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The AI Cleanse: Harnessing Data-Driven Solutions (Springer Water)
by Manoj Chandra GargThis groundbreaking book goes beyond conventional approaches and explores how AI is revolutionizing the field of wastewater treatment, offering innovative solutions to pressing challenges. "The AI Cleanse" takes you on a captivating journey through the convergence of AI and wastewater treatment, revealing the potential for enhanced efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability. From optimizing treatment processes to intelligent monitoring and fault detection, this book showcases how AI-driven technologies can reshape the way we approach wastewater treatment.Gain a comprehensive understanding of the basics of wastewater treatment and the limitations of traditional methods. Explore the practical applications of AI, such as data acquisition and analysis, process optimization, and resource recovery. Learn about cutting-edge technologies, emerging trends, and future directions in the field.Written in a reader-friendly style, "The AI Cleanse" bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical implementation. Packed with real-world examples, case studies, and insights from experts in the field, this book equips researchers, professionals, and students with the knowledge needed to harness the full potential of AI in wastewater treatment.If you are passionate about environmental preservation, sustainable practices, and the power of technology, "The AI Cleanse" is your guide to unlocking the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in wastewater treatment. Embrace a cleaner future and be at the forefront of this revolution in the field.
The AMS Weather Book: The Ultimate Guide to America's Weather
by Jack Williams Stephanie Abrams Rick Anthes Jim CantoreAmerica has some of the most varied and dynamic weather in the world. Every year, the Gulf Coast is battered by hurricanes, the Great Plains are ravaged by tornados, the Midwest is pummeled by blizzards, and the temperature in the Southwest reaches a sweltering 120 degrees. Extreme weather can be a matter of life and death, but even when it is pleasant--72 degrees and sunny--weather is still central to the lives of all Americans. Indeed, it's hard to imagine a topic of greater collective interest. Whether we want to know if we should close the storm shutters or just carry an umbrella to work, we turn to forecasts. But few of us really understand the science behind them. All that changes with The AMS Weather Book. The most comprehensive and up-to-date guide to our weather and our atmosphere, it is the ultimate resource for anyone who wants to understand how hurricanes form, why tornados twirl, or even why the sky is cerulean blue. Written by esteemed science journalist and former USA Today weather editor Jack Williams, The AMS Weather Book, copublished with the American Meteorological Society, covers everything from daily weather patterns, air pollution, and global warming to the stories of people coping with severe weather and those who devote their lives to understanding the atmosphere, oceans, and climate. Words alone, of course, are not adequate to explain many meteorological concepts, so The AMS Weather Book is filled with engaging full-color graphics that explain such concepts as why winds blow in a particular direction, how Doppler weather radar works, what happens inside hurricanes, how clouds create wind and snow, and what's really affecting the earth's climate. For Weather Channel junkies, amateur meteorologists, and storm chasers alike, The AMS Weather Book is an invaluable tool for anyone who wants to better understand how weather works and how it affects our lives.
