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Leave It As It Is: A Journey Through Theodore Roosevelt's American Wilderness
by David GessnerBestselling author David Gessner&’s wilderness road trip inspired by America&’s greatest conservationist, Theodore Roosevelt, is &“a rallying cry in the age of climate change&” (Robert Redford).&“Leave it as it is,&” Theodore Roosevelt announced while viewing the Grand Canyon for the first time. &“The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it.&” Roosevelt&’s pronouncement signaled the beginning of an environmental fight that still wages today. To reconnect with the American wilderness and with the president who courageously protected it, acclaimed nature writer and New York Times bestselling author David Gessner embarks on a great American road trip guided by Roosevelt&’s crusading environmental legacy. Gessner travels to the Dakota badlands where Roosevelt awakened as a naturalist; to Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon where Roosevelt escaped during the grind of his reelection tour; and finally, to Bears Ears, Utah, a monument proposed by Native Tribes that is currently embroiled in a national conservation fight. Along the way, Gessner questions and reimagines Roosevelt&’s vision for today&’s lands. &“Insightful, observant, and wry,&” (BookPage) Leave It As It Is offers an arresting history of Roosevelt&’s pioneering conservationism, a powerful call to arms, and a profound meditation on our environmental future.
Leave a Message in the Sand: Poems about Giraffes, Bongos, and Other Creatures with Hooves
by Bibi Dumon TakWhat would a boar text to a pig, a camel post on a dating site, or a goat shout from the mountaintops? In this unforgettable poetry collection, even-toed ungulates take the spotlight. Ever asked a giraffe about the clouds, read an okapi&’s letter to the editor, or debated which gnu would win the race across the Serengeti? Playful poems and whimsical illustrations feature hoofed creatures from all around the world, from Siberian musk deer to African dik-diks to South American vicuñas. Weaving together humor, scientific detail, and a poignant concern for conservation, Leave a Message in the Sand introduces readers to wild creatures with even wilder things to say.
Leaving Space for Nature: The Critical Role of Area-Based Conservation (Routledge Studies in Conservation and the Environment)
by Nigel Dudley Sue StoltonThis book provides the first contemporary assessment of area-based conservation and its implications for nature and society. Now covering 15 per cent of the land surface and a growing area of ocean, the creation of protected areas is one of the fastest conscious changes in land management in history. But this has come at a cost, including a backlash from human rights organisations about the social impacts of protected areas. At the same time, a range of new types of area-based conservation has emerged, based on indigenous people’s territories, local community lands and a new designation of “other effective area-based conservation measures”. This book provides a concise overview of the status and possible futures of area-based conservation. With many people calling for half the earth’s land surface to remain in a natural condition, this book taps into the urgent debate about the feasibility of such an aim and the ways in which such land might be managed. It provides a timely contribution by people who have been at the centre of the debate for the last twenty years. Building on the authors’ large personal knowledge, the book draws on global case studies where the authors have firsthand experience, including Yosemite National Park (USA), Blue Mountains National Park (Australia), Bwindi National Park (Uganda), Chingaza National Park (Colombia), Ustyart Plateau (Kazakhstan), Snowdonia National Park (Wales) and many more. This book is essential reading for students, academics and practitioners interested in conservation and its impact on society.
Lebenszyklusrendite von Immobilien: Ermittlung im frühen Projektstadium auf Basis von Building Information Modeling
by Martin MöslZur Sicherstellung des Werterhalts von Immobilien werden zunehmend nachhaltige Aspekte im Planungsprozess berücksichtigt. Dies erfordert bereits in der Phase der Projektentwicklung eine ganzheitliche Betrachtung sowohl der zur Errichtung und zum Betrieb eines Gebäudes entstehenden Aufwände bestehend aus Errichtungs- und Folgekosten (=Lebenszykluskosten) als auch der in der Betriebsphase zu erwartenden Erträge. Durch die Gegenüberstellung der Aufwände zu den Erträgen ergibt sich die Lebenszyklusrendite (LZR) als Faktor zur Prognose der Rentabilität einer Investition. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die Entwicklung einer Methodik zur kostenoptimierten und lebenszyklusorientierten Steuerung der Gebäudeplanung entweder in der Phase der Projektentwicklung oder in einer frühen Planungsphase in Kombination mit der Anwendung von "Building Information Modeling" (BIM). Als Grundlage für diese Methodik wird die frühzeitige Einbindung der zu diesem frühen Zeitpunkt vorhandenen Erkenntnisse in ein Bauwerksmodell untersucht, um eine Steigerung der Produktivität und Effizienz in den nachfolgenden Planungsphasen zu erreichen. Die automatisierte Ermittlung der LZR erfolgt durch ein seitens des Autors entwickeltes Software Tool.
