Michael Redclift and Colin Sage
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198295662
- eISBN:
- 9780191599521
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198295669.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
Identifies four critical dimensions of inequality that are relevant to any consideration of environment and resource degradation: first, the unequal distribution of historical responsibilities for ...
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Identifies four critical dimensions of inequality that are relevant to any consideration of environment and resource degradation: first, the unequal distribution of historical responsibilities for environmental change, notably climate change; second, the fact that global changes have unequal impacts on different regions and peoples of the world; third, the degree to which inequalities of interest promote different environmentalist agendas; fourth, the extent to which distributive problems lie at the heart of the failure to undertake effective and concerted action of the type envisaged at 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Begins by exploring the way in which environmental problems are constructed, both through structural processes, such as trade and technology transfer, and through attachment to cultural ‘models’ of development, disseminated on television screens and illustrated by new patterns of consumption. This social construction of environmental problems forms the backcloth against which the chapter analyses global inequality and the effects of economic globalization on the environment.Less
Identifies four critical dimensions of inequality that are relevant to any consideration of environment and resource degradation: first, the unequal distribution of historical responsibilities for environmental change, notably climate change; second, the fact that global changes have unequal impacts on different regions and peoples of the world; third, the degree to which inequalities of interest promote different environmentalist agendas; fourth, the extent to which distributive problems lie at the heart of the failure to undertake effective and concerted action of the type envisaged at 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Begins by exploring the way in which environmental problems are constructed, both through structural processes, such as trade and technology transfer, and through attachment to cultural ‘models’ of development, disseminated on television screens and illustrated by new patterns of consumption. This social construction of environmental problems forms the backcloth against which the chapter analyses global inequality and the effects of economic globalization on the environment.
Robert Wuthnow
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199730872
- eISBN:
- 9780199777389
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199730872.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter focuses on the cultural response to environmental devastation. The debate about environmental devastation in the months preceding 9/11 were both the latest in a quarter century of ...
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This chapter focuses on the cultural response to environmental devastation. The debate about environmental devastation in the months preceding 9/11 were both the latest in a quarter century of discussions and a prelude to concerns that would ripen in the coming months. In the threat of global warming the fragility of life was evident in ways similar to that of nuclear annihilation and terrorism. Things were neither out of control nor fully under control, but perilously close to endangering all of humanity and thus a source of profound worry. The differences lay more in how immediate, unanticipated, or catastrophic the threat might be. Global warming would not obliterate the world in a sudden flash or wipe out large buildings in a vicious moment. If it was happening at all, as scientists largely agreed, it was a slow burn, like water in a kettle reaching the boiling point sooner than anyone realized. The cultural response to this sort of peril was thus in some ways unique, and yet in others, conditioned by the patterns of thought and relations of power that had become customary in the last third of the 20th century. Fear served both as an underlying current and as a force that could be manipulated. With no single event as pivotal as the bombing of Hiroshima or the attacks on 9/11, interpretations were less frequent, more scattered, and less subject to the agenda-setting influence of government. Yet the same inclination to transcend fear with action, to engage in individual and collective problem solving, was evident, and with it, the same emphasis on seeking technological solutions and debating administrative policies. The cultural response was shaped by the creative use of the imagination and focused decisively on questions of moral responsibility.Less
This chapter focuses on the cultural response to environmental devastation. The debate about environmental devastation in the months preceding 9/11 were both the latest in a quarter century of discussions and a prelude to concerns that would ripen in the coming months. In the threat of global warming the fragility of life was evident in ways similar to that of nuclear annihilation and terrorism. Things were neither out of control nor fully under control, but perilously close to endangering all of humanity and thus a source of profound worry. The differences lay more in how immediate, unanticipated, or catastrophic the threat might be. Global warming would not obliterate the world in a sudden flash or wipe out large buildings in a vicious moment. If it was happening at all, as scientists largely agreed, it was a slow burn, like water in a kettle reaching the boiling point sooner than anyone realized. The cultural response to this sort of peril was thus in some ways unique, and yet in others, conditioned by the patterns of thought and relations of power that had become customary in the last third of the 20th century. Fear served both as an underlying current and as a force that could be manipulated. With no single event as pivotal as the bombing of Hiroshima or the attacks on 9/11, interpretations were less frequent, more scattered, and less subject to the agenda-setting influence of government. Yet the same inclination to transcend fear with action, to engage in individual and collective problem solving, was evident, and with it, the same emphasis on seeking technological solutions and debating administrative policies. The cultural response was shaped by the creative use of the imagination and focused decisively on questions of moral responsibility.
