Foundations Contemporary Environmental

Coastal Governance provides a clear overview of how U.S. coasts are currently managed and explores new approaches that could make our shores healthier. Drawing on recent national assessments, Professor Richard Burroughs explains why traditional management techniques have ultimately proved inadequate, leading to polluted waters, declining fisheries, and damaged habitat. He then introduces students to governance frameworks that seek to address these shortcomings by considering natural and human systems holistically. The book considers the ability of sector-based management, spatial management, and ecosystem-based management to solve critical environmental problems. Evaluating governance successes and failures, Burroughs covers topics including sewage disposal, dredging, wetlands, watersheds, and fisheries. He shows that at times sector-based management, which focuses on separate, individual uses of the coasts, has been implemented effectively. But he also illustrates examples of conflict, such as the incompatibility of waste disposal and fishing in the same waters. Burroughs assesses spatial and ecosystem-based management's potential to address these conflicts. The book familiarizes students not only with current management techniques but with the policy process. By focusing on policy development, Coastal Governance prepares readers with the knowledge to participate effectively in a governance system that is constantly evolving. This understanding will be critical as students become managers, policymakers, and citizens who shape the future of the coasts. "Those of us engaged in the field of coastal and ocean management and policy are fortunate to be able to draw upon many fine books, journals and reports that both inform us and enlighten our efforts. Many of these publications are directed towards professionals, while others, serving as textbooks, focus on training students to become the next generation of ocean leaders. Seldom can a single book successfully function as both. Rarer still is the volume that transcends the usual descriptions of coastal and ocean issues by pragmatically illuminating the vital but often elusive connections between coastal science, the human dimension and policy-making, while also moving the reader from the 'old' method of sector based management strategies to a more holistic view. Dr. Rick Burroughs . . . has written such a book." "Coastal Governance provides the fundamentals needed to understand this complex process in a concise and exceptionally accessible form. Burroughs skillfully blends scientific understanding, appreciation of human dimensions, and revealing case studies, making the book an enlightening read even for professionals. He provides a lucid and up-to-date explanation of the evolution from single sector management to spatial and ecosystem approaches."---Donald F. Boesch, President, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science "Thorough and perceptive…Through careful analysis and in-depth review of past and current coastal policy, Burroughs takes stock of what works and what doesn't, and points the way ahead to a more effective coastal management approach. This is an essential policy primer for anyone working on coastal issues."---Timothy Beatley, Teresa Heinz Professor of Sustainable Communities, University of Virginia "This engaging primer not only explains current coastal policies, it illustrates how effective policy is developed. This is just the kind of clear-eyed analysis needed to reform coastal management and bring our shores back to life."---Biliana Cicin-Sain, Director, Gerard J. Mangone Center for Marine Policy, University of Delaware "The policy concepts in Coastal Governance resonate strongly with the latest thinking about complexity theory as applied to the adaptive management of social-ecological systems. Burroughs succinctly and thoughtfully analyzes the ingrained habit of applying rigid, shortsighted policies to the management of

A clear grasp of economics is essential to understanding why environmental problems arise and how we can address them. So it is with good reason that Markets and the Environment has become a classic text in environmental studies since its first publication in 2007. Now thoroughly revised with updated information on current environmental policy and real-world examples of market-based instruments, the primer is more relevant than ever. The authors provide a concise yet thorough introduction to the economic theory of environmental policy and natural resource management. They begin with an overview of environmental economics before exploring topics including cost-benefit analysis, market failures and successes, and economic growth and sustainability. Readers of the first edition will notice new analysis of cost estimation as well as specific market instruments, including municipal water pricing and waste disposal. Particular attention is paid to behavioral economics and cap-and-trade programs for carbon. Throughout, Markets and the Environment is written in an accessible, student-friendly style. It includes study questions for each chapter, as well as clear figures and relatable text boxes. The authors have long understood the need for a book to bridge the gap between short articles on environmental economics and tomes filled with complex algebra. Markets and the Environment makes clear how economics influences policy, the world around us, and our own lives.

