Average customer rating:
- made me angry
- Policical retoric and not science
- Good Practical Book
- Schoolbook review
- Reviews, anyone?
|
Living in the Environment: Principles, Connections, and Solutions (with CD-ROM and InfoTrac)
G. Tyler Miller Jr.
Manufacturer: Brooks Cole
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Sustainable Development
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Environmental Science
| Earth Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Conservation
| Environment
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Environmental Science
| Earth Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Nonfiction Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Outdoors & Nature Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Science Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Business & Investing
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Outdoors & Nature
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Professional
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Science
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Living Religions w/CD (6th Edition)
-
Critical Thinking
-
Beginning Algebra
-
Racial and Ethnic Groups (11th Edition)
-
MP: Basic Mathematical Skills with Geometry
ASIN: 0534997295 |
Book Description
Miller's LIVING IN THE ENVIRONMENT, 14th Edition is the most comprehensive and up-to-date environmental science text on the market. It has the most balanced approach to environmental science instruction, with bias-free comparative diagrams throughout and a focus on prevention of and solutions to environmental problems. Tyler Miller is the most successful author in academic writing on environmental science because of his attention to currency, trend setting presentation of content, ability to predict student and instructor needs for new and different supplements, and his ability to retain the hallmarks on which instructors have come to depend. The content in the 14th edition of LIVING IN THE ENVIRONMENT is everything you have come to expect and more. In this edition, the author has added the "How Would You Vote?" feature, which is an application of environmental science-related topics in the news. Students apply their environmental science knowledge from the book to a Web activity, which helps them investigate environmental science issues in a structured manner. They then cast their votes on the Web. Results are then tallied. Also found at the Miller website is the much used "Updates on Line." Updated twice a year with articles from InfoTrac College Edition service, CNN® Today Video Clips, and Web links, instructors can seamlessly incorporate the most current news articles and research findings to support text presentations. This is a time saver for instructors and part-time teachers who can quickly determine what ancillary materials they want to utilize in just minutes. As with the last edition, this text is packaged with a free Student CD-ROM entitled "Interactive Concepts in Environmental Science." Organized by chapter, the CD gives students links to relevant resources, narrated animations, interactive figures, and prompts to review material and test themselves.
Customer Reviews:
made me angry.......2007-09-23
I have not read the whole book yet, and I have the 2004 edition (#13). I truly hope the newer editions are better. This is a review of Chapter 1 only.
The chapter annoyed me. It even made me angry. It is milquetoast, unable to just say we, the human population, is depleting too many resources to be sustainable. Adding the statement "other analysts do not believe we are living unsustainably" to an Environmental Science textbook is like saying "some people believe the earth is flat," in a geography textbook, or, something that unfortunately seems to happen in some biology textbooks these days, "evolution is just one theory, there are other theories as well, some experts believe god created all life on earth as it is today." A similar statement was made in part 1-6, "Is our Present Course Sustainable?." "Are things getting better or worse? Experts disagree..." Experts paid by huge resource exploiting corporations? Experts who like to bury their heads in the sand?
There were a number of interesting facts in the text that the general statements did not reflect. These inconsistencies really got to me. It seemed as if it were trying to write about what was outside the box but writing from inside the box. I particularly disliked the sentence that included: "... how much more we need to do to help make the earth more sustainable..." Wait a second, if you were writing from a viewpoint that "Nature does not exist just for us and we only think we are in charge. We need the earth, but the earth does not need us," how can you talk about "making the earth more sustainable?" The earth is what it is and is bountiful, it is our resource exploitation and pollution that are not sustainable for human survival.