Lee M. Talbot
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195309454
- eISBN:
- 9780199871261
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195309454.003.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
This introductory chapter begins with a brief discussion of the human role in changing the Earth's environment. It then reviews awareness and responses to environmental change from the 1700s to the ...
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This introductory chapter begins with a brief discussion of the human role in changing the Earth's environment. It then reviews awareness and responses to environmental change from the 1700s to the 1950s. The dramatic increase in action towards helping the environment from the 1960s onwards, developments in environmental science, and the goal of sustainability are discussed.Less
This introductory chapter begins with a brief discussion of the human role in changing the Earth's environment. It then reviews awareness and responses to environmental change from the 1700s to the 1950s. The dramatic increase in action towards helping the environment from the 1960s onwards, developments in environmental science, and the goal of sustainability are discussed.
Robin M. Leichenko and Karen L. O'Brien
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195177329
- eISBN:
- 9780199869800
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195177329.003.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
This introductory chapter defines processes of global environmental change and globalization. It shows that although both processes have been going on for centuries, the speed, scale, and spatial ...
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This introductory chapter defines processes of global environmental change and globalization. It shows that although both processes have been going on for centuries, the speed, scale, and spatial extent of each process has dramatically increased over the past few decades. The chapter also introduces the concept of double exposure. Double exposure is a metaphor for cases where a particular region, sector, social group, or ecological area is simultaneously confronted by exposure to both global environmental change and globalization. Double exposure is also an analytical framework that highlights the interactions between global environmental change and globalization. The framework shows how these interactions are contributing to growing inequalities, increasing vulnerabilities, and accelerating and unsustainable rates of change. At the same time, the double exposure framework reveals possibilities for using the interactions to generate openings and opportunities that will enhance human security.Less
This introductory chapter defines processes of global environmental change and globalization. It shows that although both processes have been going on for centuries, the speed, scale, and spatial extent of each process has dramatically increased over the past few decades. The chapter also introduces the concept of double exposure. Double exposure is a metaphor for cases where a particular region, sector, social group, or ecological area is simultaneously confronted by exposure to both global environmental change and globalization. Double exposure is also an analytical framework that highlights the interactions between global environmental change and globalization. The framework shows how these interactions are contributing to growing inequalities, increasing vulnerabilities, and accelerating and unsustainable rates of change. At the same time, the double exposure framework reveals possibilities for using the interactions to generate openings and opportunities that will enhance human security.
Vaclav Smil
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195168754
- eISBN:
- 9780199783601
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195168755.003.0006
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Economic History
Technical advances based on unprecedented levels of energy use brought a new phenomenon of mass consumption as well as many obvious gains in the typical quality of life. However, they have not ...
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Technical advances based on unprecedented levels of energy use brought a new phenomenon of mass consumption as well as many obvious gains in the typical quality of life. However, they have not substantially reduced economic inequality. They also introduced new risks (ranging from car accidents to nuclear weapons) and some worrisome environmental changes, especially the possibility of relatively rapid global warming.Less
Technical advances based on unprecedented levels of energy use brought a new phenomenon of mass consumption as well as many obvious gains in the typical quality of life. However, they have not substantially reduced economic inequality. They also introduced new risks (ranging from car accidents to nuclear weapons) and some worrisome environmental changes, especially the possibility of relatively rapid global warming.
Samuel Randalls
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199557431
- eISBN:
- 9780191721687
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199557431.003.0010
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Political Economy, Finance, Accounting, and Banking
Financial risks relating to the environment are frequently concentrated in cities, both in the source of risks and in the management of those risks. Urban areas are prone to a number of environmental ...