Lecture Notes on the General Theory of Relativity
by Øyvind GrønThis book is the result of more than twenty years of lecturing a master course on the General Theory of Relativity at the University of Oslo, Norway, by Dr. Øyvind Grøn. The text has been continuously updated by Dr. Grøn and is written so students can follow the deductions all the way throughout the book. The conceptual content of the general theory of relativity is presented briefly but reasonably and completely. Both bachelor students and master students will find the text useful as the manuscript is organized to easily find the topics one wants to read about, with separate lists of contents, figures, definitions, examples, and an index.
Lectures in Geochemistry
by Alexey B. PtitsynThis book is a brief summary of the course of lectures in Geochemistry for undergraduate and graduate students from other than Geological Departments (chemists, biologists, ecologists and naturalists). It describes the Earth’s structure and some geological processes. <P><P>The modern geochemical concepts take proper account of global geological processes and the influence of Cosmos. They are based on the laws and approaches of equilibrium and non-equilibrium thermodynamics. The cycles of energy and chemical elements within the Earth are interrelated with the global geochemical cycle. <P><P>In addition to the traditional Geochemistry course, this book offers Geochemistry of microorganisms, Geochemistry of dispersed systems, Geochemistry of cryogenesis, and Geochemistry of cryptobiosphere. <P><P>Features: <li>Provides the reader with a general idea of the Earth’s chemical life and its related global geological events <li>Offers a concise and clear description of the modern concepts in Geochemistry, including new directions such as Geochemistry of Cryogenesis, Geochemistry of Disperse Systems, Geochemistry of Microorganisms, and Geochemistry of Cryptobiosphere <li>Implies a wide application of the thermodynamic approach. <li>Useful for students who, though lacking in geology basics, are experienced in chemistry and biology
Lectures in Meteorology
by Nicole Mölders Gerhard KrammLectures in Meteorology is a comprehensive reference book for meteorologists and environmental scientists to look up material on the thermodynamics, dynamics and chemistry of the troposphere. The lectures demonstrate how to derive/develop equations - an essential tool for model development. All chapters present applications of the material including numerical models. The lectures are written in modular form, i. e. they can be used at the undergraduate level for classes covered by the chapters or at the graduate level as a comprehensive, intensive course. The student/instructor can address chapters 2 (thermodynamics) and 4 (radiation) in any order. They can also switch the order of chapter 5 (chemistry) and 6 (dynamics). Chapter 7 (climatology and climate) requires an understanding of all chapters. Chapter 3 (cloud physics) needs basics from chapter 2 to understand the cloud microphysical processes. The governing conservation equations for trace constituents, dry air, water substances, total mass, energy, entropy and momentum are presented, including simplifications and their application in models. A brief introduction to atmospheric boundary layer processes is presented as well. Basic principles of climatology discussed include analysis methods, atmospheric waves and their analytical solutions, tropical and extra-tropical cyclones, classical and non-classical mesoscale circulations, and the global circulation. The atmospheric chemistry section encompasses photolytic and gas-phase processes, aqueous chemistry, aerosol processes, fundamentals of biogeochemical cycles and the ozone layer. Solar and terrestrial radiation; major absorber; radiation balance; radiative equilibrium; radiative-convective equilibrium; and basics of molecular, aerosol and cloud adsorption and scattering and their use in remote sensing are also presented.