I found the first part of the side bar "Free-Access Resources and the Tragedy of the Commons" quite interesting, but the second part on solutions seemed to missing a lot. The first of the two listed solutions was: "Use free-access resources at rates well below their estimated sustainable yields or overload limits by reducing population, regulating access, or both." It then went on to say how this is rarely used since it means we would have to establish and enforce rules and regulations, and it is hard to figure out a sustained yield. But it doesn't mention that educating people about these resources that they take for granted could go along way. Also not mentioned is that regulating the devices that allow people to exploit these resources (such as clean air, the atmosphere, water and wildlife) so easily and unthinkingly would be much easier than regulating their actual use. A lot of the resources mentioned are being depleted by pollution not use in a strict sense. The other solution listed is: "Convert free-access resources to private ownership," since if someone owns something they will protect it, has so many problems which are not addressed. The books lists the problem with this solution as being that "it is not practical for global common resources (such as the atmosphere, the open ocean, most wildlife species, and migratory birds) that can not be divided up and converted to private property." What about the fact that people do exploit the resources that they do own, and the fact that it would no doubt cause even more problems with poverty, and sharing things in common is what brings people together as a community (e.g. they all go to the park and see each other), and so many other problems that I get overwhelmed just thinking about them.
There was a lot of talk about overpopulation as a major problem, but not so much talk about overconsumption by certain parts of the population, even though there were sections on this. There was a section on ecological foot print and how the people in the USA have such a large one, but this didn't seem to get integrated into the text. There was also the statement: "Thus poor parents in a developing country would need 70 - 200 children to have the same lifetime resource consumption as 2 children in a typical U.S. family," but there was a lot of emphasis on population as a major problem and how in underdeveloped countries populations are growing as such a fast rate, when slight rises in US middle/upper class populations can make so much more difference. It felt to me like too much blame poor people in poor countries when it is people in the US and corporations based in the US enriching people in the US who are causing so much of the problems, even exporting our TV and advertisements to other countries which makes people want our unsustainable lifestyle.
There was also no mention of empowering women as a major tool to deal with high birthrates. There is overwhelming evidence that when you empower women to choses when they want to get pregnant and give them education and job skills birthrates do down. The paragraph on why poor people have so many children basically says the reason is to have their labor, with no mention of lack of birth control or power of women to make choices. It also seemed racist and disrespectful.
While we are on the subject of racist and disrespectful, what is with the developed and developing labels? The societies in all countries are developed, it is just industrial manufacturing and certain kinds of resource exploitation that are not as developed.
One last perhaps picky complaint. Figure 1-13 mentions "Traditional decision making" and "traditional societies" but it really does not mean traditional, it means modern industrialized hierarchical societies. This may seem picky but I feel it really does matter, we need to keep remembering that these societies we are living in are new, not traditional. True traditional societies did merge social, economic and environmental issues when making decisions, in fact, they did so in all aspects of living their lives. What we need to do is get back to them.
Policical retoric and not science.......2007-04-29
The state of Washington mails each registered voter a "Voter's Pamphlet" with statements for and against each initiative and candidate.
This book has the same format as a page for initiative X complete with rebuttals, but no page against initiative X.
This is completely one sided political rhetoric.
Why are high school students being given 815 pages of brainwashing?
I can understand some political extremest writing this book, but why would the Mercer Island school district buy this book?
I know science.
This ain't science.
Maybe political science.
Good Practical Book.......2007-04-20
Being a chemistry student, I've read this book as part of my classes. I've got to say, it's an excellent book, definitely worth reading by itself. It offers concrete, pragmatic solutions and an unbiased collection of scientificly supported descriptions of environmental problems and how to deal with them. It's also almost completely devoid of gloom and doom, as opposed to some of today's green movements. Very much recommended.
Schoolbook review.......2007-01-03
I found this book to be fairly well written with only a little bias toward evolution, an unproven scientific theory.
Reviews, anyone?.......2006-01-18
This is an excellent textbook, one that I have used in two of my Environmental Science classes (namely, Environmental Problems of Man [Bio 11], and Energy for the Future [Envi Sci 1].) While not completely without bias (which is mostly subtle, and not totally incorrect), the book offers a solid introduction to many environmental issues. The introduction chapter of the textbook states that environmental science is interdisciplinary, and the book is laid out accordingly. Chapters run the gamut from biology, chemisty, simple physics, and pure ecological common sense. An excellent purchase for any serious scientist and/or conscientious environmentalist.
