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Global Resource Scarcity: Catalyst for Conflict or Cooperation? (Earthscan Studies in Natural Resource Management)
by Marcelle C. Dawson, Christopher Rosin and NavNavé WaldA common perception of global resource scarcity holds that it is inevitably a catalyst for conflict among nations; yet, paradoxically, incidents of such scarcity underlie some of the most important examples of international cooperation. This volume examines the wider potential for the experience of scarcity to promote cooperation in international relations and diplomacy beyond the traditional bounds of the interests of competitive nation states. The interdisciplinary background of the book’s contributors shifts the focus of the analysis beyond narrow theoretical treatments of international relations and resource diplomacy to broader examinations of the practicalities of cooperation in the context of competition and scarcity. Combining the insights of a range of social scientists with those of experts in the natural and bio-sciences—many of whom work as ‘resource practitioners’ outside the context of universities—the book works through the tensions between ‘thinking/theory’ and ‘doing/practice’, which so often plague the process of social change. These encounters with scarcity draw attention away from the myopic focus on market forces and allocation, and encourage us to recognise more fully the social nature of the tensions and opportunities that are associated with our shared dependence on resources that are not readily accessible to all. The book brings together experts on theorising scarcity and those on the scarcity of specific resources. It begins with a theoretical reframing of both the contested concept of scarcity and the underlying dynamics of resource diplomacy. The authors then outline the current tensions around resource scarcity or degradation and examine existing progress towards cooperative international management of resources. These include food and water scarcity, mineral exploration and exploitation of the oceans. Overall, the contributors propose a more hopeful and positive engagement among the world’s nations as they pursue the economic and social benefits derived from natural resources, while maintaining the ecological processes on which they depend.
Global Resources
by Roland Dannreuther Wojciech OstrowskiThis EU-funded project examines the dynamics of conflict, collaboration and competition in relation to access to oil, gas and minerals. It involves 12 different institutions from across the EU and examines oil, gas and other minerals - spanning geology, technology studies, sociology, economics and political science.
Global Science: Earth/Environmental Systems Science
by John Christensen Teri ChristensenNIMAC-sourced textbook
Global Shifts: Business, Politics, and Deforestation in a Changing World Economy
by Philip SchleiferWhat global shifts in markets and power mean for the politics and governance of sustainability.In recent years, major shifts in global markets from North to South have created a new geography of trade and consumption, particularly in the agricultural sector. How this shift affects the governance of sustainability, and thus the future of the planet, is the pressing topic Philip Schleifer takes up in this book. The processes of twenty-first-century globalization are fundamentally changing the politics and governance of commodity production, Schleifer argues, with profound implications for the environment in the food-producing countries of the Global South. At the center of Schleifer's study are Brazil and Indonesia—two key sites of experimentation in new models of global environmental and commodity governance—where palm oil and soy supply chains have seen unprecedented degrees of private environmental governance in recent years. However, instead of transforming these industries, the diffusion of transnational sustainability standards has accompanied a worsening ecological crisis, with mounting evidence of increasingly strong links between deforestation and globalization in twenty-first-century agricultural trade. To uncover the causes of this governance failure, Schleifer develops a multi-level framework for analyzing how contemporary globalization is reconfiguring the political economies of such industries. The result is the first comprehensive analysis of the shift of global agricultural trade to the South and the deepening crisis of commodity-driven deforestation—and a complex and evolving picture of both the risks and opportunities for sustainability presented by this transformative shift.
Global Soil Security (Progress in Soil Science)
by Damien J. Field, Cristine L. S. Morgan and Alex B. McBratneyThis book introduces the concept of soil security and its five dimensions: Capability, Capital, Condition, Connectivity and Codification. These five dimensions make it possible to understand soil's role in delivering ecosystem services and to quantify soil resource by measuring, mapping, modeling and managing it. Each dimension refers to a specific aspect: contribution to global challenges (Capability), value of the soil (Capital), current state of the soil (Condition), how people are connected to the soil (Connectivity) and development of good policy (Codification). This book considers soil security as an integral part of meeting the ongoing challenge to maintain human health and secure our planet's sustainability. The concept of soil security helps to achieve the need to maintain and improve the world’s soil for the purpose of producing food, fiber and freshwater, and contributing to energy and climate sustainability. At the same time it helps to maintain biodiversity and protects ecosystem goods and services.