The AUN/SEED-Net Joint Regional Conference in Transportation, Energy, and Mechanical Manufacturing Engineering: Proceeding of RCTEMME2021, Hanoi, Vietnam (Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering)
by Anh-Tuan Le Van-Sang Pham Minh-Quy Le Hoang-Luong PhamThis book (The AUN/SEED-Net Joint Regional Conference in Transportation, Energy, and Mechanical Manufacturing Engineering) gathers selected papers submitted to the 14th Regional Conference in Energy Engineering and the 13th Regional Conference in Mechanical Manufacturing Engineering in the fields related to intelligent equipment, automotive engineering, mechanical systems and sustainable manufacturing, renewable energy, heat and mass transfer. Under the theme of “Integration and Innovation for Sustainable Development,” This book consists of papers in the aforementioned fields presented by researchers and scientists from universities, research institutes, and industry showcasing their latest findings and discussions with an emphasis on innovations and developments in embracing the new norm, resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Aarhus Convention: Towards Environmental Solidarisation (Environmental Politics and Theory)
by Duncan WeaverThe Aarhus Convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters has been celebrated as a pioneering international environmental agreement. Given that a quarter-century has passed since Aarhus was opened for signature, now is an opportune moment to revisit it from a fresh perspective. Marking this anniversary, this book explores Aarhus from the vista of the English School of International Relations, an ethically-minded perspective used to gauge the prevalence of state-oriented and human-oriented progress from the Convention's rationales and realities. It firstly considers Aarhus' propagation, investigating the legal, diplomatic and geopolitical contexts enabling its emergence. It secondly investigates Aarhus' germination, with reference to its trinity of procedural rights. Thirdly, the book examines the Convention's growth, in terms of the development of its organisational infrastructure. The chief finding is that Aarhus demonstrates, in environmental contexts, the feasibility and benefit of fostering 'humankind' solidarist progress, rooted in moral cosmopolitanism, within the existing power arrangements of a sovereignty-based pluralism. Pluralist concerns for diversity and international order are found to be a precondition for more ethically ambitious solidarist endeavours. These observations reinforce the logic of solidarisation, an English School innovation that presents sovereignty as (a) being ethically matured by solidarism whilst (b) delimiting solidarism within the threshold of states' tolerance.
The Abstract Wild
by Jack TurnerIf anything is endangered in America it is our experience of wild nature—gross contact. There is knowledge only the wild can give us, knowledge specific to it, knowledge specific to the experience of it. These are its gifts to us. <p><p>How wild is wilderness and how wild are our experiences in it, asks Jack Turner in the pages of The Abstract Wild. His answer: not very wild. National parks and even so-called wilderness areas fall far short of offering the primal, mystic connection possible in wild places. And this is so, Turner avows, because any managed land, never mind what it's called, ceases to be wild. Moreover, what little wildness we have left is fast being destroyed by the very systems designed to preserve it. <p><p>Natural resource managers, conservation biologists, environmental economists, park rangers, zoo directors, and environmental activists: Turner's new book takes aim at these and all others who labor in the name of preservation. He argues for a new conservation ethic that focuses less on preserving things and more on preserving process and "leaving things be." He takes off after zoos and wilderness tourism with a vengeance, and he cautions us to resist language that calls a tree "a resource" and wilderness "a management unit." <p><p>Eloquent and fast-paced, The Abstract Wild takes a long view to ask whether ecosystem management isn't "a bit of a sham" and the control of grizzlies and wolves "at best a travesty." Next, the author might bring his readers up-close for a look at pelicans, mountain lions, or Shamu the whale. From whatever angle, Turner stirs into his arguments the words of dozens of other American writers including Thoreau, Hemingway, Faulkner, and environmentalist Doug Peacock. We hunger for a kind of experience deep enough to change our selves, our form of life, writes Turner. Readers who take his words to heart will find, if not their selves, their perspectives on the natural world recast in ways that are hard to ignore and harder to forget.
The Abyss of Time: Unraveling the Mystery of the Earth's Age (Dover Earth Science)
by Claude C. AlbrittonAccessible, entertaining work addresses Earth's age as it explores the work of Hooke, Buffon, Lyell, Cuvier, Darwin, Agassiz, and others, detailing discoveries that led to knowledge of Earth's astonishing antiquity -- from Steno's contemplation of fossilized shark's teeth in 1666 through Holmes' time scales of 1960. Nominated for the American Book Award. 29 black-and-white illustrations.