Book Description
At a time of increasingly rapid environmental deterioration, sustainability is the most important issue facing the world today. Can we create a sustainable society? What would that mean? How should we go about doing it? How can we bring about such a profound change in the way things are organized? This book tackles these questions directly. It goes beyond rhetoric about "sustainable development" to explain the deeper issues in a way that is accessible and interesting to the non-specialist reader. It covers the development of the concept of sustainability within its broader historical context; the contemporary debates about what sustainability implies and how to achieve it; and the obstacles to reaching the goal and prospects for overcoming them.
This book will be invaluable to students, academics and activists concerned with the topics of sustainability and sustainable development.
Customer Reviews:
What we always need to know about Sustainability.......2006-06-10
This book is a must for anyone that is interested in Sustainability. It takes the reader through all the history and tries to give as much neccessary background information as possible to get the big picture on each historical event and milestone. Allthough the author sometimes becomes a bit too subjective, he doesn't impose a view and tries more to inform. Definitely a book worth having for references on Sustainability events.
Book Description
The public environment in which companies operate has changed significantly since the 1970s. Communities, in response to elected officials and community groups, are demanding that companies observe new norms of behavior. They expect companies to respect the environment, respond to the concerns of the community residents, and contribute to the support of community institutions. As Burke illustrates, a company's community reputation also affects the behavior of consumers and employees. Consumers prefer to buy products from companies that are involved in the community. Employees are attracted to companies that have a good community reputation. Just as successful companies need to be a supplier of choice, an employer of choice, and an investor of choice, they now have to become a neighbor of choice. They have to behave in ways that build a legacy of trust in order to be positioned positively in the community. As Burke shows, to be a neighbor of choice a company has to pursue three strategies: build sustainable and ongoing relationships with key community individuals, groups, and organizations; institute procedures that anticipate and respond to community expectations, concerns, needs, and issues; and focus the company's community programs on ways that promote and strengthen the community's quality of life and which also support the business goals of the company. The strategies developed by Burke will be of great use to community and public affairs managers and general managers of corporations as well as CEOs and other executive officers. Students in courses on corporate strategy and general management will find the book of value, as will students in courses on non-profit management.
Customer Reviews:
Great tool for PR professionals.......2001-10-19
This is an excellent book that will help companies focus there business on strong relationship with the community they live in. The one weakness I see is an over emphasis on philanthropy. I am not so sure that throwing money at the community will really buy a good relationship. This book should be read by anyone who is involved in the management of a manufacturing facility.
Book Description
Conventional economics is often criticized for failing to reflect adequately the value of clean air and water, species diversity, and social and generational equity. By excluding biophysical and social systems from their analyses, many conventional economists overlook problems of the increasing scale of human impacts and the inequitable distribution of resources.
Ecological Economics is an introductory-level textbook for an emerging paradigm that addresses this flaw in much economic thought. The book defines a revolutionary "transdiscipline" that incorporates insights from the biological, physical, and social sciences, and it offers a pedagogically complete examination of this exciting new field. The book provides students with a foundation in traditional neoclassical economic thought, but places that foundation within a new interdisciplinary framework that embraces the linkages among economic growth, environmental degradation, and social inequity.
Introducing the three core issues that are the focus of the new transdiscipline -- scale, distribution, and efficiency -- the book is guided by the fundamental question, often assumed but rarely spoken in traditional texts: What is really important to us? After explaining the key roles played by the earth's biotic and abiotic resources in sustaining life, the text is then organized around the main fields in traditional economics: microeconomics, macroeconomics, and international economics. The book also takes an additional step of considering the policy implications of this line of thinking.
Ecological Economics includes numerous features that make it accessible to a wide range of students:
- more than thirty text boxes that highlight issues of special importance to students
- lists of key terms that help students organize the main points in each chapter
- concise definitions of new terms that are highlighted in the text for easy reference
- study questions that encourage student exploration beyond the text
- glossary and list of further readings
An accompanying workbook presents an innovative, applied problem-based learning approach to teaching economics.