Global Struggles and Social Change: From Prehistory to World Revolution in the Twenty-First Century
by Christopher Chase-Dunn Paul AlmeidaDeftly demonstrates how the rise and fall of social movements throughout history is closely linked to economic and political developments.In the early decades of the twenty-first century, an international movement to slow the pace of climate change mushroomed across the globe. The self-proclaimed Climate Justice movement urges immediate action to reduce carbon emissions and calls for the adoption of bold new policies to address global warming before irreversible and catastrophic damage threatens the habitability of the planet. On another front, since the 1980s, multiple waves of resistance have occurred around the world against the uneven transition from state-led development to the neoliberal globalization project. Both Climate Justice and Anti-Austerity movements represent the urgency of understanding how global change affects the ability of citizens around the world to mobilize and protect themselves from planetary warming and the loss of social protections granted in earlier eras.In Global Struggles and Social Change, Christopher Chase-Dunn and Paul Almeida explore how global change stimulates the formation and shape of such movements. Contending that large-scale economic shifts condition the pattern of social movement mobilizations around the world, the authors trace these trends back to premodern societies, revealing how severe disruptions of indigenous communities led to innovative collective actions throughout history. Drawing on historical case studies, world system and protest event analysis, and social networks, they also examine the influence of global change processes on local, national, and transnational social movements and explain how in turn these movements shape institutional shifts. Touching on hot-button topics, including global warming, immigrant rights protests, the rise of right-wing populism, and the 2008 financial crisis, the book also explores a broad range of premodern social movements from indigenous people in the Americas, Mesopotamia, and China. The authors pay special attention to periods of disruption and external threats, as well as the role of elites, emotions, charisma, and religion or spirituality in shaping protest movements. Providing sweeping coverage, Global Struggles and Social Change is perfect for students and anyone interested in globalization, international and comparative politics, political sociology, and communication studies.
Global Sustainability
by Benno WerlenThis book offers new perspectives of transdisciplinary research, in methodological as well as theoretical respects. It provides insights in the two-fold bio-physical and the socio-cultural global embeddedness of local living conditions on the basis of selected empirical studies from Latin America, Asia, Africa, Australia and Europe. The theoretical foundations of ecological research and sustainability policies were developed at the end of the nineteenth century. They are largely based on investigations of living spaces and the evolution and differentiation of varied life forms. This perspective is embedded in the practical and theoretical European problem situations of the past and lacks social and cultural differentiation. The transformation of spatial and natural relations as a result of the globalization process is so radical that new theories are needed to solve 21st century ecological problems. Moreover, in view of the lack of an ontologically sound and promising strategy for transdisciplinary problem solving, as well as an acceptable consideration of the power of cultural schemas relating to natural living's interpretations, there is a strong need to focus on sustainable social practices, habits and routines, rather than on predominantly living spaces or eco-topes. This book elaborates on the transdisciplinary approach by reflecting on the theoretical heritage and a global perspective of sustainability, by focusing on the primary role of a social approach in sustainability research and by putting emphasis on cultural dimension of sustainability. It postulates that global sustainability is grounded in a global understanding of our everyday activities.
Global Sustainability and Communities of Practice
by Carl A. Maida Sam BeckCollaboration between experts and the public is vital for effective community engagement aimed at improving the lives of the most vulnerable in society, whether at the local or global level. Using case-based and theoretical chapters that examine rural and urban communities of practice, this volume illustrates how participatory researchers and students, as well as policy and community leaders, find ways to engage with the broader public when it comes to global sustainability research and practice.
Global Sustainable Cities: City Governments and Our Environmental Future
by Danielle Spiegel-Feld, Katrina Miriam Wyman, and John J. CoughlinPerspectives from worldwide experts on how major cities across the globe are responding to the major environmental threats of our time, including global climate change Over half of the world’s population now lives in cities, and this share is expected to increase in the coming decades. With growing urbanization, cities and their residents face substantial environmental challenges such as higher temperatures, droughts, wildfires, and increased flooding. In response to these pressing challenges, some cities have begun to develop local environmental regulations that supplement national and environmental laws. In so doing, cities have stepped into a role that has been historically dominated by higher levels of government.Global Sustainable Cities takes stock of the policies that have been implemented by cities around the world in recent years in several key areas: water, air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and climate adaptation. It examines the advantages—and potential drawbacks—of allowing cities to assume a significant role in environmental regulation, given the legal and political constraints in which cities operate.The contributors present a series of case studies of the actions that seven leading cities—Abu Dhabi, Beijing, Berlin, Delhi, London, New York, and Shanghai—are taking to improve their environments and adapt to climate change. The first volume of its kind, Global Sustainable Cities is a critical comparative assessment of the actions that major cities in the global North and South are taking to advance sustainability.
