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Disasters and Social Crisis in Contemporary Japan: Political, Religious, And Sociocultural Responses
by Koichi Nakano Mark MullinsJapan was shaken by the 'double disaster' of earthquake and sarin gas attack in 1995, and in 2011 it was hit once again by the 'triple disaster' of earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown. This international, multi-disciplinary group of scholars examines the state and societal responses to the disasters and social crisis.
Disasters and Social Resilience: A bioecological approach (Routledge Explorations in Environmental Studies)
by David King Helen J. Boon Alison CottrellThe interconnectedness of communities, organisations, governing bodies, policy and individuals in the field of disaster studies has never been accurately examined or comprehensively modelled. This kind of study is vital for planning policy and emergency responses and assessing individual and community vulnerability, resilience and sustainability as well as mitigation and adaptation to climate change impacts; it therefore deserves attention. Disasters and Social Resilience fills this gap by introducing to the field of disaster studies a fresh methodology and a model for examining and measuring impacts and responses to disasters. Urie Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological systems theory, which is used to look at communities holistically, is outlined and illustrated through a series of chapters, guiding the reader from the theory's underpinnings through research illustrations and applications focused on each level of Bronfenbrenner’s ecosystems, culminating in an integration chapter. The final chapter provides policy recommendations for local and national government bodies and emergency providers to help individuals and communities prepare and withstand the effects of a range of disasters. This book will be of great interest to scholars and students of disaster and emergency management, disaster readiness and risk reduction (DRR), and to scholars and students of more general climate change and sustainability studies.
Disasters, Risks and Revelation: Making Sense of Our Times
by Steve MatthewmanDisasters are part of the modern condition, a source of physical anxiety and existential angst, and they are increasing in frequency, cost and severity. Drawing on both disaster research and social theory, this book offers a critical examination of their causes, consequences and future avoidance.
Disasters: Natural and Man-Made Catastrophes Through the Centuries
by Brenda Z. GuibersonNatural and man-made disasters have the power to destroy thousands of lives very quickly. Both as they unfold and in the aftermath, these forces of nature astonish the rest of the world with their incredible devastation and magnitude. In this collection of ten well-known catastrophes such as the great Chicago fire, the sinking of the Titanic, and hurricane Katrina, Brenda Guiberson explores the causes and effects, as well as the local and global reverberations of these calamitous events. Highlighted with photographs and drawings, each compelling account tells the story of destruction and devastation, and most especially, the power of mankind to persevere in the face of adversity.
Disastrous Times: Beyond Environmental Crisis in Urbanizing Asia (Critical Studies in Risk and Disaster)
by Eli Elinoff and Tyson VaughanAcross contemporary Asia, each day dawns with a new story about living in an era of profound environmental change. Rapid transformations in the landscape, society, and technology produce new conflicts that are experienced at nearly every scale of life in the region. Environmental change is marked in square kilometers or micrometers, in cities or in households, within national boundaries and beyond. These changes appear in the form of radical ruptures wrought both by spectacular catastrophes like massive floods or tsunamis and by slow tragedies like the widening epidemic of asthma or the grinding processes of land dispossession. Each of these scales and phenomena reveals what it is to live in disastrous times.This book explores how people across Asia live through and make sense of the environmental ruptures that now shape the region and asks how we might analyze this moment of disruption and risk. Global environmental shifts such as climate change are usually linked to large-scale practices such as industrialization, urbanization, and global capitalism. Here, in contrast, contributors illustrate how understanding the practical, political, and ethical consequences of living in a moment of planetary change—or intervening in its course—requires engaging with the human-scale actions and specific policies that both shape and respond to such transformations at an everyday level. Coastal residents of routinely flooded Semarang, eco-conscious retirees in a Chinese suburb, and cyclists navigating air pollution in Kolkata each experience environmental risk and change in highly situated and specific ways; yet attending to their lived, quotidian experiences enables us to apprehend the complex processes that are profoundly changing the planet.Contributors: Nikolaj Blichfeldt, Vivian Choi, Eli Elinoff, Jenny Elaine Goldstein, Andrew Alan Johnson, Samuel Kay, Lukas Ley, Edmund Joo Vin Oh, Malini Sur, Tyson Vaughan.