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Financial risks relating to the environment are frequently concentrated in cities, both in the source of risks and in the management of those risks. Urban areas are prone to a number of environmental concerns including brownfield biodiversity, flooding, and potential relations to climate change, and the effects of ‘everyday’ environmental changes, for example the weather, on productivity. Managing these risks will frequently be found in the city too through mainstream financial institutions like banks and insurers that seek both physical and financial protection for themselves and their clients from the worst environmental effects. One clear example is decision-making about the Thames Barrier in London, which aims to protect the financial heartland of the UK from severe flooding. At the same time, in nearby offices, a wide range of new products are being created to manage these urban environmental risks, including diverse catastrophe bonds, weather derivatives, and global warming indexes. This chapter explores the range of financial risks emerging from environmental changes and the ways in which these are being managed. This brings together both an appreciation of the nature of these risks as well as a financial focus on environmental risks. Relatively little has been written in geography on these products and this chapter provides an overview that is both introductory, but also based on contemporary research on these issues that addresses much deeper questions. If environmental risks are to be successfully managed, then it is clear that there will need to be an appreciation of the raft of financial responses, both current and potential, that will be introduced by companies to achieve this.Less
Financial risks relating to the environment are frequently concentrated in cities, both in the source of risks and in the management of those risks. Urban areas are prone to a number of environmental concerns including brownfield biodiversity, flooding, and potential relations to climate change, and the effects of ‘everyday’ environmental changes, for example the weather, on productivity. Managing these risks will frequently be found in the city too through mainstream financial institutions like banks and insurers that seek both physical and financial protection for themselves and their clients from the worst environmental effects. One clear example is decision-making about the Thames Barrier in London, which aims to protect the financial heartland of the UK from severe flooding. At the same time, in nearby offices, a wide range of new products are being created to manage these urban environmental risks, including diverse catastrophe bonds, weather derivatives, and global warming indexes. This chapter explores the range of financial risks emerging from environmental changes and the ways in which these are being managed. This brings together both an appreciation of the nature of these risks as well as a financial focus on environmental risks. Relatively little has been written in geography on these products and this chapter provides an overview that is both introductory, but also based on contemporary research on these issues that addresses much deeper questions. If environmental risks are to be successfully managed, then it is clear that there will need to be an appreciation of the raft of financial responses, both current and potential, that will be introduced by companies to achieve this.
Robin M. Leichenko and Karen L. O'Brien
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195177329
- eISBN:
- 9780199869800
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195177329.003.0003
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
This chapter presents a conceptual framework for investigating the interactions between global environmental change and globalization. The double exposure framework shows how the two processes are ...
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This chapter presents a conceptual framework for investigating the interactions between global environmental change and globalization. The double exposure framework shows how the two processes are continually transforming the context in which individuals regions, communities, and social groups experience and respond to change. The framework raises critical questions about human security that are often ignored in the separate discourses on each process: Who is negatively or positively affected by both global environmental change and globalization? How does each process influence vulnerability and capacity to respond to the other process? In what ways does globalization contribute to global environmental change, and vice versa? What are the implications of these interactions for efforts to promote sustainability? By demonstrating how the two processes overlap and interact, the double exposure framework captures the multi-dimensional character of the changes taking place under the both global environmental change and globalization.Less
This chapter presents a conceptual framework for investigating the interactions between global environmental change and globalization. The double exposure framework shows how the two processes are continually transforming the context in which individuals regions, communities, and social groups experience and respond to change. The framework raises critical questions about human security that are often ignored in the separate discourses on each process: Who is negatively or positively affected by both global environmental change and globalization? How does each process influence vulnerability and capacity to respond to the other process? In what ways does globalization contribute to global environmental change, and vice versa? What are the implications of these interactions for efforts to promote sustainability? By demonstrating how the two processes overlap and interact, the double exposure framework captures the multi-dimensional character of the changes taking place under the both global environmental change and globalization.
Dominic A. Hodgson and John P. Smol
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199213887
- eISBN:
- 9780191707506
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199213887.003.0003
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology, Aquatic Biology
This chapter describes the role that paleolimnological studies have played in reconstructing the geomorphological origin and development of high latitude lakes. A description is provided on how both ...
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This chapter describes the role that paleolimnological studies have played in reconstructing the geomorphological origin and development of high latitude lakes. A description is provided on how both organic and inorganic components incorporated into lake sediments record changes within lakes as well as in the surrounding environment. This allows tracking of past changes in climate, hydrology, vegetation, sea level, human impacts on fish and wildlife populations, ultraviolet radiation, and atmospheric and terrestrial pollutants. The chapter covers some synthesis studies that have combined paleolimnological data from multiple lakes across the Arctic and Antarctic in order to identify the magnitude and direction of environmental changes at regional to continental scales. The geographic scope of the chapter includes the Arctic north of the tree line (tundra or polar desert catchments), the Antarctic continent and Antarctic Peninsula region, with occasional reference to the warmer sub-Arctic and sub-Antarctic regions.Less
This chapter describes the role that paleolimnological studies have played in reconstructing the geomorphological origin and development of high latitude lakes. A description is provided on how both organic and inorganic components incorporated into lake sediments record changes within lakes as well as in the surrounding environment. This allows tracking of past changes in climate, hydrology, vegetation, sea level, human impacts on fish and wildlife populations, ultraviolet radiation, and atmospheric and terrestrial pollutants. The chapter covers some synthesis studies that have combined paleolimnological data from multiple lakes across the Arctic and Antarctic in order to identify the magnitude and direction of environmental changes at regional to continental scales. The geographic scope of the chapter includes the Arctic north of the tree line (tundra or polar desert catchments), the Antarctic continent and Antarctic Peninsula region, with occasional reference to the warmer sub-Arctic and sub-Antarctic regions.