The Global Technology Revolution China, In-Depth Analyses
by Richard Silberglitt Anny WongChina's Tianjin Binhai New Area and the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area commissioned a technology-foresight study to help them plan for economic growth. The authors recommend seven emerging technology applications (TAs)--solar energy, mobile communications, rapid bioassays, new water-purification systems, molecular-scale drugs, electric and hybrid vehicles, and green manufacturing--and describe drivers, barriers, and plans for each.
Global Thinking and Local Action: Agriculture, Tropical Forest Loss and Conservation in Southeast Nigeria (Routledge Revivals)
by Uwem E. IteThis title was first published in 2001. Based on extensive local field research undertaken in and around the Cross River National Park in Nigeria, this book provides a socio-economic study of the tensions between agriculture and nature conservation. Taking a ’bottom-up’ approach and focussing on the farm household and the dynamics of forest farming at household level, it brings together a wealth of new information on the subject of tropical forestry, the causes and dynamics of tropical rain forest loss and the problematic relations between conservation authorities in National Parks and local people. Its conclusions raise important questions about practical ways forward in the development of such areas.
Global Trends Compendium: An Essential Guide to Socio-Economic and Environmental Change
by Edoardo MonacoThis Compendium was conceived as a “pocket compass”, a practical guide that may help readers to orientate themselves while they explore global affairs and attempt to make sense of the highly interconnected, multidimensional challenges of contemporary human development. The book is intended to be an accessible, concise, yet comprehensive reference for anyone who hopes to better understand today’s world and its dramatic complexity. The aim is to highlight a relevant selection of the demographic, socio-economic, geo-political, and environmental macro-dynamics that define our time, and to explore in a practical way the indicators that can be used to monitor their evolution over time. In general, this project stems from the need to apply “systemic thinking” to the study of the world and to develop a holistic perspective that can bridge the gap that for too long has existed across academic disciplines and their respective focuses. The macro-trends featured in the book shed light, in particular, on the change that has been occurring over time in the vast Global South – a portion of the globe that accounts for over 80% of the world’s total population. The book’s ultimate – although not exclusive – target audience is undoubtedly composed of undergraduate students of subjects such as political science, international affairs, international development, human geography and the like. In addition, the Compendium may benefit professionals in both public and private organisations as well as members of the general public seeking to acquire "global development literacy" in manners that are academically sound, but also accessible and concise.
Global Trends in Land Tenure Reform: Gender Impacts (Routledge ISS Gender, Sexuality and Development Studies)
by Caroline S. Archambault Annelies ZoomersThis book explores the gendered dimensions of recent land governance transformations across the globe in the wake of unprecedented pressures on land and natural resources. These complex contemporary forces are reconfiguring livelihoods and impacting women’s positions, their tenure security and well-being, and that of their families. Bringing together fourteen empirical community case studies from around the world, the book examines governance transformations of land and land-based resources resulting from four major processes of tenure change: commercial land based investments, the formalization of customary tenure, the privatization of communal lands, and post-conflict resettlement and redistribution reforms. Each contribution carefully analyses the gendered dimensions of these transformations, exploring both the gender impact of the land tenure reforms and the social and political economy within which these reforms materialize. The cases provide important insights for decision makers to better promote and design an effective gender lens into land tenure reforms and natural resource management policies. This book will be of great interest to researchers engaging with land and natural resource management issues from a wide variety of disciplines, including anthropology, sociology, development studies, and political science, as well as policy makers, practitioners, and activists concerned with environment, development, and social equity.
