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Surveying disaster films from a Lacanian psychoanalytic perspective, this book explores the disaster film genre from its initial appearance in 1933 (The Grapes of Wrath, 1933) to its present-day form (Don't Look Up!, 2021), laying bare the ideological unconscious at work within the genre.The Disaster Film as Social Practice examines environmental science, history, film and literature in its interdisciplinary analysis of the disaster film genre. It explores the interplay, and the dichotomy, of “restorative” and “reflective” disaster narratives. An analysis of cinema's role in symbolizing and managing collective anxiety around disaster and death narratives examines how disaster films, through their narrative structures and symbolic elements, contribute to the public's understanding and emotional processing of real-world threats, and how cinematic narratives shape and are shaped by public and private ideological discourses, reflecting deeper psychological and environmental truths. Finally, the book offers an overview of how the transformation of the disaster film genre over time tells a history through imagining the worst. Providing a nuanced understanding of the disaster film genre and its significance in contemporary culture and thought, this book will be of interest to scholars and students of film studies, cultural studies, media studies, and environmental studies. more...

An engrossing exploration of conflicting and complex narratives about the American West and its Native American heritage, violent colonial settlement, and natural history

2024 Wildlife Society's Publication Award shortlistBack from the Collapse is a clarion call for restoring one of North America's most underappreciated and overlooked ecosystems: the grasslands of the Great Plains. This region has been called America's Serengeti in recognition of its historically extraordinary abundance of wildlife. Since Euro-American colonization, however, populations of at least twenty-four species of Great Plains wildlife have collapsed—from pallid sturgeon and burrowing owls to all major mammals, including bison and grizzly bears. In response to this incalculable loss, Curtis H. Freese and other conservationists founded American Prairie, a nonprofit organization with the mission of supporting the region's native wildlife by establishing a 3.2-million-acre reserve on the plains of eastern Montana, one of the most intact and highest-priority areas for biodiversity conservation in the Great Plains. In Back from the Collapse Freese explores the evolutionary history of the region's ecosystem over millions of years, as it transitioned from subtropical forests to the edge of an ice sheet to today's prairies. He details the eventual species collapse and American Prairie's work to restore the habitat and wildlife, efforts described by National Geographic as “one of the most ambitious conservation projects in American history.” more...

While the heavy social impacts of raging wildfires, punishing storms, and climbing temperatures worldwide have made many increasingly aware of the need for climate justice, the intersection of race and climate change has too often been neglected in the literature and in practice. In Racial Climates, Ecological Indifference, author Nancy Tuana urges that engagement with histories and lineages of ecological indifference and systemic racisms leads to a more robust understanding of the nature of climate injustices. Applying her “ecointersectional” framework, Tuana reveals how racist institutions and practices often fuel environmental destruction and contribute to climate change. Building on the work of Black feminist theorists, she demonstrates that the basic social structures that generate environmental destruction are the same as those that generate systemic oppression, making clear that the more traditional focus on the differential distribution of harms and benefits of climate change, while important, constitutes only one dimension of climate injustice due to systemic racisms. This book provides a more adequate account of racial climates by disclosing the additional dimensions of climate injustice. Ultimately, Tuana underscores that any effort to protect the environment must also be a fight against systemic racisms and other forms of systemic inequity. more...

Winner of the 2023 Hal K. Rothman Book Prize for best book in western environmental history from the Western History AssociationIndigenous power in a significant cultural and ecological borderlandIn People of the Ecotone, Robert Morrissey weaves together a history of Native peoples with a history of an ecotone to tell a new story about the roots of the Fox Wars, among the most transformative and misunderstood events of early American history. To do this, he also offers the first comprehensive environmental history of some of North America's most radically transformed landscapes—the former tallgrass prairies—in the period before they became the monocultural “corn belt” we know today.Morrissey situates the complex rise and fall of the Illinois, Meskwaki, and Myaamia peoples from roughly the collapse of Cahokia (thirteenth to fourteenth century CE) to the mid-eighteenth century in the context of millennia-long environmental shifts, as changes to the climate shifted bison geographies and tribes adapted their cultures to become pedestrian bison hunters. Tracing dynamic chains of causation from microscopic viruses to massive forces of climate, from the deep time of evolution to the specific events of human lifetimes, from local Illinois village economies to market forces an ocean away, People of the Ecotone offers new insight on Indigenous power and Indigenous logics. more...