Lectures on Constructive Approximation
by Volker MichelLectures on Constructive Approximation: Fourier, Spline, and Wavelet Methods on the Real Line, the Sphere, and the Ball focuses on spherical problems as they occur in the geosciences and medical imaging. It comprises the author's lectures on classical approximation methods based on orthogonal polynomials and selected modern tools such as splines and wavelets. Methods for approximating functions on the real line are treated first, as they provide the foundations for the methods on the sphere and the ball and are useful for the analysis of time-dependent (spherical) problems. The author then examines the transfer of these spherical methods to problems on the ball, such as the modeling of the Earth's or the brain's interior. Specific topics covered include: * the advantages and disadvantages of Fourier, spline, and wavelet methods * theory and numerics of orthogonal polynomials on intervals, spheres, and balls * cubic splines and splines based on reproducing kernels * multiresolution analysis using wavelets and scaling functions This textbook is written for students in mathematics, physics, engineering, and the geosciences who have a basic background in analysis and linear algebra. The work may also be suitable as a self-study resource for researchers in the above-mentioned fields.
Lectures on Factorization Homology, ∞-Categories, and Topological Field Theories (SpringerBriefs in Mathematical Physics #39)
by Hiro Lee TanakaThis book provides an informal and geodesic introduction to factorization homology, focusing on providing intuition through simple examples. Along the way, the reader is also introduced to modern ideas in homotopy theory and category theory, particularly as it relates to the use of infinity-categories. As with the original lectures, the text is meant to be a leisurely read suitable for advanced graduate students and interested researchers in topology and adjacent fields.
Lectures on Graph Theory: Insights into Feynman Diagrams (Lecture Notes in Physics #1035)
by Ray D. SameshimaThis book introduces foundational topics such as group theory, fields, linear algebra, matrix theory, and graph theory, providing readers with the essential background needed to understand Feynman diagrams and their integral representations. The book highlights Feynman's parametrization as a central tool for studying Feynman integrals, starting with the traditional momentum representation. Schwinger and Lee-Pomeransky parametrizations are covered in a supplementary chapter. Readers will develop a clear understanding of the mathematical properties and practical applications of these techniques, with a particular emphasis on Feynman’s approach. Advanced topics such as integration-by-parts identities and intersection number theory are explored in the final chapter, offering readers a gateway to key mathematical structures. The prerequisites are minimal—only a basic familiarity with algebra and calculus is recommended. The content begins with introductory concepts and gradually progresses to more advanced material, ensuring a balanced learning curve. Practical examples throughout the book reinforce the main ideas, allowing readers to apply what they’ve learned and deepen their understanding as they move through the material.
Lectures on Kinetic Processes in Materials
by Han-Ill YooThis book provides beginning graduate or senior-level undergraduate students in materials disciplines with a primer of the fundamental and quantitative ideas on kinetic processes in solid materials. Kinetics is concerned with the rate of change of the state of existence of a material system under thermodynamic driving forces. Kinetic processes in materials typically involve chemical reactions and solid state diffusion in parallel or in tandem. Thus, mathematics of diffusion in continuum is first dealt with in some depth, followed by the atomic theory of diffusion and a brief review of chemical reaction kinetics. Chemical diffusion in metals and ionic solids, diffusion-controlled kinetics of phase transformations, and kinetics of gas-solid reactions are examined. Through this course of learning, a student will become able to predict quantitatively how fast a kinetic process takes place, to understand the inner workings of the process, and to design the optimal process of material state change.Provides students with the tools to predict quantitatively how fast a kinetic process takes place and solve other diffusion related problems;Learns fundamental and quantitative ideas on kinetic processes in solid materials;Examines chemical diffusion in metals and ionic solids, diffusion-controlled kinetics of phase transformations, and kinetics of gas-solid reactions, among others;Contains end-of chapter exercise problems to help reinforce students' grasp of the concepts presented within each chapter.