Global Vegetation Dynamics: Concepts and Applications in the MC1 Model
by Dominique Bachelet David TurnerGlobal Vegetation Dynamics: Concepts and Applications in MC1 model describes the creation in the mid 1990s, architecture, uses, and limitations of the MC1 dynamic global vegetation model (DGVM) that is being used by an increasing number of research groups around the world. The scientific foundation of most models is often poorly documented and difficult to access, and a centralized source of information for MC1, including the complete list of over eighty papers and reports with MC1 results will be useful to scientists and users who want to better understand the model and the output it generates. Global Vegetation Dynamics: Concepts and Applications in MC1 model will be a valuable resource for students and researchers in the fields of climate change science, conservation science, biogeochemistry and ecology, as well as for land managers looking for a better understanding of the projections of climate change impacts and of the tools that have been developed to produce them.he fire model, which was the first of its kind among dynamic global vegetation models; a brief history of the model creation; summaries of model results at the continental (North America), regional (Pacific Northwest), and local (Wind Cave NP and Sierra Nevada) scales; a description of its use to transform a state and transition model into its climate-smart version to help managers prepare for climate change challenges; and the description of an on-line tool (databasin.org) that provides snapshots as well as animated time series of its results. Finally, a complete bibliography (as of spring 2015) lists over 80 publications that include MC1 results. Global Vegetation Dynamics: Concepts and Applications in the MC1 model will be a valuable resource for students and researchers in the fields of climate change science, conservation science, and biogeochemistry and ecology, as well as for land managers looking for a better understanding of the projections of climate change impacts and of the tools that have been developed to produce them.
Global Views on Climate Relocation and Social Justice: Navigating Retreat (Routledge Studies in Environmental Migration, Displacement and Resettlement)
by Idowu Jola Ajibade A. R. SidersThis edited volume advances our understanding of climate relocation (or planned retreat), an emerging topic in the fields of climate adaptation and hazard risk, and provides a platform for alternative voices and views on the subject. As the effects of climate change become more severe and widespread, there is a growing conversation about when, where and how people will move. Climate relocation is a controversial adaptation strategy, yet the process can also offer opportunity and hope. This collection grapples with the environmental and social justice dimensions from multiple perspectives, with cases drawn from Africa, Asia, Australia, Oceania, South America, and North America. The contributions throughout present unique perspectives, including community organizations, adaptation practitioners, geographers, lawyers, and landscape architects, reflecting on the potential harms and opportunities of climate-induced relocation. Works of art, photos, and quotes from flood survivors are also included, placed between sections to remind the reader of the human element in the adaptation debate. Blending art – photography, poetry, sculpture – with practical reflections and scholarly analyses, this volume provides new insights on a debate that touches us all: how we will live in the future and where? Challenging readers’ pre-conceptions about planned retreat by juxtaposing different disciplines, lenses and media, this book will be of great interest to students and scholars of climate change, environmental migration and displacement, and environmental justice and equity.
Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast
by David Archer<P>Archer's Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast 2nd Edition, is the first real text to present the science and policy surrounding climate change at the right level. Accompanying videos, simulations and instructional support makes it easier to build a syllabus to improve and create new material on climate change. Archer's polished writing style makes the text entertaining while the improved pedagogy helps better understand key concepts, ideas and terms. <P>This edition has been revised and reformulated with a new chapter template of short chapter introductions, study questions at the end, and critical thinking puzzlers throughout. Also a new asset for the BCS was created that will give ideas for assignments and topics for essays and other projects. Furthermore, a number of interactive models have been built to help understand the science and systems behind the processes.
Global Warming
by John HoughtonThis work is a full survey of the present state of knowledge on global warming, and what can be done about it. The information and interpretation is not just one man's view, but represents the common mind of the scientific community. Many of the charts and diagrams are generated by the Met Office computer. Sir John Houghton is the author of The Physics of Atmospheres and Does God Play Dice?.
Global Warming
by Sir John HoughtonJohn Houghton's market-leading textbook is now in full color and includes the latest IPCC findings, making it the definitive guide to climate change. Written for students across a wide range of disciplines, its simple, logical flow of ideas gives an invaluable grounding in the science and impacts of climate change and highlights the need for action on global warming. Is there evidence for climate changing due to human activities? How do we account for recent extremes of weather and climate? Can global electricity provision and transport ever be carbon free? Written by a leading figure at the forefront of action to confront humanity's most serious environmental problem, this undergraduate textbook comprehensively explores these and other issues, allowing students to think through the problem, assess the data and draw conclusions on the action that should be taken, by governments, by industry and by each and every one of us.
