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Surveying an area dense with conflicting observations and ideas, this volume vividly depicts the current state of knowledge as well as the great diversity of opinion in the field of population ecology. Ten papers by outstanding authorities focus on three main issues-the effects of environment and population density on population dynamics, the influence of animal behavior on population growth, and the possibilities of genetic feedback or short-term evolutionary change on control of animal populations. An incisive introduction by the editor establishes a frame of reference and supplies succinct resolutions of some of the important controversies dealt with in these pages.

This book is out of a workshop organized to address questions like these. The meeting was sponsored by the Santa Fe Institute and held at Sol y Sam- bra in Santa Fe, New Mexico, during July, 1993. It brought together a group of about 20 scientists from the disciplines of biology, psychology, and computer science, all studying interactions between the evolution of populations and individuals'adaptations in those populations, and all of whom make some use of computational tools in their work.

Living things are constantly engaged in a struggle for existence, and ingenious devices for the purpose of self-preservation can be seen in all types of animal and plant life. However, nature also displays phenomena that are not related to survival or that seem clearly to violate the principle of self-preservation - particularly when organisms interact with one another. Darwin investigated these apparent contradictions and proposed that both mechanisms of self preservation and those of reproduction are explained by a more basic principle of'natural selection'- the reproductive survival of the fittest. George C. Williams in'Group Selection'challenges the adequacy of this process of selection at the individual level.Williams has here collected the work of the chief partisans with opposed viewpoints on the theory of selection at the group level to state their arguments and rebuttals. A minority of modern biologists offer evidence to show that groups of living things are organized to assure their collective survival; they are not merely collections of individuals designed for their own survival and reproduction. In opposition, defenders of the traditional point of view charge that mechanisms of group survival are based on illusion and misinterpretation.Because of the wide range of opinion expressed in'Group Selection', the reader is exposed to all sides of the dispute and encouraged to form his or her own views. In addition, as a source book on current evolutionary issues or for research or reference material,'Group Selection'remains a valuable addition to every personal and institutional library in the biological sciences.

The English philosopher Jeremy Bentham first defined the term'mesology,'and its related'social mesology,'as being the discipline concerned with the effects upon human beings, as individuals or in society, of meteorological conditions, food and drink, urbanization, sanitation, occupation, domesticity, religion, institutions, laws, and psychological factors. In Radiation and Health, originally published in 1964, William Valentine Mayneord takes this argument one step further by adding'ionizing radiation'to this formidable catalogue. While many people argue that health is a definable and measurable quantity, characteristically expressing it in a negative way via mortality or morbidity statistics, Mayneord argues that the patterns of life throughout the world vary so greatly that no standard can be set for all people, or even for the same people at different times. Moreover, health status has to be looked at from a community, as well as from a personal, point of view, and social well-being may be regarded as a predisposing condition of individual health. In the search for quantitative criteria, many'health indicators'have been classified into three groups: those associated with the health status of persons or populations in a given area, those related to physical environmental conditions having a more or less direct bearing on the health status of the population in an area, and those concerned with health-service activities directed to improvement of health conditions. While radiation has many negative effects, it also has positive ones, including curing diseases. Mayneord acknowledges the dangers of radiation, but believes they are manageable if handled responsibly. This classic volume, long unavailable, is much cited in contemporary research on the subject.

The 1968-1974 drought in the Sahel was an unprecedented catastrophe for the region, causing extensive crop failures, loss of human and animal populations, political instability, and the destruction of social and cultural structures. The response of the world to the catastrophe began with food aid donations from the Western nations and led to the fo

Society is complicated. But this book argues that this does not place it beyond the reach of a science that can help to explain and perhaps even to predict social behaviour. As a system made up of many interacting agents – people, groups, institutions and governments, as well as physical and technological structures such as roads and computer networks – society can be regarded as a complex system. In recent years, scientists have made great progress in understanding how such complex systems operate, ranging from animal populations to earthquakes and weather. These systems show behaviours that cannot be predicted or intuited by focusing on the individual components, but which emerge spontaneously as a consequence of their interactions: they are said to be ‘self-organized'. Attempts to direct or manage such emergent properties generally reveal that ‘top-down'approaches, which try to dictate a particular outcome, are ineffectual, and that what is needed instead is a ‘bottom-up'approach that aims to guide self-organization towards desirable states.This book shows how some of these ideas from the science of complexity can be applied to the study and management of social phenomena, including traffic flow, economic markets, opinion formation and the growth and structure of cities. Building on these successes, the book argues that the complex-systems view of the social sciences has now matured sufficiently for it to be possible, desirable and perhaps essential to attempt a grander objective: to integrate these efforts into a unified scheme for studying, understanding and ultimately predicting what happens in the world we have made. Such a scheme would require the mobilization and collaboration of many different research communities, and would allow society and its interactions with the physical environment to be explored through realistic models and large-scale data collection and analysis. It should enable us to find new and effectivesolutions to major global problems such as conflict, disease, financial instability, environmental despoliation and poverty, while avoiding unintended policy consequences. It could give us the foresight to anticipate and ameliorate crises, and to begin tackling some of the most intractable problems of the twenty-first century.

