood relies on them, this book provides the information you need to know about food storage, water and sanitation, fuel and energy, medical preparedness, communication protocols and more. It allows us to see that being proactive in the face of uncertainty isn't paranoid.Trade Review"In this impressively comprehensive manual, suburban mom Bedford helps readers learn about, prepare for, and respond to all manner of disasters...Bedford's matter-of-fact yet supportive tone will keep the willies at bay." -- Publishers Weekly "Given the recent prevalence of floods, tornadoes, and power outages, this book comes at a good time. Bedford... discusses how to handle emergencies, from purifying water and storing food to making lists of financial records and establishing a safe room. [R]eaders... would do well to prepare." -- Library Journal "Lisa Bedford's Survival Mom is a much needed resource of practical preparedness and survival knowledge that anybody (even 'Survival Dads') will find an indispensable addition to their self-reliance library!" -- Ed Corcoran, Editor, Survivalist Magazine "Lisa Bedford has given every family an upbeat and useful step-by-step guide to getting through these alarming times. Hurrah for Survival Mom." -- Lew Rockwell, editor, lewrockwell.com "This 'stockpiled guide' to self-sufficiency emergency preparedness is a wealth of information for both the novice and seasoned 'survival mom'!" -- Roxanne L. Griswold, Co-Owner, Ready Made Resources/Founder, Ready Made Woman Blog + No Candidate "Well-referenced, with fresh insights, Survival Mom is funny and well-written." -- Don Aslett, author of Is There Life After Housework? "Lisa Bedford's book, like her blog, is full of up-to-date, useful information from reputable sources. Survival Mom is a good read, and has a place in any prepper/survivalist library." -- Leon Pantenburg, author of survivalcommonsense.com "Lisa Bedford explains preparedness not just as a long term goal for the future, but as an everyday lifestyle for today. This manual is a great read for anyone concerned about their own well-being and security, and that of their loved ones." -- Paul M. Munsen, President, Sun Ovens International "Lisa Bedford has written an outstanding book! Survival Mom is chock full of valuable tips and perspectives that had never crossed my mind, showing me how valuable the female perspective is when it comes to prepping and survival! This book is a keeper!" -- Matthew Stein, author of When Disaster Strikes: A Comprehensive Guide to Emergency Planning and Crisis Survival "After you become a mom, your head often swims with 'what-ifs.' But you can ease your mind with a little preparation, says Lisa Bedford, blogger and author of Survival Mom : How to Prepare Your Family for Everyday Disasters and Worst-Case Scenarios." -- USA Weekend

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A fascinating look at the men and women who devote their lives to this service." -- Esquire.com "You think your job's hard? Jason Ramos and his colleagues parachute into the wilderness in order to save nature from going up in flames. He takes readers into the world of smokejumping, which has become more important as drought in America becomes more widespread." -- MensJournal.com (a 7 Best Books of the Month selection) "Jason Ramos's Smokejumper is a rousing personal adventure story, a nutshell history of the great wildland fires, and insider's brief for making smokejumpers more relevant on today's fire line." -- John N. Maclean, author of Fire on the Mountain "Jason Ramos weaves personal experiences, smokejumper history, fire science, and fire operations into a fascinating book. It is a must read for all firefighters as well as any American who lives or recreates in or near wildfire prone areas." -- Larry Lufkin, son of Francis Lufkin, Smokejumper NCSB '40, '46, '48-'50, MSO '42-44 "Nothing can ever measure up to the sound of engines roaring as you step out into the cold air, into harm's way--to the smell of smoke and the endless beauty of the western mountains of America. Jason Ramos brings all that alive in this book." -- Bill Furman, CEO, Greenbrier Companies, Inc., Smokejumper NCSB '62-'67 A Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association bestseller -- - "[A] touching and fast-paced memoir... written with precision and perspective, sometimes with a touch of poetry. ... A fun and valuable read for anyone seeking to learn more about those who are willing to risk their lives to battle such deadly infernos." -- Washington Post "Compelling. ... A fast-paced, eye-opening read." -- Minneapolis Star Tribune "Interwoven with his exciting adventures on fires throughout the west, Jason educates the reader about the art of firefighting, the smokejumper culture, and the human tragedies associated with his 26-year firefighting career." -- Bill Moody, NCSB Jumper & Base Manager (retired) 1957-89, currently seasonal Air Tactical Group Supervisor and Aerial Fire Suppression Consultant "Jason Ramos tells of nature at its most savage, of 2,000-degree heat and hurricane-force drafts, of heroic, sometimes lethal efforts to save the lives of people less prepared. Here you'll meet the people who fly between Heaven and Hell. And jump." -- Wayne van Zwoll, PhD, former Special Projects Editor, Intermedia Outdoors "Fast-paced. ... Ramos is an expert guide through a fearful world. ... His passion is unmistakable." -- USA Today "Ramos chronicles the history of the elite group of airborne firefighters who attack blazes in some of the West's most remote and rugged country. ... Ramos' narrative will surely spark hearty debate." -- High Country News