The Accidental Ecosystem: People and Wildlife in American Cities
by Peter S. AlagonaWith wildlife thriving in cities, we have the opportunity to create vibrant urban ecosystems that serve both people and animals.The Accidental Ecosystem tells the story of how cities across the United States went from having little wildlife to filling, dramatically and unexpectedly, with wild creatures. Today, many of these cities have more large and charismatic wild animals living in them than at any time in at least the past 150 years. Why have so many cities—the most artificial and human-dominated of all Earth’s ecosystems—grown rich with wildlife, even as wildlife has declined in most of the rest of the world? And what does this paradox mean for people, wildlife, and nature on our increasingly urban planet? The Accidental Ecosystem is the first book to explain this phenomenon from a deep historical perspective, and its focus includes a broad range of species and cities. Cities covered include New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Austin, Miami, Chicago, Seattle, San Diego, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Digging into the natural history of cities and unpacking our conception of what it means to be wild, this book provides fascinating context for why animals are thriving more in cities than outside of them. Author Peter S. Alagona argues that the proliferation of animals in cities is largely the unintended result of human decisions that were made for reasons having little to do with the wild creatures themselves. Considering what it means to live in diverse, multispecies communities and exploring how human and non-human members of communities might thrive together, Alagona goes beyond the tension between those who embrace the surge in urban wildlife and those who think of animals as invasive or as public safety hazards. The Accidental Ecosystem calls on readers to reimagine interspecies coexistence in shared habitats, as well as policies that are based on just, humane, and sustainable approaches.
The Adaptive Challenge of Climate Change
by Karen O'Brien O'Brien, Karen and Selboe, Elin Elin SelboeThis book presents a new perspective on adaptation to climate change. It considers climate change as more than a problem that can be addressed solely through technical expertise. Instead, it approaches climate change as an adaptive challenge that is fundamentally linked to beliefs, values and worldviews, as well as to power, politics, identities and interests. Drawing on case studies from high-income countries, the book argues that it is time to consider adaptation to climate change as a challenge of social, personal and political transformations. The authors represent a variety of fields and perspectives, illustrating the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to the problem. The book will be of interest to researchers, policy makers and advanced students in the environmental sciences, social sciences and humanities, as well as to decision makers and practitioners interested in new ideas about adapting to climate change.
The Adoption of Sustainable Agricultural Technologies: A Case Study in the State of Espírito Santo, Brazil (Routledge Revivals)
by Hildo Meirelles FilhoFirst published in 1997, this volume reflects concern about the environmental impact of modern agricultural practices, agriculture's increasing reliance on non-renewable resources, and the long-term productivity of high external-input agricultural systems which has prompted a number of initiatives to promote the adoption and diffusion of more sustainable technologies. For these interventions to be effective, they should be based on an understanding of what induces the producer to switch from conventional to alternative practices. This book provides a review on the determinants of adoption and diffusion of sustainable agricultural technologies, including concepts and theories related to this theme. The Green Revolution in Brazil is examined as a means of establishing the background for an empirical investigation. Data about farms in the State of Espírito Santo are analysed using duration analysis, an econometric technique which allows to assess the impact of time-varying, economic variables. Thus, adoption is explained as a dynamic process.
The Adventure of Sustainable Performance: Beyond ESG Compliance to Leadership in the New Era
by Dean Sanders Stuart McLachlanA guidebook for leaders to create value from sustainability and organisational performance. The Adventure of Sustainable Performance seeks out bold pioneers or forgotten pioneers who need reinvigorating and to be inspired with renewed purpose. Leaders who want more than just modest incremental efficiency gains, who want to create value, to deliver positive impact and meaningful change, should welcome this book. In a time of disruption like never before, boundaries will need revisiting, systems need reimagining, and assets need repurposing through wise stewardship. The authors share their many years of experience serving clients and driving performance as the world transitions to a net zero carbon future. A future that uses resources sustainably and that seeks social justice. Through storytelling and interviews from many international leaders in business and sustainability, and by anchoring practical advice with evidence and truth, you will find: The avalanche of new regulations and changes to the compliance landscape The opportunity for value creation beyond compliance box ticking Inspirational stories on how ambitions can be reset A destination that supports ongoing prosperity for humanity from sustainable performance models How purpose driven brands generate superior value The role of ‘Total Value Systems’ as we move from shareholder to stakeholder capitalism models. The relationship between sustainability, talent and customer attraction How digital will play an increasingly important role as the world pivots in response to the climate crisis Be in no doubt, The Adventure of Sustainable Performance describes an adventurous journey, uncomfortable at times, where a new and cold reality is dawning. But, in a period when the world will continue to play at denial or talk more of ruins, this book helps leaders to instead see foundations. Foundations upon which the new era will be built, and new systems of value will be realised. Perfect for executives, managers, directors, and other business leaders, The Adventure of Sustainable Performance is an actionable guidebook for the implementation of value-add sustainability programmes.
