In case study format, this informative reference answers questions surrounding nuclear energy, the potential of sustainable fossil fuels, and the possibilities of sharing renewable power with foreign countries. While underlining the difficulty of minimizing consumption, the tone remains positive as it debunks misinformation and clearly explains the calculations of expenditure per person to encourage people to make individual changes that will benefit the world at large.

    Shiva shows that a world beyond dependence on fossil fuels and globalization is both possible and necessary.Condemning industrial agriculture as a recipe for ecological and economic disaster, Shiva’s champion is the small, independent farm: their greater productivity, their greater potential for social justice as they put more resources into the hands of the poor, and the biodiversity that is inherent to the traditional farming practiced in small-scale agriculture. What we need most in a time of changing climates and millions hungry, she argues, is sustainable, biologically diverse farms that are more resistant to disease, drought, and flood. In her trademark style, she draws solutions to our world’s most pressing problems on the head of a pin: “The solution to climate change,” she observes, “and the solution to poverty are the same.”Using Shiva’s organization Navdanya—praised by Barbara Kingsolver as “a small, green Eden framed against the startling blue backdrop of the Himalayas”—as a model, Soil Not Oil lays out principles for feeding the planet that are socially just and environmentally sound. Shiva then expands her analysis to broader issues of globalization and climate change, arguing that a healthy environment and a just world go hand in hand. Unwavering and truly visionary, Soil Not Oil proposes a solution based on self-organization, sustainability, and community rather than corporate power and profits.A world-renowned environmental leader and thinker, Vandana Shiva is the author of many books, including Earth Democracy, Water Wars, and Staying Alive. She is the editor of Manifestos on the Future of Food and Seed.

    Most people don't want to think about what happens when the oil runs out (or becomes prohibitively expensive). This title shows how the inevitable and profound changes ahead can have a positive effect.

    Wind, solar, and geothermal energy are replacing oil, coal, and natural gas, at a pace and on a scale we could not have imagined even a year ago. For the first time since the Industrial Revolution, we have begun investing in energy sources that can last forever. Plan B 4.0 explores both the nature of this transition to a new energy economy and how it will affect our daily lives.

    Can humankind decipher the past and learn from it? As science gains new understanding of how the planet works, it’s becoming increasingly clear that no one place is disconnected from anywhere else. From the Alps to the Andes, seemingly unrelated parts of the world are connected in one way or another. By reading this book you’ll realize that we're facing challenges beyond anything our species has had to contend with before.

    Full color.

    Amstrup, Charles Wohlforth, and Theodore Roosevelt IV, among others * The Last Polar Bear Project is a book, exhibit, media, and educational outreach campaign funded through the generosity of individual donors and foundations. Scientists agree that by the end of this century the polar bear will be the first mammal threatened with extinction due to climate change. The Last Polar Bear is the first book to fully document that story. The continued survival of these magnificent white bears in their warming, and melting, Arctic world is uncertain, yet their fate is also a wake-up call-compelling us to act now to stem global warming. Through Steven Kazlowski's unparalleled imagery, the most critical environmental issue of our time is brought to life. The Last Polar Bear places the reality of climate change in our hands. We see the plight of the polar bear, an indicator species already feeling the detrimental effects of our reliance on fossil fuels, as its icy habitat melts.Over the course of the last six years, wildlife photographer Steven Kazlowski has photographed the polar bear in its wild habitat, from Hershel Island in Canada to Point Hope in Alaska. The Last Polar Bear pairs his intimate images with anecdotes about his Arctic adventures, as well as authoritative essays about the polar bear in the context of climate change. Alaska based writers Richard Nelson, Charles Wohlforth, Nick Jans, and leading USGS polar bear biologist Steven C. Amstrup draw on decades of experience in the Arctic to cover the biological, cultural, and anthropological aspects of climate change. Dan Glick, long-time correspondent for Newsweek, addresses the history of climate change while Frances Beinecke, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Theodore Roosevelt IV offer perspectives on activism and politics.

    From large ice sheets disintegrating and devastating losses of species to the promise that sea levels will rise more than 16 feet this century, this study shows that it is no longer a case of how much more can be “safely” emitted but whether emissions can be stopped completely before the Earth’s climate is beyond human restoration. Demonstrating that these imperatives are incompatible with politics and a "business as usual" attitude, this survey illustrates how the environment faces a sustainability emergency that urgently requires a clear break from failure-inducing compromise.