John B. Thornes
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197262863
- eISBN:
- 9780191734076
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197262863.003.0015
- Subject:
- Sociology, Population and Demography
Within geography, physical geography is concerned with the characteristics of the natural environment, the atmosphere, the lithosphere and the biosphere; how they influence human activities and how ...
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Within geography, physical geography is concerned with the characteristics of the natural environment, the atmosphere, the lithosphere and the biosphere; how they influence human activities and how they are affected by them across the face of the globe. It comprises geomorphology, climatology and biogeography, and proceeds by monitoring, modelling and managing environmental change. Geographical research at first concentrated on the direct impacts of glaciation on the geomorphology of Britain, such as the glacial erosion of northern Britain and its indirect impacts, especially the effects of changing sea levels. Physical geographers in the last 100 years have taken some comfort from the knowledge that their skills are applied in matters of public interest and importance. Now the pace of global environmental change is such that these skills will be essential in the next 100 years, in solving some of the great contemporary environmental problems such as global warming, the global disappearance of forests, desertification and water pollution.Less
Within geography, physical geography is concerned with the characteristics of the natural environment, the atmosphere, the lithosphere and the biosphere; how they influence human activities and how they are affected by them across the face of the globe. It comprises geomorphology, climatology and biogeography, and proceeds by monitoring, modelling and managing environmental change. Geographical research at first concentrated on the direct impacts of glaciation on the geomorphology of Britain, such as the glacial erosion of northern Britain and its indirect impacts, especially the effects of changing sea levels. Physical geographers in the last 100 years have taken some comfort from the knowledge that their skills are applied in matters of public interest and importance. Now the pace of global environmental change is such that these skills will be essential in the next 100 years, in solving some of the great contemporary environmental problems such as global warming, the global disappearance of forests, desertification and water pollution.
Brian Greenberg and Margaret E. Greene
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199270576
- eISBN:
- 9780191600883
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199270570.003.0017
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, History of Economic Thought
The global scale of anthropogenic environmental change now challenges demography to rethink its methodologies and tacit values to assess the ways that human populations determine the population ...
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The global scale of anthropogenic environmental change now challenges demography to rethink its methodologies and tacit values to assess the ways that human populations determine the population profiles and survival prospects for non‐human species and nature as a whole. Critically reviews the disciplinary basis for human‐centredness in the assessment of environmental change, and the ways this Malthusian intellectual legacy now constrains demography's ability to comment on pressing environmental issues. By demonstrating that social relationships do not stop at the boundaries of society but extend to the relationships people establish with non‐human nature, the chapter illustrates how more ecologically inclusive analytic categories can provide significant insight into environmental change in the Western Himalayas. Redefining the familiar demographic categories of ‘household’ and ‘community’ to more closely reflect local cultural understandings, the chapter links household composition to livestock ecology, and agricultural production to the history of environmental transformation in the Himalayan region. In suggesting less anthropocentric and Western culture‐centric demographic analysis, the chapter argues for models of human communities more precisely situated in their environmental contexts, and demonstrates a potentially powerful extension of demographic techniques in the explanation of landscape and environmental change.Less
The global scale of anthropogenic environmental change now challenges demography to rethink its methodologies and tacit values to assess the ways that human populations determine the population profiles and survival prospects for non‐human species and nature as a whole. Critically reviews the disciplinary basis for human‐centredness in the assessment of environmental change, and the ways this Malthusian intellectual legacy now constrains demography's ability to comment on pressing environmental issues. By demonstrating that social relationships do not stop at the boundaries of society but extend to the relationships people establish with non‐human nature, the chapter illustrates how more ecologically inclusive analytic categories can provide significant insight into environmental change in the Western Himalayas. Redefining the familiar demographic categories of ‘household’ and ‘community’ to more closely reflect local cultural understandings, the chapter links household composition to livestock ecology, and agricultural production to the history of environmental transformation in the Himalayan region. In suggesting less anthropocentric and Western culture‐centric demographic analysis, the chapter argues for models of human communities more precisely situated in their environmental contexts, and demonstrates a potentially powerful extension of demographic techniques in the explanation of landscape and environmental change.