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Book SynopsisFriday Night Lights meets Unbroken. —Tony Reali One of the most profound stories you will ever read. —Ian O''Connor Plaschke delivers a masterpiece. —Jeff PearlmanFrom L.A. Times columnist and ESPN Around the Horn panelist Bill Plaschke, a story of tragedy, triumph, and the remarkable power of high school football in one small California townOn November 8, 2018, the Camp Fire ravaged the town of Paradise, California. The fire, which burned up to 80 acres per minute, killed 86 people, and nearly every building and home in the town was reduced to ashes. In a single day, Paradise, a proud working-class town in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, saw its population fall from 25,000 to 2,000.The Paradise High football team had long been the town’s source of joy and inspiration. But in the wake of the fire, their season was abruptly cancelled on the eve

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Book SynopsisForesters, ecologists, land managers, geographers, and environmental scientists are interested in the behaviour and ecological effects of fires. This book focuses on the chemistry and physics of fire as it relates to the ways in which fire behaves and the impacts it has on ecosystem function.Trade Review"...a rich summary of our current knowledge of several important aspects of forest fire science, from fuel dynamics to coupled atmosphere-fire modelling. ...The book's strength is as a state-of-the-art review of research on pyrolysis, flames, lightening, fuel-moisture dynamics, smoke, combustion chemistry, and more. ...My fire science students and colleagues use Forest Fires as a reference." --Daniel Nepstad, Woods Hole Research Center, in NATURE (January 2002) "...a primary strength of this book is that you can find a larger number of state-of-the-art fire behavior and combustion topics covered in a single source. ...the book is an unmitigated success...a very strong book that will benefit most scientists interested in fire, including ecologists. ...Overall, I compliment the editors and authors for a job well done." --Marc D. Abrams, Pennsylvania State University, School of Forest Resources, in ECOLOGY (November 2001) "This book is authoritative, well written and abundantly referenced. ...a valuable resource on all the topics covered and is likely to remain so for many years. ...It is a book that researchers in fire ecology should be aware of and have access to." --John Ogden in ANNALS OF BOTANY (2001)Table of ContentsContributors Preface Acknowledgments 1 Strengthening Fire Ecology's Roots I. Introduction II. Processes III. Transfer Rates and Budgets IV. Examples of Traditional vs. Proposed Approach References 2 Flames I. Introduction II. Basic Aspects of Combustion in Forest Fires III. Temperature, Velocity, Species Concentration, and Flame Height IV Premixed and Diffusion Flames V. Extinction of Diffusion Flames VI. Diffusion Flames and Scaling Analysis VII. Spreading Flames VIII. Structure of Flame Base IX. Conclusions Notation References 3 Combustion Chemistry and Smoke I. Introduction II. Fuel Chemistry and Combustion III. Smoke Production IV. Minimizing Smoke Production V. Conclusions References 4 Water Relations of Forest Fuels I. Introduction II. Forest Fuels III. Fuel Moisture Relationships IV. Moisture Content Estimation Notation Additional Reading References 5 Wildland Fire Spread Models I. Introduction II. Head Fire Rate of Spread (Physical Principles and their Mathematical Embodiment) III. Head Fire Rate of Spread: Australia IV. Head Fire Rate of Spread: United States V. Head Fire Rate of Spread: Canada VI. Smoldering VII. Whole Fire Modeling—Fire Shape Notation References 6 Wind-Aided Fire Spread I. Introduction II. Laboratory-Scale Setup III. Fire Spread Model IV. Preliminary Testing of the Model V. Test Results for the Effect of Wind Speed and Fuel Loading on the Rate of Fire Spread VI. Conclusions Notation Recommended Reading References 7 Fire Plumes I. Introduction II. Modeling Fire Temperature Maxima III. Plumes above Fires in a Cross Wind Notation References 8 Coupling Atmospheric and Fire Models I. Introduction II. Vorticity Dynamics in a Fire III. Coupling between Atmosphere and Fire IV. The Elements of Fire Modeling V. Modeling the Atmosphere VI. The Coupled Fire—Atmosphere Modeling Approach VII. Idealized Studies of Wildfire Behavior VIII. Infrared Observations of Fires IX. Conclusions and Future Work Appendix I. Circulation and Vorticity Appendix II. Development of Vertical Rotation in a Frictionless Fluid Appendix III. Generation of Vertical Motion in Rotating Convective Cells Notation References 9 Surface Energy Budget and Fuel Moisture I. Introduction II. Evapotranspiration Processes and the Meteorological Controlling Factors III. Estimation of Potential Evapotranspiration Rates IV. Functional Dependence of PET and AET V. Characteristics of PET VI. Near-Surface Environment VII. Models of Land-Surface Interactions VIII. Remote Sensing of the Surface Energy Budget IX. Fire Weather Rating Systems Notation Suggested Reading List References 10 Climate, Weather, and Area Burned I. Introduction II. Weather and Area Burned—Synoptic Surface Features III. Weather and Area Burned—Upper Air Features IV. Teleconnections V. Future Warming and Area Burned VI. Summary References 11 Lightning and Forest Fires I. Introduction II. Lightning III. Previous Studies of Lightning-Initiated Fire IV. Interaction between Lightning and Fuels V. How Ignition Occurs VI. Ignition Experiments with Real Forest Fuels VII. Generating Models for Operational Use VIII. Smoke, Lightning, and Cloud Microphysics IX. Global Implications of Lightning Ignition Characteristics X. Conclusion References 12 Statistical Inference for Historical Fire Frequency Using the Spatial Mosaic I. Introduction II. Graphical Analysis III. Statistical Inference with Prespecified Change Points IV. The Efficiency of Sample vs. Map Data V. Determining Epochs of Constant Fire Frequency References 13 Duff Consumption I. Introduction II. Characteristics of Duff III. Empirical Studies of Duff Consumption IV. Flaming Combustion V. Smoldering Combustion and Pyrolysis VI. Models of Smoldering Combustion VII. Contribution of Smoldering Combustion Models to Understanding of Duff Consumption Notation References 14 Fire Effects on Trees I. Introduction II. Effects of Fire on the Tree Bole III. Effects of Fire on Canopy Components IV. Root Necrosis V. Tree Mortality VI. Discussion Notation Additional Readings References 15 Forest Fire Management I. Introduction II. The Relationship between Fire and Forest Land Management Objectives III. Assessing Fire Impacts IV. Forest Fire Management Organizations V. Level of Fire Protection Planning VI. Some Challenges Further Reading References Index