Lectures on Quantum Field Theory and Functional Integration
by Zbigniew HabaThis book offers a concise introduction to quantum field theory and functional integration for students of physics and mathematics. Its aim is to explain mathematical methods developed in the 1970s and 1980s and apply these methods to standard models of quantum field theory. In contrast to other textbooks on quantum field theory, this book treats functional integration as a rigorous mathematical tool. More emphasis is placed on the mathematical framework as opposed to applications to particle physics. It is stressed that the functional integral approach, unlike the operator framework, is suitable for numerical simulations. The book arose from the author's teaching in Wroclaw and preserves the form of his lectures. So some topics are treated as an introduction to the problem rather than a complete solution with all details. Some of the mathematical methods described in the book resulted from the author's own research.
Lectures on Quantum Statistics: With Applications to Dilute Gases and Plasmas (Lecture Notes in Physics #953)
by Werner Ebeling Thorsten PöschelMost of the matter in our universe is in a gaseous or plasma state. Yet, most textbooks on quantum statistics focus on examples from and applications in condensed matter systems, due to the prevalence of solids and liquids in our day-to-day lives. In an attempt to remedy that oversight, this book consciously focuses on teaching the subject matter in the context of (dilute) gases and plasmas, while aiming primarily at graduate students and young researchers in the field of quantum gases and plasmas for some of the more advanced topics. The majority of the material is based on a two-semester course held jointly by the authors over many years, and has benefited from extensive feedback provided by countless students and co-workers. The book also includes many historical remarks on the roots of quantum statistics: firstly because students appreciate and are strongly motivated by looking back at the history of a given field of research, and secondly because the spirit permeating this book has been deeply influenced by meetings and discussions with several pioneers of quantum statistics over the past few decades.
Lectures on the Mechanical Foundations of Thermodynamics (SpringerBriefs in Physics)
by Michele CampisiThis brief provides a modern pedagogical exposition of the mechanical approach to statistical mechanics initiated by Boltzmann with his early works (1866-1871). Despite the later contribution by Helmholtz, Boltzmann himself (1884-1887), Gibbs, P. Hertz, and Einstein, the mechanical approach remained almost unknown to the modern reader, in favour of the celebrated combinatorial approach, developed by Boltzmann himself during his probabilistic turn (1876-1884). The brief constitutes an ideal continuation of a graduate course of classical mechanics and requires knowledge of basic calculus in many dimension (including differential forms), thermodynamics, probability theory, besides Hamiltonian mechanics. The cornerstone of the whole presentation is the ergodic hypothesis. Special attention is devoted to Massieu potentials (the Legendre transforms of the entropy) which are most natural in statistical mechanics, and also allow for a more direct treatment of the topic of ensemble equivalence.
Lectures on the Mechanical Foundations of Thermodynamics (SpringerBriefs in Physics)
by Michele CampisiThis book provides a modern pedagogical exposition of the mechanical approach to statistical mechanics initiated by Boltzmann with his early works (1866–1871). Despite the later contribution by Helmholtz, Boltzmann himself (1884–1887), Gibbs, P. Hertz, and Einstein, the mechanical approach remained almost unknown to the modern reader, in favour of the celebrated combinatorial approach, developed by Boltzmann himself during his probabilistic turn (1876–1884). The brief constitutes an ideal continuation of a graduate course of classical mechanics and requires knowledge of basic calculus in many dimensions (including differential forms), thermodynamics, and probability theory, besides Hamiltonian mechanics. The cornerstone of the whole presentation is the ergodic hypothesis. Special attention is devoted to Massieu potentials (the Legendre transforms of the entropy) which are most natural in statistical mechanics and also allow for a more direct treatment of the topic of ensemble equivalence. In this second edition, a chapter is added that addresses the long-debated question of how the second law of thermodynamics can be reconciled with mechanics, by using modern methods of non-equilibrium statistical mechanics.