In a multi-cultural society, differing worldviews among groups can lead to conflict over competing values and behaviors. Nowhere is this tension more concrete than in the wilderness, where people of different cultures hunt and fish for the same animals. White Americans tend to see nature as something external which they have some responsibility to care for. In contrast, Native Americans are more likely to see themselves as one with nature. In Culture and Resource Conflict, authors Douglas Medin, Norbert Ross, and Douglas Cox investigate the discord between whites and Menominee American Indians over hunting and fishing, and in the process, contribute to our understanding of how and why cultures so often collide. Based on detailed ethnographic and experimental research, Culture and Resource Conflict finds that Native American and European American hunters and fishermen have differing approaches—or mental models—with respect to fish and game, and that these differences lead to misunderstanding, stereotyping, and conflict. Menominee look at the practice of hunting and fishing for sport as a sign of a lack of respect for nature. Whites, on the other hand, define respect for nature more on grounds of resource management and conservation. Some whites believe—contrary to fact—that Native Americans are depleting animal populations with excessive hunting and fishing, while the Menominee protest that they only hunt what they need and make extensive use of their catch. Yet the authors find that, despite these differences, the two groups share the fundamental underlying goal of preserving fish and game for future generations, and both groups see hunting and fishing as deeply meaningful activities. At its core, the conflict between these two groups is more about mistrust and stereotyping than actual disagreement over values. Combining the strengths of psychology and anthropology, Culture and Resource Conflict shows how misunderstandings about the motives of others can lead to hostility and conflict. As debates over natural resources rage worldwide, this unique book demonstrates the obstacles that must be overcome for different groups to reach consensus over environmental policy.

This anthology brings together a diversity of key texts in the emerging field of Existential Risk Studies. It serves to complement the previous volume The Era of Global Risk: An Introduction to Existential Risk Studies by providing open access to original research and insights in this rapidly evolving field. At its heart, this book highlights the ongoing development of new academic paradigms and theories of change that have emerged from a community of researchers in and around the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk. The chapters in this book challenge received notions of human extinction and civilization collapse and seek to chart new paths towards existential security and hope. The volume curates a series of research articles, including previously published and unpublished work, exploring the nature and ethics of catastrophic global risk, the tools and methodologies being developed to study it, the diverse drivers that are currently pushing it to unprecedented levels of danger, and the pathways and opportunities for reducing this. In each case, they go beyond simplistic and reductionist accounts of risk to understand how a diverse range of factors interact to shape both catastrophic threats and our vulnerability and exposure to them and reflect on different stakeholder communities, policy mechanisms, and theories of change that can help to mitigate and manage this risk. Bringing together experts from across diverse disciplines, the anthology provides an accessible survey of the current state of the art in this emerging field. The interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary nature of the cutting-edge research presented here makes this volume a key resource for researchers and academics. However, the editors have also prepared introductions and research highlights that will make it accessible to an interested general audience as well. Whatever their level of experience, the volume aims to challenge readers to take on board the extent of the multiple dangers currently faced by humanity, and to think critically and proactively about reducing global risk.

This book provides the state of the art of ethnobiology in Argentina and related Latin American countries, highlighting timely trends and topics. It synthesizes studies resulting from the III Jornadas Argentinas de Etnobiología y Sociedad (III JAES—3rd Argentinian Meeting of Ethnobiology and Society), convened in La Plata in 2021. As a relatively new academic development, ethnobiology integrates approaches from different points of view, such as biology, anthropology, geography, history, linguistics, and, in a crucial recent advance, local perspectives. Consequently, this volume contains 33 contributions from 86 authors of different countries, orientations, and disciplines—but all related to interrelationships between people/s and the natural environment. Chapters cover a diverse array of topics, ranging from biocultural relationships and their historical construction through time to conservation of biocultural and agrodiversity, ethnomycology, ethnophycology, and meliponiculture and beyond. The volume's main goal is to propitiate the preservation of biocultural diversity through the application of ethnobiological wisdom in a global context characterized by the accelerated loss of traditional knowledge. The contributions aim to transcend the nature/culture dichotomy, emphasizing the inextricable relationship between communities and their environment and the importance of acting jointly in the construction of the inhabited landscape and local identity.

The book introduces China's ecological environmental protection in urban and rural areas. China's economic development and the achievements in alleviating poverty has been recognized by the international community. However, China's commitment in ecological and environmental protection has not gain equivalent attention.From cultural and ideological perspective, the book presents the basic connotation and historical significance of ecological civilization construction advocated by China. It shows a tangible and multi-dimensional process and China's ecological civilization construction over recent years, combining analysis of the cases of China's ecological civilization construction.

Technological Pathways for Africa's Net-Zero Economy: Technology Solutions to Unlock Africa's Sustainable Future explores the potential of African countries to transition towards a net-zero economy. It highlights sustainable development challenges and opportunities Africa faces and provides insights on technological pathways toward this goal. The book emphasizes the importance of harnessing renewable energy resources, promoting green innovation, and building resilient infrastructure for a sustainable future. It calls for strong policy frameworks and international collaboration to support African countries in their transition. The book outlines seven scenarios supporting Africa's technological paths to a net-zero economy: leapfrogging, hybridization, adaptation, decentralization, sustainable development, promotion, and finance.These scenarios aim to adopt innovative technologies and strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Investing in education and capacity-building programs is crucial for African countries to effectively implement sustainable energy solutions, so the book also highlights the role of education and awareness in fostering a culture of sustainability among African communities and empowering them to actively participate in climate action initiatives.Takes into account the unique socioeconomic and environmental context of Africa, which is crucial for developing tailored strategies and solutions that are suitable for the continentOffers practical insights and recommendations for policymakers, businesses, and individuals to navigate the challenges and opportunities of transitioning to a sustainable futureHighlights successful case studies from other regions that can serve as inspiration and learning points for Africa's journey towards a net-zero economy

Socionomics: How Social Mood Shapes Society explores the main principles and applications of socionomic theory as elaborated by Robert Prechter. Socionomic theory posits that an omnipresent social mood, shifting constantly in a wave form through all aspects of society, is responsible for the aggregate tenor and character of all social, economic and cultural trends, from fluctuations in the stock market to the popularity of particular genres of music at a given time.The social mood as an endogenous and collective force has its roots in the herding instinct often identified amongst crowds. Individuals typically make rational decisions when acting alone, and in the context of certainty, but in groups and in context of uncertainty, mood-based mimetic behavior can affect all the participants. As social mood often goes unnoticed, people tend to give their collective feelings labels to rationalize them, thus constituting ‘public opinion'. Therefore, whilst ‘public opinion'as presented in the media is usually seen as rational, it is in fact based on the social mood context that often determines how people think, feel and behave. As the internet and social media have become ubiquitous in our daily lives, these rationalizations are spreading faster and faster than ever before and creating a pseudo-reality which can corrupt the collective perception of what is real and what is not.This stimulating and thought-provoking book will be of great interest to academics, practitioners and policymakers with an interest in the humanities and social sciences, particularly sociology and economics.