Thomas G. Cummings and Maria Nathan
- Published in print:
- 1990
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195055382
- eISBN:
- 9780199855056
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195055382.003.0007
- Subject:
- Economics and Finance, Economic Systems
This chapter describes the concept of organizational environment and then presents a model explaining how environments can influence the choice of organizational structures. From this background, ...
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This chapter describes the concept of organizational environment and then presents a model explaining how environments can influence the choice of organizational structures. From this background, alternative structures for managing environmental complexity and change are discussed. Organizational environment also consists of everything outside of organizations that can affect, either directly or indirectly, organizational performance and outcomes. Clearer understanding of this relationship requires examination at different environmental levels. Further insight is also gained by analyzing the various dimensions of environments.Less
This chapter describes the concept of organizational environment and then presents a model explaining how environments can influence the choice of organizational structures. From this background, alternative structures for managing environmental complexity and change are discussed. Organizational environment also consists of everything outside of organizations that can affect, either directly or indirectly, organizational performance and outcomes. Clearer understanding of this relationship requires examination at different environmental levels. Further insight is also gained by analyzing the various dimensions of environments.
Manuel Barange, John G. Field, Roger P. Harris, Eileen E. Hofmann, R. Ian Perry, and Francisco Werner (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199558025
- eISBN:
- 9780191721939
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199558025.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology, Aquatic Biology
Global environmental change, which includes climate change, biodiversity loss, changes in hydrological and biogeochemical cycles, and intensive exploitation of natural resources, is having ...
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Global environmental change, which includes climate change, biodiversity loss, changes in hydrological and biogeochemical cycles, and intensive exploitation of natural resources, is having significant impacts on the world's oceans. This book advances knowledge of the structure and functioning of marine ecosystems, and their past, present, and future responses to physical and anthropogenic forcing. The book illustrates how climate and humans impact marine ecosystems by a comprehensive review of the physical and ecological processes that structure marine ecosystems and the observation, experimentation, and modelling approaches required for their study. Recognizing the interactive roles played by humans in using marine resources and in responding to global changes in marine systems, the book includes chapters on the human dimensions of marine ecosystem changes and on effective management approaches in the era of change. Part IV reviews the state of the art in predicting the responses of marine ecosystems to future global change scenarios. The book provides a synthesis of the work conducted under the auspices of the Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics (GLOBEC) project over the last two decades, as the largest, multi-disciplinary, international effort focused on understanding the impacts of external forcing on the structure and dynamics of global marine ecosystems.Less
Global environmental change, which includes climate change, biodiversity loss, changes in hydrological and biogeochemical cycles, and intensive exploitation of natural resources, is having significant impacts on the world's oceans. This book advances knowledge of the structure and functioning of marine ecosystems, and their past, present, and future responses to physical and anthropogenic forcing. The book illustrates how climate and humans impact marine ecosystems by a comprehensive review of the physical and ecological processes that structure marine ecosystems and the observation, experimentation, and modelling approaches required for their study. Recognizing the interactive roles played by humans in using marine resources and in responding to global changes in marine systems, the book includes chapters on the human dimensions of marine ecosystem changes and on effective management approaches in the era of change. Part IV reviews the state of the art in predicting the responses of marine ecosystems to future global change scenarios. The book provides a synthesis of the work conducted under the auspices of the Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics (GLOBEC) project over the last two decades, as the largest, multi-disciplinary, international effort focused on understanding the impacts of external forcing on the structure and dynamics of global marine ecosystems.
Enric Sala and George Sugihara
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198564836
- eISBN:
- 9780191713828
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198564836.003.0014
- Subject:
- Biology, Aquatic Biology
Marine conservation priorities have been established mostly on the basis of species and habitat diversity, but little attention has been paid to food web diversity. Ecologists are aware of the ...
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Marine conservation priorities have been established mostly on the basis of species and habitat diversity, but little attention has been paid to food web diversity. Ecologists are aware of the dynamic nature of marine food webs, and of the simplification of food web structure by anthropogenic activities, mainly fishing. Transient food web structures along gradients of fishing pressure are an analogue to stages along a successional gradient. This chapter describes regularities in food web structure along these gradients, and explores the global initial conditions (e.g., availability of species, sequence of species additions) needed to ensure that marine food webs will continue to function and adapt to environmental change in a world with increasing anthropogenic disturbance.Less
Marine conservation priorities have been established mostly on the basis of species and habitat diversity, but little attention has been paid to food web diversity. Ecologists are aware of the dynamic nature of marine food webs, and of the simplification of food web structure by anthropogenic activities, mainly fishing. Transient food web structures along gradients of fishing pressure are an analogue to stages along a successional gradient. This chapter describes regularities in food web structure along these gradients, and explores the global initial conditions (e.g., availability of species, sequence of species additions) needed to ensure that marine food webs will continue to function and adapt to environmental change in a world with increasing anthropogenic disturbance.