The Adventures Of Sammy The Wonder Dachshund: Sammy In Space
by Jonathan D. MillerSammy a Fact-Checker for the Internet, arrives at work one day. He is being sent on the mission of his dreams: a journey into outer space and goes through astronaut training, blasts off to explore the universe. He learns an important lesson about dreams, dedication, and hard work.
The Aegean Sea Environment: The Biodiversity of the Natural System (The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry #129)
by Andrey G. Kostianoy Christos L. Anagnostou Ilias D. Mariolakos Panayotis Panayotidis Marina Soilemezidou Grigorios TsaltasThis is the second of three Books that together provide an integrated picture of the Aegean Sea, presenting the natural components of the system (Book I and Book II) as well as the human presence in the extended area (Book III).The Aegean Sea, also called Aegean Archipelagos, is an open, complex, and diverse marine system situated between the Black Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean, with different compartments and interactions. Book II offers a multidisciplinary perspective of the diverse habitats and intricate relationships that shape the Aegean Sea's coastal environment, covering the Aegean Sea's biodiversity. Book II also, provides valuable insights into the current state and conservation of the cetaceans, Mediterranean monk seals, sea turtles, seabirds, and benthic communities that call the Aegean Sea home. The book closes with a chapter where experts in the field provide an overview of the functioning of the Aegean Sea natural system, highlighting existing knowledge gapsand proposing avenues for future research.Given the breadth and depth of its coverage, this book serves as a valuable resource for researchers, scholars, and students interested in biology of the marine environment, as well as policymakers and conservationists seeking a comprehensive understanding of the Aegean Sea's complex natural systems.
The Aegean Sea Environment: The Geodiversity of the Natural System (The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry #127)
by Andrey G. Kostianoy Christos L. Anagnostou Ilias D. Mariolakos Panayotis Panayotidis Marina Soilemezidou Grigoris TsaltasThis is the first of three Books that together provide an integrated picture of the Aegean Sea, presenting the natural components of the system (Book I and Book II) as well as the human presence in the extended area (Book III). The Aegean Sea, also called Aegean Archipelagos, is an open, complex, and diverse marine system situated between the Black Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean, with different compartments and interactions. This book provides an in-depth exploration of the Aegean Sea's natural systems, shedding light on its geodiversity, geological dynamics, air-land-sea interaction, hydrology, suspended matter and sediments. Divided into 4 parts, the book introduces the diversity, geological dynamics, and evolution of the natural system of the Aegean Sea (Parts 1 and 2), followed by a section devoted to the land-sea interaction in the Aegean coastal system where experts in the field explore freshwater and matter inputs into the Aegean coastal system, as well as the coastal morphodynamics and evolution of the Aegean Sea, its adjacent land areas, and islands. In Part 3, the book delves into the air-sea interaction over the Aegean Sea, presenting its intricate dynamics, including heat and freshwater fluxes, wind waves, tides, and atmospheric deposition. The book closes with a section focused on the hydrology, chemistry, and dynamics of water masses and the sea bottom, providing insights into suspended matter and fluxes, sediments, climate changes, and the intricate nutrient and carbon dynamics within the Aegean Sea ecosystem (Part 4). Given the breadth and depth of its coverage, this book serves as a valuable resource for researchers, scholars, and students interested in marine geology, oceanography, and environmental analysis, as well as policymakers and conservationists seeking a comprehensive understanding of the Aegean Sea's complex natural systems.
