Confronting Ecological and Economic Collapse

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1135957371
Total Pages : 350 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (359 download)

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Book Synopsis Confronting Ecological and Economic Collapse by : Laura Westra

Download or read book Confronting Ecological and Economic Collapse written by Laura Westra and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-06-07 with total page 350 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the first appearance of the term in law in the Clean Water Act of 1972 (US), ecological integrity has been debated by a wide range of researchers, including biologists, ecologists, philosophers, legal scholars, doctors and epidemiologists, whose joint interest was the study and understanding of ecological/biological integrity from various standpoints and disciplines. This volume discusses the need for ecological integrity as a major guiding principle in a variety of policy areas, to counter the present ecological and economic crises with their multiple effects on human rights. The book celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Global Ecological Integrity Group and reassesses the basic concept of ecological integrity in order to show how a future beyond catastrophe and disaster is in fact possible, but only if civil society and ultimately legal regimes acknowledge the necessity to consider ecointegrity as a primary factor in decision-making. This is key to the support of basic rights to clean air and water, for halting climate change, and also the basic rights of women and indigenous people. As the authors clearly show, all these rights ultimately depend upon accepting policies that acknowledge the pivotal role of ecological integrity.

Green Economics: Confronting the Ecological Crisis

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Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317469372
Total Pages : 288 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (174 download)

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Book Synopsis Green Economics: Confronting the Ecological Crisis by : Robin Hahnel

Download or read book Green Economics: Confronting the Ecological Crisis written by Robin Hahnel and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-12-18 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book's pluralistic, non-dogmatic, and committed investigation of the values of ecological sustainability, economic justice, and human dignity provides balanced analysis of environmental problems and their potential solutions.

World on the Edge

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Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1849712727
Total Pages : 258 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (497 download)

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Book Synopsis World on the Edge by : Lester Russell Brown

Download or read book World on the Edge written by Lester Russell Brown and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2011 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First Published in 2011. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Managing Without Growth

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Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1848442998
Total Pages : 269 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (484 download)

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Book Synopsis Managing Without Growth by : Peter A. Victor

Download or read book Managing Without Growth written by Peter A. Victor and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2008-01-01 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Managing Without Growth offers a compelling argument for the need for a new policy focus in the rich nations. Peter Victor argues that it is time for our obsession with economic growth to end. A new focus on human well-being must replace our more is better philosophy. Brett Dolter, Briarpatch Magazine Peter Victor clearly presents the arguments as to why already relatively rich countries may have to manage low or no growth in their economies if they wish to address rather than continue contributing to global environmental problems. His modelling suggests that managing without growth need not be the economic disaster that is so often assumed. This is a lucid book that provides an excellent introduction to this important but neglected area. Paul Ekins, King's College London, UK At last, Managing Without Growth, a book that puts economics in its proper place within the real world and points the direction we must go in confronting the ecological crisis of the planet. As an economist, environmental studies professor Peter Victor is eminently qualified for the task. He examines some of our most fundamental assumptions and beliefs about the market, pricing, free trade and growth, prosperity and happiness that too often preclude a serious consideration of the environment and economy. His book couldn t be a more timely and important analysis of the destructive consequences of aspiring to endless growth and downloading the costs onto nature itself. He makes a powerful case for the need to work deliberately towards a steady state economy where the real world of the biosphere should set the limits to our activity. Victor s book should be at the basis for our discussion of these critical issues today. David Suzuki, broadcaster and activist Peter Victor analyses the critical policy question of our time, how to manage our economy equitably and efficiently without growing beyond biophysical limits. He reasons carefully and rigorously, yet pulls no punches in drawing conclusions that some will consider radical. A superb book! Herman E. Daly, University of Maryland, US Overcoming our addiction to economic growth is one of the most important challenges for the 21st century. Peter Victor s masterful summary of the history and fallacies of this particularly pervasive and increasingly dangerous addiction will be a great help in getting over it. A sustainable and desirable future requires clearly differentiating between bigger and better and a recognition that in the overdeveloped West these two have parted ways. Peter Victor s book will help us slow down by design, not disaster, and understand how that slowing down will in fact increase our quality of life. Robert Costanza, The University of Vermont, US Peter Victor s book is a carefully crafted argument for managing without growth . It is not only an up-to-date survey of the latest thinking on energy, climate, and population, it offers practical policy responses to these challenges. This book is a must read for academics and policymakers concerned with environmental integrity and human wellbeing. John Gowdy, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, US Peter Victor challenges the priority that rich countries continue to give to economic growth as an over-arching objective of economic policy. The challenge is based on a critical analysis of the literature on environmental and resource limits to growth, on the disconnect between higher incomes and happiness, and on the failure of economic growth to meet other key economic, social and environmental policy objectives. Shortly after World War II, economic growth became the paramount economic policy objective in most countries, a position that it maintains today. This book presents three arguments on why rich countries should turn away from economic growth as the primary policy objective and pursue more specific objectives that enhance wellbeing. The author contends that continued economic growth worldwide is unrealistic due to environmental and

