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An insightful and illuminating discussion of the impact humans have had on Earth
In A Primer on Human Impacts on the Environment: The Conceptual Approach, distinguished environmental scientist Liam Heneghan explores the intricate relationships between humanity and Earth in an accessible and engaging style. Replete with real-world examples and drawing from classic and contemporary scholarship, the author adapts the fundamental conceptual models of the environmental disciplines to assess the risks human beings are taking with their home planet. The conceptual approach of this primer challenges readers to think across multiple disciplines to reveal the ?big picture? that is all too often lost in the details of contemporary environmental studies.
Readers will also find:
* A thorough introduction to conceptual modeling, showing how systems models can be adapted and applied in a rapidly changing world
* Comprehensive explorations of the human impact on the Earth, including an examination of possible ecological limits and planetary boundaries
* In-depth evaluations of environmental risks, especially, though not limited to, climate change and biodiversity loss
* A guide to contemplating catastrophic risk and the potential for societal collapse without inducing unnecessary anxiety
* An interdisciplinary focus, emphasizing the role of the natural and social sciences, as well as the arts and humanistic disciplines in safeguarding the future
Perfect for students of environmental science and environmental studies, A Primer on Human Impacts on the Environment will also earn a place in the libraries of graduate students working on environmental themes and practicing professionals in the environmental management community.
List of contents
Preface
Chapter 1 A Manifesto for Conceptual Thinking in Environmental Disciplines
Chapter 2 A Conceptual Approach to Environmental Science
Chapter 3 A Short Chapter on the Definition of Definitions
Chapter 4
Everything is connected (but some things are more connected than are others)
Chapter 5 Complex Environmental Systems
Chapter 6 All or nothing? Or, what, exactly, is an environment?
Chapter 7 Life and environment: the indissoluble link
Chapter 8 Gaia, the Noösphere, and the Anthropocene
Chapter 9 The Anthropocene and the Concept of Limits
Chapter 10 Limited and limiting models
Chapter 11 Collapse and the Anthropocene
Chapter 12 How to conceive a (climate) crisis
Chapter 13 Risking Life: Basics of Biological Diversity
Chapter 14 Risking life: Is the Sixth Extinction Catastrophic?
Chapter 15 Conceiving a Future: the need for interdisciplinarity
Chapter 16 The Three Futures
Index
About the author
Liam Heneghan, PhD, is Professor of Environmental Science and Studies at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, USA. His research is focused on invasive species and the efficacy of ecological restoration.
Summary
An insightful and illuminating discussion of the impact humans have had on Earth
In A Primer on Human Impacts on the Environment: The Conceptual Approach, distinguished environmental scientist Liam Heneghan explores the intricate relationships between humanity and Earth in an accessible and engaging style. Replete with real-world examples and drawing from classic and contemporary scholarship, the author adapts the fundamental conceptual models of the environmental disciplines to assess the risks human beings are taking with their home planet. The conceptual approach of this primer challenges readers to think across multiple disciplines to reveal the ?big picture? that is all too often lost in the details of contemporary environmental studies.
Readers will also find:
* A thorough introduction to conceptual modeling, showing how systems models can be adapted and applied in a rapidly changing world
* Comprehensive explorations of the human impact on the Earth, including an examination of possible ecological limits and planetary boundaries
* In-depth evaluations of environmental risks, especially, though not limited to, climate change and biodiversity loss
* A guide to contemplating catastrophic risk and the potential for societal collapse without inducing unnecessary anxiety
* An interdisciplinary focus, emphasizing the role of the natural and social sciences, as well as the arts and humanistic disciplines in safeguarding the future
Perfect for students of environmental science and environmental studies, A Primer on Human Impacts on the Environment will also earn a place in the libraries of graduate students working on environmental themes and practicing professionals in the environmental management community.