Lectures on the Random Field Ising Model: From Parisi-Sourlas Supersymmetry to Dimensional Reduction (SpringerBriefs in Physics)
by Slava RychkovThis book is about the Random Field Ising Model (RFIM) – a paradigmatic spin model featuring a frozen disordering field. The focus is on the second-order phase transition between the paramagnetic and ferromagnetic phases, and the associated critical exponents. The book starts by summarizing the current knowledge about the RFIM from experiments, numerical simulations and rigorous mathematical results. It then reviews the classic theoretical works from the 1970’s which suggested a property of dimensional reduction – that the RFIM critical exponents should be the same as for the ordinary, non-disordered, Ising model of lower dimensionality, and related this an emergent Parisi-Sourlas supersymmetry. As is now known, these remarkable properties only hold when the spatial dimensionality of the model is larger than a critical dimension. The book presents a method to estimate the critical dimension, using standard tools such as the replica trick and perturbative renormalization group, whose result is in agreement with the numerical simulations. Some more elementary steps in the derivations are left as exercises for the readers. This book is of interest to researchers, PhD students and advanced master students specializing in statistical field theory.
Ledger: Poems
by Jane HirshfieldA pivotal book of personal, ecological, and political reckoning from the internationally renowned poet named "among the modern masters" (The Washington Post).Ledger's pages hold the most important and masterly work yet by Jane Hirshfield, one of our most celebrated contemporary poets. From the already much-quoted opening lines of despair and defiance ("Let them not say: we did not see it. / We saw"), Hirshfield's poems inscribe a registry, both personal and communal, of our present-day predicaments. They call us to deepened dimensions of thought, feeling, and action. They summon our responsibility to sustain one another and the earth while pondering, acutely and tenderly, the crises of refugees, justice, and climate. They consider "the minimum mass for a whale, for a language, an ice cap," recognize the intimacies of connection, and meditate upon doubt and contentment, a library book with previously dog-eared corners, the hunger for surprise, and the debt we owe this world's continuing beauty. Hirshfield's signature alloy of fact and imagination, clarity and mystery, inquiry, observation, and embodied emotion has created a book of indispensable poems, tuned toward issues of consequence to all who share this world's current and future fate.
Left in the Dust: How Race and Politics Created a Human and Environmental Tragedy in L.A.
by Karen PiperAn intensely personal story crossed with a political potboiler, Left in the Dust is a unique and passionate account of the city of Los Angeles's creation, cover-up and inadequate attempts to repair a major environmental catastrophe. Owens River, which once fed Owens Lake, was diverted away from the lake to supply the faucets and sprinklers of Los Angeles. The dry lakebed now contains a dust saturated with toxic heavy metals, which are blown from the lake and inhaled by unsuspecting citizens throughout the Midwest, causing major health issues. Karen Piper, one of the victims who grew up breathing that dust, reveals the shocking truth behind this tragedy and examines how waste and pollution are often neglected to encourage urban growth, while poor, non-white, and rural areas are forgotten or sacrificed.
Legacy and Emerging Contaminants in Water and Wastewater: Monitoring, Risk Assessment and Remediation Techniques (Emerging Contaminants and Associated Treatment Technologies)
by Daniel Snow Paromita ChakrabortyThis volume provides a collection of research findings on the distribution and risk associated with emerging contaminants (ECs) in water and wastewater across the globe, and effective remediation techniques and technologies. The book covers various monitoring techniques for ECs in water and wastewater and its related impacts on the ambient environment, and offers valuable information on cost-effective monitoring techniques and sustainable treatment technologies for ECs. The authors detail the risks and biological effects of ECs and legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in freshwater and marine systems, including their adverse interactions with aquatic organisms, while also discussing the associated impacts on human health. The book comprehensively covers current research outcomes on treatment methods, cost-effectiveness, and infrastructure needs for effective removal of ECs. It will be of interest to students, researchers, and scholars in environmental science and engineering, water and wastewater, toxicology, environmental biotechnology, soil sciences, and microbial ecology.