While many books have been written on ecological economics, and several textbooks describe basic concepts of the field, this is the only stand-alone textbook that offers a complete explanation of both theory and practice. It will serve an important role in educating a new generation of economists and is an invaluable new text for undergraduate and graduate courses in ecological economics, environmental economics, development economics, human ecology, environmental studies, sustainability science, and community development.
Customer Reviews:
best textbook ever.......2006-03-13
And I'm not just saying that because I like ecological economics. Before this I used to hate even the idea of textbooks...mostly the fault of high school I guess, but also many college courses. In fact that is the reason why I hesitated to buy this book, but I'm glad I did. This is the only textbook I have been able to read straight through (though slowly and critically) and maintain my focus, interest, and energy. It's very well written and organized, and it's honest and upfront, highlighting debates and differences in opinions, as well as their implications. It is even entertaining on a fairly regular basis.
No prior knowledge of economics or natural sciences is necessary, though of course having some helps to make it an easier read. The 2nd edition should take care of some of the minor typos and other editing mistakes. I have seen no serious flaws in the book.
If you
1) Have an open mind
2) Respect solid, provocative arguments that challenge the status-quo
3) Are interested in the nature of the relationship between humans and our environment, economics, ecology, sustainability, social justice, or democracy
You will probably enjoy this book.
I also suggest getting the companion workbook, especially if you are
1) A student (of any age, shape or form)
2) Interested particularly in the fields of environmental policy/management, economics, or ecological economics or
3) Interested in the education system and education reform.
It has valuable supplemental information as well as suggestions on how to advance your knowledge and possibly put you into a career path. The pedagogical philosophy espoused in the book is great from my perspective--a student frustrated with the hypocrisies and contradictions of academia and our current education system. Farley makes it clear that fundamental education reform is necessary in order to advance democracy and for us to continue to develop into our greatest human potentials.
Great book.......2006-02-25
Bring ecological economics to every day life will be the greatest defy of this century. The autor writes brillantly how we can, now, change our economic view and achieve sustainable development. Every student must read this book...
At last what we needed.......2004-10-13
Here at last is a book that sees ecological economics not as a branch of economics or a school of economics but as a broader and deeper system of ideas that includes the sound elements of conventional economics. Herman Daly, the Grand Old Man of the steady state economy, and Joshua Farley, his able younger follower, have produced a comprehensive and very readable synthesis. Traditional economists see natural resources as a subsystem of the world economy. This book presents the economy as a subsystem of the global ecosystem. The effect is like that of climbing a tall tower and seeing that a familiar city was all along part of an island whose fields and forests are in danger of disappearing under the advancing suburbs. The authors have not shied away from including controversial ideas, and there are some that I do not agree with, but that just adds to the stimulation. Not only have I adopted this as the textbook for a course in ecological economics, but I would like to see it read by all economists. This is not a specialist branch of economics; it is the only kind of economics appropriate to the new century.
A Solid Text on an Increasingly Important Science.......2004-08-16
Ecological economics is a relatively new field that I believe will be central to economics in this century. This text book presents the basics. It is more comprehensive than most other works in this area, and also has greater depth. (If this is your first expedition into ecological economics, though, you might want to try instead "Beyond Growth", by one of this book's co-authors.)
This text book points out that ever-greater material consumption provided by never-ending economic growth is the agreed-upon end for traditional economics and most of modern society. The problem with this conventional approach is that it is impossible to achieve, and probably would be undesirable anyway even if we could achieve it.
The text offers a fresh approach to one of the most important economic problems of our time. Conventional economics papers over the problem of just distribution of wealth by buying off the poor with the offer of a larger slice of an ever-growing economic pie. Unfortunately, using conventional economic measures like GDP, the pie may look larger even as it is actually shrinking. This ultimately helps no one, least of all the poor. The book argues convincingly that a steady-state economy offers hope of real progress in this area.
