Download Free Our Ecological Crisis It Biological Economic Political Dimensions Book in PDF and EPUB Free Download. You can read online Our Ecological Crisis It Biological Economic Political Dimensions and write the review.

Day after day after day, everyday, human lifestyles damage the environment and despoil life which manifest themselves, in due course of time, as polluted air and water, global warming, drought, floods, or famine. All over the world, increasingly powerful technologies are making it possible for people to extract more and more from ecosystems to feed not only themselves but also numerous industries that generate various kinds of toxins and wastes. The book, which has a glossary, discusses some of the environmental and demographic messes of today from a multidimensional perspective of economics, sociology, science and technology and, wherever feasible, suggests suitable strategies for addressing the issues. It should prove informative to scientists, ecologists, biologists, economists, sociologists, engineers, politicians, policy makers, as well as consumers and providers of energy. Contents Chapter 1: General Introduction, Definition and history, Geography as a bridge between environment and society, Holocene and anthropocene, The earth system (Gaia), Complexity of ecological systems, Top environmental issues; Unknown environmental problems, Environmental discontinuities and synergisms, Environmental anti-science, The economy environment relations, Economic reforms and air pollution, Environment and income inequalities, Environmental maladaptation and political centralization, The ETC century, Global energy prospects, The socio-economic environment, The concept of consilience; Chapter 2: Population Problems, Introduction, The earth s carrying capacity, Population policy: consensus and challenges, Population, Resources and globalization, Population, Human development and sustainability, Affluence and environment, Urban population trends, World urbanization prospects, Poverty, Urbanization and poverty, Hunger, Social and economic dimensions of environmental change, Environmental technology, Role of social policy in development, Problems of population and food, Linkage between global environment change and food systems; Chapter 3: Energy Use and Economic Development, Introduction, Mainstream economics, The biophysical systems, Perspective of environment and society, Economic growth, Integrating economics and ecology, The global environmental crisis, Ecological economics, Nature valuation, Energy supply development, Energy demand management, Sectoral strategies, Energy market and the environmet, Renewable energy, Nuclear power and sustainable development, Energy-environment integration, Environmental value systems, Technology and the environment, Best available techniques for large combustion plants, Noval gas technologies, Alternatives to petrol and diesel, Diesel substitute; Chapter 4: Economics, Trade and Globalization, Introduction, Invisible government, The new economy, Impacts of WTO rules, World trade and consumer rights, Trade in plant genetic resources, Environment and business, Structural adjustment, Farmers and the environment, Loans for agribusiness, Impact of world trade on health, Green environment, agriculture and globalization, A decade after the Rio Earth Summit, Global public goods and health, Globalization and Poverty, Sustainability and Global change, Promoting socially responsible business in developing countries, Ecology of overshooting human economy, Textiles and the environment; Chapter 5: Politics and Society, Introduction, Sustainable development, The risk society, The kyoto protocol and landuse and landuse change and forestry, Between sovereignty and globalization, Democratic governance, Ecological modernization, Ecosystem goods and services, Environmental values, An environmental matrix, Participatory environmental processes, Environmental performance indicators, An ecosystems approach to developing indicators; Chapter 6: Environmental Degradation, Introduction, Industrialization, Urbanization and pollution, Urbanization and globalization, Balancing globalization and urbanization, The environmental and spatial transformation of world cities, Urban slums, Landuse conflicts, Chronic disturbance, Fires in the earth system, Desertification, The poverty-environmental degradation nexus, Poverty and environmental degradation, Driving factors and mechanisms of environmental degradation; Chapter 7: Human Influences and Environmental Impacts, Introduction, The impact of energy systems on atmospheric carbon dioxide, Fossil fuels, Prospects for future emissions, Generating operations, Acid emission control, Pollution control of transport systems, Hydroelectric projects, Geothermal energy systems, Nuclear energy systems, Human-environment interactions, Hill s dilemma, People and nature, The fragile planet, Interactions among atmosphere, ocean, land and humans, Past land cover change due to human activities; Chapter 8: General and Hazardous Wastes and their Substances, Introduction, Toxic substances, Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), Organochlorines, Phenolic compounds and their degradation, Sewage treatment, The principles of solid waste management, MSW disposal, Hazardous waste cleanup, Management of hazardous waste, Waste management in third world countries, Treatment of sludge, Harmful effects of land application of sludge, Treatment of wastewater, Composting, Bioremediation, Household waste management, Wastes as resource, From biowaste to biogas.