Great attention has been paid to reduce the use of conventional chemical fertilizers harming living beings through food chain supplements from the soil environment. Therefore, it is necessary to develop alternative sustainable fertilizers to enhance soil sustainability and agriculture productivity. Biofertilizers are the substance that contains microorganisms (bacteria, algae, and fungi) living or latent cells that can enrich the soil quality with nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, organic matter, etc. They are a cost-effective, biodegradable, and renewable source of plant nutrients/supplements to improve the soil-health properties. Biofertilizers emerge as an attractive alternative to chemical fertilizers, and as a promising cost-effective technology for eco-friendly agriculture and a sustainable environment that holds microorganisms which enhance the soil nutrients'solubility leading a raise in its fertility, stimulates crop growth and healthy food safety. This book provides in-depth knowledge about history and fundamentals to advances biofertilizers, including latest reviews, challenges, and future perspectives. It covers fabrication approaches, and various types of biofertilizers and their applications in agriculture, environment, forestry and industrial sectors. Also, organic farming, quality control, quality assurance, food safety and case-studies of biofertilizers are briefly discussed. Biofertilizers'physical properties, affecting factors, impact, and industry profiles in the market are well addressed. This book is an essential guide for farmers, agrochemists, environmental engineers, scientists, students, and faculty who would like to understand the science behind the sustainable fertilizers, soil chemistry and agroecology. more...

Beaver, Bison, Horse is an interdisciplinary account of the ecological relationships the Indigenous nations of the Plains had to the beaver, bison, horse, and their habitat prior to contact. Morgan's research shows an ecological understanding that sustained Indigenous peoples for thousands of years, with critical information on how the beaver manage water systems and protect communities from drought in the Northern Great Plains. / Morgan's work is a game-changer. For the first time in print, her important research now appears with a foreword by James Daschuk, bestselling and award-winning author of Clearing the Plains, and an afterword by Cristina Eisenberg, author of The Carnivore Way and The Wolf's Tooth. more...

The book contains 31 articles written by distinguished scientists of the country having expertise in dealing with the microbes and exploiting their potential for the benefits of mankind. The articles included in the book are thought provocating and deals with: o the topics of Taxonomy, Diversity and Applications of VAM fungi in different Ecosystems o Applications of Microbial Technology for Treatment of effluents of a Gelatine Factory, Biodiversity of Mycotoxigenic Fungi and Trichoderma, o Useful microbes of Mangrove Ecosystem, Extremophiles, PGPRs, Phytotoxins, Litter decomposition, Biopesticides, Botanical Pesticides, biofertilizers and so many others including major concerns about the Evolution and Conservation of Microbial Biodiversity. o All the articles written by the authors are original, timely and appropriate. more...

Praise for the previous edition:'...make[s] high-level scientific concepts accessible to secondary students.'—Library Journal'...clearly written and well organized...'—School Library Journal'Fulfilling educational benchmarks identified by the National Academy of Sciences, this encyclopedia is an excellent choice for both public and academic libraries. Recommended.'—Choice'...a thorough and informative work...provide[s] accessible information...There is simply no other work that compares to this...High-school and public libraries will welcome such a well-researched title...'—Booklist'The text is suitable for high school students but advanced enough for adult readers, too...presents important biodiversity topics...a handy overview for term papers and class presentations.'—Library Journal Biodiversity and ecology are founded in evolutionary science. In order to understand why species of organisms occupy different parts of the world, it is important to comprehend how they evolved. Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, Revised Edition examines this evolutionary framework with the help of more than 150 entries and five essays averaging at least 2,000 words each. High school teachers can use these entries—grouped by topic—to meet many of the science education goals established by the National Academy of Sciences. Written by a leading expert in the field, this comprehensive, full-color encyclopedia makes information about groups of organisms (from bacteria to mammals) and about ecological concepts and processes (such as biogeography and ecological succession) clearly and readily available to students and the general public. Tables at the end of each entry have a consistent structure, allowing readers to see how environmental conditions and biodiversity have changed through evolutionary time. Entries include: Acid rain and fog Biodiversity in the Jurassic period Darwin's finches Galápagos Islands Peter and Rosemary Grant Life in bogs Natural selection Population genetics Seedless plants Tropical rainforests and deforestation Alfred Russel Wallace. more...