Meeting today's environmental challenges requires a new way of thinking about the intricate dependencies between humans and nature. Ecology and Ecosystem Conservation provides students and other readers with a basic understanding of the fundamental principles of ecological science and their applications, offering an essential overview of the way ecology can be used to devise strategies to conserve the health and functioning of ecosystems. The book begins by exploring the need for ecological science in understanding current environmental issues and briefly discussing what ecology is and isn't. Subsequent chapters address critical issues in conservation and show how ecological science can be applied to them. The book explores questions such as: • What is the role of ecological science in decision making? • What factors govern the assembly of ecosystems and determine their response to various stressors? • How does Earth's climate system function and determine the distribution of life on Earth? • What factors control the size of populations? • How does fragmentation of the landscape affect the persistence of species on the landscape? • How does biological diversity influence ecosystem processes? The book closes with a final chapter that addresses the need not only to understand ecological science, but to put that science into an ecosystem conservation ethics perspective. "Reading this book has been rewarding-there were no disappointments. Schmitz has done a credible job of presenting the complex and multifaceted field of ecology in a compact and readable book ... I believe this book is an important contribution toward a better understanding and treatment of our environment, and could be used to enlighten a larger audience of non-ecologists." "A wonderfully readable introduction to the ecological context for conservation practice. Ideal for a general readership or as the basis for an excellent university course."---Simon Levin, Princeton University, author of Fragile Dominion "At last, one volume seamlessly merges the dominant ecological themes of our time into a single coherent explanation of why the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems is the key to solving today's most pressing environmental problems."---Shahid Naeem, Professor of ecology, Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology "Starting from concrete examples and questions in the field of conservation biology, this book presents the principles of modern ecology in a simple form accessible to all. It is easy and enjoyable to read, while at the same time scientifically rigorous. An excellent introduction to ecology as the scientific underpinning of conservation biology."---Michel Loreau, Professor, Canada Research Chair in Theoretical Ecology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec

Today's most pressing environmental problems are planetary in scope, confounding the political will of any one nation. How can we solve them? Global Environmental Governance offers the essential information, theory, and practical insight needed to tackle this critical challenge. It examines ten major environmental threats-climate disruption, biodiversity loss, acid rain, ozone depletion, deforestation, desertification, freshwater degradation and shortages, marine fisheries decline, toxic pollutants, and excess nitrogen-and explores how they can be addressed through treaties, governance regimes, and new forms of international cooperation. Written by Gus Speth, one of the architects of the international environmental movement, and accomplished political scientist Peter M. Haas, Global Environmental Governance tells the story of how the community of nations, nongovernmental organizations, scientists, and multinational corporations have in recent decades created an unprecedented set of laws and institutions intended to help solve large-scale environmental problems. The book critically examines the serious shortcomings of current efforts and the underlying reasons why disturbing trends persist. It presents key concepts in international law and regime formation in simple, accessible language, and describes the current institutional landscape as well as lessons learned and new directions needed in international governance. Global Environmental Governance is a concise guide, with lists of key terms, study questions, and other features designed to help readers think about and understand the concepts discussed. "With its concise but very thorough treatment of the inherently complex topic of global governance, whether focused on environmental or other issues, this first in the series sets a high bar for the ensuing books." "Global Environmental Governance serves as an essential primer on the formation of international environmental law and policy...A wonderfully informative account by two of the most respected experts in the field, Global Environmental Governance is not to be missed for anyone looking toward the future of environmental law." "Speth and Haas have penned a compact, elegant account of global environmental politics, diplomacy, and institutions and their intellectual foundations. The authors combine insider experience with scholarly perspective, a sense of urgency with a sense of humor…The best book of its kind yet written."---J.R. McNeill, author of Something New Under the Sun "Speth and Haas take us on an inspiring journey into the world of sustainable development and the global response. Their book is an excellent introduction to a subject of the greatest importance."---Gro Harlem Brundtland, former prime minister of Norway "A superb primer on global environmental trends and their underlying causes, efforts over the past thirty years to deal with them, and possible solutions for the future, including radically new approaches. It would be an excellent starting point for any college environmental policy course."---Norman Vig, Winifred and Atherton Bean Professor of Science, Technology, and Society, Emeritus, Carleton College