Discard Studies: Wasting, Systems, and Power
by Josh Lepawsky Max LiboironAn argument that social, political, and economic systems maintain power by discarding certain people, places, and things.Discard studies is an emerging field that looks at waste and wasting broadly construed. Rather than focusing on waste and trash as the primary objects of study, discard studies looks at wider systems of waste and wasting to explore how some materials, practices, regions, and people are valued or devalued, becoming dominant or disposable. In this book, Max Liboiron and Josh Lepawsky argue that social, political, and economic systems maintain power by discarding certain people, places, and things. They show how the theories and methods of discard studies can be applied in a variety of cases, many of which do not involve waste, trash, or pollution. Liboiron and Lepawsky consider the partiality of knowledge and offer a theory of scale, exploring the myth that most waste is municipal solid waste produced by consumers; discuss peripheries, centers, and power, using content moderation as an example of how dominant systems find ways to discard; and use theories of difference to show that universalism, stereotypes, and inclusion all have politics of discard and even purification—as exemplified in &“inclusive&” efforts to broaden the Black Lives Matter movement. Finally, they develop a theory of change by considering &“wasting well,&” outlining techniques, methods, and propositions for a justice-oriented discard studies that keeps power in view.
Discerning Experts: The Practices of Scientific Assessment for Environmental Policy
by Milena Wazeck Naomi Oreskes Dale Jamieson Michael Oppenheimer Keynyn Brysse Jessica O’Reilly Matthew ShindellDiscerning Experts assesses the assessments that many governments rely on to help guide environmental policy and action. Through their close look at environmental assessments involving acid rain, ozone depletion, and sea level rise, the authors explore how experts deliberate and decide on the scientific facts about problems like climate change. They also seek to understand how the scientists involved make the judgments they do, how the organization and management of assessment activities affects those judgments, and how expertise is identified and constructed. Discerning Experts uncovers factors that can generate systematic bias and error, and recommends how the process can be improved. As the first study of the internal workings of large environmental assessments, this book reveals their strengths and weaknesses, and explains what assessments can—and cannot—be expected to contribute to public policy and the common good.
Disconnected Rivers: Linking Rivers to Landscapes
by Ellen E. WohlThis important and accessible book surveys the history and present condition of river systems across the United States, showing how human activities have impoverished our rivers and impaired the connections between river worlds and other ecosystems. Ellen Wohl begins by introducing the basic physical, chemical, and biological processes operating in rivers. She then addresses changes in rivers resulting from settlement and expansion, describes the growth of federal involvement in managing rivers, and examines the recent efforts to rehabilitate and conserve river ecosystems. In each chapter she focuses on a specific regional case study and describes what happens to a particular river organism--a bird, North America's largest salamander, the paddlefish, and the American alligator--when people interfere with natural processes.
Disconnected: Understanding Alzheimer's Disease
by Connie Goldsmith“The common perception of Alzheimer’s from people who haven’t experienced it is that it’s more like a ‘quirk’ which all elderly people experience at some point. But Alzheimer’s is so much more than simple forgetfulness. With the memory loss comes confusion . . . What was once the bedroom turns into a frightening place . . . . They may not recognize family members and instead see them as strangers with unknown intentions. This gives them so much stress every day that they may lash out or become depressed.” —Charlie Poole, Alzheimer’s caregiver Alzheimer’s patients are one of the fastest-growing populations among aging communities in the United States. In 2024 roughly 6.9 million Americans aged sixty-five and older had Alzheimer’s disease. By 2050 that number is set to nearly double. An Alzheimer’s diagnosis affects more than just the patient—it impacts their family and friends too. As the disease progresses, the patient’s memory deteriorates, and their behavior may suddenly change. They may need more attention, care, and supervision. Many people are thrust into the role of a caregiver without preparation or knowledge of what's to come. In Disconnected: Understanding Alzheimer’s Disease, author and registered nurse Connie Goldsmith looks at the stages of Alzheimer’s, details current clinical research, and shares more than a dozen stories of patients and their families. No matter what age you are, it’s important to grow awareness for Alzheimer’s, recognize its signs and symptoms—and learn what you can do in the event that someone you love is diagnosed with the disease.
