The global environmental future is a matter of major scientific and public importance. Problems such as deforestation, pollution, the loss of natural habitats, and greenhouse-gas induced global warming have grave and often uncertain implications. But what do these processes involve? What is causing them and what will or might be their consequences? Global warming would, for example, have far-reaching effects on sea levels, rainfall, glacier dynamics, and the distribution of plants and animals, as well as on a wide range of human activities. The Changing Global Environment provides a clear, well-integrated account by leading scientists of the nature of change in the earth's natural environment in the past, present and future. Taken as a whole, it is distinguished by its concern to understand and to link environmental variations at local, regional and planetary scales, by its clear analyses of human-environment interactions, by its historical perspective, and by an awareness of the social and political causes and consequences of environmental change. The subject is as complex as it is crucial: the authors have aimed not to simplify but to clarify uncertainties, issues and processes. Written to be accessible to both specialist and non-specialist readers, this book also provides a powerful and stimulating framework for the teaching of environmental issues in higher education.

Global environmental change often seems to be the most carefully examined issue of our time. Yet understanding the human sideâ€"human causes of and responses to environmental changeâ€"has not yet received sustained attention. Global Environmental Change offers a strategy for combining the efforts of natural and social scientists to better understand how our actions influence global change and how global change influences us. The volume is accessible to the nonscientist and provides a wide range of examples and case studies. It explores how the attitudes and actions of individuals, governments, and organizations intertwine to leave their mark on the health of the planet. The book focuses on establishing a framework for this new field of study, identifying problems that must be overcome if we are to deepen our understanding of the human dimensions of global change, presenting conclusions and recommendations.

The handbook Global Environmental Change is intended to serve as a reliable and comprehensive resource to attend the needs of researchers, teachers, students, and professionals working in science and policy aspects relevant to environment and sustainability. Entries in the handbook are arranged by major section, and are extensively cross-referenced to allow users to find related titles in a user-friendly way. The handbook is available as a printed volume and as an on-line reference work.

Written for nonscientists, One Earth, One Future can help individuals understand the basic science behind changes in the global environment and the resulting policy implications that the population of the entire planet must face. The volume describes the earth as a unified systemâ€"exploring the interactions between the atmosphere, land, and water and the snowballing impact that human activity is having on the systemâ€"and presents perspectives on policies and programs that can both develop and protect our natural resources. One Earth, One Future discusses why such seemingly diverse issues as historical climate change, species diversity, and sea-level rise are part of a single pictureâ€"and how human activity is the critical element in that picture. The book concludes with practical examinations of economic, security, and development questions, with a view toward achieving improvements in quality of life without further environmental degradation. One Earth, One Future is must reading for anyone interested in the interrelationship of environmental matters and public policy issues.

Global Climate Change presents both practical and theoretical aspects of global climate change from across geological periods. It addresses holistic issues related to climate change and its contribution in triggering the temperature increase with a multitude of impacts on natural processes. As a result, it helps to identify the gaps between policies that have been put in place and the continuously increasing emissions. The challenges presented include habitability, biodiversity, natural resources, and human health. It is organized into information on the past, present, and future of climate change to lead to a more complete understanding and therefore effective solutions.Placing an emphasis on recent climate change research, Global Climate Change helps to bring researchers and graduate students in climate science, environmental science, and sustainability up to date on the science of climate change so far and presents a baseline for how to move into the future effectively. - Addresses the variety of challenges associated with climate change, along with possible solutions - Includes suggestions for future research on climate change - Covers climate change holistically, including global and regional scales, ecosystems, agriculture, energy, and sustainability - Presents both practical and theoretical research, including coverage of climate change over various geological periods

