On 21 May 2019, it was officially recognized that we are now living in the Anthropocene, our earth’s latest geological epoch, named for the 'unmistakable imprint of human activities'. This announcement came almost 60 years after the publication of Rachel Carson’s landmark work of environmental writing, Silent Spring, and next year (2022) it will be 50 years since the first UN Conference on the Human Environment, held in Stockholm in June 1972. This book, Our Earth Matters: Pathways to a Better Common Environmental Future, is a special issue of the journal Environmental Policy and Law, which was first published in 1975. It presents 21 invited contributions by outstanding scholars from around the world, which examine existing global regulatory approaches, processes, instruments and institutions for the protection of the global environment. The articles are grouped under four headings: Prognoses, Processes, Problematique and Prospects, and in them the authors have sought to explore answers to the existential environmental crisis. They urge us to ponder our reckless destruction of natural spaces, endangering of plant and animal species, poisoning of the environment, and general disturbance of our essential ecological processes. The primary objective of the book is to raise the awareness of the global audience by inspiring scholars and decision-makers to re-examine current global approaches to environmental issues and explore the future trajectory with new ideas and frameworks for international environmental governance in the 21st century and beyond. The book will be of interest to all those working to secure the sustainable future of the human race on our only abode, planet Earth. Bharat H. Desai is Professor of International Law and Jawaharlal Nehru Chair in International Environmental Law, Centre for International Legal Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi; Editor-in-Chief of the journal Environmental Policy & Law (Amsterdam: IOS Press) and of the Yearbook of International Environmental Law (Oxford: OUP).

For much of history, soil has played a major, and often central, role in the lives of humans. Entire societies have risen, and collapsed, through the management or mismanagement of soil; farmers and gardeners worldwide nurture their soil to provide their plants with water, nutrients, and protection from pests and diseases; major battles have been aborted or stalled by the condition of soil; murder trials have been solved with evidence from the soil; and, for most of us, our ultimate fate is the soil. In this book Richard Bardgett discusses soil and the many, and sometimes surprising, ways that humanity has depended on it throughout history, and still does today. Analysing the role soil plays in our own lives, despite increasing urbanization, and in the biogeochemical cycles that allow the planet to function effectively, Bardgett considers how superior soil management could combat global issues such as climate change, food shortages, and the extinction of species. Looking to the future, Bardgett argues that it is vital for the future of humanity for governments worldwide to halt soil degradation, and to put in place policies for the future sustainable management of soils.

Earth Matters on Stage: Ecology and Environment in American Theater tells the story of how American theater has shaped popular understandings of the environment throughout the twentieth century as it argues for theater’s potential power in the age of climate change. Using cultural and environmental history, seven chapters interrogate key moments in American theater and American environmentalism over the course of the twentieth century in the United States. It focuses, in particular, on how drama has represented environmental injustice and how inequality has become part of the American environmental landscape. As the first book-length ecocritical study of American theater, Earth Matters examines both familiar dramas and lesser-known grassroots plays in an effort to show that theater can be a powerful force for social change from frontier drama of the late nineteenth century to the eco-theater movement. This book argues that theater has always and already been part of the history of environmental ideas and action in the United States. Earth Matters also maps the rise of an ecocritical thought and eco-theater practice – what the author calls ecodramaturgy – showing how theater has informed environmental perceptions and policies. Through key plays and productions, it identifies strategies for artists who want their work to contribute to cultural transformation in the face of climate change.

The Earth's climate is changing. It's getting hotter. In Australia over the past 50 years, maximum temperatures have been creeping higher. There have been record droughts, floods and bushfires. Why is this happening and what can we do to stop it getting worse?

The human perception of Earth in space is ever changing. Once upon a time there was this belief that our Earth is flat... But scientifically, what is currently known of Earth in space and life on Earth? In Space-Earth Matters, Dr. Parashar outlines the scientific history of space from the Big Bang and the genesis of stars and planets billions of years ago to the recent human enterprise of placing thousands of satellites in orbit around our Earth. Dr. Parashar will spacewalk you through the characteristics of orbital mechanics and the basics to understanding the motion of planets and satellites in space and answer such questions as: • How are space science and technology through satellites, sensors, and ground systems being employed for the observation of Earth and exploration of our solar system? • Are such activities in space regulated and managed—and by whom? • Who is responsible for the global governance of space including space debris? • Are there any socio-economic returns of space investments and who has the capability to deploy space missions in order to derive these benefits? Dr. Parashar explains why space-based applications like weather and environmental monitoring, resource mapping, disaster management support, communications, and navigation are of utmost value to all of us on Earth. Space-Earth Matters is a diverse and yet thoroughly approachable exploration of all matters Space and Earth for you, your colleagues, friends, and family.