Known as the Windy City and the Hog Butcher to the World, Chicago has earned a more apt sobriquet—City of Lake and Prairie—with this compelling, innovative, and deeply researched environmental history. Sitting at the southwestern tip of Lake Michigan, one of the largest freshwater bodies in the world, and on the eastern edge of the tallgrass prairies that fill much of the North American interior, early residents in the land that Chicago now occupies enjoyed natural advantages, economic opportunities, and global connections over centuries, from the Native Americans who first inhabited the region to the urban dwellers who built a metropolis in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. As one millennium ended and a new one began, these same features sparked a distinctive Midwestern environmentalism aimed at preserving local ecosystems. Drawing on its contributors'interdisciplinary talents, this volume reveals a rich but often troubled landscape shaped by communities of color, workers, and activists as well as complex human relations with industry, waterways, animals, and disease. more...

One hundred fifty years ago the McCoy brothers of Springfield, Illinois, bet their fortunes on Abilene, Kansas, then just a slapdash way station. Instead of an endless horizon of prairie grasses, they saw a bustling outlet for hundreds of thousands of Texas Longhorns coming up the Chisholm Trail—and the youngest brother, Joseph, saw how a middleman could become wealthy in the process. This is the story of how that gamble paid off, transforming the cattle trade and, with it, the American landscape and diet.The Chisholm Trail follows McCoy's vision and the effects of the Chisholm Trail from post–Civil War Texas and Kansas to the multimillion-dollar beef industry that remade the Great Plains, the American diet, and the national and international beef trade. At every step, both nature and humanity put roadblocks in McCoy's way. Texas cattle fever had dampened the appetite for longhorns, while prairie fires, thunderstorms, blizzards, droughts, and floods roiled the land. Unscrupulous railroad managers, stiff competition from other brokers, Indians who resented the usurping of their grasslands, and farmers who preferred growing wheat to raising cattle all threatened to impede the McCoys'vision for the trail. As author James E. Sherow shows, by confronting these obstacles, McCoy put his own stamp upon the land, and on eating habits as far away as New York City and London. Joseph McCoy's enterprise forged links between cattlemen, entrepreneurs, and restaurateurs; between ecology, disease, and technology; and between local, national, and international markets. Tracing these connections, The Chisholm Trail shows in vivid terms how a gamble made in the face of uncontrollable natural factors indelibly changed the environment, reshaped the Kansas prairie into the nation's stockyard, and transformed Plains Indian hunting grounds into the hub of a domestic farm culture. more...

“Offers a unique perspective on tribal approaches to managing historic preservation and addresses the multiplicity of issues common to all tribal historic preservation groups.”—Joe Watkins, director, Tribal Relations and American Cultures Program, National Park Service “A concise, detailed account regarding the enormity of the task THPOs face in successfully navigating the two worlds of federal historic preservation laws and statutes and tribal cultural beliefs, knowledge, and traditions.”—James Quinn, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut “An important book that highlights the complicated, confusing, and often contradictory world navigated by the intrepid personnel of the Seminole Tribe of Florida's Tribal Historic Preservation Office.”—Ryan Wheeler, director, Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology As indigenous populations are invited to participate in cultural heritage identification, research, interpretation, management, and preservation, they are faced with a variety of challenges, questions that are difficult to answer, and demands that must be carefully navigated. We Come for Good describes the development and operations of the Tribal Historic Preservation Office (THPO) of the Seminole Tribe of Florida as an example of how tribes can successfully manage and retain authority over the heritage of their respective cultures. With Native voices front and center, this book demonstrates ways THPOs can work within federal and tribal governments to build capacity and uphold tribal values—core principles of a strong tribal historic preservation program. The authors also offer readers one of the first attempts to document Native perspectives on the archaeology of native populations. more...