Global Warming (Nonfiction Reading And Writing Workshops)
by Rebecca Johnson National Geographic Learning StaffDiscover the science behind global warming, its causes, and possible effects. Learn how human activities affect global temperatures and explore the good news and the bad news about our warming world.
Global Warming
by Adnan Midilli T. Hikmet Karakoc Ibrahim Dincer Arif HepbasliGlobal Warming: Engineering Solutions goes beyond the discussion of what global warming is, and offers complete concrete solutions that can be used to help prevent global warming. Innovative engineering solutions are needed to reduce the effects of global warming. Discussed here are proposed engineering solutions for reducing global warming resulting from carbon dioxide pollution, poor energy and environment policies and emission pollution. Solutions discussed include but are not limited to: energy conversion technologies and their advantages, energy management and conservation, energy saving and energy security, renewable and sustainable energy technologies, emission reduction, sustainable development; pollution control and measures, policy development, global energy stability and sustainability.
Global Warming: A Beginner's Guide to Our Changing Climate
by Fred Pearce John GribbinBig ideas made simple -- six books in an incredible new series that explains important scientific ideas more clearly than ever before. Climate change resulting from an increase in greenhouse gases is perhaps the greatest threat to our planet's future. Here, Fred Pearce examines the causes and dramatic effects, and what can be done to remedy the situation -- before it's too late. This stimulating new series uses an innovative mix of graphics, artwork, and photographs to explain and illuminate the most important scientific topics of the day. Unique in popular science guides, Essential Science uses bright, full-color images to make traditionally "difficult" subjects more accessible. Each title focuses on a scientific or technological topic that is currently provoking debate and is likely to have a widespread impact on our lives. Lively, readable text from top science writers ensures all readers -- from 14+ schoolchildren to academics -- gain a full understanding of the facts and related issues. Under the direction of renowned science writer John Gribbin, expert authors describe, in lively, jargon-free text, the principles and discoveries behind each subject, summarize what is currently known, and predict future issues and trends.
Global Warming
by Susan PhilipOur earth is getting hotter and hotter. As a result, the polar ice caps are melting, the water levels in the oceans are rising, soon low-lying, small islands will vanish, there will be less and less rainfall so crops will die, and we humans will face shortage of food and drinking water. Animals and birds will soon start disappearing. If you thought this was the script of some new sci-fi movie, you are mistaken. All this is already happening as a result of Global Warming-the new threat Planet Earth is facing. This book is all about this scary natural phenomenon which is worrying scientists and countries around the world.
Global Warming: The Threat of Earth's Changing Climate
by Laurence PringleIt's not your imagination: Earth is getting warmer. Global warming is perhaps the most prominent environmental issue of the past decade. Award-winning writer Laurence Pringle describes the causes of this worldwide trend, exploring its past, present, and potential future damage to our climate, ecology, and economy. He also offers practical solutions that will help avert a global disaster of our own making.
Global Warming (Smithsonian-science)
by Seymour SimonAward-winning science writer Seymour Simon gives you a full-color photographic introduction to the causes and effects of global warming and climate change. <P><P>Earth's climate has always varied, but it is now changing more rapidly than at any other time in recent centuries. The climate is very complex, and many factors play important roles in determining how it changes. Why is the climate changing? Could Earth be getting warmer by itself? Are people doing things that make the climate warmer? <P><P>Supports the Common Core State Standards
Global Warming and Human - Nature Dimension in Northern Eurasia
by Tetsuya Hiyama Hiroki TakakuraThis book describes the current environmental changes due to global warming in northern Eurasia, especially focusing on eastern Siberia. Spring flooding, ice-jam movements, and monitoring using remote sensing are included. Additionally, current reindeer herding of indigenous peoples in Siberia and related environmental changes such as waterlogging, rising temperatures, and vegetation changes are addressed. As a summary, the book also introduces readers to adaptation strategies at several governmental levels. The book primarily focuses on 1) introducing readers to global warming and human/nature dynamics in Siberia, with special emphasis on humidification of the region in the mid-2000s, and 2) describing social adaptation to the changing terrestrial ecosystem, with an emphasis on water environments. Adaptation strategies based on vulnerability assessments of environmental changes in northern Eurasia are crucial topics for intergovernmental organizations, such as the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). Thus, the book offers a valuable resource not only for environmental researchers but also for several stakeholders regarding global environmental change.