The Aesthetics of Atmospheres (Ambiances, Atmospheres and Sensory Experiences of Spaces)
by Gernot BöhmeInterest in sensory atmospheres and architectural and urban ambiances has been growing for over 30 years. A key figure in this field is acclaimed German philosopher Gernot Böhme whose influential conception of what atmospheres are and how they function has been only partially available to the English-speaking public. This translation of key essays along with an original introduction charts the development of Gernot Böhme's philosophy of atmospheres and how it can be applied in various contexts such as scenography, commodity aesthetics, advertising, architecture, design, and art. The phenomenological analysis of atmospheres has proved very fruitful and its most important, and successful, application has been within aesthetics. The material background of this success may be seen in the ubiquitous aestheticization of our lifeworld, or from another perspective, of the staging of everything, every event and performance. The theory of atmospheres becoming an aesthetic theory thus reveals the theatrical, not to say manipulative, character of politics, commerce, of the event-society. But, taken as a positive theory of certain phenomena, it offers new perspectives on architecture, design, and art. It made the spatial and the experience of space and places a central subject and hence rehabilitated the ephemeral in the arts. Taking its numerous impacts in many fields together, it initiated a new humanism: the individual as a living person and his or her perspective are taken seriously, and this fosters the ongoing democratization of culture, in particular the possibility for everybody to participate in art and its works.
The Aesthetics of Everyday Life (Spaces, Places And Environments Ser.)
by Jonathan Smith Andrew LightThe aesthetics of everyday life, originally developed by Henri Lefebvre and other modernist theorists, is an extension of traditional aesthetics, usually confined to works of art. It is not limited to the study of humble objects but is rather concerned with all of the undeniably aesthetic experiences that arise when one contemplates objects or performs acts that are outside the traditional realm of aesthetics. It is concerned with the nature of the relationship between subject and object.One significant aspect of everyday aesthetics is environmental aesthetics, whether constructed, as a building, or manipulated, as a landscape. Others, also discussed in the book, include sport, weather, smell and taste, and food.
The Aesthetics of Industrial Design: Seeing, Designing and Making
by Richard HerriottThis textbook introduces design students to key principles of three-dimensional form, bridging aesthetics and practical design objectives. It explores how we see and what it is that characterises visually appealing and satisfactory design. Written by an experienced designer, educator and researcher, The Aesthetics of Industrial Design equips students with the knowledge and understanding of how aesthetically superior design is distinct from lesser work. It explains the key principles and concepts they can incorporate into their own designs, encourages readers to investigate and experiment with real design problems and enables them to verbally communicate their design intentions. The book prompts readers to critically reflect on their work and surroundings. Through numerous clear examples and illustrated case studies, which are guided by cognitive science and the application of aesthetic theory, the book brings together the basic aspects of design as form-giving. It explores the balance of function, material and appearance in detail and explains the reasons for common aesthetic faults and how to avoid them. Aimed at undergraduate- and postgraduate-level students within the design fields, this book reveals the secrets to aesthetically successful products that readers can take from education into future practice.
The Aesthetics of the Undersea (Routledge Environmental Humanities)
by Margaret Cohen Killian QuigleyAmong global environments, the undersea is unique in the challenges it poses – and the opportunities it affords – for sensation, perception, inquiry, and fantasy. The Aesthetics of the Undersea draws case studies in such potencies from the subaqueous imaginings of Western culture, and from the undersea realities that have inspired them. The chapters explore aesthetic engagements with underwater worlds, and sustain a concern with submarine "sense," in several meanings of that word: when submerged, faculties and fantasies transform, confronting human subjects with their limitations while enlarging the apparent scope of possibility and invention. Terrestrially-established categories and contours shift, metamorphose, or fail altogether to apply. As ocean health acquires an increasing share of the global environmental imaginary, the histories of submarine sense manifest ever-greater importance, and offer resources for documentation as well as creativity. The chapters deal with the sensory, material, and formal provocations of the underwater environment, and consider the consequences of such provocations for aesthetic and epistemological paradigms. Contributors, who hail from the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, include scholars of literature, art, new media, music and history. Cases studies range from baroque and rococo fantasies to the gothic, surrealism, modernism, and contemporary installation art. By juxtaposing early modern and Enlightenment contexts with matters of more recent – and indeed contemporary – importance, The Aesthetics of the Undersea establishes crucial relations among temporally remote entities, which will resonate across the environmental humanities.
