Critical Government Documents on the Environment

Critical Government Documents on the Environment
Author: Don Philpott
Publisher: Bernan Press
Total Pages: 382
Release: 2015-09-08
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1598887483

Although the earth has been around for millions of years, humans have only been seriously interested in protecting and preserving the environment for less than 200 years and the terms conservationism and environmentalism are little more than 100 years old. The industrial revolution brought with it many benefits such as the production of coal, steel and cement, and mass produced chemicals and fertilizers; it also brought pollution, and shortly thereafter, a serious concern for the environment. This book presents the most up-to-date government information on various environmental topics. Critical Government Documents on the Environment presents official governmental positions on many of the leading environmental issues facing us today. All the material in this book is from published sources, including: Environmental Protection Agency Department of the Interior Department of Energy Department of Agriculture Department of Health and Human Services The White House National Aeronautics and Space Administration National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration National Weather Service US Global Change Research Program US Geological Survey This book does not offer any new science but attempts to present important government information on various issues facing our environment. Areas covered include global warming and greenhouse gases, the Keystone Pipeline and mining, water, air and marine pollution, mining and renewable energy. It includes a timeline of important environmental events over the last 200 years and has an extensive glossary of environmental terms. About the Series: The Critical Documents Series looks at critical issues of our times. It provides non-partisan information with no spin about critical players, events, and information from and about Washington from as many sources as possible—from scientific journals and government reports to political manifestos and lobby group publications. It collects and distills the most important government documents on the issues covered so that you can get the information you need quickly and easily.

Critical Government Documents on Health Care

Critical Government Documents on Health Care
Author: Don Philpott
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 334
Release: 2016-01-05
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1598887440

Critical Government Documents on Health Care reviews of many of the major health issues facing us today. The book does not argue any one viewpoint. Instead, it is an attempt to gather together information from as many sources as possible and presents arguments for and against the issues covered so that you the reader can come to your own conclusions. Areas covered include killer diseases such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, respiratory diseases, and obesity. It discusses the arguments for and against immunization and looks at issues which impact your health such as the environment and pollution. There is a detailed section on Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia and the problems it poses for healthcare providers and caregivers, and this is coupled with all the other issues that arise from a growing aging population. Finally, the book discusses external threats such as pandemics, Ebola, and other diseases that can rapidly spread from continent to continent and what is and should be done to contain them. About the Series: TheCritical Documents Series looks at critical issues of our times. It provides non-partisan information with no spin about critical players, events, and information from and about Washington from as many sources as possible — from scientific journals and government reports to political manifestos and lobby group publications. It presents arguments for and against the issues covered so that you the reader can come to your own conclusions.

Critical Mineral Resources of the United States

Critical Mineral Resources of the United States
Author: K. J. Schulz
Publisher: Geological Survey
Total Pages: 868
Release: 2017
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9781411339910

As the importance and dependence of specific mineral commodities increase, so does concern about their supply. The United States is currently 100 percent reliant on foreign sources for 20 mineral commodities and imports the majority of its supply of more than 50 mineral commodities. Mineral commodities that have important uses and face potential supply disruption are critical to American economic and national security. However, a mineral commodity's importance and the nature of its supply chain can change with time; a mineral commodity that may not have been considered critical 25 years ago may be critical today, and one considered critical today may not be so in the future. The U.S. Geological Survey has produced this volume to describe a select group of mineral commodities currently critical to our economy and security. For each mineral commodity covered, the authors provide a comprehensive look at (1) the commodity's use; (2) the geology and global distribution of the mineral deposit types that account for the present and possible future supply of the commodity; (3) the current status of production, reserves, and resources in the United States and globally; and (4) environmental considerations related to the commodity's production from different types of mineral deposits. The volume describes U.S. critical mineral resources in a global context, for no country can be self-sufficient for all its mineral commodity needs, and the United States will always rely on global mineral commodity supply chains. This volume provides the scientific understanding of critical mineral resources required for informed decisionmaking by those responsible for ensuring that the United States has a secure and sustainable supply of mineral commodities.

Socially-critical Environmental Education in Primary Classrooms

Socially-critical Environmental Education in Primary Classrooms
Author: Jane Edwards
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 282
Release: 2015-10-26
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319021478

The effectiveness of Education for Sustainable Development depends on the ability of schools and teachers to embrace pedagogies that reduce the gap between the rhetoric of education for the environment and the reality of classroom practices. This book responds to the need to better understand the nature of the relationships between agency and structure that contribute to the development of educational rhetoric-reality gaps in order to inform processes that most effectively facilitate pedagogical change. This book explores the issues of pedagogical change through the experiences of Australian primary school teachers faced with the challenge of implementing an environmental education program in which young students were positioned as active participants in the social processes from which environmentally sustainable practices could be developed. These teachers were required to adopt pedagogies that often represented the antithesis of their well-established teacher-directed approaches. Through the use of Anthony Giddens’ Theory of Structuration this book provides unique perspectives of the teacher mediated manner in which certain elements of structure and agency interrelate to enable and constrain classroom practices—essential understandings for school principals and educational policy developers who aim to effectively implement pedagogical change. This book also demonstrates that the Theory of Structuration provides a valuable ontological research framework, and provides social researchers with practical guidance for how to relate this theory to specific research issues.