I don't agree with some of the author's points. The authors spend a lot of time arguing about determinism, relativism, and nihilism, and state that rejection of all these doctrines is necessary for someone to have any opinions on policy. Their argument seems to be that belief in an ultimate end such as God is necessary to believe that anything matters at all. The book's logic here strikes me as a lot less airtight than the authors seem to think. I know plenty of Christians who believe that due to the imminent Second Coming of Christ, humanity's future isn't likely to extend more than a few decades into the future. This belief understandably leads to a certain disregard for the whole concept of sustainability. Many believers in God also think that what we do to the earth doesn't matter very much, because it is all part of God's plan, and anyway the afterlife is what really counts. The atheists of my acquaintance tend, on average, to be much more concerned about humanity's long-term future, since they can't count on God to pull a rabbit out of a hat.
The text's authors criticize the idea that sustainability can be achieved by internalizing all external costs and benefits. Such internalization has problems, certainly, but I think the problems are more solvable than the authors do. I very much liked the text's analysis of goods as excludable or non-excludable, and rival or non-rival. For nonexcludable rival goods (such as fisheries) the authors state that rational self-interest creates an invisible foot that kicks the common good in the rear--one of the many memorable phrases in this book.
I was glad to see a discussion of the positional nature of welfare--meaning that above a certain subsistence level our sense of well-being is largely dependent on how we compare to those around us. I think this is a very important subject that is entirely ignored by conventional economics. What's the point of trashing the planet to achieve higher incomes, if we're not actually any happier as a result of those higher incomes? (After all, even a glance at People Magazine is enough to show that it's possible to be very rich and utterly miserable.) The text's authors admit that quantifying what really makes people happy is difficult, but point out that on something as important as this, it is better to use an economic measure that is vaguely right rather than precisely wrong. Bravo!
I disagree with much of the authors' discussion of monopolies. I think that monopolies under certain circumstances can be helpful in achieving sustainability. Since this is the subject of some of my own research, though, I won't discuss it here.
I especially enjoyed this book's chapters on policy. The nutshell here is that sustainability is the proper criterion for the overall scale of the economy, and that justice is the proper criterion for distribution. The authors make a good case for the necessity of using input quotas to restrict depletion of resources, which I hadn't realized before. I would have liked to have seen more discussion of population issues, though.
Overall, a very good book for someone who is interested in ecological economics and wants to go in deeper.
Revolutionizes the traditional approach to a social science.......2004-02-09
The collaboration of academicians Herman Daly (University of Maryland, School of Public Affairs) and Joshua Farley (Gund Institute of Ecological Economics, University of Vermont), Ecological Economics: Principles And Applications is a scholarly economics textbook that also incorporates the critical importance of such factors as clean air and water, species diversity, and social and generational equity. An introductory-level resource ideal for both students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in economics and ecology, Ecological Economics revolutionizes the traditional approach to a social science while retaining a tight grasp upon core driving principles of macroeconomics and microeconomics alike. A seamlessly integrated, holistic approach to understanding and appreciating the tangled complexities of the modern world.
Book Description
Chris Maser, author of such books as From the Forest to the Sea and Sustainable Forestry, brings us his newest and possibly most important work. Sustainable Community Development, the sequel to his recently published book, Resolving Environmental Conflict, discusses the next step - understanding what sustainable community development actually means.Maser presents a clear picture of sustainable community development for what it truly is-a community-directed process of development that is based on human values, active learning, shared communication and cooperation, within a fluid system, void of quick fixes, integrated learning and work, that becomes a shared societal vision both culturally and environmentally.Sustainability, in the sense of community development, is the act of one generation saving options by passing them on to the next generation, and so on. This is the main thrust of Maser's book. Readers will see the importance of and the need for shifting personal consciousness from being self-centered to becoming other-centered. This book is perfect for environmentalists, conservationists and those concerned with restoration, concerned business leaders and developers, community and government leaders and policy makers, economists, and academicians.
Customer Reviews:
Sustainable community development: Principles and concepts.......2003-10-14
This book is so good and relevant to real life and common community development. I only wish i could own it, but since i'm just a NEEDY student, i can't afford paying, otherwise i would like to have my hands on it, not only for my own benefit, but for those communities i intend to serve after my Masters next year.