This book situates sociological research as a vital tool for understanding, and responding to, the multispecies entanglements that cause, inform and arise from states of crisis involving the environment, climate and zoonotic disease transmission. Considering the consequences of a range of multispecies engagements that challenge the perceived distinction between the social worlds of humans and other animals, it explores the themes of crisis through a range of studies, including ecological disturbance, consumer culture, intensive farming and interspecies relations in urban life. With attention to central questions about life in ‘the now normal', including the extent to which a human–animal perspective can contribute to our understanding of pandemics, the ideological foundations of mainstream norms for human–animal relations and the scope of current and emerging social movements for reshaping human–animal relations, this volume represents a timely and important call for a sociological vision to embrace the implications of a multispecies planet and to expand the concepts of inclusion and justice. A reconsideration of the human–animal relation that seeks both to revise sociology's past and inform its future, Human–Animal Relationships in Times of Pandemic and Climate Crises will appeal to scholars across the social sciences with interests in human–animal relations and the environment.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of ‘societal deception'- how and why people are deceived and led to believe fake news. Coherently blending critical political economy and sociology, the author provocatively examines how corporations, political parties, the media, think tanks and assorted'influencers'seek to manipulate public opinion to achieve their goals. This book spans an array of contemporary topics and issues not normally tackled by a single writer – the media, genetic engineering, fast food, environmental pollution, climate change, economic inequality, political manipulations, sports, and religion. While critical in subject matter, and replete with easily accessible and reliable sources, this book is highly readable and entertaining for the general as well as academic audience interested in current global issues.

Expanding the Critical Animal Studies Imagination: Essays in Solidarity and Total Liberation pushes critical animal studies forward and outward by making new connections to movements and ideas that have been little engaged with in publication to the present. This book challenges critical animal studies adherents to expand their efforts of solidarity, mutual aid, and activism. Contributors to this volume extend invitations to those not familiar with critical animal studies to welcome them in with gestures of solidarity towards total liberation. Expanding the Critical Animal Studies Imagination does not shy away from controversial topics but critically engages with them using care and tact. This is not controversy for the sake of being provocative, but not being afraid to target root causes of oppression. This book works toward coalition building to resist the current violence and build peaceful communities.

This text offers the first book-length introduction to more-than-human geography, exploring its key ideas, main debates, and future prospects.An opening chapter traces the origins and emergence of this field of enquiry and positions more-than-human geography as a response to a set of intellectual and political crises in Western thought and politics. It identifies key literatures and thinkers and reflects on the varying usages and meanings of the idea of the more-than-human. Three subsequent sections explore cross-cutting themes that draw together the disparate strands of more-than-human geography: examining new materialisms developed in the field, analysing knowledge practices and methodologies, and finally reflecting on the political and ethical implications of a more-than-human approach. A final chapter examines the tensions between this approach and cognate work in environmental geography to review the strengths and the limitations of more-than-human geographies, and to speculate as to their near future development.Introducing the key idea of more-than-human geography, this book will be an important resource for undergraduate and postgraduate students of human geography, environmental geography, cultural and social geography, and political geography.

Every year around 80 million scientific procedures are carried out on animals globally. These experiments have the potential to generate new understandings of biology and clinical treatments. They also give rise to ongoing societal debate. This book demonstrates how the humanities and social sciences can contribute to understanding what is created through animal procedures – including constitutional forms of research governance, different institutional cultures of care, the professional careers of scientists and veterinarians, collaborations with patients and publics, and research animals, specially bred for experiments or surplus to requirements. Developing the idea of the animal research nexus, this book explores how connections and disconnections are made between these different elements, how these have reshaped each other historically, and how they configure the current practice and policy of UK animal research.

This book provides a critical analysis of the interactions of humans and wildlife in Zimbabwe. It does not only document conflicts, but it also considers opportunities for co-existence that can result in the successful conservation practices within protected areas. The book offers empirically rich case studies from across different areas of Zimbabwe both urban and rural where people interact with animals both negatively and positively. Chapters in the book discuss these interactions through the different lens including the contemporary politico-economic crises prevalent in Zimbabwe, the failures and successes of the CAMPFIRE programme, and gender dynamics of conflicts. The book provides an update into the human–wildlife interactions situation in Zimbabwe. Data presented has policy implications within Zimbabwe and beyond. It contributes to different categories policy and mitigation measures including HWC mitigation strategies as well as conservation policy. Beaven Utete and Joshua Matanzima have brought together a fascinating collection of papers on human-wildlife conflict and coexistence in Zimbabwe. The authors highlight the views, values and needs of people living with wildlife. Voices that are still too often ignored in conservation practice, policy and science. This is essential reading for anyone interested in decolonizing conservation and the future of wildlife in Africa. Professor Jan van der Ploeg, Professor Inclusive Conservation, Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands This is a valuable collection from a country we should hear much more from in the field of human-wildlife interactions studies. In addition to providing interesting case studies and data from Zimbabwe to inform and inspire international conservation efforts, I hope it will galvanize national and local efforts to tackle the complex challenges ahead for biodiversity conservation in Zimbabwe. Professor Simon Pooley, IUCN SSC Specialist Group on Human-Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence

Invertebrates are the neglected majority of the animal world. Even though they make up over 95% of animal life, they rarely feature in discussions of speciesism, animal ethics or species justice. This book aims to extend the work of non-speciesist criminologists to argue for the idea of ‘invertebrate justice'. Utilizing green criminologist Rob White's (2013) eco-justice perspective, the book demonstrates how our interactions with invertebrate species (insects, crustaceans, molluscs and so forth) cause a significant amount of harm to those animals themselves (species justice), the ecosystems in which they are embedded (ecological justice), and ultimately to humans (environmental justice). Across three sections, it provides an overview of the ways in which humans and invertebrates interact across a diverse range of contexts and reviews the literature on both invertebrate biodiversity and invertebrate sentience; builds a theoretical framework that can help us understand what invertebrate justice might mean; and tackles the difficult question of how best we can promote invertebrate justice in the future. It appeals to academics, environmental scientists, activists and policymakers.

