Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2021 -

How to Think About the Climate Crisis draws on philosophical, political, and environmental sources and stands out within the growing climate-change literature. Organized into nine chapters, the text is bookended by a more personal introduction and conclusion. Veteran Nietzsche specialist and author of Composing the Soul (CH, Sep'95, 33-0237), Parkes (emer., Univ. of Hawai'i; research fellow, Univ. of Vienna) eloquently spells out the roots of the climate crisis while suggesting devolution of power to smaller entities on the ground as a possible path forward. Parkes identifies lack of awareness that everything is connected (citing a core tenet not only of Buddhist, Confucian, and Daoist philosophies but also of Pope Francis's 2015 encyclical) as the main problem. Chapter 3 skewers libertarianism, with its emphasis on individual freedom and minimization of governmental power. Chapters 4 and 5 outline ways the fossil fuel industry, the religious right, and Silicon Valley represent obstructions to addressing climate change. Subsequent chapters emphasize philosophical reflections ranging from Chinese tradition to comparable ideas in Western thought. Parkes moves nimbly from a "Middle Way where Buddhism promotes moderation" to "thinking like a mountain" in the holistic, interconnective words of American ecologist Aldo Leopold. Ultimately, Parkes asserts, people in the West cannot resolve the climate crisis without Chinese cooperation.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.

With a flair for interpreting present-day problems and environmental changes against a vast backdrop beginning with the 19th-century age of seafaring discovery, Wood (Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) adeptly mediates between past and present. Aside from demonstrating his creative skills as a writer, this work is all the more welcome for its distinguished scholarship. While focusing mainly on the fierce rivalry among the French, British, and American expeditions of the 1840s, Wood successfully bridges the huge gulf between that time and the present, recounting discoveries of modern scientists that document the effects of global warning on the Antarctic ice cap. Wood's examination of prior human perceptions of Antarctica in the days of sail, juxtaposed with contemporary appreciation and warnings about what the future may hold, adds up to a marvelously engaging work. It is no easy feat to pass between the Victorian era and the present. Current ocean drilling programs, studies of plate tectonics, glacial erosion, and paleontological discoveries provide detailed substance, even verve, to Wood's text. Production quality, too, is of the highest order. Including a thorough, up-to-date bibliography and serviceable index, this work provides valuable insight into the present problems of a remembered world that is physically passing into memory.Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals. General readers.

This work emphasizes the tremendous increase in plastics use within the past two decades and their degradation into particulate matter--often difficult to filter out--that may combine with other compounds or be ingested by a variety of organisms with detrimental results. As readers learn, global plastics production has increased 60-fold since the 1960s to more than 300 million tons per year, and most of it still exists. Although less obvious to the public than whole plastic objects, microplastics (measuring between 100 nm and 5 mm) and nanoplastics (less than100 nm) pose a major threat to both terrestrial and aquatic environments. Though most works on plastic pollution focus on its effects on aquatic environments, damage to the terrestrial environment is well covered in this volume. An international group of authors, largely from academia, contributed 25 chapters covering everything from sources of particulate plastics to their effects on different ecological niches in various countries, accompanied by appropriate images, graphs, tables, and diagrams. The final three chapters offer suggestions on how the effects of microplastic pollution might be biologically mitigated. This highly readable book provides excellent insight into a crucial environmental problem and is a great resource for undergraduates through concerned professionals.Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals. Students in two-year technical programs.

This timely and inspiring book offers examples and critique to build foundational awareness on the rights of nature movement around the world. As the populations of the world increase in size, their demand for resources impacts the ecological systems of the earth. This valuable text begins by introducing the concepts for the rights of nature movement. Following their introduction, editors La Follette and Maser offer 18 collected essays representing the diverse approaches and campaigns as pursued by citizenry, including indigenous cultures, organizations, and judicial institutions from around the world. The approachable tone and presentation of this academic book will enable the reader to gain proficiency in discussing and advocating for the rights of nature. The volume will enhance any level of university or college study, and will remain an impactful resource as citizens strive to design for a resilient future. Readers desiring further details on the rights of nature advocacy efforts as reported in the book may wish to consult the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature website (https://therightsofnature.org/).Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.

This volume, part of the ABC-CLIO series "Contemporary World Issues: Environment," begins with a comprehensive, highly readable introduction covering the causes of climate variability, a history of climate research including recent breakthroughs in understanding it, and the response (or lack thereof) from the general public and body politic. Factual and unbiased, this review informs without inflaming, avoiding the pitfalls of "debate" while unequivocally revealing the evidence for anthropogenic sources of excessive carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and oceans, and the consequent impact of the latter on climate. Throughout the following two sections--delving into controversies, proposed solutions, and different perspectives--the selected source materials are authoritative and driven by science. Biases of organizations that refute climate science are also revealed, supported by references to pertinent reliable sources. Profiles of noteworthy scientists, climate advocates, and organizations that have an essential role for climate action comprise the final third of the handbook, along with a careful selection of additional resources, a chronology of essential events and climatic benchmarks, and a glossary. Crucially, with this work's thorough approach to documentation, educator Newton successfully conveys the overwhelming consensus among scientists about the reality of climate change and the urgent need for action. This is important reading for all, high school and up.Summing Up: Essential. All readers.

Discussion about climate change over the last 50 years has met with strong headwinds. During this time the denial camp has shifted from asking, "Is global warming a sustained event that will simply correct itself?" to doubting: "Is climate change clearly due to human activity?" While both these questions have been clearly answered, the length of time it has taken, as well as the temporal scope of the danger--by 2050, by the end of the century, etc.--has led to an almost casual approach to the actual peril. Quarmby clearly puts this matter front and center as an existential threat. Her prose skillfully weaves the connection between art and science, leading the reader to an understanding of how differently different people think about and cope with climate change. She presents the wonder of the Arctic and the agony of this existential threat through routine and ritualized actions of individuals and groups of people in loosely affiliated alliances. The reader cannot help but want to visit Svalbard--the Arctic island setting of Quarmby's narrative--and witness in person the raw beauty she describes, along with experiencing the sadness of awakening to the unprecedented melting evident all around. This book deals deftly with the most pressing concern facing us today. Watermelon Snow is a masterpiece.Summing Up: Essential. All readers.