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About this book
This book examines and decodes some of the basic elements of sustainability; food, water and energy. Current resource uses and human development strategies are discussed that can help maintain resilient environments and societies at a country level. It explores how a range of countries make decisions regarding their energy and bio-resource consumption and procurement and how these choices impact not only their societies and environments, but the world in general.
Contents
PART 1: From the Beginning 1. Sustainability - Clues for Positive Societal and Ecosystem Change 2. Learning From the Past: Why Societies Collapsed or Survived PART 2: Scientific Approach to Decoding Sustainability 3. Today: Decoding Country Resource Stories PART 3: The Real Country Stories 4. Fossil Energy Endowments and Externalities 5. Forests - the Backbone and Circulatory System for Human Societies 6. The Soil and Water Connection to Food: Adapt, Mitigate, or Die PART 4. Climate and Soils: Unavoidable Constraints To Solar Capital 7. The Future: Climate Change as a Global Driver Impacting Sustainability 8. Where the Past and Future meet: Soils or the Unseen Earth that Nurtures Societies 9. The Ultimate Constraint to Human Sustainability: Solar Income PART 5. Societies Adapt To a Quagmire of Resource Choices 10. Debunking Sustainability Myths 11. Portfolio for Managing Natural and Human Capital 12. Sustainable Ecosystems: Investments in Human and Natural Capital References
Customer Reviews
By: Kristina A Vogt, Toral Patel-Weynand and Maura Shelton
320 pages, figs, tabs
'What is 'sustainability'? Taking a comprehensive yet simple approach, this book discusses the inter-linking and complex elements of sustainability and how they influence and are influenced by our society when it comes to making decisions about resource use. A must-read book for everyone interested in conservation, the environment and development.' Dicky P. Simorangkir, Forest Program Director, The Nature Conservancy, Indonesia 'A foundational reader that is encyclopedic in its scope and consideration of data to advance an analytical lens to plan and implement sustainable development that meets both the real-world tests of pessimists and ambitions of optimists.' Steve Rhee, AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Science and Technology Fellow, US State Department (2007-9)