Global Problems, Global Solutions: Prospects for a Better World approaches social problems from a global perspective with an emphasis on using one's sociological imagination. Perfect for instructors who involve students in research, this text connects problems borne by individuals to regional, global and historical forces, and stresses the importance of evidence in forming opinions and policies addressing social issues. The Second Edition explores three broad themes--nourishing human capital, restoring civility, and sustaining natural and manufactured environments--as it examines the causes and consequences of a range of problems related to economic inequality, discrimination and persecution, war and violence, food production, population flows, health and longevity, the environment, and other issues that we encounter in our lives. The book concludes with a chapter on politics and government, underscoring the need for good governance at all levels–and cooperation among many layers of government–to build a better world.

The ultimate expression of power is the ability to act beyond the confines of law, with contemporary society enabling elite groups to wield “panoramic power”. From the murderous crimes of the corporate giants that provide us with life's luxuries and necessities to the data gathering activities of media and educational institutions, the authors offer new thinking on damaging structures of power and privilege.This accessible book provides a comprehensive understanding of elite corporate wrongdoing, and the late capitalist society that enables harm, considering both how we got into this mess and how we get out of it.

This book is an exploration of one of the world's largest man-made reservoirs, Lake Kariba, created along the Zambezi River in central Africa. Originally built for electricity generation, as the lake reached its full capacity in 1963 it attracted other socioeconomic activities such as tourism, recreation, fisheries, and conservation. The material properties of the waterscape (including waves, strong winds, water volumes, deities and aquatic species) have shaped these socioeconomic activities since its creation. Community interpretations of the reservoir feature stories of fear, death, income generation, livelihoods, illegal cross-border trade, religion and everyday conflicts with wild animals. Drawing on extended ethnographic research and the author's personal experience growing up around Lake Kariba, this empirically-rich book provides a nuanced discussion of the ways in which the waterscape shapes people's lives and livelihoods. Additionally, the book explores the challenges of sustaining and preserving Lake Kariba's unique ecosystem amidst environmental pressures and competing demands for resources. Readers will gain a nuanced perspective of the significance of the lake, its relationship with neighboring communities, and its evolution over time.

This proposed book aims to present an analysis of several crisis issues induced by global climate changes and implications at the micro-level, particularly from the perspective of ground-based study. Climate crisis leads to several socio-ecological issues which need to discuss with some empirical case studies from the contextual global evidences. Climatic crisis generates several social responses which are associated with mitigating issues in addition to sustainable development goals. Under these circumstances, several loopholes interlinked with climatic crisis need to expose in the present-day context. This book argues that it is important to understand the issues from multiple dimensions. It identifies some important dimensions to discuss in the process. Themes we purpose to cover are: several field-based studies are included for which micro-level field-based data would incorporate to understand current crisis induced by climate change, thus exposing the vulnerabilities of the communities which would be incorporated in different chapters with adequate representation of qualitative methods, modelling-based geospatial approach. Therefore, some secondary data-based studies have also been included to provide a broader picture. Additionally, this book aims to provide an interdisciplinary understanding of the issues mainly from the lenses of Geography, Economics, and Sociology as well as Environmental Studies too. Given the focus of this study, it is believed that an approach that harmonizes the cognitive domain from different discipline is appropriated. A combination of chapters using qualitative as well as quantitative methods also made this book exclusive from others. We believe that this edited book surely contributes the knowledge domain with some relevant chapters'discussion in the contemporary time and leads to reduce the gap of knowledge.

This edited book considers social systems as self-organizing structures that reproduce new structural elements endowed with certain functional connections. The authors analyze innovative processes in social systems, leading to the sustainable convergence of knowledge and the emergence of technologies that improve the level of material well-being in society. The book summarizes research results in the field of digitalization and reveals deep connections with social problems. In addition, the book presents a whole array of innovative research on social systems management and the application of knowledge and intelligence to the solution of social problems. The contributing scholars and practitioners reflect on various types of social systems and assess the influence of disruptive factors from natural and coupled human-natural environments, discussing possible mechanisms for their neutralization. Sustainable development of social systems is among the most important tasks facingthe contemporary world. The contributed book highlights challenges to the sustainability of social systems, draws sociotechnical images of the future world order generated by the rapid development of intellectual technologies, and critically analyzes promising concepts for more sustainable social future. Among the discussed topics in the book are social governance, digital economy, technological landscapes, social systems modeling and simulation, cyber-social systems, knowledge-based innovation systems, complex processes in social systems, institutional arrangements, and other advancing research areas. The high-quality and original studies presented in the book appeal to those interested in broadening their perspectives on complexity science, complex social systems research, complex systems management, advanced technological development in social systems, etc. Since the book is rich with well-thought theories, advanced research approaches, and interdisciplinary research results, it becomes a great source of new ideas and insights on complex social systems.

This book discusses how aspects of connectedness, resilience and empowerment are intertwined in community development processes. It explicitly brings together these elements in the context of community development and well-being, helping foster an understanding of how each influences the other. With chapters contributed by scholars from around the globe, this volume provides insights into how these elements of community influence and support the quality of life of communities. While several of the chapters address the foundational and theoretical bases of community development as well as community well-being, others address topical and emergent areas of interest in community development practice and scholarship. Underscoring the chapters is an awareness of the importance of the community spirit, which is the voice and agency of people coming together to encourage social transformation. A key element of the book is also to help foster change for the better in communities. This book is of interest to researchers and professionals working in the area of community engagement and development, particularly those in resource-poor countries.