The 439 A-Z entries cover biological concepts, the history of science, such critical issues as embryogenesis and the commercial applications of research, ethical issues, and careers in biology, serving as a broad introduction to the many facets of biology. More than 60 entries are brand new and almost three times as many entries are substantially revised and updated; all entries have been reviewed for currency. This edition highlights advances in biology that have taken place since the beginning of the 21st century and topics of contemporary interest, including molecular genetics, biotechnology, human physiology, biodiversity, and ecology. Biographical sidebars feature scientists who have made significant contributions to their fields.The writing level makes accurate information accessible to a high school audience. Full-color photographs, diagrams, and sidebars add visual interest. More than 600 terms are defined in the margins of the pages where they appear and compiled into a convenient glossary at the back of each volume. Each entry contains a bibliography/suggestions for further reading. A thematic outline provides a guide to entries by subject. Handy references in the front matter include a geologic time scale and metric conversion table. more...

With carbon farming, agriculture ceases to be part of the climate problem and becomes a critical part of the solution'This book is the toolkit for making the soil itself a sponge for carbon. It's a powerful vision.'—Bill McKibben'The Carbon Farming Solution is a book we will look back upon decades from now and wonder why something so critically relevant could have been so overlooked until that time.... [It] describes the foundation of the future of civilization.'—Paul Hawken In this groundbreaking book, Eric Toensmeier argues that agriculture—specifically, the subset of practices known as'carbon farming'—can, and should be, a linchpin of a global climate solutions platform. Carbon farming is a suite of agricultural practices and crops that sequester carbon in the soil and in above-ground biomass. Combined with a massive reduction in fossil fuel emissions—and in concert with adaptation strategies to our changing environment— carbon farming has the potential to bring us back from the brink of disaster and return our atmosphere to the'magic number'of 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide. Toensmeier's book is the first to bring together these powerful strategies in one place. Includes in-depth analysis of the available research. Carbon farming can take many forms. The simplest practices involve modifications to annual crop production. Although many of these modifications have relatively low sequestration potential, they are widely applicable and easily adopted, and thus have excellent potential to mitigate climate change if practiced on a global scale. Likewise, grazing systems such as silvopasture are easily replicable, don't require significant changes to human diet, and—given the amount of agricultural land worldwide that is devoted to pasture—can be important strategies in the carbon farming arsenal. But by far, agroforestry practices and perennial crops present the best opportunities for sequestration. While many of these systems are challenging to establish and manage, and would require us to change our diets to new and largely unfamiliar perennial crops, they also offer huge potential that has been almost entirely ignored by climate crusaders. Many of these carbon farming practices are already implemented globally on a scale of millions of hectares. These are not minor or marginal efforts, but win-win solutions that provide food, fodder, and feedstocks while fostering community self-reliance, creating jobs, protecting biodiversity, and repairing degraded land—all while sequestering carbon, reducing emissions, and ultimately contributing to a climate that will remain amenable to human civilization. Just as importantly to a livable future, these crops and practices can contribute to broader social goals such as women's empowerment, food sovereignty, and climate justice. The Carbon Farming Solution is—at its root—a toolkit and the most complete collection of climate-friendly crops and practices currently available. With this toolkit, farmers, communities, and governments large and small, can successfully launch carbon farming projects with the most appropriate crops and practices to their climate, locale, and socioeconomic needs. Toensmeier's ultimate goal is to place carbon farming firmly in the center of the climate solutions platform, alongside clean solar and wind energy. With The Carbon Farming Solution, Toensmeier wants to change the discussion, impact policy decisions, a more...