Discontinuities in Ecosystems and Other Complex Systems
by C. S. Holling Craig R. AllenA Major Contribution to Theoretical Ecology
Discontinuities in Ecosystems and Other Complex Systems (Complexity in Ecological Systems)
by C. S. Holling Craig R. Allen Eds.Following the publication of C. S. Holling's seminal work on the relationship between animal body mass patterns and scale-specific landscape structure, ecologists began to explore the theoretical and applied consequences of discontinuities in ecosystems and other complex systems. Are ecosystems and their components continuously distributed and do they adhere to scaling laws, or are they discontinuous and more complex than early models would have us believe? The resulting propositions over the structure of complex systems sparked an ongoing debate regarding the mechanisms generating discontinuities and the statistical methods used for their detection.This volume takes the view that ecosystems and other complex systems are inherently discontinuous and that such fields as ecology, economics, and urban studies greatly benefit from this paradigm shift. Contributors present evidence of the ubiquity of discontinuous distributions in ecological and social systems and how their analysis provides insight into complex phenomena. The book is divided into three sections. The first focuses on background material and contrasting views concerning the discontinuous organization of complex systems. The second discusses discontinuous patterns detected in a number of different systems and methods for detecting them, and the third touches on the potential significance of discontinuities in complex systems. Science is still dominated by a focus on power laws, but the contributors to this volume are convinced power laws often mask the interesting dynamics of systems and that those dynamics are best revealed by investigating deviations from assumed power law distributions.In 2008, a grand conference on resilience was held in Stockholm, hosting 600 participants from around the world. There are now three big centers established with resilience, the most recent one being the Stockholm Resilience Center, with others in Australia (an international coral reef center), Arizona State University's new sustainability center focusing on anthropology, and Canada's emerging social sciences and resilience center. Activity continues to flourish in Alaska, South Africa, and the Untied Kingdom, and a new center is forming in Uruguay.
Discounting the Future: The Ascendancy of a Political Technology
by Liliana DoganovaA pioneering exploration of the defining traits and contradictions of our relationship to the future through the lens of discountingForest fires, droughts, and rising sea levels beg a nagging question: have we lost our capacity to act on the future? Liliana Doganova&’s book sheds new light on this anxious query. It argues that our relationship to the future has been trapped in the gears of a device called discounting. While its incidence remains little known, discounting has long been entrenched in market and policy practices, shaping the ways firms and governments look to the future and make decisions accordingly. Thus, a sociological account of discounting formulas has become urgent.Discounting means valuing things through the flows of costs and benefits that they are likely to generate in the future, with these future flows being literally dis-counted as they are translated in the present. How have we come to think of the future, and of valuation, in such terms? Building on original empirical research in the historical sociology of discounting, Doganova takes us to some of the sites and moments in which discounting took shape and gained momentum: valuation of European forests in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; economic theories devised in the early 1900s; debates over business strategies in the postwar era; investor-state disputes over the nationalization of natural resources; and drug development in the biopharmaceutical industry today. Weaving these threads together, the book pleads for an understanding of discounting as a political technology, and of the future as a contested domain.
Discourses of Global Climate Change: Apocalyptic framing and political antagonisms (Routledge Studies in Environmental Communication and Media)
by Martin Hultman Jonas AnshelmThis book examines the arguments made by political actors in the creation of antagonistic discourses on climate change. Using in-depth empirical research from Sweden, a country considered by the international political community to be a frontrunner in tackling climate change, it draws out lessons that contribute to the worldwide environmental debate. The book identifies and analyses four globally circulated discourses that call for very different action to be taken to achieve sustainability: Industrial fatalism, Green Keynesianism, Eco-socialism and Climate scepticism. Drawing on risk society and post-political theory, it elaborates concepts such as industrial modern masculinity and ecomodern utopia, exploring how it is possible to reconcile apocalyptic framing to the dominant discourse of political conservatism. This highly original and detailed study focuses on opinion leaders and the way discourses are framed in the climate change debate, making it valuable reading for students and scholars of environmental communication and media, global environmental policy, energy research and sustainability.
Discourses on Sustainability: Climate Change, Clean Energy, and Justice
by Martha J. Crawford Elena V. Shabliy Dmitry KurochkinThis volume presents an in-depth analysis of climate change problems and discusses the proliferation of renewable energy worldwide—in conjunction with such important questions as social justice and economic growth, providing an interdisciplinary approach to sustainable development. Exploring various responses to human-induced climate change, the book offers a critical reflection on climate change and clean energy and highlights the fundamental problems of international energy justice and human rights. Examining these and other climate-related issues from legal, business, political, and scientific perspectives, the volume also analyzes the impact of economic factors and policies on climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Discover National Monuments
by Cynthia Light Brown Blair SheddFascinating facts about America's most popular natural landmarks provide the backbone for this fun-filled collection of activities that replicate the organic processes that formed them. Interspersed with history, factoids, and sidebars, this engaging reference explores scientific concepts, such as the formation of coral reefs and the cause of volcanic eruptions. Each monument-from the Lava Beds to the Petrified Forest-is showcased in a graphic multipage spread and is followed by hands-on experiments, allowing children to make their own stalactites and discover how a river can erode rock into a canyon. Expressing true appreciation for the United States' natural wonders, this comprehensive guide clearly illustrates their formation, from glittering caves to giant trees.