Breakpoint - Reckoning with America`s Environmental Crises

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780300244397
Total Pages : 320 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (443 download)

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Book Synopsis Breakpoint - Reckoning with America`s Environmental Crises by : Jeremy B. C. Jackson

Download or read book Breakpoint - Reckoning with America`s Environmental Crises written by Jeremy B. C. Jackson and published by . This book was released on 2019-04-09 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An insightful look at the American environmental crisis and emerging solutions from the heartland to the coasts in the era of global climate change Eminent ecologist Jeremy B. C. Jackson and award-winning journalist Steve Chapple traveled the length of the Mississippi River interviewing farmers, fishermen, scientists, and policymakers to better understand the mounting environmental problems ravaging the United States. Along their journey, which quickly expands to California, Florida, and New York, the pair uncovered surprising and profound connections between ecological systems and environmental crises across the country. Artfully weaving together independent research and engaging storytelling, Jackson and Chapple examine the looming threats from recent hurricanes and fires, industrial agriculture, river mismanagement, extreme weather events, drought, and rising sea levels that are pushing the country toward the breaking point of ecological and economic collapse. Yet, despite these challenges, the authors provide optimistic and practical solutions for addressing these multidimensional issues to achieve greater environmental stability, human well‑being, and future economic prosperity. With a passionate call to action, they look hopefully toward emerging and achievable solutions to preserve the country's future.

Down to the Wire

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780199745753
Total Pages : 288 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (457 download)

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Book Synopsis Down to the Wire by : David W. Orr

Download or read book Down to the Wire written by David W. Orr and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2009-09-17 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The real fault line in American politics is not between liberals and conservatives.... It is, rather, in how we orient ourselves to the generations to come who will bear the consequences, for better and for worse, of our actions." So writes David Orr in Down to the Wire, a sober and eloquent assessment of climate destabilization and an urgent call to action. Orr describes how political negligence, an economy based on the insatiable consumption of trivial goods, and a disdain for the well-being of future generations have brought us to the tipping point that biologist Edward O. Wilson calls "the bottleneck." Due to our refusal to live within natural limits, we now face a long emergency of rising temperatures, rising sea-levels, and a host of other related problems that will increasingly undermine human civilization. Climate destabilization to which we are already committed will change everything, and to those betting on quick technological fixes or minor adjustments to the way we live now, Down to the Wire is a major wake-up call. But this is not a doomsday book. Orr offers a wide range of pragmatic, far-reaching proposals--some of which have already been adopted by the Obama administration--for how we might reconnect public policy with rigorous science, bring our economy into alignment with ecological realities, and begin to regard ourselves as planetary trustees for future generations. He offers inspiring real-life examples of people already responding to the major threat to our future. An exacting analysis of where we are in terms of climate change, how we got here, and what we must now do, Down to the Wire is essential reading for those wanting to join in the Great Work of our generation.

Ecological Economics

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Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 9789400719712
Total Pages : 248 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (197 download)

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Book Synopsis Ecological Economics by : Stanislav E. Shmelev