In this concise introduction to water resources, Shimon Anisfeld explores the fundamental interactions between humans and water, including drinking, sanitation, irrigation, and power production. The book familiarizes students with the current water crisis and with approaches for managing this essential resource more effectively in a time of rapid environmental and social change. Anisfeld addresses both human and ecological problems, including scarcity, pollution, disease, flooding, conflicts over water, and degradation of aquatic ecosystems. In addition to providing the background necessary to understand each of these problems, the book discusses ways to move towards better management and addresses the key current debates in the water policy field. In the past, water development has often proceeded in a single-sector fashion, with each group of users implementing its own plans without coordination with other groups, resulting in both conflict and inefficiency. Now, Anisfeld writes, the challenge of water management is figuring out how to balance all the different demands for water, from sanitation to energy generation to ecosystem protection. For inquiring students of any level, Water Resources provides a comprehensive one-volume guide to a complex but vital field of study. "At long last, a fresh and comprehensive treatment of the relevant water issues of our day. Shimon Anisfeld writes with a clarity informed both by the scholarly setting of academia and by wet boots in the marsh. This is certain to become the new standard text for anyone interested in water."---Brian Richter, Co-Director, Global Freshwater Program, The Nature Conservancy "This book is powerful because of its broad and deep utility for a diverse range of readers concerned with the sustainability of natural systems. It is an accessible and comprehensive presentation of the science of water resources, and the many challenges of managing the pressing water crisis now being faced in every part of the world. It will be illuminating, authoritative, and useful to many people in many ways."---Zygmunt Jan Broël Plater, Professor of Law, Boston College "Water is a vital resource that is continuously threatened by structural and nonstructural human actions. Thus, a book that combines relevant science and policy issues is a welcome reference for anyone interested in water in any type, shape, or form. In this brief but comprehensive work, Anisfeld (Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies) tries to explain the global water crisis and offer possible solutions." "Are you looking for a book introducing water resources with a focus on global water crisis? This is a book you may want to read or collect. It would also be suitable reading material for students and professionals who are interested in water management. As a hydrologist, I have benefited by gaining a broader view of water issues existing in the U.S. and worldwide through reading this book. There are many discussions throughout the chapters that provide good judgements that can be valuable for water professionals in examining our water management strategies and policies."

From the Psalms in the Bible to the sacred rivers in Hinduism, the natural world has been integral to the world's religions. John Grim and Mary Evelyn Tucker contend that today's growing environmental challenges make the relationship ever more vital. This primer explores the history of religious traditions and the environment, illustrating how religious teachings and practices both promoted and at times subverted sustainability. Subsequent chapters examine the emergence of religious ecology, as views of nature changed in religious traditions and the ecological sciences. Yet the authors argue that religion and ecology are not the province of institutions or disciplines alone. They describe four fundamental aspects of religious life: orienting, grounding, nurturing, and transforming. Readers then see how these phenomena are experienced in a Native American religion, Orthodox Christianity, Confucianism, and Hinduism. Ultimately, Grim and Tucker argue that the engagement of religious communities is necessary if humanity is to sustain itself and the planet. Students of environmental ethics, theology and ecology, world religions, and environmental studies will receive a solid grounding in the burgeoning field of religious ecology. "Grim and Tucker integrate vast personal experiences and serious scholarship across multiple global cultures and disciplines to produce keen, fresh insight for today's world. A compelling, inspirational, and hopeful look at a path to a meaningful and sustainable future."---Jane Lubchenco, former Administrator of NOAA "A must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of ecology, religion, and ethics, and in the role that religions could play in resolving the complex environmental concerns of today."---Eleanor Sterling, Director, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History "An astonishingly comprehensive view of human relations with the natural world."---John Cobb, Co-Director of the Center for Process Studies, Claremont University "The almost unimaginable environmental challenge humanity faces-a daunting Gordian knot of science, plus ethical and moral values-demands ways forward. Those will be found at the intersection of science and religion. Nobody understands this thicket-so filled with hope, promise and complexities-better than John Grim and Mary Evelyn Tucker. Ecology and Religion lights the path forward."---Thomas E. Lovejoy, University Professor of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University "How wonderful to have the world's leading authorities on religion and ecology, John Grim and Mary Evelyn Tucker, offer this profound but accessible examination of the field just as the world's religions are entering their ecological phase. This book is more than a source of deep understanding-it is an inspiration."---James Gustave Speth, author of America the Possible: Manifesto for a New Economy "John Grim and Mary Evelyn Tucker are two of the most well-known figures advocating religious ecologies-the bridging of scientific and religious worldviews. In their book Ecology and Religion, they argue that the religious component is a 'missing link,' 'an important lens whereby humans can understand and reenvision their roles as participants in the dynamic process of life.' …In volumes of this genre, their virtue must mirror their vice-that of being both sketchy and simultaneously insightful. 'Painted in broad brushstrokes,' the book is cosmopolitan in the original Greek sense, as in a citizen of the cosmos." "...refreshing in its premise that all religions have something important to teach us about how to motivate ourselves and others to act on global climate change, if only we listen, talk, and synthesize." "...highly recommend this volume for the stated purposes of filling a much-needed niche in the introductory market of religious ecology for undergraduate students. The text provides a highly accessible, broad narrat