Barbara Goldoftas
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195135114
- eISBN:
- 9780199868216
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195135114.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, World Modern History
The Philippines was once famous for its reef-ringed islands, white beaches, and lush forests. In less than a half-century, these were degraded by deforestation, over-fishing, and destructive fishing. ...
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The Philippines was once famous for its reef-ringed islands, white beaches, and lush forests. In less than a half-century, these were degraded by deforestation, over-fishing, and destructive fishing. This rapid harvest of ecologically and economically critical natural resources brought droughts, deadly flash floods, and the collapse of fisheries and the timber industry. Regional rural economies weakened, sending hundreds of thousands of ecological refugees to cities where they overwhelmed the urban infrastructure. Today, the Philippines stands as an example of the profound and sweeping consequences of environmental degradation. This book documents this tragic trajectory, but the story it tells is not one of hopelessness and inevitable defeat. The book traces the struggle for natural resource conservation in the Philippines, from isolated villages to large cities, illustrating innovative ways that conservation and economic growth can effectively coexist. It describes how individuals and institutions at all levels of Philippine society have responded to the environmental change, and gives background information on environmental policy. It argues that recent initiatives to conserve or rehabilitate resources — by local and national government, non-governmental organizations, or communities — can be an important part of sustainable development and nation-building. It also questions whether western environmentalism, which can pit environmental protection against economic need, is appropriate for developing countries. The book offers in-depth case studies of environmental governance and sets the consequences of rapid industrialization and environmental change in their historical context.Less
The Philippines was once famous for its reef-ringed islands, white beaches, and lush forests. In less than a half-century, these were degraded by deforestation, over-fishing, and destructive fishing. This rapid harvest of ecologically and economically critical natural resources brought droughts, deadly flash floods, and the collapse of fisheries and the timber industry. Regional rural economies weakened, sending hundreds of thousands of ecological refugees to cities where they overwhelmed the urban infrastructure. Today, the Philippines stands as an example of the profound and sweeping consequences of environmental degradation. This book documents this tragic trajectory, but the story it tells is not one of hopelessness and inevitable defeat. The book traces the struggle for natural resource conservation in the Philippines, from isolated villages to large cities, illustrating innovative ways that conservation and economic growth can effectively coexist. It describes how individuals and institutions at all levels of Philippine society have responded to the environmental change, and gives background information on environmental policy. It argues that recent initiatives to conserve or rehabilitate resources — by local and national government, non-governmental organizations, or communities — can be an important part of sustainable development and nation-building. It also questions whether western environmentalism, which can pit environmental protection against economic need, is appropriate for developing countries. The book offers in-depth case studies of environmental governance and sets the consequences of rapid industrialization and environmental change in their historical context.
Ahmed Belal and John Briggs
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789774161988
- eISBN:
- 9781617970320
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774161988.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, International Relations and Politics
Sustainable development and environmental change have become two of the watchwords of the new century. But what do they mean for ordinary people living in some of the harshest environments in the ...
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Sustainable development and environmental change have become two of the watchwords of the new century. But what do they mean for ordinary people living in some of the harshest environments in the world, where survival is the driving force? This book sets out to examine these issues and how they affect, and are affected by, Bedouin communities living in the arid areas of the Nubian Desert in southeastern Egypt. Written by a joint Egyptian, Russian, and British research team, the book seeks to examine how the Bedouin of this area have coped with the environmental changes brought about after the construction of the Aswan High Dam and resulting formation of Lake Nasser. After documenting the nature of these changes, the chapters show the practical and strategic ways in which the Bedouin have responded by adapting both their use of environmental resources and the social and economic dimensions of their community. The book argues that people in these communities are active agents of change and must not be seen as passive victims. For them, sustainable development and environmental change are not abstract academic debates, but real-life, everyday issues around which they must organize their lives.Less
Sustainable development and environmental change have become two of the watchwords of the new century. But what do they mean for ordinary people living in some of the harshest environments in the world, where survival is the driving force? This book sets out to examine these issues and how they affect, and are affected by, Bedouin communities living in the arid areas of the Nubian Desert in southeastern Egypt. Written by a joint Egyptian, Russian, and British research team, the book seeks to examine how the Bedouin of this area have coped with the environmental changes brought about after the construction of the Aswan High Dam and resulting formation of Lake Nasser. After documenting the nature of these changes, the chapters show the practical and strategic ways in which the Bedouin have responded by adapting both their use of environmental resources and the social and economic dimensions of their community. The book argues that people in these communities are active agents of change and must not be seen as passive victims. For them, sustainable development and environmental change are not abstract academic debates, but real-life, everyday issues around which they must organize their lives.
