"Understanding Environmental Issues provides an excellent foundation for developing critical thinking about contemporary environmental concerns and the ways in which these are debated, represented and managed. The book should achieve its aim of stimulating students to engage with how ideas of sustainability and environmental justice can be applied both in policy and in practical action." (Gordon Walker, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University). "The arena of environmental issues is a minefield for undergraduate students seeking clarity about key problems and solutions. This is where Understanding Environmental Issues will play a major role, providing a stimulating guide through the wealth of material and complex ideas. In particular the unification of social and physical science in the case studies provides a holistic approach to the subject that is essential for students and a refreshing innovation for environmental textbooks." (Anna R. Davies, Trinity College, University of Dublin). There is now an unprecedented interest in, and concern about, environmental problems.
Understanding Environmental Issues explains the science behind these problems, as well as the economic, political, social, and cultural factors which produce and reproduce them. This book: explains, clearly and concisely, the science and social science necessary to understand environmental issues; describes - in section one - the philosophies, values, politics, and technologies which contribute to the production of environmental issues; and uses cases on climate change, waste, food, and natural hazards in section two to provide detailed illustration and exemplification of the ideas described in section one. The conclusion, a case study of Mexico City, draws together the key themes Vivid, accessible and pedagogically informed, Understanding Environmental Issues will be a key resource for undergraduate and taught postgraduate students in Geography, Environment, and Ecology; as well as students of the social sciences with an interest in environmental issues.
Introduction - Susan Buckingham and Mike Turner PART ONE: FRAMEWORKS Approaching Environmental Issues - Susan Buckingham The Rise of Environmental Politics and the Environmental Movement - Susan Buckingham Valuing the Environment - Andrea Revell Environmental Economics and the Limits to Growth Debate Geo-Information Technology and the Environment - Adrian Combrinck, Mike Turner & Rob Wright PART TWO: CASE STUDIES Food - Susan Buckingham and Phil Collins Waste - Susan Buckingham and Iris Turner Global Climate Change - John Woodward and Susan Buckingham Natural Hazards - Iain Stewart and Kate Donovan Mexico City - Mike Turner