In The Human Paradox: Worlds Apart in a Connected World, author Frank Gaffikin probes widely and meticulously into our past and present to analyse the connections between the many acute polarisations that mark contemporary times. Addressing profound issues related to Trumpism, Brexit, the outbreak of Covid-19 and ensuing pandemic, and environmental change, the book argues that beneath all the present social tumult lies a fundamental dilemma for human stability and progress, namely how we can be estranged from what we refer to as humanity.The book begins with an appraisal of populism and authoritarian nationalism, and later explores whether, in our human development, we are bound for enhancement or extinction. Interrogating these big ideas further, the book identifies three central challenges that confront us as a society: living on the planet, living with the planet, and living with one another on the planet. These challenges prompt a re-think of what it is to be human and social, and hinging on these key themes, the book thus concludes with consideration of a radical agenda for future social improvement.Rather than peering through the conventional lenses offered by separate disciplines, this book argues for interdisciplinary appreciation and recognition, especially so if we are to address the dilemma at the center of its concern. The Human Paradox will appeal to readers interested in the major conflicts of our times, as well as students of subjects including sociology, politics, history, and economics.

A broad overview of the science of evolution, and why understanding it matters in our everyday lives.Explaining Life through Evolution tells the origin story of life on this planet and how we arrived at the tremendous diversity among organisms that we see around us today. Prosanta Chakrabarty explains evolution in a concise, accessible, and engaging way, emphasizing the importance of understanding evolution in everyday contemporary life. Weaving his own lived experience among discussions of Darwin and the origins of evolutionary thought, Chakrabarty also covers key concepts to our understanding of our current condition, including mutation; the spectrum of race, sex, gender, and sexuality; the limitations of ancestry tests; and the evolution of viruses like SARS-CoV-2, the virus at the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic. Offering a contemporary update to classic popular evolution books by Stephen Jay Gould, Jerry Coyne, and others, Explaining Life through Evolution is not only an illuminating read, but also an essential guide to the kind of scientific literacy that we need in order to face the challenges of our collective future.

Drawing on a novel blend of moral philosophy, social science, psychoanalytic theory and continental philosophy, this book offers up a diagnosis of contemporary liberal capitalist society and the increasingly febrile culture we occupy when it comes to matters of harm. On what basis can we say that something is harmful? How are we supposed to judge between competing opinions on the harmfulness of a particular behaviour, practice, or industry? Can we avoid drifting off into relativism when it comes to judgements about harm? In an age of deep cultural and political discord about what is and is not harmful, providing answers to such questions is more important than ever. Appraising the current state of the concept of social harm in academic scholarship and every-day life, Thomas Raymen finds a concept in an underdeveloped state of disorder, trapped in interminable deadlocks and shrill disagreements about what should and should not be considered harmful. To explain the genesis of this conceptual crisis and identify what we need to do to resolve it, The Enigma of Social Harm travels from Graeco-Roman antiquity to the present day, exploring trends and developments in moral and political philosophy, religion, law, political economy, and culture. Along the way, we see how such trends and developments have not only made it more difficult to establish a shared basis for evaluating harm, but that the tools which might enable us to do so are now outright prohibited by the political-economic, cultural, and ethical ideology of liberalism that dominates contemporary society. Written in a clear and accessible style, it is essential reading for all those interested in matters of social harm, justice, politics, and ethics.

Contagion Capitalism situates the COVID-19 pandemic within the systems of global political economy and their attendant cultural modes and theorizes that these systems act as facilitators and drivers of global pandemic risk.Contagion Capitalism therefore critiques the institutionalized corporate-capitalist control of the economy, the state, and science, and the grave consequences this has on global public health policy, the ecological crisis of sustainability, and zoonotic pandemic events such as COVID-19. In doing so, this book addresses the failings of what may be termed as “state science” or “establishment science” in managing the pandemic, as personified especially by those elements of the scientific elite placed in the service of the neoliberal state. This book also explores the limitations of corporate pharmacological technoscience in safeguarding public health, arguing that “Big Pharma” offers only partial remedies for problems of human illness and well-being, poses its own dangers to public health, and obfuscates the social bases of public ill-health and of pandemic risk. Contagion Capitalism further argues that COVID-19 will not be the last or even the most dangerous such epidemiological event. This is because the social production and global dissemination of zoonotic diseases is integral to contemporary capitalism, by virtue of its instrumental mode of science, its central dynamic of production for the sake of accumulation, and the consumer mode this sustains as its own condition of existence. These are the drivers of what may be termed as zoonotic accelerationism.Contagion Capitalism will appeal to scholars in the humanities and social sciences with interests in neoliberal ideology and global political economy, and their impact upon social, political and cultural life.

In a book made especially timely by the disastrous Exxon Valdez oil spill in March 1989, Joseph Jorgensen analyzes the impact of Alaskan oil extraction on Eskimo society. The author investigated three communities representing three environments: Gambell (St. Lawrence Island, Bering Sea), Wainwright (North Slope, Chukchi Sea), and Unalakleet (Norton Sound). The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971, which facilitated oil operations, dramatically altered the economic, social, and political organization of these villages and others like them. Although they have experienced little direct economic benefit from the oil economy, they have assumed many environmental risks posed by the industry. Jorgensen provides a detailed reminder that the Native villagers still depend on the harvest of naturally-occurring resources of the land and sea—birds, eggs, fish, plants, land mammals and sea mammals. Oil Age Eskimos should be read by all those interested in Native American societies and the policies that affect those societies. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1990.