Andrew Needham
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691139067
- eISBN:
- 9781400852406
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691139067.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: 20th Century
This introductory chapter provides an overview of postwar metropolitan development. The search for the natural resources required for metropolitan growth, and for spaces to discard the waste produced ...
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This introductory chapter provides an overview of postwar metropolitan development. The search for the natural resources required for metropolitan growth, and for spaces to discard the waste produced by metropolitan consumption, led federal, state, and local actors to create new infrastructures. These power lines, aqueducts, and landfills reorganized economies, ecologies, and societies in distant landscapes. Once constructed, they shaped possibilities and limited opportunities for change. These infrastructures invested metropolitan actors in the transformation of distant landscapes while drawing distant people into new relationships with metropolitan centers. The result was not only metropolitan sprawl but also the reorganization of politics, society, and nature in new, far-flung regions. This book traces the development of the power lines that ran between Phoenix and the Navajo reservation through time and across space to construct a broad new map of postwar urban, environmental, and political change.Less
This introductory chapter provides an overview of postwar metropolitan development. The search for the natural resources required for metropolitan growth, and for spaces to discard the waste produced by metropolitan consumption, led federal, state, and local actors to create new infrastructures. These power lines, aqueducts, and landfills reorganized economies, ecologies, and societies in distant landscapes. Once constructed, they shaped possibilities and limited opportunities for change. These infrastructures invested metropolitan actors in the transformation of distant landscapes while drawing distant people into new relationships with metropolitan centers. The result was not only metropolitan sprawl but also the reorganization of politics, society, and nature in new, far-flung regions. This book traces the development of the power lines that ran between Phoenix and the Navajo reservation through time and across space to construct a broad new map of postwar urban, environmental, and political change.
Manuel Barange, John G. Field, and Will Steffen
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199558025
- eISBN:
- 9780191721939
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199558025.003.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology, Aquatic Biology
The world's ocean represents 70% of the earth's surface and contains 97% of the entire planet's water. It is a primary driver in the cycles of water and carbon and, through its huge capacity to store ...
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The world's ocean represents 70% of the earth's surface and contains 97% of the entire planet's water. It is a primary driver in the cycles of water and carbon and, through its huge capacity to store heat, plays a crucial role in the regulation of weather and climate. Its biota secure life: marine phytoplankton is responsible for almost half of the oxygen we inhale, and marine fish and shellfish provides food, employment, and livelihood opportunities to millions of people. Yet the oceans are under increasing pressure: three out of every four fish stocks are either fully exploited or overexploited, and the number of people living within 150 km of the coast is expected to increase to a staggering 6.7 million by 2050. This chapter places the oceans in the context of the earth system, discusses its variability and change, the uses we have of its goods and services, and introduces the challenges of sustainable management. It concludes by explaining how the book addresses the issues raised and introduces the rest of the chapters.Less
The world's ocean represents 70% of the earth's surface and contains 97% of the entire planet's water. It is a primary driver in the cycles of water and carbon and, through its huge capacity to store heat, plays a crucial role in the regulation of weather and climate. Its biota secure life: marine phytoplankton is responsible for almost half of the oxygen we inhale, and marine fish and shellfish provides food, employment, and livelihood opportunities to millions of people. Yet the oceans are under increasing pressure: three out of every four fish stocks are either fully exploited or overexploited, and the number of people living within 150 km of the coast is expected to increase to a staggering 6.7 million by 2050. This chapter places the oceans in the context of the earth system, discusses its variability and change, the uses we have of its goods and services, and introduces the challenges of sustainable management. It concludes by explaining how the book addresses the issues raised and introduces the rest of the chapters.
Dianne S. Ward, Amy V. Ries, and Rachel Tabak
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199572915
- eISBN:
- 9780191595110
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199572915.003.0028
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health
This chapter presents environmental and policy interventions which have demonstrated an impact on a measure of body weight or been successful in improving eating or physical activity behaviours among ...