Discover Shibori: Creative Techniques in Natural Indigo Dyeing
by Debbie MaddyExplore the captivating world of traditional Shibori techniques. Learn techniques such as shape resist, stitch resist, pole wrapping, pleat, bind, looped binding, and bound resist in this practical guide by expert shibori teacher Debbie Maddy. From selecting and preparing fabrics to setting and maintaining an indigo vat, this book provides a solid foundation for beginners while also delving into sophisticated techniques such as Katano pleating and stitching that will elevate your projects. Apply your newly acquired skills in six inspiring projects to showcase your freshly dyed fabric, including a scarf, a shawl, an apron, a pillow, a table runner, and a quilt. Not just the basics of shibori and indigo dyeing, discover unique techniques to elevate your craft Learn 35 meditative shibori techniques, including wrapping, pleating, folding, slow stitching, and more Master three natural indigo vats and show off your dyed fabrics in six stunning projects, including a pillow, table runner, quilt, apron, scarf, and shawl
Discover the Amazon
by Blair Shedd Lauri BerkenkampFrom avoiding predators to navigating through the jungle without a compass, this innovative guide provides kids with the vital tools one would need if lost in the Amazon. Offering practical survival techniques based on real stories, children will learn lessons that can be adapted to almost any outdoor situation, such as making fire, deciphering animal tracks, and using the natural world for all to create necessary supplies. Opening with an informative section on the region and its people, this essential resource combines history and science in a fun and engaging way. Facts and sidebars on the local creatures and plants are interspersed along with 15 activities for the home or classroom-from making a fishing spear to determining how much water is needed to stay healthy.
Discover the Desert
by Sam Carbaugh Kathryn CeceriDelving into a seemingly dry and barren ecosystem, this fun-filled activity book closely examines the desert landscape and shows how many exciting discoveries it holds. Exploring native plants and animals and depicting the extreme temperatures, rough terrain, and vast distances in detail, this lively reference describes lost civilizations as well as today's desert-dwelling cultures. "Try This" science and history activities are also included-from creating mirages and fashioning an Anasazi clay bowl to growing salt crystals and even assembling a cactus dish terrarium. Demonstrating why adventurers have always been drawn to the world's deserts, this entertaining overview also provides education on the environment, examining how the health of the planet depends on the careful treatment of the desert's many resources.
Discover the Oceans
by Lauri Berkenkamp Chuck ForsmanFrom both a historical and scientific point of view, above and below the surface, this engaging guide brings the world's oceans to life through fun facts, illustrations, and in-depth information. Interactive activities appear throughout, ranging from making solar stills and simple fishing spears to experimenting with a homemade diving bell and figuring out how much water it really takes to survive. With the oceans being the least explored environment on Earth, this reference illuminates some of the most incredible and surprising plants and animals as well as how to survive and navigate these vast expanses.
Discoveries in the Garden
by James B. NardiEvery square inch of soil is rich with energy and life, and nowhere is this more evident than in the garden. At the tips of our trowels, a sun-driven world of microbes, insects, roots, and stems awaits—and it is a world no one knows better than James Nardi. A charming guide to all things green and growing, Nardi is as at home in prairies, forests, and wetlands as he is in the vegetable patch. And with Discoveries in the Garden, he shows us that these spaces aren’t as different as we might think, that nature flourishes in our backyards, schoolyards, and even indoors. To find it, we’ve only got to get down into the dirt. Leading us through the garden gate, Nardi reveals the extraordinary daily lives and life cycles of a quick-growing, widely available, and very accommodating group of study subjects: garden plants. Through close observations and simple experiments we all can replicate at home, we learn the hidden stories behind how these plants grow, flower, set seeds, and produce fruits, as well as the vital role dead and decomposing plants play in nourishing the soil. From pollinators to parasites, plant calisthenics to the wisdom of weeds, Nardi’s tale also introduces us to our fellow animal and microbial gardeners, the community of creatures both macro- and microscopic with whom we share our raised beds. Featuring a copse of original, informative illustrations that are as lush as the garden plants themselves, Discoveries in the Garden is an enlightening romp through the natural history, science, beauty, and wonder of these essential green places.
Discovering Birds: The Ultimate Handbook to the Birds of the World
by Roger LedererTake a journey through the fascinating world of birds with this tactile book jam-packed with scientific facts and incredible full-color illustrations.From soaring eagles to colorful parrots, this book explores the diverse array of birds that inhabit our world. Learn about each species' life cycle, nesting habits, migration patterns, behaviors, physical characteristics, and distinct songs.Inside you'll find:Profiles of 100+ amazing birds across a range of habitatsFun facts highlighting the fascinating features of each speciesIncredible full-page illustrationsDesigned to inspire curiosity and a love of nature, Discovering Birds promises to encourage a lifelong appreciation of learning and the great outdoors.