In today's world – despite the dramatic anthropogenic environmental changes – a proper understanding of the relationship between humanity and nature requires a certain detachment. The pressing problems in their whole extent will only be fully understood and solved with comprehensive and patient analysis. Accordingly, this book develops new perspectives on fundamental questions of biology, ecology, and the economy, integrated within a framework of a terminology specially devised by the authors. By illuminating the epistemological backgrounds of ecological-economic research, the authors lay foundations for interdisciplinary environmental research and offer guidelines for practical action. In close contact to the findings of present-day biology and economics, they demonstrate the fruitfulness as well as the shortcomings of modern science for the understanding of the proper place of humankind in nature. Many of the book's central concepts are rooted in a tradition whose origins go back to European philosophy and literature of the 17th Century. Frequently current problems in the fields of economics, ecology, politics, philosophy and biology are discussed in a kind of "dialogue" with thinkers and poets like Bacon, Quesnay, Kant, Goethe and Novalis. This approach of the book, known in Continental European Philosophy as hermeneutics, offers a ‘map’, rather than marking out a specific course. On the other hand, the book offers traits of the Anglo-Saxon tradition of thought: a precise, analytical approach to theory and a pragmatic approach to action. Both approaches are used by the authors complementarily. Thus the authors lay the foundations for an ecological economical and political practice which is able to tackle concrete environmental problems on an encompassing and long-term basis. This translated volume will be of great use and interest to students of ecology, economics and in particular environmental education, sustainable development and environmental ethics.
"Many of the chapters in the present volume were first presented at the 2008 BSA Annual Conference of 'Social Worlds, Natural Worlds' held at the University of Warwick"--Acknowledgements.
This study of the future of U.S. politics begins with an in-depth examination of the political, social, and economic dynamics of the present. Dr. Shefrin demonstrates that economic growth has been a key element in maintaining political stability by diverting the attention of materially deprived groups away from disruptive political activity. Examining the interaction of technological and political forces in the physical and social environment, he argues that an expectation of economic limits is reasonable—and perhaps undeniable—and focuses on the changes in the political system that can be anticipated in a no-growth or slow-growth society. Dr. Shefrin employs a nondeterministic "social choice" approach to reach the conclusion that, because the shape of the future is of major political significance, it will be the focus of intense political conflict. The four scenarios he presents reflect the major alternative directions possible for U.S. society, according to current social theory. Dr. Shefrin feels that the conflict among supporters of these alternatives will constitute the politics of the future.
Around the world, consciousness of the threat to our environment is growing. The majority of solutions on offer, from using efficient light bulbs to biking to work, focus on individual lifestyle changes, yet the scale of the crisis requires far deeper adjustments. Ecology and Socialism argues that time still remains to save humanity and the planet, but only by building social movements for environmental justice that can demand qualitative changes in our economy, workplaces, and infrastructure. Chris Williams is a longtime environmental activist, professor of physics and chemistry at Pace University, and chair of the science department at Packer Collegiate Institute. He lives in New York City.
This book examines the global regulation of biodiversity politics through the UN UNConvention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the WTO and other international treaties. Using historical-materialist state and regulation theory, it assesses how the discourse and politics of sustainable development have contributed to the internationalisation of the state. The authors argue that sustainable development, far from being a fixed concept, is a conceptual terrain on which different and conflicting symbolisations of and solutions responses to of the ecological crisis struggle for hegemony. Furthermore, it shows that the international multilateral environmental organisations agreements are not at all a means to counteract neoliberal globalisation but, on the contrary, form an integral part of the ongoing transformation process. Focussing on the UN Convention on Biological DiversityCBD, the FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) in the World Trade Organisation, this co-authored volume addresses the following issues: state theory, regulation theory and International Political Economy biodiversity protection and valorisation of genetic resources access to genetic resources and sharing of benefits which arise out of its use enforcement of intellectual property rights and their impact on biodiversity. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of international politics, international political economy, environmental studies, development studies and political ecology.