Download or read book Ecological Economics written by Stanislav E. Shmelev and published by Springer. This book was released on 2011-10-12 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a concise and crisp manner, this book presents the state of the art in ecological economics, an interdisciplinary field focused on the analysis of sustainability of global, national and regional economic systems. An elegant guide, the book offers a range of cutting edge methods used in sustainability research including multicriteria decision aid (MCDA), input-output analysis, and life cycle analysis. This book is packed with references for students with some background in economics, environmental science or mathematics who aim to develop the analytical skills required for redirecting our development path towards sustainability in government, international organisations, academia, non-profit sector and business. As such, the book is primarily aimed at MSc and first year PhD students reading for degrees in Environmental Change and Management, Ecological Economics, Environmental Management, Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and those taking part in similar programmes. The book strives to develop the idea that a significant adjustment of the current economic theories is required, an idea supported by the emerged world economic crisis, the climatic and biodiversity crisis the world is currently facing and the enormously slow progress that has been made in the field of reorientation of the global economy towards sustainability. The practical case studies provided focus on the most pressing topics of today, and the book adopts a positive approach for problem solving and strategic development, which is aimed at educating the future decision makers and business leaders.

Confronting Ecological Crisis in Appalachia and the South

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Author :
Publisher : University Press of Kentucky
ISBN 13 : 0813139724
Total Pages : 284 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (131 download)

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Book Synopsis Confronting Ecological Crisis in Appalachia and the South by : Stephanie McSpirit

Download or read book Confronting Ecological Crisis in Appalachia and the South written by Stephanie McSpirit and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 2012-07-01 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Throughout Appalachia corporations control local economies and absentee ownership of land makes it difficult for communities to protect their waterways, mountains, and forests. Yet among all this uncertainty are committed citizens who have organized themselves to confront both external power holders and often their own local, state, and federal agents. Determined to make their voice heard and to improve their living conditions, newfound partnerships between community activists and faculty and students at community colleges and universities have formed to challenge powerful bureaucratic infrastructures and to protect local ecosystems and communities. Confronting Ecological Crisis: University and Community Partnerships in Appalachia and the South addresses a wide range of cases that have presented challenges to local environments, public health, and social justice faced by the people of this region. Editors Stephanie McSpirit, Lynne Faltraco, and Conner Bailey, along with community leaders and their university partners, describe stories of unlikely unions between faculty, students, and Appalachian communities in which both sides learn from one another and, most importantly, form a unique alliance in the fight against corporate control. Confronting Ecological Crisis is a comprehensive look at the citizens and organizations that have emerged to fight the continued destruction of Appalachia.

Environmental Law and Governance for the Anthropocene

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Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1509906541
Total Pages : 408 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (99 download)

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Book Synopsis Environmental Law and Governance for the Anthropocene by : Louis Kotzé

Download or read book Environmental Law and Governance for the Anthropocene written by Louis Kotzé and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-06-15 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The era of eco-crises signified by the Anthropocene trope is marked by rapidly intensifying levels of complexity and unevenness, which collectively present unique regulatory challenges to environmental law and governance. This volume sets out to address the currently under-theorised legal and consequent governance challenges presented by the emergence of the Anthropocene as a possible new geological epoch. While the epoch has yet to be formally confirmed, the trope and discourse of the Anthropocene undoubtedly already confront law and governance scholars with a unique challenge concerning the need to question, and ultimately re-imagine, environmental law and governance interventions in the light of a new socio-ecological situation, the signs of which are increasingly apparent and urgent. This volume does not aspire to offer a univocal response to Anthropocene exigencies and phenomena. Any such attempt is, in any case, unlikely to do justice to the multiple implications and characteristics of Anthropocene forebodings. What it does is to invite an unrivalled group of leading law and governance scholars to reflect upon the Anthropocene and the implications of its discursive formation in an attempt to trace some initial, often radical, future-facing and imaginative implications for environmental law and governance.

Ecological Law and the Planetary Crisis

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1000210804
Total Pages : 262 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (2 download)

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Book Synopsis Ecological Law and the Planetary Crisis by : Geoffrey Garver

Download or read book Ecological Law and the Planetary Crisis written by Geoffrey Garver and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2020-10-29 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book uses a transdisciplinary systems approach to examine how Earth’s human-caused ecological crisis arose and presents a new legal approach for overcoming it. Ecological Law and the Planetary Crisis first examines how the history of humanity’s social metabolism, along with the history of human inventions and ideas, led to the human-Earth dilemma we see today and explains why contemporary law is inadequate for confronting this dilemma. The book goes on to propose ecological law—law that maintains human activity within ecological limits such as planetary boundaries while ensuring social justice and equity—as an essential element of an urgently needed radical pathway of change toward a perpetual, mutually enhancing human-Earth relationship. Finally, it offers a systems-based analytical tool for organizing actions to promote the transition from environmental to ecological law. Increasing the visibility, clarity and development of ecological law, this book will be of great interest to students and scholars of ecological and environmental law and governance.