During the first years of the pandemic, the political mainstream agreed that'following the science'with hard lockdowns and vaccine mandates was the best way to preserve life. But social science reveals the true human cost of this policy. The Covid Consensus provides an internationalist-left perspective on the world's Covid-19 response, which has had devastating consequences for democratic rights and the poor worldwide. As the fortunes of the richest soared, nationwide shutdowns devastated small businesses, the working classes and the Global South's informal economies. Gender-based violence surged, and the mental health of young people was severely compromised. Meanwhile, unprecedented health restrictions prevented participation in daily life without proof of vaccination. Toby Green and Thomas Fazi argue that these policies grossly exacerbated existing trends of inequality, mediatization and surveillance, with grave implications for the future. Rich in human detail, The Covid Consensus tackles head-on the refusal of the global political class and mainstream media to report the true extent of the erosion of democratic processes and the socioeconomic assault on the poor. As the world emerges from the pandemic to confront new modes of monitoring and control, this left-wing reappraisal of global Covid policies exposes the injustices and political failings that have produced the biggest crisis since the Second World War.

An extraordinary look into doubt, denial, and distrustAs wildfires rip across the western United States and sea levels rise along coastal cities from Louisiana to Alaska, some people nevertheless reject the mainstream scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change. What leads people to doubt or outright denial? What leads skeptics to change their minds? Drawing from a rich collection of interviews and surveys with self-identified climate change skeptics (and some former ones), sociologists Kristin Haltinner and Dilshani Sarathchandra delve into the underlying dynamics of climate skepticism in the United States. In probing how ideas about science, religion, politics, and media affect perceptions of climate change, they find a far greater diversity of attitudes and beliefs than one might expect—including some pro-environmental views. With this nuanced understanding of climate change skepticism, Inside the World of Climate Change Skeptics offers much-needed insights on improving communication in ways that can move us toward a better future while advancing environmental policies with widespread political support.

This book highlights lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and explains how these can be used to build sustainable health systems, especially in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC). It investigates the impact of outbreak response and management on health sustainability in LMIC from the perspective of SDG3: “Ensuring healthy lives and wellbeing for all at all ages”. Despite strides being made in some areas for SDG target 3.3 to fight communicable diseases, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused interruptions that will considerably affect vaccination coverage as well as the progress that was made, for example: in reducing malaria cases. Vulnerable populations who were already struggling to access their healthcare needs before the pandemic may face even greater challenges at present and in the years to come, post-pandemic. This book considers the progress on attaining the SDG3 targets, specifically: to improve early warning systems for management of national and global health risks, and the effect of pandemics - including but not limited to the COVID-19 pandemic - and emerging disease outbreaks. It explores the weaknesses and strengths in LMIC and how to strengthen capacities in these countries. The author also investigates and proposes approaches that can, or should, be implemented to ensure sustainable health systems in developing countries, including early warning systems, risk reduction, and the management of global and national health risks. This book is of great interest to public health professionals, infectious diseases experts, and epidemiologists, as well as students and researchers of public health systems and healthcare infrastructure in developing countries.

In recent decades, practices like the cultivation of a few high-yielding crop varieties on a large scale, the application of heavy machinery and continued mechanization of agriculture, the removal of natural habitats, and the application of pesticides and synthetics have resulted in the simplification of agro-ecosystems. This has enabled a substantial increase in food production but has at the same time transformed landscapes. Indeed, there is a concern that a decline in biodiversity has affected microbiome activities that support processes across soils, plants, animals, the marine environment, and humans. Although they have increased food production, the above practices cannot be considered sustainable in long-term applications. Biodiversity, Functional Ecosystems, and Sustainable Food Production explore ecosystems in terms of crop and animal production, pest and disease control, nutrient cycling, and soil fertility. Chapters range from agro-biodiversity to antimicrobial use in animal food production to microbiome applications for sustainable food systems and the impacts of environment-friendly unit operations on the functional properties of bee pollen. By examining such topics about each other, the text emphasizes how food production, ecosystem function, food quality, and consumer health are all interconnected.

This book offers a unique, critical exploration of concepts and practices of social sustainability through both a critical concept analysis as well as empirical studies of practices that undermine social sustainability. It addresses the questions: What is the main role of social relations and social practice in the transition from fundamentally unsustainable societies and local practices towards a sustainable future? And how does economical sustainability reduce or enhance social sustainability? The chapters in this work define and understand social sustainability in relation to principles such as solidarity, community, welfare, reciprocity, and regenerative co-existence. These principles are analyzed through the lens of emotions, respect, carefulness, sensitivity, and art, to establish counter-principles and narratives to principles like growth, efficiency, capitalism, and mastery of nature. Such counter-narratives to mainstream understandings and histories of economy aid in shedding light on a variety of different aspects of sustainability. The book presents a methodological plurality including conceptual and empirical approaches, praxis-oriented and inductive approaches. The chapters present interdisciplinary approaches concerning welfare, ecology, sociology, organization and economy, social psychology and aesthetics and therefore appeal to a broad audience of scholars and academics.

This book demonstrates how the inclusion of nature in engineering decisions results in innovative solutions that are economically feasible, ecologically viable, and socially desirable. It advances progress toward nature-positive decisions by protection and restoration of ecosystems and respect for ecological boundaries. The topic of this book is an active area of academic research, and leading companies are including goals associated with ecosystem services in their sustainability plans. This book is the first collection of methods and applications that explicitly include the role of nature in supporting engineering activities and describes the role that ecosystems play in supporting technology and industry. It describes approaches, models, applications, and challenges for innovation and sustainability that will be useful to students and practitioners.

This book is a work of political archaeology. It focuses on the people and events at a particular colonial farm in Germantown, Pennsylvania; their stories provide a micro and macro view of economic, social, demographic, and agro-ecological change.Cresheim Farm shows how one mostly unknown but strategically placed piece of land—home to an extraordinary array of people, including early anti-slavery and anti-Nazi activists, the first woman editor of the Saturday Evening Post and a robber baron—can tell, affect and reflect the history of a nation. The writing is historically grounded and academic, future-oriented, deeply researched, and immediate. Cresheim Farm serves as a lens through which to observe and understand social forces, such as the launching point of freedom and democracy movements, white privilege, slavery, and genocidal westward expansion. The past lives on in all of us.