The African City
by Anthony O'ConnorThis book explores various characteristics of tropical African cities, with special reference to change in the post-independence period. It stresses the diversity of urban forms and urban experience to be found within the region, distinguishing the more general features from those peculiar to individual cities. Much has been written about urban Africa, but nearly all relates to particular cities: this book provides a context for such studies. This review provides an essential foundation both for theoretical clarification of the processes of urbanization and for practical planning decisions. The topics covered range from rural-urban migration and national urban systems to the urban economy, housing , and the spatial structure of cities. The sharp contrasts between indigenous and colonial urban traditions are emphasized, but so also is the evidence for convergence today, as indigenization takes place in the colonial cities while Westernization proceeds ini those of indigenous origin. This book was first published in 1983.
The African Food Crisis: Lessons from the Asian Green Revolution
by Goran Djurfeldt Magnus Jirstroml Rolf Larsson Hans HolmenThe goal of the research project resulting in this monograph was the systematic comparison between Asian agricultural development during the "Green Revolution" and the current agricultural situation in sub-Saharan Africa. The editors (from Sweden's U. of Lund and Link ping U.) include 14 papers that present and analyze macro- level data about national agricultural trends before, during, and after Structural Adjustment Programs and household-level survey data for comparison of countries. The analysis is geared towards investigating agro ecological, demographic, and technological obstacles to African agricultural development; the possible contributions of African smallholders to food security; the likely impact of market integration of small-scale integration on economic and ecological crisis; the inadequacy of export-oriented policies to meeting the demands of food security; and the relevance of the Asian model for Africa. Distributed in the US by Oxford U. Press. Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (book news.com)
The African Inheritance
by Ieuan Ll. GriffithsAfrica is a continent gripped by civil wars and widespread famine. The causes of many of the continent's problems are deep rooted and can be traced to Africa's colonial past, when European powers divided the spoils of the continent into separate sovereign states. The African Inheritance examines the effect this "balkanization" of Africa has had, and is having, on the political and economic well-being of the continent. From a brief history of pre-colonial Africa and its subsequent European partition and inevitable decolonization, the book discusses the consequences of such an inheritance: small and weak states, destructive secessionist movements, irredentism and African imperialism. Attempts to tackle these problems and assert independent development are inhibited by the colonial inheritance.
The African Marine Litter Outlook
by Thomas Maes Fiona Preston-WhyteThis open access book provides a cross-sectoral, multi-scale assessment of marine litter in Africa with a focus on plastics. From distribution, to impacts on environmental and human health, this book looks at what is known scientifically. It includes a policy analysis of the instruments that currently exist, and what is needed to help Africa tackle marine litter—including local and transboundary sources. Across 5 chapters, experts from Africa and beyond have put together a summary of the scientific knowledge currently known about marine litter in Africa. The context of the African continent and future projections form a backdrop on which the scientific knowledge is built. This scientific knowledge incorporates quantities, distributions, and pathways of litter into the marine environment, highlighting where the impacts of marine litter are most felt in Africa. These impacts have widespread effects, with ecological, social, economic, and human health repercussions. While containing detailed scientific information, this book provides a sound knowledge base for policymakers, NGOs and the broader public.