Discovering Cat Island: Photographs and History
by John CuevasCat Island, just off the Mississippi Gulf Coast shoreline, has been home to some of the most dramatic events and remarkable stories in the nation's history. While some of these stories are fact, others are colorful fables passed down through the ages with such conviction they have become true in the hearts and minds of many. Between fact and fiction is the undeniable reality: Cat Island is one of the most historically significant landmarks on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.Featuring over 160 black-and-white photographs by Jason Taylor and a foreword by Mississippi's Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, John Cuevas's Discovering Cat Island guides readers through Cat Island with stories and histories of twenty-nine sites--both real and imagined--of the legendary barrier island. Originally owned by the Cuevas family as part of a Spanish land grant to Juan de Cuevas in 1781, Cat Island boasts a colorful history that includes events related to the notorious pirate Jean Lafitte and the outlaw James Copeland, both of whom were thought to have buried their stolen treasure somewhere on the island; the Battle of New Orleans; and the War of 1812. The island served as one of the staging areas for the Seminole forced to abandon their homes and take part in the Trail of Tears. In the twentieth century, the island was a convenient transfer point for gangsters and local bootleggers shipping booze during Prohibition before becoming a US military training camp site during World War II. In 1988, Cat Island became the location of the first oil drilling ever in the Mississippi Sound and in 2010 was one of the islands devastated by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Discovering Nature on the Mountainside
by Lenka Chytilová Hedviga GutierrezThis beautifully illustrated and educational children&’s book explores mountain wildlife and how different animals live through the seasons. Strap on your boots and set out to explore a gorgeous mountainside! Discover all the amazing animals that call the mountains home. See how they live throughout the seasons—from bears and bats to eagles, mountain goats, marmots, and so much more. From which animals turn white when it snows to which are the best ice and rock climbers, young readers will learn all kinds of fun facts in this delightful picture book. This is a fixed-format ebook, which preserves the design and layout of the original print book
Discovering Political Ecology
by Alex Loftus Gustav CederlöfPolitical ecology is one of the most vibrant fields of environmental research. This book introduces political ecology to a new generation of students in a daring new way: as an interdisciplinary approach to environmental research but also as a series of lived realities and a praxis for change. The origins of political ecology are often traced through an Anglo-American canon. In Discovering Political Ecology, Gustav Cederlöf and Alex Loftus instead take up the challenge of presenting the key conversations and the diverse traditions that have shaped this field with attention to its extensive international roots. Inspired by voices and research in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas, the authors address the concerns of those who from different social backgrounds have grown up in a world shaped by climate change and increasing environmental inequalities.Engaging and accessible in style, Discovering Political Ecology introduces a set of key concepts around which conversations in political ecology coalesce. It also shows how these concepts allow you to make sense of some of the most pressing issues of our time—issues around water, energy, agriculture, forestry, climate change and environmental justice. Each chapter includes learning outcomes and suggested further readings, extensive bibliographies and seminar activities to be used by students and educators. At the cutting edge of the field, the book will be of interest to those in all disciplines brought together in political ecology, including but not limited to anthropology, development studies, ecology, geography, history and political science.
Discovering the Chesapeake: The History of an Ecosystem
by George W. FisherWith its rich evolutionary record of natural systems and long history of human activity, the Chesapeake Bay provides an excellent example of how a great estuary has responded to the powerful forces of human settlement and environmental change. Discovering the Chesapeake explores all of the long-term changes the Chesapeake has undergone and uncovers the inextricable connections among land, water, and humans in this unusually delicate ecosystem.Edited by a historian, a paleobiologist, and a geologist at the Johns Hopkins University and written for general readers, the book brings together experts in various disciplines to consider the truly complex and interesting environmental history of the Chesapeake and its watershed. Chapters explore a variety of topics, including the natural systems of the watershed and their origins; the effects of human interventions ranging from Indian slash-and-burn practices to changing farming techniques; the introduction of pathogens, both human and botanical; the consequences of the oyster's depletion; the response of bird and animal life to environmental factors introduced by humans; and the influence of the land and water on the people who settled along the Bay.Discovering the Chesapeake, originating in two conferences sponsored by the National Science Foundation, achieves a broad historical and scientific appreciation of the various processes that shaped the Chesapeake region."Today's Chesapeake Bay is only some ten thousand years old. What a different world it was... when the region was the home of the ground sloth, giant beaver, dire wolf, mastodon, and other megafauna. In the next few thousand years, the ice may form again and the Bay will once more be the valley of the Susquehanna, unless, of course, human-induced changes in climate create some other currently unpredictable condition."—from the Introduction