Average customer rating:
|
Municipal Wastewater Management in Developing Countries: Principles And Engineering
Manufacturer: IWA Publishing (Intl Water Assoc)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Sustainable Development
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Environmental Science
| Earth Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Civil
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Environmental
| Civil
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Environmental Science
| Earth Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 1843390302 |
Average customer rating:
|
Sustainable Housing: Principles and Practice
Brian Edwards
Manufacturer: Taylor & Francis
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Residential
| Building Types & Styles
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Urban & Land Use Planning
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Home Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Social Services & Welfare
| Poverty
| Current Events
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Rural
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Housing & Urban Development
| Administrative Law
| Law
| Subjects
| Books
Renewable Energy
| Technology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Home & Garden
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Nonfiction
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Professional
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Science
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture
ASIN: 0419246207 |
Book Description
Sustainable Housing is intended to guide action into the next century, setting down key principles, providing important new technical information and setting UK practices in a European context.
Perceptions of sustainable housing have moved from the importance of the individual dwelling to the issues facing neighbourhoods and communities. This book is not about the autonomous house but how to achieve self-sustaining communities. It looks at build projects (such as Hulme in Manchester) and ambitious schemes on the drawing board (Greenwich Millennium Village).
Average customer rating:
- A good intro to the environment-property rights debate
|
Rights to Nature: Ecological, Economic, Cultural, and Political Principles of Institutions for the Environment
Manufacturer: Island Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Sustainable Development
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Natural Resources
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Real Estate
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Public Policy
| Government
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Law
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ecology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Environmental Science
| Earth Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Nature & Ecology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Conservation
| Environment
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Conservation
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Environmental Science
| Earth Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Business & Investing
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Nonfiction
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Outdoors & Nature
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Professional
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Science
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action (Political Economy of Institutions and Decisions)
-
The Drama of the Commons
ASIN: 1559634901 |
Book Description
Property rights are a tool humans use in regulating their use of natural resources. Understanding how rights to resources are assigned and how they are controlled is critical to designing and implementing effective strategies for environmental management and conservation.
Rights to Nature is a nontechnical, interdisciplinary introduction to the systems of rights, rules, and responsibilities that guide and control human use of the environment. Following a brief overview of the relationship between property rights and the natural environment, chapters consider:
- ecological systems and how they function
- the effects of culture, values, and social organization on the use of natural resources
- the design and development of property rights regimes and the costs of their operation
- cultural factors that affect the design and implementation of property rights systems
- coordination across geographic and jurisdictional boundaries
The book provides a valuable synthesis of information on how property rights develop, why they develop in certain ways, and the ways in which they function. Representing a unique integration of natural and social science, it addresses the full range of ecological, economic, cultural, and political factors that affect natural resource management and use, and provides valuable insight into the role of property rights regimes in establishing societies that are equitable, efficient, and sustainable.
Customer Reviews:
A good intro to the environment-property rights debate.......1998-06-30
A refreshing and layperson's approach to the ever more complex debate on protecting the environment with property rights and entitlements. This is a solid rhetorical contribution that clarifies arguments for lawyers, economists, anthropologists, scholars and activists alike. It is multicultural and comprehensive enough for readers in the First and in the Third World.
Average customer rating:
|
The Eco Principle: Ecology and Economics in Symbiosis
Arthur Lyon Dahl
Manufacturer: Zed Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Philosophy
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Aesthetics
| Analytic Philosophy
| Ancient
| Consciousness & Thought
| Criticism
| Eastern
| Epistemology
| Ethics & Morality
| Free Will & Determinism
| General
| Good & Evil
| Greek & Roman
| History & Surveys
| History, 17th & 18th Century
| Islamic
| Logic & Language
| Medieval Thought
| Metaphysics
| Methodology
| Modern
| Modern Renaissance
| Movements
| Ontology
| Philosophy of Religion
| Political
| Reference
| Religious
| Science
| Social Philosophy
| Theism
Cultural
| Anthropology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Environmental Science
| Earth Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Nature & Ecology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Natural Resources
| Nature & Ecology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ecology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Conservation
| Environment
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Conservation
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Ecology
| Biological Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Environmental Science
| Earth Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Natural Resources
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Symbiotic Planet: A New Look at Evolution
-
Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge
ASIN: 1856494349 |
Book Description
At a time when most societies have lost any sense of direction, here is a book that explains why present economic and political systems are not working. Arthur Dahl offers creative new thinking for those with an interest in economics and development, new perspectives for environmentalists in the application of ecological analysis to economic and social problems, and explanations of the critical linkage between religious beliefs and our social and environmental crises. He introduces the notion of the Eco to describe a world which in reality comprises inter-acting, dynamic and constantly changing systems.
