Description
Book SynopsisThe essays collected in World in Motion all address the same issue: The global paradox that modern prosperity has entailed extreme environmental degradation. Gary M. Kroll and Richard H. Robbins present readings covering all principal viewpoints on this matter, from the neoliberal belief that environmental and social problems can be fixed through a growing economy to the critics of globalization who equate growth with environmental degradation. This book asks an important question: Can we simply accelerate growth under the assumption that increased prosperity and new technologies will allow us to reverse environmental damage? Or do we need to transform our modes of living radically to maintain the health of the world around us?
Trade ReviewThis reader belongs in every environmental studies classroom. It is an essential guide to the big issues, a key to understanding how our species has transformed the planet, and why that transformation may end up making the earth uninhabitable. -- Richard Wilk, Indiana University
This anthology will also be quite useful in a global environmental studies or an American environmental studies course seeking to understand and evaluate the impacts of American economic practices and globalization on the rest of the world. The book has a place outside the classroom as well as an effective primer on the number of crises that need to be challenged and some of the strategies for doing so. Specifically, it is definitely accessible to nonacademic readers. * Journal of World History *
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction: Globalization and the Environment: A Primer Chapter 2 Chapter 1: The Ecological Footprint Chapter 3 "Ecological Footprints of Nations, 2005 Update" Part 4 Part 1: Environments Chapter 5 Chapter 2: Energy Chapter 6 "The Anthropology of Oil: The Impact of the Oil Industry on a Fishing Community in the Niger Delta" Chapter 7 Chapter 3: Water Chapter 8 "The Water Thieves" Chapter 9 "South Africa's Driest Season" Chapter 10 Chapter 4: The Earth's Crust Chapter 11 "Behind Gold's Glitter: Torn Lands and Pointed Questions" Chapter 12 Chapter 5: The Seas Around Us Chapter 13 "The Fate of the Ocean" Part 14 Part II: Consuming Culture Chapter 15 Chapter 6: Consuming the Culture of SUVs Chapter 16 "Empire's Ecological Tyreprints" Chapter 17 Chapter 7: Ecotourism Part 18 "The Obvious Aspects of Ecological Underprivilege in Ankarana, Northern Madagascar" Chapter 19 Chapter 8: Technology and the Green Revolutions Chapter 20 "Pepsico for Peace?: the Ecological and Political RIsks of the Biotechnology Revolution" Chapter 21 Chapter 9: Global Trade of Electronic Waste Chapter 22 "Where Computers go to Die - and Kill" Part 23 Part III: Global Warming Chapter 24 Chapter 10: The Atmosphere Chapter 25 "Phaeton's Reins: THe Human Hand in Climate Change" Chapter 26 Chapter 11: The Problem of a Rising Tide Chapter 27 "All the Disappearing Islands" Part 28 Part IV: Politics, Identity, and Justice Chapter 29 Chapter 12: War and Mobilization Chapter 30 "The Environment Consequences of War" Chapter 31 Chapter 13: Globalization from Below in the Nuclear Pacific Chapter 32 "The Movement for Environmental Justice in the Pacific" Chapter 33 Chapter 14: Multinationals, China, and the Environment Chapter 34 "China, the WTO and Implications for the Environment" Chapter 35 Chapter 15: Globalization and the Burden of Critical Theory Chapter 36 "Ecofeminism and Globalization: A Critical Appraisal"