Confronting Ecological Crisis in Appalachia and the South

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Author :
Publisher : University Press of Kentucky
ISBN 13 : 0813136199
Total Pages : 286 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (131 download)

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Book Synopsis Confronting Ecological Crisis in Appalachia and the South by : Stephanie McSpirit

Download or read book Confronting Ecological Crisis in Appalachia and the South written by Stephanie McSpirit and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 2012-07-05 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Throughout Appalachia corporations control local economies and absentee ownership of land makes it difficult for communities to protect their waterways, mountains, and forests. Yet among all this uncertainty are committed citizens who have organized themselves to confront both external power holders and often their own local, state, and federal agents. Determined to make their voice heard and to improve their living conditions, newfound partnerships between community activists and faculty and students at community colleges and universities have formed to challenge powerful bureaucratic infrastructures and to protect local ecosystems and communities. Confronting Ecological Crisis: University and Community Partnerships in Appalachia and the South addresses a wide range of cases that have presented challenges to local environments, public health, and social justice faced by the people of this region. Editors Stephanie McSpirit, Lynne Faltraco, and Conner Bailey, along with community leaders and their university partners, describe stories of unlikely unions between faculty, students, and Appalachian communities in which both sides learn from one another and, most importantly, form a unique alliance in the fight against corporate control. Confronting Ecological Crisis is a comprehensive look at the citizens and organizations that have emerged to fight the continued destruction of Appalachia.

The Crisis in Global Ethics and the Future of Global Governance

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Author :
Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1786430878
Total Pages : 328 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (864 download)

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Book Synopsis The Crisis in Global Ethics and the Future of Global Governance by : Peter Burdon

Download or read book The Crisis in Global Ethics and the Future of Global Governance written by Peter Burdon and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2019 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} This thought-provoking book stimulates dialogue and action on the role of global ethics in the governance of individual societies and the international order. Such inquiry is imperative given the extraordinary challenges that face the world today. Leading figures in environmental ethics, philosophy and law approach questions surrounding global ethics and governance from a range of cultural and philosophical perspectives.

An Inconvenient Apocalypse

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Publisher : University of Notre Dame Pess
ISBN 13 : 0268203644
Total Pages : 221 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (682 download)

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Book Synopsis An Inconvenient Apocalypse by : Wes Jackson

Download or read book An Inconvenient Apocalypse written by Wes Jackson and published by University of Notre Dame Pess. This book was released on 2022-09-01 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Confronting harsh ecological realities and the multiple cascading crises facing our world today, An Inconvenient Apocalypse argues that humanity’s future will be defined not by expansion but by contraction. For decades, our world has understood that we are on the brink of an apocalypse—and yet the only implemented solutions have been small and convenient, feel-good initiatives that avoid unpleasant truths about the root causes of our impending disaster. Wes Jackson and Robert Jensen argue that we must reconsider the origins of the consumption crisis and the challenges we face in creating a survivable future. Longstanding assumptions about economic growth and technological progress—the dream of a future of endless bounty—are no longer tenable. The climate crisis has already progressed beyond simple or nondisruptive solutions. The end result will be apocalyptic; the only question now is how bad it will be. Jackson and Jensen examine how geographic determinism shaped our past and led to today’s social injustice, consumerist culture, and high-energy/high-technology dystopias. The solution requires addressing today’s systemic failures and confronting human nature by recognizing the limits of our ability to predict how those failures will play out over time. Though these massive challenges can feel overwhelming, Jackson and Jensen weave a secular reading of theological concepts—the prophetic, the apocalyptic, a saving remnant, and grace—to chart a collective, realistic path for humanity not only to survive our apocalypse but also to emerge on the other side with a renewed appreciation of the larger living world.

Research Handbook on Fundamental Concepts of Environmental Law

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Author :
Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1784714658
Total Pages : 576 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (847 download)

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Book Synopsis Research Handbook on Fundamental Concepts of Environmental Law by : Douglas Fisher

Download or read book Research Handbook on Fundamental Concepts of Environmental Law written by Douglas Fisher and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2016-11-25 with total page 576 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The quality and the strength of an environmental legal system is a reflection of the conceptual foundations upon which it is constructed. The Research Handbook on Fundamental Concepts of Environmental Law illuminates key aspects of environmental governance through the lens of their underlying dimensions: for example, the form, structure and language of international, regional and national instruments; the function of norms, objectives and standards; and the relevance of economic analysis and of integrated policy formulation.