Legacy of Luna: The Story of a Tree, a Woman, and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods
by Julia Butterfly HillOn December 18, 1999, Julia Butterfly Hill's feet touched the ground for the first time in over two years, as she descended from "Luna," a thousandyear-old redwood in Humboldt County, California.Hill had climbed 180 feet up into the tree high on a mountain on December 10, 1997, for what she thought would be a two- to three-week-long "tree-sit." The action was intended to stop Pacific Lumber, a division of the Maxxam Corporation, from the environmentally destructive process of clear-cutting the ancient redwood and the trees around it. The area immediately next to Luna had already been stripped and, because, as many believed, nothing was left to hold the soil to the mountain, a huge part of the hill had slid into the town of Stafford, wiping out many homes.Over the course of what turned into an historic civil action, Hill endured El Nino storms, helicopter harassment, a ten-day siege by company security guards, and the tremendous sorrow brought about by an old-growth forest's destruction. This story--written while she lived on a tiny platform eighteen stories off the ground--is one that only she can tell.Twenty-five-year-old Julia Butterfly Hill never planned to become what some have called her--the Rosa Parks of the environmental movement. Shenever expected to be honored as one of Good Housekeeping's "Most Admired Women of 1998" and George magazine's "20 Most Interesting Women in Politics," to be featured in People magazine's "25 Most Intriguing People of the Year" issue, or to receive hundreds of letters weekly from young people around the world. Indeed, when she first climbed into Luna, she had no way of knowing the harrowing weather conditions and the attacks on her and her cause. She had no idea of the loneliness she would face or that her feet wouldn't touch ground for more than two years. She couldn't predict the pain of being an eyewitness to the attempted destruction of one of the last ancient redwood forests in the world, nor could she anticipate the immeasurable strength she would gain or the life lessons she would learn from Luna. Although her brave vigil and indomitable spirit have made her a heroine in the eyes of many, Julia's story is a simple, heartening tale of love, conviction, and the profound courage she has summoned to fight for our earth's legacy.
Legal Aspects of Sustainable Development
by Volker MauerhoferThis book addresses legal aspects of sustainable development and offers the latest thinking on a wide range of current themes. By taking a cross-cutting approach, it adds considerably to the exploration of this emerging scientific field. Twenty-nine original contributions present innovative thoughts and replicable ideas from this exciting, new area, which will be of value to practitioners and researchers alike. These contributions are allocated into a horizontal and sectorial part. The section covering horizontal policies has five sub-parts: 1) general aspects; 2) human and intellectual property rights; 3) communication and social enterprise governance; 4) public participation and 5) assessment tools. The second part on sectorial policies also has five sub-parts: 1) forest and water management; 2) renewable energy; 3) cities, waste and material management; 4) biodiversity, nature conservation, oceans and spatial planning and 5) agriculture and rural policy. It offers a multifaceted discussion of sustainable development and law by authors from five continents and from both the public and the private sectors. This selection guarantees a broad view that presents the more theoretical arguments from the academic as well as the practical perspective. Furthermore, the authorship includes senior, highly experienced academics and practitioners as well as those at the start of their career. This ensures thoughtful expansions of established theories as well as the emergence of innovative ideas. Moreover, the ten sub-parts bring together likeminded thoughts, resulting in an exchange of different viewpoints on a similar theme. This allows the readers to concentrate on individual chapters, while at the same time discovering a variety of thoughts and ideas.
Legal Geographies of Water: The Spaces, Places and Narratives of Human-Water Relations (Earthscan Water Text)
by Cristy ClarkThis book deepens our understanding of humanity’s diverse relationships with water and the law, providing a critical assessment of this relationship, and charting the course towards a more sustainable and just water future.By using legal geography, this book pays particular attention to the place-based inter-relationships between water, people, and law (both formal and informal) and to the ways that law both constitutes and is constituted by the relationship between people and place. Starting in the 1980s, Chapter 2 investigates the early commodification of water through the liberalisation of rural water markets in Chile and the urban water supply and sanitation systems of England and Wales. Chapter 3 then examines the global expansion of neoliberal water governance in the 1990s, starting with donor-driven reforms in the global south and particularly Manila in the Philippines. Chapters 4 and 5 document both the grassroots response to these neoliberal water reforms and the inherent tensions in the attempts of the early 2000s to reconcile the recognition of a human right to water with the ongoing rollout of market mechanisms, both in the domestic context of South Africa and within the United Nations human rights system. Moving forward again, Chapter 6 examines the recent intensification of neoliberal water governance through financialisation and considers its specific impacts in Detroit and Flint, Michigan. Chapter 7 then considers the renewed global emphasis on living waters and Indigenous ontologies of water by examining the new legislative arrangements for the Whanganui River in Aotearoa, New Zealand. The book concludes in Chapter 8 by highlighting the stories of hope that can be found in many of the case studies explored in the book and in emerging examples from around the world.This book is essential reading for students and scholars interested in water law, security, and justice from across a wide range of disciplines, including environmental studies, law, geography, human rights, and political ecology.
