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This integrative book about human-environment relations connects many issues about human societies, ecological systems, and environments with data and perspectives from different fields of study. While the viewpoint is primarily sociological, coverage is specifically designed to relate to a diverse audience and encompass viewpoints from a variety of natural and social science approaches.
CHAPTER ONE: ENVIRONMENT, HUMAN SYSTEMS, AND SOCIAL SCIENCE Environments and Ecosystems Sociocultural Systems Ecosystem and Sociocultural Evolution: Human Ecology Environmental Social Sciences Conclusion: Environment, Ecosystems, and Human Systems Personal Connections CHAPTER TWO: HUMANS AND THE RESOURCES OF THE EARTH: SOURCES AND SINKS Land and Soil Water Resources Biodiversity and Forests Wastes and Pollution Conclusion: Resources of the Earth Personal connections CHAPTER THREE: GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE Ozone Depletion and Ultraviolet Radiation Turning Up the Heat: Global Warming Do we know enough to act? Personal Connections CHAPTER FOUR :ENERGY AND SOCIETY A Historical Detour: Recent Energy Crises Energy Problems: Environmental and Social The Energetics of Human Societies The Present Energy System and its Alternatives In Summary: Energy and the Risks We Take Personal Connections CHAPTER FIVE: POPULATION, ENVIRONMENT, AND FOOD 224 The Dynamics of Population Change How serious is the problem of population growth? Making Sense out of this Controversy Population, Food, and Hunger Feeding eight billion people in the next 50 years? Stabilizing World Population: Policy Options Conclusion Personal Connections CHAPTER SIX: GLOBALIZATION, GROWTH, AND SUSTAINABILITY 288 Globalization Sustainability Growth and Sustainability: Two Perspectives Sustainable Societies? Transformations and Sustainability: Social Change Conclusion: A Transformation to Sustainability? Personal Connections CHAPTER SEVEN: TRANSFORMING STRUCTURES: MARKETS AND POLITICS Markets Politics and Policy Possible Levers for Progress The Global Political-Economy and the Environment Conclusion Personal Connections CHAPTER EIGHT: ENVIRONMENTALISM: IDEIOLOGY AND COLLECTIVE ACTIONS American Environmentalism Global Environmentalism Environmentalism and Change Environmentalism: How Successful? In conclusion Personal Connections REFERENCES
Charles Harper is a professor of sociology at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. As a member of the faculty there since 1968, he has developed and taught numerous courses in the sociology department. Dr. Harper's teaching and scholarly interests inolve the study of social change, globalization, the sociology of religion, social theory, and environmental sociology. He has published papers in a variety of academic journals. Along with Environment and Society, Dr. Harper is the author of two other textbooks. Co-authored with Kevin Leicht, his book Exploring Social Change: America and the World (Prentice Hall, 2007) is now in its Fifth Edition. Another book, Food, Society, and Environment (Prentice Hall, 2003) was co-authored with Bryan F. LeBeau. . As an undergraduate, Dr. Harper studied biology and the natural sciences. He received a bachelor's degree from Central Missouri State University, a Master's degree in sociology from the University of Missouri, and a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. He and his wife, Anne, live close to Creighton's campus near a "clan" of adult children, stepchildren, and grandchildren. He also enjoys traveling, bicycling, and reading.
