Knowing Global Environments brings together nine leading scholars whose work spans a variety of environmental and field sciences, including archaeology, agriculture, botany, climatology, ecology, evolutionary biology, oceanography, ornithology, and tidology. Collectively their essays explore the history of the field sciences, through the lens of place, practice, and the production of scientific knowledge, with a wide-ranging perspective extending outwards from the local to regional, national, imperial, and global scales. The book also shows what the history of the field sciences can contribute to environmental history-especially how knowledge in the field sciences has intersected with changing environments-and addresses key present-day problems related to sustainability, such as global climate, biodiversity, oceans, and more. Contributors to Knowing Global Environments reveal how the field sciences have interacted with practical economic activities, such as forestry, agriculture, and tourism, as well as how the public has been involved in the field sciences, as field assistants, students, and local collaborators.

Why environmental learning is crucial for understanding the connected challenges of climate justice, tribalism, inequity, democracy, and human flourishing. How can we respond to the current planetary ecological emergency? In To Know the World, Mitchell Thomashow proposes that we revitalize, revisit, and reinvigorate how we think about our residency on Earth. First, we must understand that the major challenges of our time—migration, race, inequity, climate justice, and democracy—connect to the biosphere. Traditional environmental education has accomplished much, but it has not been able to stem the inexorable decline of global ecosystems. Thomashow, the former president of a college dedicated to sustainability, describes instead environmental learning, a term signifying that our relationship to the biosphere must be front and center in all aspects of our daily lives. In this illuminating book, he provides rationales, narratives, and approaches for doing just that. Mixing memoir, theory, mindfulness, pedagogy, and compelling storytelling, Thomashow discusses how to navigate the Anthropocene's rapid pace of change without further separating psyche from biosphere; why we should understand migration both ecologically and culturally; how to achieve constructive connectivity in both social and ecological networks; and why we should take a cosmopolitan bioregionalism perspective that unites local and global. Throughout, Thomashow invites readers to participate as educational explorers, encouraging them to better understand how and why environmental learning is crucial to human flourishing.

Carrier and his group of international researchers tackle the complex factors affecting people's understandings of their environment-not just the natural environment, but landscapes shaped by humans, and their social contexts. The authors consider the impact of local events, such as tourism or environmental protection regimes, with detailed analyses of local cases. They also evaluate the large-scale political-economic forces that operate at regional and global levels, such as policies and bureaucratic requirements of international agencies and a country's position in global commodity markets. Their approach encourages policy makers and researchers to think about their natural and non-natural environment in novel ways. This book will be an excellent resource for all concerned with social, cultural and political-economic aspects of environmental use and conservation, and researchers in anthropology, geography, and political ecology.

The Globalization and Environment Reader features a collection of classic and cutting-edge readings that explore whether and how globalization can be made compatible with sustainable development. Offers a comprehensive collection of nearly 30 classic and cutting-edge readings spanning a broad range of perspectives within this increasingly important field Addresses the question of whether economic globalization is the prime cause of the destruction of the global environment – or if some forms of globalization could help to address global environmental problems Features carefully edited extracts selected both for their importance and their accessibility Covers a variety of topics such as the ‘marketization’ of nature, debates about managing and governing the relationship between globalization and the environment, and discussions about whether or not globalization should be ‘greened’ Systematically captures the breadth and diversity of the field without assuming prior knowledge Offers a timely and necessary insight into the future of our fragile planet in the 21st century

In the wake of the Second World War, internationalists identified science as both the cause of and the solution to world crisis. Unless civilization learned to control the unprecedented powers science had unleashed, global catastrophe was imminent. But the internationalists found hope in the idea of world government. In The Postwar Origins of the Global Environment, Perrin Selcer argues that the metaphor of “Spaceship Earth”—the idea of the planet as a single interconnected system—exemplifies this moment, when a mix of anxiety and hope inspired visions of world community and the proliferation of international institutions. Selcer tells the story of how the United Nations built the international knowledge infrastructure that made the global-scale environment visible. Experts affiliated with UN agencies helped make the “global”—as in global population, global climate, and global economy—an object in need of governance. Selcer traces how UN programs such as UNESCO’s Arid Lands Project, the production of a soil map of the world, and plans for a global environmental-monitoring system fell short of utopian ambitions to cultivate world citizens but did produce an international community of experts with influential connections to national governments. He shows how events and personalities, cultures and ecologies, bureaucracies and ideologies, decolonization and the Cold War interacted to make global knowledge. A major contribution to global history, environmental history, and the history of development, this book relocates the origins of planetary environmentalism in the postwar politics of scale.