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This chapter presents environmental and policy interventions which have demonstrated an impact on a measure of body weight or been successful in improving eating or physical activity behaviours among children aged 2 to 18. It presents the types of macro- and micro-environmental and policy interventions that have been conducted, what areas seem promising, and where major gaps exist. The chapter discusses various interventions to prevent childhood obesity from around the world, community approaches, and approaches that suggest environmental changes including physics, economic, and political environments. The chapter also puts forward a discussion of interventions that target policy changes such as policy that address laws and regulations as well as formal and informal rules.Less
This chapter presents environmental and policy interventions which have demonstrated an impact on a measure of body weight or been successful in improving eating or physical activity behaviours among children aged 2 to 18. It presents the types of macro- and micro-environmental and policy interventions that have been conducted, what areas seem promising, and where major gaps exist. The chapter discusses various interventions to prevent childhood obesity from around the world, community approaches, and approaches that suggest environmental changes including physics, economic, and political environments. The chapter also puts forward a discussion of interventions that target policy changes such as policy that address laws and regulations as well as formal and informal rules.
Teresa Shewry
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780816691579
- eISBN:
- 9781452952390
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9780816691579.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, World Literature
The Pacific Ocean has long inspired literary imaginings of promising worlds, including Thomas More’s Utopia and Francis Bacon’s New Atlantis. This book asks how literary writers imagine ocean futures ...
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The Pacific Ocean has long inspired literary imaginings of promising worlds, including Thomas More’s Utopia and Francis Bacon’s New Atlantis. This book asks how literary writers imagine ocean futures more recently, providing a perspective on imagination and art in the context that the sweeping environmental changes are reshaping life possibilities in the Pacific. It looks at contemporary poetry, short stories, art, and journalistic writings from Australia, New Zealand, and Hawai‘i, among other sites, exploring their imaginative accounts of present life and futures in varied sites where people live closely with environmental loss. These literary writings are crafted to offer relationships with the future that include hope, an awareness of the future as a site of openness and promise. Literary writers evoke hope not by turning away from the realities of environmental loss and damage but rather through attunement to the beings, commitments, and struggles of the present world and the futures that such a world might shape. Drawing together ecocriticism and theories of hope, this book makes an argument for hope as a creative and critical engagement with present and past environmental constraints, including myriad forms of loss. It also reflects on the critical approaches that hope as an analytic category opens up for the study of environmental literature. Through this category, the book develops a method for reading literary works as creative accounts of present life and futures that offer hope, among their modes of engagement with the ocean.Less
The Pacific Ocean has long inspired literary imaginings of promising worlds, including Thomas More’s Utopia and Francis Bacon’s New Atlantis. This book asks how literary writers imagine ocean futures more recently, providing a perspective on imagination and art in the context that the sweeping environmental changes are reshaping life possibilities in the Pacific. It looks at contemporary poetry, short stories, art, and journalistic writings from Australia, New Zealand, and Hawai‘i, among other sites, exploring their imaginative accounts of present life and futures in varied sites where people live closely with environmental loss. These literary writings are crafted to offer relationships with the future that include hope, an awareness of the future as a site of openness and promise. Literary writers evoke hope not by turning away from the realities of environmental loss and damage but rather through attunement to the beings, commitments, and struggles of the present world and the futures that such a world might shape. Drawing together ecocriticism and theories of hope, this book makes an argument for hope as a creative and critical engagement with present and past environmental constraints, including myriad forms of loss. It also reflects on the critical approaches that hope as an analytic category opens up for the study of environmental literature. Through this category, the book develops a method for reading literary works as creative accounts of present life and futures that offer hope, among their modes of engagement with the ocean.
A. J. McMichael and G. Ranmuthugala
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195172997
- eISBN:
- 9780199865659
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195172997.003.0005
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter discusses the health impacts of global environmental change. Topics covered include relationship between globalization and global environmental change, impacts of climate change, ...
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This chapter discusses the health impacts of global environmental change. Topics covered include relationship between globalization and global environmental change, impacts of climate change, interaction between weather and air pollution; effects of economic, social, and demographic disruption; and strategies to reduce population health risks from climate change.Less
This chapter discusses the health impacts of global environmental change. Topics covered include relationship between globalization and global environmental change, impacts of climate change, interaction between weather and air pollution; effects of economic, social, and demographic disruption; and strategies to reduce population health risks from climate change.