A colorful discussion of conservation that will entertain and educate any child! My Earth, My Home gently guides young readers through a conversation that illuminates the concept of global connection and environmental cause and effect. An engaging text and more than forty full-color illustrations provide an opportunity for discussing and understanding not only what we can do to save our planet, but why it is so important. Also included are a Messy Planet Action Plan, as well as an Earth-Smart Dictionary. Called “the perfect children’s introduction to environmental issues” by Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund, this book encourages maturity, ownership, and problem-solving discussion among kids and their parents, teachers, or caregivers. It is a must for every school and family library.

Rural Botswana is the backdrop for When Rain Clouds Gather, the first novel published by one of Africa’s leading woman writers in English, Bessie Head (1937–1986). Inspired by her own traumatic life experiences as an outcast in Apartheid South African society and as a refugee living at the Bamangwato Development Association Farm in Botswana, Head’s tough and telling classic work is set in the poverty-stricken village of Golema Mmidi, a haven to exiles. A South African political refugee and an Englishman join forces to revolutionize the villagers’ traditional farming methods, but their task is fraught with hazards as the pressures of tradition, opposition from the local chief, and the unrelenting climate threaten to divide and devastate the fragile community. Head’s layered, compelling story confronts the complexities of such topics as social and political change, conflict between science and traditional ways, tribalism, the role of traditional African chiefs, religion, race relations, and male–female relations.

Called “the perfect children’s introduction to environmental issues” by Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund, Our House Is Round gently guides young readers through a smartly narrated conversation illuminating the concept of global connection and environmental cause and effect. This book teaches the “whys” behind earth conservation in a colorful, positive way that encourages maturity, responsibility, and problem-solving discussion. Author Yolanda Kondonassis encourages children to answer questions about their planet and discusses the issues of global warming, recycling, energy conservation, planting trees, and more. This book is a must for every school and family library. Sky Pony Press, with our Good Books, Racehorse and Arcade imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of books for young readers—picture books for small children, chapter books, books for middle grade readers, and novels for young adults. Our list includes bestsellers for children who love to play Minecraft; stories told with LEGO bricks; books that teach lessons about tolerance, patience, and the environment, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Between the years 2030 and 2050, a quarter of a million people per year will lose their lives to climate change. Blazing temperatures and catastrophic weather are well-known climate change effects, but these simply do not compare with health-related effects: the transmission of water-borne and vector-borne disease. Arjun Marwaha, a high schooler with a passion for STEM, has committed himself to foster awareness for climate change among the youth of today. In Our Changing Earth, he delves into how our planet will be altered in response to climate change, and why this is relevant particularly to young people. Looking forward, Arjun hopes to promote awareness among all humans for the greatest threat to humanity in the 21st century and beyond: climate change.

When faced with climate change, the biggest threat that our planet has ever confronted, it's easy to feel as if nothing you do can really make a difference . . . but this book proves that individual people can change the world. With twenty inspirational stories celebrating the pioneering work of a selection of Earth Heroes from all around the globe, from Greta Thunberg and David Attenborough to Yin Yuzhen and Isatou Ceesay, each tale is a beacon of hope in the fight for the future of our planet, proving that one person, no matter how small, can make a difference. Featuring Amelia Telford, Andrew Turton and Pete Ceglinski, Bittu Sahgal, Chewang Norphel, David Attenborough, Doug Smith, Ellen MacArthur, Greta Thunberg, Isabel Soares, Isatou Ceesay, Marina Silva, Melati and Isabel Wijsen, Mohammed Rezwan, Renée King-Sonnen, Rok Rozman, Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Stella McCartney, William Kamkwamba, Yin Yuzhen and Yvon Chouinard. Featuring illustrations by Jackie Lay.