Legal Geography: Comparative Law and the Production of Space (Ius Gentium: Comparative Perspectives on Law and Justice #105)
by Matteo NicoliniThis book invites readers to critically rethink the interrelations between geography and the law. Traditionally, legal-geographical interrelations have been dominated by scholars with backgrounds in geopolitics, economics, or geography. More recently, a new interdisciplinary approach has been developed with the aim of offering a fresh perspective on how law and geography intersect. There has been a steady growth in cross-disciplinary research in this field; how legal-geographical taxonomies interrelate has attracted attention from scholars and academics with a diverse range of backgrounds – namely, law, anthropology, and human/physical geography –, thus giving rise to several publications.Against this backdrop, the book adopts a legal comparative perspective and assesses ‘normative spatialities’, which are the outcomes of processes of legal-spatial production. In addition, the comparative analysis offers readers new insights on some traditional geographic features which are essential to legal studies (territorial identity, regional demarcation, territorial alternation, and place-name policy). Examples are drawn from several jurisdictions (both from the Global North and the Global South) and partly employ a diachronic perspective.As its subversive character is ideally suited to revealing policies and agendas, comparative law is used to identify the ethnocentric and colonial biases underpinning the use (and misuse) of legal geographic devices by policymakers and academics. In sum, the book presents legal geography as an interdisciplinary undertaking in which geographers and legal scholars can jointly examine common concepts in the historical, cultural, political and social contexts in which law is practised. The book transcends the boundaries between disciplines to engage in a fruitful dialogue on how the law can help to address the current socio-geographic and ecological crises.
Legal Geography: Perspectives and Methods
by Daniel F. Robinson Edited by Tayanah O’Donnell Josephine GillespieThis book is the first legal geography book to explicitly engage in method. It complements this by also bringing together different perspectives on the emerging school of legal geography. It explores human–environment interactions and showcases distinct environmental legal geography scholarship. Legal Geography: Perspectives and Methods is an innovative book concerned with a new relational and material way of examining our legal-spatial world. With chapters examining natural resource management, Indigenous knowledge and political ecology scholarship, the text introduces legal geography’s modes of analysis and critique. The book explores topics such as Indigenous environmental rights, the impacts of extractive industries, mediation of climate change, food, animal and plant patents, fossil fuels, mining and coastal environments based on empirical, jurisdictional and methodological insights from Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific to demonstrate how space and place are invoked in legal processes and contestations, and the methods that may be employed to explore these processes and contestations. This book examines the role of legal geographies in the 21st century beyond the simple “law in action”, and it will thus appeal to students of socio-legal studies, human geography, environmental studies, environmental policy, as well as politics and international relations.
Legal Instruments for Sustainable Soil Management in Africa (International Yearbook of Soil Law and Policy)
by Harald Ginzky Oliver C. Ruppel Emmanuel Kasimbazi Hadijah Yahyah Robert KibugiThis book presents an important discussion on future options for sustainable soil management in Africa from various perspectives, including national soil protection regulations, the role of tenure rights, the work of relevant international institutions such as the UNCCD and FAO, and regional and international cooperation. This first volume of the new subseries Regional Perspectives to the International Yearbook of Soil Law and Policy includes contributions by African and international experts alike. Given the range of key topics covered, the book offers an indispensable tool for all academics, legislators and policymakers working in this field. The “International Yearbook of Soil Law and Policy – Regional Perspectives” series discusses central questions in law and politics that concern the protection and sustainable management of soil and land in different regions of the world.