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Table of ContentsForeword PART 1: MITIGATION FRAMEWORK Chapter 1 – Introduction Chapter 2 – Mitigation Rules and Regulations Chapter 3 – The Role of Governments in Hazard MitigationChapter 4 – Mitigation in Private Sector PART 2: RISK ASSESSMENTS Chapter 5 – Hazard Identification - Natural Hazards Chapter 6 – Hazard Identification - Man-made HazardsChapter 7 – Vulnerability Assessment and Impact AnalysisChapter 8 – Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) PART 3: MITIGATION STRATEGIES, TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES Chapter 9 – Mitigation Strategies for Natural Hazards Chapter 10 – Mitigation Strategies for Man-made Hazards Chapter 11 – Mitigation Tools Chapter 12 – Mitigation Best Practices and Resources Epilogue – Tying it All Together

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Book SynopsisTable of Contents1. Homeland Security: The Concept, the Organization 2. Historic Overview of the Terrorist Threat 3. Hazards 4. Governmental Homeland Security Structures 5. Intelligence Counterterrorism 6. Border Security, Immigration, and Customs Enforcement 7. Transportation Safety and Security 8. Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Protection 9. All-Hazards Emergency Response and Recovery 10. Mitigation, Prevention, and Preparedness 11. Communications 12. Science and Technology 13. The Future of Homeland Security

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"The goal of risk management is to reduce risk—not to an unrealistic zero, but to an acceptable level. In the absence of critical thinking, fear-based decision making may occur. The seventh edition of Introduction to Emergency Management can help point the way to better risk decisions. Those responsible for emergency management are expected to manage crises quickly and efficiently, from planning to recovery. The COVID-19 pandemic is a good example, illustrating how an unexpected threat changed the way business is done throughout the world. Readers of this book will learn about the emergency management process, the tools to establish and manage crises, and what is and is not realistic. For students, the book includes a staggering amount of introductory information with plenty of detail—enough for various instructors to pick and choose what to focus on when presenting the material. Learning objectives, case studies, critical thinking questions, class exercises, additional references, and points of research enable learning. For the emergency planner, the book details the classic emergency management process of hazard identification via risk assessment and provides information on the mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery stages. For the responder, discussions of the incident command system, communication (including social media), leadership, critical thinking, and partnering with the media will be useful. Contents are laid out in a logical manner, but the reader can also jump to one of the self-contained chapters. While most of the book has an American viewpoint, it does include occasional references to non-U.S. events, as well as a chapter on international disaster management. This book has almost everything a reader could want to know about the emergency management process." --Security ManagementTable of Contents1. The Historical Context of Emergency Management 2. Natural and Technological Hazards and Risk Assessment 3. The Disciplines of Emergency Management: Mitigation 4. The Disciplines of Emergency Management: Preparedness 5. Communications 6. The Disciplines of Emergency Management: Response 7. The Disciplines of Emergency Management: Recovery 8. International Disaster Management 9. Emergency Management and the Terrorist Threat 10. The Future of Emergency Management

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Book SynopsisTable of Contents1. The Management of Disasters 2. Hazards 3. Risk and Vulnerability 4. Mitigation 5. Preparedness 6. Response 7. Recovery 8. Participants: Governmental Disaster Management Agencies 9. Participants: Nongovernmental Organizations, Academia, and the Private Sector 10. Participants: Multilateral Organizations and International Financial Institutions 11. Special Considerations

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