The new revised edition of a classic Earth science text This newly revised edition of Global Environment discusses the major elements of the geochemical cycles and global fluxes found in the atmosphere, land, lakes, rivers, biota, and oceans, as well as the human effects on these fluxes. Retaining the strengths of the original edition while incorporating the latest discoveries, this textbook takes an integrated, multidisciplinary, and global approach to geochemistry and environmental problems and introduces fundamental concepts of meteorology, surficial geology (weathering, erosion, and sedimentation), biogeochemistry, limnology, and oceanography. New concepts and information in this updated edition include changes of atmospheric carbon dioxide over geologic time, major advances in the study of chemical weathering of rocks, ocean acidification, and important environmental problems, such as the amelioration of the acid rain problem due to reduction in sulfur deposition, problems with nitrification of soils and lakes, and eutrophication of rivers and estuaries. An expanded chapter explores atmospheric chemistry and changing climate, with the most up-to-date statistics on CO2, the carbon cycle, other greenhouse gases, and the ozone hole. Only requiring a fundamental understanding in elementary chemistry, yet taking into account extensive and current data, this text is ideal for students in environmental geochemistry, environmental geology, global change, biogeochemistry, water pollution, geochemical cycles, chemical oceanography, and geohydrology, and serves as a valuable reference for researchers working on global geochemical and environmental issues. Revised edition takes a close look at global fluxes involving the atmosphere, land, lakes, rivers, biota, and oceans, and the human effects on these fluxes Detailed discussion of basic concepts including meteorology, surficial geology (weathering, erosion, and sedimentation), biogeochemistry, limnology, and oceanography An expanded up-to-date chapter on atmospheric chemistry and changing climate, including CO2, other greenhouse gases, and ozone Presentation of major advances in the study of chemical weathering Discussion of current environmental topics Global coverage of environmental problems involving water

"Introduction to Environmental History" provides a comprehensive overview of the interplay between human societies and the natural world throughout history. This thought-provoking book explores various aspects of environmental history, ranging from the historical roots of environmentalism to global perspectives on environmental challenges. It delves into the significance of understanding environmental history and offers insights into the current environmental issues that threaten our planet. Furthermore, it presents solutions and recommendations for sustainable practices, conservation efforts, and the future of environmental history. The book begins with an introduction to the field of environmental history, highlighting its importance in understanding the dynamic relationship between human beings and their environment. It examines the historical roots of environmentalism, tracing the practices and attitudes towards the environment in pre-industrial societies and the profound impact of the Industrial Revolution. A global perspective is then explored, with dedicated chapters focusing on different regions of the world, including Asia, Europe, North America, Africa, Australia and Oceania, South America, and even Antarctica. This broad view highlights the diverse environmental challenges faced by various cultures and societies throughout history. The book further delves into environmental challenges within the four spheres of the Earth: lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. It examines issues such as deforestation, land degradation, water scarcity, water pollution, climate change, air pollution, biodiversity loss, and endangered species. In the subsequent chapters, the book delves into the current environmental challenges that humanity confronts today. It explores the impacts of climate change, pollution on human health, biodiversity loss, population growth, food insecurity, poverty, environmental degradation's health risks, oceans acidification, depletion of natural resources, water scarcity, and the consequences of environmental disasters. To address these challenges, the book presents potential solutions, emphasizing sustainable practices, renewable energy sources, and conservation efforts. It highlights the benefits of adopting these measures and calls for collective action to safeguard the planet for future generations. The future of environmental history is also contemplated, reflecting on the past, examining the present, and providing recommendations for future action. It explores the role of environmentalists and various events that promote environmental awareness and action. Lastly, the book includes a section on environmental disasters, shedding light on the detrimental impacts of activities such as mining, deforestation, natural disasters, water pollution, plastic pollution, oil spills, forest fires, industrial pollution, smog, nuclear accidents, and transportation-related environmental challenges. "Introduction to Environmental History" serves as a valuable resource for students, scholars, and anyone interested in understanding the historical context of our environmental challenges and finding sustainable solutions to create a better future. It offers a comprehensive exploration of environmental history, the current state of our planet, and the urgent need for action to protect and preserve our environment.

Explaining the what, the how and the why of climate science, this multidisciplinary new book provides a review of research from the last decade, illustrated with cutting-edge data and observations. A key focus is the development of analysis tools that can be used to demonstrate options for mitigating and adapting to increasing climate risks. Emphasis is given to the importance of Earth system feedback mechanisms and the role of the biosphere. The book explains advances in modelling, process understanding and observations, and the development of consistent and coherent studies of past, present and 'possible' climates. This highly illustrated, data-rich book is written by leading scientists involved in QUEST, a major UK-led research programme. It forms a concise and up-to-date reference for academic researchers or students in the fields of climatology, Earth system science and ecology, and also a vital resource for professionals and policymakers working on any aspect of global change.

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.