The African Neogene - Climate, Environments and People: Palaeoecology of Africa 34 (Palaeoecology of Africa #34)
by Jürgen RungeDuring the Neogene – covering the last 23 Million years – the evolution of the environmental setting in Africa was subject to considerable changes. Natural shifts, slow and rapid, evidenced by modifications in palaeogeography, geodynamics, climate, and vegetation have caused repeated and strong changes of ecosystems in the lower latitudes. Using a variety of proxy data – researched and applied by many authors from numerous disciplines – an attempt is made to reconstruct African landscapes over space and time. Besides such spatio-temporal oscillations in recently humid, semi-humid, and dry areas of Africa, this volume of Palaeoecology of Africa (PoA) focuses on long term interrelationships between ecosystem dynamics and climate change, not ignoring the ever growing and ongoing influence of humans on natural ecosystems since the Quaternary. Regionally, this volume lays a strong focus on Nigeria (Niger Delta). Facing the omnipresent challenges of Global Change, an increasing number of African scientists is involved in palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic research, both theoretical and applied. PoA systematically supports established as well as junior African scientists in the field of sustainable cooperation and academic capacity building. This book will be of interest to all concerned with or interested in up-to-date research on Neogene to Quaternary low latitudes ecosystem changes and their respective interpretation in the framework of natural climate and vegetation change evidenced by a variety of methods that allow to read and learn from the past by following the motto, "The geologic foretime as the key to the present, and possibly to the future." Palynologists, Geologists, Geographers, Archaeologists, and Geomorphologists will find this edition equally useful for their work.
The Afro-Asian States and their Problems (Routledge Library Editions: Development)
by K. M. PanikkarThis reissue of Sandar Panikkar’s 1959 book is based upon a series of lectures given at the Institut d’Etude de Development Economique et Social, which spotlights the problems faced by the multitude of African and Asian states which achieved independence between 1945 and 1957. From Asia, the author discusses the plight of India, Pakistan, Burma, Indonesia, Ceylon, Vietnam, Cambodia, laos, Syria and Lebanon whilst in Africa he assesses the independence of the Sudan, Tunisia, Morroco and Ghana. The problems faced by these countries have many similarities, not least the need to develop systems of political organisation, administrative services necessary for a modern government and the need to completely reorganise their economy.
The Age Of Catastrophe: Disaster And Humanity In Modern Times
by John David EbertDisasters, both natural and man-made, are on the rise. Indeed, a catastrophe of one sort or another seems always to be unfolding somewhere on the planet. We have entered into a veritable Age of Catastrophes which have grown both larger and more complex and now routinely very widespread in scope. The old days of the geographically isolated industrial accidents, of the sinking of a Titanic or the explosion of a Hindenburg, together with their isolated causes and limited effects, are over. Now, disasters on the scale of Hurricane Katrina, the BP oil spill or the Japan tsunami and nuclear reactor accident, threaten to engulf large swaths of civilization. This book analyzes the efforts of Westerners to keep the catastrophes outside, while maintaining order on the inside of society. These efforts are breaking down. Nature and Civilization have become so intertwined they can no longer be separated. Natural disasters, moreover, are becoming increasingly more difficult to differentiate from man-made.
The Age of Consequences: A Chronicle of Concern and Hope
by Wendell Berry Courtney WhiteOur planet is approaching a critical environmental juncture. Across the globe we continue to deplete the five pools of carbon - soil, wood, coal, oil, and natural gas - at an unsustainable rate. We've burned up half the planet's known reserves of oil - one trillion barrels - in less than a century. When these sources of energy-rich carbon go into severe decline, as they surely will, society will follow.Former archeologist and Sierra Club activist Courtney White calls this moment the Age of Consequences-a time when the worrying consequences of our environmental actions- or inaction - have begun to raise unavoidable and difficult questions. How should we respond? What are effective (and realistic) solutions?In exploring these questions, White draws on his formidable experience as an environmentalist and activist as well as his experience as a father to two children living through this vital moment in time. As a result, The Age of Consequences is a book of ideas and action, but it is also a chronicle of personal experience. Readers follow White as he travels the country --- from Kansas to Los Angeles, New York City, Italy, France, Yellowstone, and New England.