Network research has recently been adopted as one of the tools of the trade in archaeology, used to study a wide range of topics: interactions between island communities, movements through urban spaces, visibility in past landscapes, material culture similarity, exchange, and much more. This Handbook is the first authoritative reference work for archaeological network research, featuring current topical trends and covering the archaeological application of network methods and theories. This is elaborately demonstrated through substantive topics and case studies drawn from a breadth of periods and cultures in world archaeology. It highlights and further develops the unique contributions made by archaeological research to network science, especially concerning the development of spatial and material culture network methods and approaches to studying long-term network change. This is the go-to resource for students and scholars wishing to explore how network science can be applied in archaeology through an up-to-date overview of the field.

Sociology has developed theories of social change in the fields of evolution, conflict and modernization, viewing modern society as essentially unstable and conflict driven. However, it has not seriously studied catastrophe. A Theory of Catastrophe develops a sociology of catastrophes, comparing natural, social and political causes and consequences, and the social theories that might offer explanations. A catastrophe is a general and systematic breakdown of social and political institutions resulting, among other things, in what we could call a catastrophe consciousness. The Greek ‘cata-strophe'formed the conclusion to a dramatic sequence of strophes. The cata-strophe was the final act of a drama, namely its denouement. Catastrophic denouements are without hope: genocides, military occupations, plagues, famines and earthquakes. A Theory of Catastrophe analyzes Pompeii, the Black Death, colonial genocide in North America, WWI and the Spanish Flu, and Nazi Germany and finally this century: terrorism, new wars, climate change and pandemics. As a study of sociological theory, Bryan Turner discusses Spengler's Decline of the West, Marxism as a theory of catastrophic capitalism, messianic movements, Weber on modernity, and risk society. He concludes by comparing optimism and pessimism, and the idea of inter-generational justice.

This book presents a comprehensive, lucid, and accessible approach to environmental sociology. It traces the origin of environmental sociology and examines the realist–constructionist debate in ecology for a holistic exploration of the field.The volume: Presents a step-by-step systematic approach to the study of environmental sociology Includes case studies from Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas and introduces theoretical perspectives from Asia, Africa, and South America to provide a more comprehensive view of the field Has separate chapters on sustainable development and climate change Discusses ecological movements in India and highlights environmental issues of the Global South A key text for undergraduates, postgraduates, and civil services aspirants, this book goes beyond western scholarship to include indigenous approaches to the field. It will be indispensable for students of sociology, climate change, environmental studies, and sustainable development.

This book comprehensively covers the topics of origin and distribution, evolution and types, regional and global importance, biodiversity conservation, plant-soil interfaces, ecosystem functions and services, social-ecological systems, climate change adaptations, land degradation and restoration, grazing management and pastoral production, and sustainable future of the grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP), which is a globally unique eco-region called the'Roof of the World'because of its high elevation, “Third Pole on Earth'because of its alpine environment and the'Water Tower in Asia'because of its headwater location. The grassland ecosystem covers above 60% of QTP, which is about 2.5 million km2, 1/4 of Chinese total territorial lands.The grassland ecosystem of the QTP (the Third Pole) is an important part of the palaearctic region, which features alpine cover and low oxygen. The Third Pole's grasslands not only provide important ecosystem functions such as biodiversity conservation, carbon storage, water resource regulation, climate control, and natural disaster mitigation at a global scale, but also provide critical ecosystem services such as pastoral production, cultural inheritance, and tourism and recreation at local and regional scales.The purposes of this monograph are to address the following questions: (1) What are the special features of the Third Pole's grasslands? (2) How have climate changes and human activities changed the structures and functions of the Third Pole's grasslands? (3) How can we cope with land degradation and climate change through innovative restoration and protective actions for Third Pole's grasslands? And (4) How can we promote the sustainable development of social-ecological systems of the Third Pole's grasslands through best management practices including grazing. The goal of this book is to attract the attention of international audiences to realize the importance of the Third Pole's grasslands, and to call for the actions of global communities to effectively protect and sustainably use the Third Pole's grasslands. This book can be served as textbooks, teaching materials and documentaries for different audiences. The target audiences include students, teachers, researchers, policy makers, planners, government officials, and NGOs in agricultural, environmental and natural resources sectors.

​This volume provides an overview of the ways sustainable development issues as a whole, and the SDGs in particular, are perceived and practiced in a variety of countries in the Latin America and Caribbean region. It also discusses the extent to which its many socio-economic problems hinder progresses towards the pursuit of a sustainable future, and documents successful experiences from across the region.This book is part of the'100 papers to accelerate the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals initiative'.

Given that signs and meanings pervade the world in its different aspects, semiotics is naturally open to interactions with other fields, from the humanities and social sciences to the natural and pure sciences. Open Semiotics aims to explore and expand these interactions, and to facilitate new avenues for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research, providing insights into a redeployment of disciplinary fields. Such an endeavor, which is intended to benefit the entire scientific community, has drawn upon extensive cooperation. This has resulted in 141 chapters authored by 178 scholars from 58 countries spanning all continents, which represent a broad array of trends and approaches as well as numerous and diverse disciplinary crossings. Open Semiotics comprises four volumes: (1) Epistemological and Conceptual Foundations, (2) Culture and Society, (3) Texts, Images, Arts, (4) Life and its Extensions. This book is the fourth and last volume of the project.

Medical treatments designed to help people can also be harmful or fatal. Around 2.5 million people die this way each year. So if any kind of medicine makes someone unwell, they or their doctor should report it. Those reports, from nearly every country in the world, go to the Uppsala Monitoring Centre (UMC) in Sweden. As the Centre's first director, Professor Ivor Ralph Edwards transformed it from a tiny operation with limited horizons into an internationally acclaimed scientific organization at the heart of the World Health Organization's Programme for International Drug Monitoring. He was then succeeded by his wife, Dr Marie Lindquist.This is the story of how a new science developed and a passionate and dedicated pursuit of worldwide medicines safety, with an unerring focus on the welfare of patients. The pioneering work of Ralph, Marie and their collaborators on every continent protected the lives of millions of people. It may yet improve the lives of billions more.