The Earth Charter, Ecological Integrity and Social Movements

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317703154
Total Pages : 290 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (177 download)

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Book Synopsis The Earth Charter, Ecological Integrity and Social Movements by : Laura Westra

Download or read book The Earth Charter, Ecological Integrity and Social Movements written by Laura Westra and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-06-20 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Earth Charter is a declaration of fundamental ethical principles for building a just, sustainable and peaceful global society, with ecological integrity as a major theme. This book provides a series of analyses of ecological integrity as it relates to the Earth Charter, social movements and international law for human rights. It is shown how the Earth Charter project began as a United Nations initiative, but it was carried forward and completed by a global civil society initiative. The drafting of the Earth Charter involved the most inclusive and participatory process of its time ever associated with the creation of an international declaration. This process is the primary source of its legitimacy as a guiding ethical framework. The Earth Charter was finalized and then launched in 2000 and its legitimacy has been further enhanced by its endorsement by over 6,500 organizations, including many governments and international organizations. In the light of this legitimacy, an increasing number of international lawyers recognize that the Earth Charter is acquiring the status of a soft law document. The book also shows the strong connection between ecological integrity and social justice, particularly in the defence of indigenous people, and includes contributions from both the North and the global South, specifically from Central and South America.

Climate Change and Biodiversity Governance in the Amazon

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 100042829X
Total Pages : 90 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (4 download)

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Book Synopsis Climate Change and Biodiversity Governance in the Amazon by : Joana Castro Pereira

Download or read book Climate Change and Biodiversity Governance in the Amazon written by Joana Castro Pereira and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-07-08 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides an analysis of the recent governance of the Amazon in Brazil, Peru, Bolivia and Colombia with a particular focus on deforestation processes, demonstrating that current policies and political and socioeconomic dynamics in the four countries are risking the forest’s resilience. The authors examine and compare Amazonian politics and policies under different administrations, concentrating on the main actors, policies and dynamics that have affected the region, as well as on the institutional and political environment in which deforestation processes were embedded in different periods. Essentially, the book makes an analytical contribution towards a better understanding of the political, economic and social challenges confronting conservation policy in the Amazonian countries. Climate Change and Biodiversity Governance in the Amazon: At the Edge of Ecological Collapse? is essential reading for students and researchers in the fields of environmental studies and sustainability, Latin American studies, political science and international relations, as well as for policymakers and practitioners working in conservation and development.

Bankrupting Nature

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1136263934
Total Pages : 226 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (362 download)

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Book Synopsis Bankrupting Nature by : Anders Wijkman

Download or read book Bankrupting Nature written by Anders Wijkman and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-02-11 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This powerful book shows us that we are in deep denial about the magnitude of the global environmental challenges and resource constraints facing the world. Despite growing scientific consensus on major environmental threats as well as resource depletion, societies are largely continuing with business as usual, at best attempting to tinker at the margins of the problems. The authors argue that regardless of whether governments respond to the economic crisis through additional stimulus packages or reduced government spending, environmental and resource constraints will remain. The crisis will be exacerbated by the combination of climate change, ecosystem decline and resource scarcity, in particular crude oil. The concept of Planetary Boundaries is introduced as a powerful explanation of the limits of the biosphere to sustain continued conventional growth. The book breaks the long silence on population, criticizing donor countries for not doing enough to support the education of girls and reproductive health services. It is shown that an economy built on the continuous expansion of material consumption is not sustainable. De-growth, however, is no solution either. The growth dilemma can only be addressed through a transformation of the economic system. A strong plea is made for abandoning GDP growth as the key objective for development. The focus should instead be on a limited number of welfare indicators. The trickle-down concept is seriously questioned, to be replaced by one of sufficiency. Rich countries are called upon to hold back their material growth to leave room for a rising living standard among the poor. Alternative business models are presented, such as moving from products to services or towards a circular economy based on re-use, reconditioning and recylcing – all with the aim of facilitating sustainable development. A Report to the Club of Rome