Critical Skills for Environmental Professionals

Critical Skills for Environmental Professionals
Author: Jennifer Pontius
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 190
Release: 2019-12-20
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3030285421

This textbook focuses on a set of skills-based learning outcomes common among undergraduate environmental programs. It covers critical scientific skills and ways of thinking that bridge the gap between the knowledge-based content of introductory environmental textbooks and the professional skills students of the environment need to succeed in both their academic programs and professional careers. This emphasis on skills is gaining more traction among academic programs across the country as they shift focus from knowledge delivery to learning outcomes and professional competencies. The book features clear methodological frameworks, engaging practice exercises, and a range of assessment case studies suitable for use across academic levels. For introductory levels, this text uses guided practice exercises to expose students to the skills they will need to master. At the capstone level, this text allows students to apply the knowledge they have gained to real-world issues and to evaluate their competency in key programmatic learning outcomes. A detailed answer key with rubrics customized for specific questions and sample answers at various competency levels is available to verified course instructors. Access to these answer key resources can be obtained by contacting the Springer Textbook Team at [email protected]

Review of the Draft Fourth National Climate Assessment

Review of the Draft Fourth National Climate Assessment
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 207
Release: 2018-06-18
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309471699

Climate change poses many challenges that affect society and the natural world. With these challenges, however, come opportunities to respond. By taking steps to adapt to and mitigate climate change, the risks to society and the impacts of continued climate change can be lessened. The National Climate Assessment, coordinated by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, is a mandated report intended to inform response decisions. Required to be developed every four years, these reports provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date evaluation of climate change impacts available for the United States, making them a unique and important climate change document. The draft Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) report reviewed here addresses a wide range of topics of high importance to the United States and society more broadly, extending from human health and community well-being, to the built environment, to businesses and economies, to ecosystems and natural resources. This report evaluates the draft NCA4 to determine if it meets the requirements of the federal mandate, whether it provides accurate information grounded in the scientific literature, and whether it effectively communicates climate science, impacts, and responses for general audiences including the public, decision makers, and other stakeholders.

Laudato Si

Laudato Si
Author: Pope Francis
Publisher: Our Sunday Visitor
Total Pages: 119
Release: 2015-07-18
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1612783872

“In the heart of this world, the Lord of life, who loves us so much, is always present. He does not abandon us, he does not leave us alone, for he has united himself definitively to our earth, and his love constantly impels us to find new ways forward. Praise be to him!” – Pope Francis, Laudato Si’ In his second encyclical, Laudato Si’: On the Care of Our Common Home, Pope Francis draws all Christians into a dialogue with every person on the planet about our common home. We as human beings are united by the concern for our planet, and every living thing that dwells on it, especially the poorest and most vulnerable. Pope Francis’ letter joins the body of the Church’s social and moral teaching, draws on the best scientific research, providing the foundation for “the ethical and spiritual itinerary that follows.” Laudato Si’ outlines: The current state of our “common home” The Gospel message as seen through creation The human causes of the ecological crisis Ecology and the common good Pope Francis’ call to action for each of us Our Sunday Visitor has included discussion questions, making it perfect for individual or group study, leading all Catholics and Christians into a deeper understanding of the importance of this teaching.

Environmental Governance for Sustainable Development

Environmental Governance for Sustainable Development
Author: Uma Nabhi
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2023-04-10
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1000842967

This book studies the role of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as an advocate for greater environmental responsibility and analyses the major achievements and outcomes of two landmark conferences – Stockholm (1972) and Rio (1992) – which set the agenda for the future role of the UNEP. It discusses the UNEP’s evolution, objectives and the problems of differing perspectives within, its ability to deal with environmental challenges, its skill in successfully carrying out the mandate and contributing to the pursuit of environmental security. The book also looks at five developing countries of South Asia, namely India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, to study the role of the South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP), which plays an active role in the management of environmental issues and constitutes an important landmark in regional cooperation in South Asia. The author evaluates the contributions of National Conservation Strategies not only in creating environmental awareness but also in strengthening environmental governance architecture by integrating Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals into the development planning of these South Asian countries under study. Drawing on in-depth research and interviews, this book will be of interest to students, teachers, researchers, policymakers and strategic analysts working in the fields of environment studies, sustainable development, environmental science and policy, environmental law and governance, geography, politics and international affairs.