Average customer rating:
- A thorough and useful book
- The empowerment of bureaucracy
|
The Precautionary Principle in the 20th Century: Late Lessons from Early Warnings
Manufacturer: Earthscan Publications Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Policy & Current Events
| Popular Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Development & Growth
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Economic Policy & Development
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Sustainable Development
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Natural Resources
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Disaster Relief
| Current Events
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Social Services & Welfare
| Poverty
| Current Events
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Environmental Science
| Earth Sciences
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Renewable Energy
| Technology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Conservation
| Environment
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
Environmental Science
| Earth Sciences
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
The Precautionary Principle: A Critical Appraisal
-
Protecting Public Health and the Environment: Implementing The Precautionary Principle
-
Laws of Fear: Beyond the Precautionary Principle (The Seeley Lectures)
ASIN: 1853838926 |
Book Description
The Precautionary Principle is widely seen as fundamental to successful policies for sustainability. It has been cited in international courts and trade disputes between the US and the EU, and invoked in an growing range of political debates. Understanding what it can and cannot achieve is therefore crucial.
This volume looks back over the last century to examine the role the Principle played or could have played, in a range of major and avoidable public disasters. Among the studies it examines are: asbestos and asbestosis, BSE in cattle, CFCs and the depletion of stratospheric ozone, the pollution of the Great Lakes in America, the collapse of Atlantic fish stocks, PCBs, etc., for all of which there is good information on the science, the health and environmental impacts, and the costs and benefits.
From detailed investigation of how each disaster unfolded, what the impacts were and what measures were adopted, the authors draw lessons and establish criteria that could help to minimize the health and environmental risks of future technological, economic and policy innovations.
The result is an absorbing, informative and valuable book for all those from lawyers and policy-makers, to researchers and students needing to understand or apply the Principle.
Customer Reviews:
A thorough and useful book.......2003-01-02
The book takes a matter-of-fact approach to the subject, getting contributors to give detailed answers to four key questions on specific hazards that were subsequently addressed, starting with when was the first credible scientific warning of potential harm. It's not a light read, and an understanding of the scientific method, chemistry, and statistics will prove invaluable.
The book received a warm welcome in the scientific press, and the quality of the writing shows why. Where there is doubt in research, the book discusses it honestly. It also shows why problems frequently aren't addressed until after financial or health damage has been done, for example the compound (government) system failures that caused the BSE crisis in the UK. Of note is what has been omitted: the low-hanging fruit of (say) second-hand smoking, thalidomide, DDT, and lead in petrol would have made a separate book.
Another of the questions asked of the contributors concerns costs versus benefits -- for example, there is a discussion of whether the health (and, ultimately, financial) problems of asbestos were offset by the safety benefits, employment opportunities and so on. Combined with an unbiased and non-accusatory tone throughout the book, it makes an invaluable contribution to a field overrepresented by polemics.
The empowerment of bureaucracy.......2002-05-30
The precautionary principle (PP in short) has become a scientific and political instrument attracting a host of organisations and individuals giving their viewpoints adding to the international discussion. Indeed, how to deal with environmental and human health risks is not a simple matter. Science and technology carry both real benefits and real risks. And a 'better be safe than sorry' strategy -as a translation what precaution is- seems the wisest thing to do.
The European Environment Agency (EEA) adds to this discussion by looking into the past. Always a good thing to think historically about risks and technology. The presentation of those historical examples of technology gone wrong leaves one wondering, however, whether or not the scientific representation is up to par.