Global environmental change (GEC) represents an immediate and unprecedented threat to the food security of hundreds of millions of people, especially those who depend on small-scale agriculture for their livelihoods. As this book shows, at the same time, agriculture and related activities also contribute to GEC by, for example, intensifying greenhouse gas emissions and altering the land surface. Responses aimed at adapting to GEC may have negative consequences for food security, just as measures taken to increase food security may exacerbate GEC. The authors show that this complex and dynamic relationship between GEC and food security is also influenced by additional factors; food systems are heavily influenced by socioeconomic conditions, which in turn are affected by multiple processes such as macro-level economic policies, political conflicts and other important drivers. The book provides a major, accessible synthesis of the current state of knowledge and thinking on the relationships between GEC and food security. Most other books addressing the subject concentrate on the links between climate change and agricultural production, and do not extend to an analysis of the wider food system which underpins food security; this book addresses the broader issues, based on a novel food system concept and stressing the need for actions at a regional, rather than just an international or local, level. It reviews new thinking which has emerged over the last decade, analyses research methods for stakeholder engagement and for undertaking studies at the regional level, and looks forward by reviewing a number of emerging 'hot topics' in the food security-GEC debate which help set new agendas for the research community at large. Published with Earth System Science Partnership, GECAFS and SCOPE

"Examining how meso- and macro-economic global change impacts human resource management policies of countries and the strategies of firms investing into or from key Asian countries is the focus of this ground-breaking study. The introductory section encompasses several chapters dealing with a number of current policy issues in core Asian countries, such as: China's drive for artificial intelligence; an evaluation of Japan's Abenomics; and regionalism. The section also analyses the evolving macro-economic framework surrounding the internationalization process of Chinese MNEs in European countries, and the specific case of Chinese investment in Japan. This overall framework concludes with an examination of the lifelong learning policies in a European Union country (namely Italy) opening thereby the discussion on human resource management (HRM) issues in the following section of the book. The study of human resource management policies and strategies is appraised from diverse complementary angles. The chapters in the second section of the book provide the reader with a detailed and up-to-date account of expatriation strategies from China, HRM strategies of French MNEs in China, teleworking, training and labor force issues in Japan and knowledge absorptive capacity issues in rural Thailand. Written by a core group of international experts, Changing Global Environment in Asia and Human Resource Management Strategies will appeal to students, scholars, policy makers as well as business practitioners studying and/or working in the areas of business studies, human resource management and international political economy"--

Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Portfolio Management in a Changing Global Environment explores some of the critical forces at work today in the complex endeavour of pharmaceutical and medical product development. Written by experienced professionals, and including real-world approaches and best practice examples, this new title addresses three key areas – small molecules, large molecules, and medical devices - and provides hard-to-find, consolidated information relevant to and needed by pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device company managers.

This book marks a watershed in the social sciences. The qualitative, critical perspective of sociology and allied disciplines challenges the technocentric `managerialism' which dominates environmental policy, its discourse and its impact. The authors explore the relationship between social theory and sustainability in an attempt to transend technical rhetoric and embrace a broader understanding of `nature'.

Case Studies for Integrating Science and the Global Environment is designed to help students of the environment and natural resources make the connections between their training in science and math and today's complex environmental issues. The book provides an opportunity for students to apply important skills, knowledge, and analytical tools to understand, evaluate, and propose solutions to today's critical environmental issues. The heart of the book includes four major content areas: water resources; the atmosphere and air quality; ecosystem alteration; and global resources and human needs. Each of these sections features in-depth case studies covering a range of issues for each resource, offering rich opportunities to teach how various scientific disciplines help inform the issue at hand. Case studies provide readers with experience in interpreting real data sets and considering alternate explanations for trends shown by the data. This book helps prepare students for careers that require collaboration with stakeholders and co-workers from various disciplines. - Includes global case studies using real data sets that allow readers to practice interpreting data and evaluating alternative explanations - Focuses on critical skills and knowledge, encouraging readers to apply science and math to real world problems - Employs a system-based approach, linking air, water, and land resources to help readers understand that cause-effect may be complex and solutions to environmental problems require multiple perspectives - Includes special features such as links to video clips of scientists at work, boxed information, a solutions section at the end of each case study, and practice exercises