In the continuous search for sustainability, the exchange of diverse perspectives, assumptions, and values is indispensable to environmental protection. Through anthropological and ethnographic analyses, this collection addresses how interests, values, and ideologies affect dialogue and sustainability work. Drawing on studies from three continents – Europe, North America, and South America – the paradoxes and the plurality of meanings associated with the creation of sustainable futures are explored. The book focuses on how communication practices collide with organizational frameworks, customary practices, livelihoods, and landscape. In so doing, the authors explore the meanings of environmental communication, pushing beyond environmental advocacy rhetoric to emphasize stronger anthropological engagement within communities to achieve more impactful environmental communication practice. Empirically the book's chapters explore a diverse set of issues, ranging from coastal management in the European north to Native American place naming in Alaska. They further share findings from studies of contaminated land remediation in Sweden, conflicts over water resources in Chile, management of heritage and national parks in Northern Arizona, and cultural transmission in Slovakia.This is an open access book.

The problems related to the process of industrialisation such as biodiversity depletion, climate change and a worsening of health and living conditions, especially but not only in developing countries, intensify. Therefore, there is an increasing need to search for integrated solutions to make development more sustainable. The United Nations has acknowledged the problem and approved the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. On 1st January 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the Agenda officially came into force. These goals cover the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection. The Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals comprehensively addresses the SDGs in an integrated way. It encompasses 17 volumes, each one devoted to one of the 17 SDGs. This volume is dedicated to SDG 14 “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development'. Marine and coastal bio-resources, play an essential role in human well-being and social and economic development. This volume addresses this sustainability challenge providing the description of a range of terms, which allows a better understanding and fosters knowledge about it.Concretely, the defined targets are:Prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollutionSustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceansMinimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levelsEffectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristicsConserve at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, consistent with national and international law and based on the best available scientific informationProhibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies which contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and refrain from introducing new such subsidies, recognizing that appropriate and effective special and differential treatment for developing and least developed countries should be an integral part of the World Trade Organization fisheries subsidies negotiation 16Increase the economic benefits to small island developing states and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, taking into account the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology, in order to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries, in particular small island developing states and least developed countriesProvide access for small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and marketsEnhance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which provides the legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources, as recalled in pa

This book exists at the intersection of two complementary and conflicting perspectives, law and biology. From the vantage point of both disciplines, Juris Zoology provides a comprehensive and realistic framework to objectively assess the role and significance of animals in American civil and criminal law. Contrasting the views of animal rights activists, Duckler examines animals in terms of their prehistory, history, biology, social utility, economic effect, and aesthetic value. Focusing on animal captivity, control, use, and value, Duckler refutes the proposal of granting animal's legal rights. The book offers a new and controversial voice to the national conversation on the propriety of animal rights, and would be of interest to lawyers, economists, sociologists, as well as scholars and professionals in animal-related fields.

This edited volume analyses and discusses the systematisation of Polish socio-economic transformations of the last three decades using selected examples of the most important changes. 1989 marked the onset of the political transformation process in Poland and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The transition involved a shift from a socialist system to a parliamentary democracy and from a command economy to a market one. Due to the deep economic crisis that culminated in 1988 and the peaceful model of change developed and implemented in Poland, the magnitude and manner of implementing various initiatives was unprecedented and had specific implications. This transformation opened Polish society and the Polish economy to the impact of global social and economic changes, triggering successive transformations, often overlapping in terms of their causes and consequences. This publication aims to present the course and effects, in particular territorial, of Poland's socio-economic transformation in the years 1990–2020. The analysis covers the key aspects of this transformation, illustrated with references to the concepts and theories of development, domestic and foreign literature, own empirical research and existing or newly developed model approaches to transformation in the territorial dimension. The book appeals to researchers and student in the fields of geography, spatial management, economics and business, sociology and political sciences, public and private economic research institutes, employees of governmental bodies and corporations, consultants in public administration, journalists and policymakers.

Professor Chadwick Dearing Oliver has made major intellectual contributions to forest science and natural resources management. Over the course of his career he has actively sought to bring research and practice together through synthesis, outreach, and capacity-building. A common thread throughout his career has been complexity and how we as a society understand and manage complex systems. His work on forest stand dynamics, landscape management, and sustainability have all focused on the emergent properties of complex ecological and/or social systems. This volume celebrates a remarkable career through a diverse group of former students and colleagues who work on a wide range of subject areas related to the management of complex natural resource systems. Over the past decade there has been considerable discussion about forests as complex adaptive systems. Advances in remote sensing, social methods, and data collection and processing have enabled more detailed characterisations of complex natural systems across spatial and temporal scales than ever before. Making sense of these data, however, requires conceptual frameworks that are robust to the complexity of the systems and their inherent dynamics, particularly in the context of global change. This volume presents a collection of cutting-edge research on natural ecosystems and their dynamics through the lens of complex adaptive systems. ​It includes contributions by a wide range of authors from academia, NGOs, forest industry, and governmental organisations with diverse perspectives on forests and natural resources management. Each chapter offers new insights into how these systems can be made more resilient to ensure that they provide a diversity of ecological and social values well into the future. Together they provide a robust way of thinking about the many challenges that natural ecosystems face and how we as society may best address them.

This handbook assesses the phenomenon of populism—a concept frequently belabored, but often misunderstood in politics. Rising populism presents one of the great challenges for liberal democracies, but despite the large body of research, the larger picture remains elusive. This volume seeks to understand the causes and workings of modern-day populism, and plumb the depths of the fears and frustrations of people who have forsaken established parties. Although the main focus of this volume is political science, there are more disciplines represented in order to get a whole picture of the debate. It is comprised of strong empirical and theoretical papers that also bear social relevance.