Clearly it is not. However, not to the layman. One needs to be aware of all the scientific ins and outs to spot the possible biases. One example I myself am quite familiar with is the antibiotic case discussed by the EEA (chapter 9 in the downlodable version). Blatant omissions from the scientific discussion (leaving out essential scientific literature) spurs the authors of this chapter to a banal and trivial conclusion (p. 98 of the downloadable version):
'As the risks involved are of uncertain magnitude, the decisions on risk management are particularly difficult. The risk can obviously not be excluded with certainty, nor can it be de-termined as acceptable. In a climate of uncertainty it is preferable to show caution. In this situation decision-making needs to involve precaution, particularly when it is unacceptable, inhuman and unethical to wait for ultimate proof, when human fatalities could be involved.'
Of course this conclusion can be drawn for any case, not just this one. Moreover no amount of scientific research will ever result in certainty. The conclusion presented here in the EEA report is not in need of any scientific deliberation. It could do well without ten pages of scientific reviewing, whether or not biased in nature. Furthermore, the authors revert to the fallacy of an appeal to motives in place of support. They regard not invoking the PP as unacceptable, inhuman and unethical. Of course this is beside the point as it has very little to do with the scientific discourse at hand.
This brings me to the philosophical side of the issue. Any type of human action or inaction is fraught with uncertainty and therefore prone to the PP. So how to chose? The problem is that risks of one kind or another are on all sides of regulatory choices, and it is therefore impossible to avoid running afoul of the principle. The PP promotes irrational behaviour by the assumption that regulating target risks (the historical examples presented in the EEA study) is overall beneficial ánd that the costs of risk avoidance with only the specific target risks in view can be met on any scale -which is clearly not the case. Moreover, this asymmetry is enhanced by the fact that those who invoke the PP -the policymakers- do not need to adhere to it themselves despite the fact that any human intervention holds uncertainties for the future.
The EEA treats the PP as though it were an exogenous panacea for environmental and social ills. In other words: market risks warrants governmental regulation. But government regulation is not an exogenous solution to environmental risks; it is itself an endogenous and fallible human activity, and as such it can create risks. Risks that are as real as the risks of market (economic) activities: care can cure but care can also cripple.
The odd thing is that no discussion what so ever is presented by the EEA on the problems of the PP. Not a single reference to the ever growing scientific literature highly critical of the PP. Whichever side one choses, within the scientific discourse one has to deal with scientific criticism from both sides.
My conclusion therefore must be that the EEA did not so much present a scientific piece of work on this issue but made a political statement on how to deal with risk. It is part of the 'ecological critique' of the Western World which Anna Bramwell described so well in her 'Ecology in the twentieth century'. The PP fits well with a misanthropic view of progress combined with a relativistic perspective on science. Therefore the PP empowers bureaucracy as the scientific check and balances are side-tracked in its implementation. Indeed a recipe for increasing social and political struggles and stagnating economies.
Books:
- Lonely Planet Southeast Asia on a Shoestring (Lonely Planet Shoestring Guides)
- Mark Catesby"s Natural History Of America
- Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World
- National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region (Eastern)
- Open Space Technology: A User's Guide
- Perspectives on Integrated Coastal Zone Management (Environmental Science)
- Principles of Conservation Biology, Third Edition
- Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants
- Renewable and Efficient Electric Power Systems
- Resources of the Earth: Origin, Use, and Environmental Impact (3rd Edition)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year
- Hatched!: The Big Push from Pregnancy to Motherhood
- Jammin' on the Avenue : Going to New Orleans
- History: Fiction or Science
- From So Simple a Beginning: Darwin's Four Great Books
- History: Fiction or Science
- Fossil Collecting in the Mid-Atlantic States: With Localities, Collecting Tips, and Illustrations of
- Tolley's Taxation of Foreign Exchange Gains & Losses
- IQ May Get You a Job; Eq Gets You Promoted
- Teenage Soldiers Adult Wars
