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Argues that failures in structural engineering are not necessarily due to the physical design of the structures, but instead a misunderstanding of how cultural and socioeconomic constraints would affect the structures.
A “smart, honest, and down-to-earth” (Elizabeth Kolbert) citizen’s guide to the seven urgent changes that will really make a difference for our climate. If you think the only thing you can do to combat climate change is to install a smart thermostat or cook plant-based meat, you’re thinking too small. In The Big Fix, energy policy advisor Hal Harvey and longtime New York Times reporter Justin Gillis offer a new, hopeful way to engage with one of the greatest problems of our age. Writing in a lively, accessible style, the pair illuminate how the really big decisions that affect our climate get made—whether by the most obscure public utilities commissions or in the lofty halls of sta...
Melting in the Arctic, increasingly destructive weather events, massive species loss, and the resulting economic toll were predicted as early as the 1960s. In the 21st century, these signs of climate change are occurring right on schedule. These problems are harder to fix due to the scale of human fossil-fuel dependency and the challenges of converting entire economies to carbon-neutral energy sources. Add to this, any political climates and inactivity driven by denial. The articles collected here detail our growing understanding of climate change, the urgency of its challenges, and the steps we are taking to combat it. Media literacy questions and terms are included to help readers further analyze news coverage and reporting styles.
Gilbert has written the book we all wish we could write. It offers a very concise description of the world's economic, environmental, social, and governmental problems, but more importantly, it tells us what we can do about them now, before it is too late. The book is jam-packed with interesting data, much of which is from China the new epicenter of toxic capitalism. Although it can be used as a great reference, it is not merely an academic tome. It has an armchair feel and is a terrifi c read. Bravo! Frank T. Gallo, Ph.D., Chief Leadership Consultant, Aon Hewitt Greater China, and the author of Business Leadership in China
For nearly forty years, using recombinant DNA tools, researchers, and then businesses, have genetically engineered organisms by transferring naturally occurring genes from one organism into another. Doing so modifies the genetic code of living cells, imparting new traits and achieving desired results; this is done in the production of proteins, pharmaceuticals, and seeds. Synthetic biology, argues Solomon, could free scientists from the need to find natural genes to make such desired modifications. Synthetic biology permits more complex and sophisticated bioengineering than what can be achieved through previous genetic modification techniques. Drawing on non-biological scientific and enginee...
"The third edition of this popular classroom text provides thoroughly revised and updated discussions of key topics including ethno-nationalist conflict, terrorism, and poverty and development, as J. Milburn Thompson masterfully brings a Christian perspective to bear on the world situation. With this book, he provides an introduction to current obstacles to justice and peace across the globe, and encourages Christians to draw upon an informed faith to transform themselves and the world"--
Big History is a new field on a grand scale: it tells the story of the universe over time through a diverse range of disciplines that spans cosmology, physics, chemistry, astronomy, geology, evolutionary biology, anthropology, and archaeology, thereby reconciling traditional human history with environmental geography and natural history. Weaving the myriad threads of evidence-based human knowledge into a master narrative that stretches from the beginning of the universe to the present, the Big History framework helps students make sense of their studies in all disciplines by illuminating the structures that underlie the universe and the connections among them. Teaching Big History is a power...
Disaster on the Horizon is a behind-the-scenes investigative look at the worst oil well accident in US history, which led to the current environmental and economic catastrophe on the Gulf Coast. Cavnar uses his 30 years in the business to take readers inside the disaster, exposing the decisions leading up to the blowout and the immediate aftermath. It includes personal accounts of the survivors, assembled from testimony during various investigations, as well as personal interviews with survivors, witnesses, and family. It also provides a layman's look at the industry, its technology, people, and risks. It deconstructs events and decisions made by BP, Transocean, and the US Government before and after the disaster, and the effects of those decisions, both good and bad. Cavnar explains what happened in the Gulf, explores how we arrived at deep water drilling in the first place and then charts a course for how to avoid these disasters in the future.
Canadian politicians, like many of their circumpolar counterparts, brag about their country’s “Arctic identity” or “northern character,” but what do they mean, exactly? Stereotypes abound, from Dudley Do-Right to Northern Exposure, but these southern perspectives fail to capture northern realities. In this passionate, deeply personal account of modern developments in the Canadian North, Tony Penikett corrects confused and outdated notions of a region he became fascinated with as a child and for many years called home. During decades of service as a legislator, mediator, and negotiator, Penikett bore witness to the advent of a new northern consciousness. Out of sight of New Yorkers, and far from the minds of Copenhagen’s citizens, Indigenous and non-Indigenous leaders came together to forge new Arctic realities as they dealt with the challenges of the Cold War, climate change, land rights struggles, and the boom and bust of resource megaprojects. This lively account of their clashes and accommodations not only retraces the footsteps of Penikett’s personal hunt for a northern identity but also tells the story of an Arctic that the world does not yet know.
In a world where temperatures fluctuate and extreme weather has become commonplace, several populations have already found themselves unable to survive in their homeland. Droughts, flooding, and crop failures have caused famine, while extreme weather events like hurricanes and tornadoes have destroyed homes and, at times, whole villages. The articles in this collection examine the phenomenon of climate refugees, including the reasons they must move, the impact it has on humans and the economy, and examining the politics and other factors that affect their arrival in new countries.