Nature

The book recounts the devastating impact of industrial pollution on a small town in New Jersey. It highlights the dangers of corporate greed and government neglect, ultimately leading to environmental devastation. The book is a great read for anyone interested in environmental issues and the importance of effective regulation.

Naturalist and philosopher Thoreau's timeless essays on the role of humanity—in the world of nature, and in society and government.Thoreau, a sturdy individualist and nature lover, lived a spare existence in a wooden hut on the edge of Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts, from 1845 to 1847. "Walden" is the fruit of Thoreau's two-year stay on the Walden Pond. It is a record of his experiment in a simple life and his contemplation of the wonders of nature and the ways of man. He carefully shaped the book to follow the natural cycle of the seasons, yet it is more than an account of life in the woods, it is a quest for personal freedom and individuality that evokes nature without being sentimental or distorting the natural world."Civil Disobedience" was also based on Thoreau's experiences during the period he lived on the pond. In 1846, he was arrested for not having paid his poll tax, as a way of demonstrating that he did not recognize the authority of a government that "buys and sells men, women, and children." It is a treatise against slavery and a government that wages war to support injustice.This edition -A concise introduction that gives readers important background information-A chronology of the author's life and work-A timeline of significant events that provides the book's historical context-An outline of key themes and plot points to help readers form their own interpretations-Detailed explanatory notes-Critical analysis, including contemporary and modern perspectives on the work-Discussion questions to promote lively classroom and book group interaction-A list of recommended related books and films to broaden the reader's experienceEnriched Classics offer readers affordable editions of great works of literature enhanced by helpful notes and insightful commentary. The scholarship provided in Enriched Classics enables readers to appreciate, understand, and enjoy the world's finest books to their full potential.

An attack on the idea that nature and society are impossible to distinguish from each otherIn a world careening towards climate chaos, nature is dead. It can no longer be separated from society. Everything is a blur of hybrids, where humans possess no exceptional agency to set them apart from dead matter. But is it really so? In this blistering polemic and theoretical manifesto, Andreas Malm develops a in a warming world, nature comes roaring back, and it is more important than ever to distinguish between the natural and the social. Only with a unique agency attributed to humans can resistance become conceivable.

Bestselling author Simon Winchester offers an enthralling biography of the Pacific Ocean and its role in the modern world, exploring our relationship with this imposing force of nature.As the Mediterranean shaped the classical world, and the Atlantic connected Europe to the New World, the Pacific Ocean defines our tomorrow. With China on the rise, so, too, are the American cities of the West coast, including Seattle, San Francisco, and the long cluster of towns down the Silicon Valley.Today, the Pacific is ascendant. Its geological history has long transformed us—tremendous earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis—but its human history, from a Western perspective, is quite young, beginning with Magellan’s sixteenth-century circumnavigation. It is a natural wonder whose most fascinating history is currently being made.In telling the story of the Pacific, Simon Winchester takes us from the Bering Strait to Cape Horn, the Yangtze River to the Panama Canal, and to the many small islands and archipelagos that lie in between. He observes the fall of a dictator in Manila, visits aboriginals in northern Queensland, and is jailed in Tierra del Fuego, the land at the end of the world. His journey encompasses a trip down the Alaska Highway, a stop at the isolated Pitcairn Islands, a trek across South Korea and a glimpse of its mysterious northern neighbor.Winchester’s personal experience is vast and his storytelling second to none. And his historical understanding of the region is formidable, making Pacific a paean to this magnificent sea of beauty, myth, and imagination that is transforming our lives.

For history buffs and anyone interested in a comprehensive exploration of the Pacific Ocean's economic, political, and military significance. Simon Winchester's detailed and thrilling journey through the ocean's fascinating histories, problems, and potentials is a grand depiction of the future ocean, and a must-read for those with a fascination for this vast and diverse sea tapestry.

"Down to Earth" is a must-read for anyone concerned about the global ecological crisis. Bruno Latour offers a powerful argument for why we must shift our political focus towards the Earth as the only sustainable future for humanity. He explores the interconnectedness of exploding inequalities, massive deregulation and climate change denial, and suggests that belonging to a territory is the most important phenomenon that we need to rethink. This book is a call to action for anyone who cares about the future of our planet.

FULLY UPDATED FOR 2019We cannot live without water. But with 7.5 billion people competing for this single unevenly-distributed resource, the planet is drying up. In When the Rivers Run Dry, Fred Pearce explores the growing world water crisis, from Kent to Kenya. His powerful reportage takes us to places where waterways are turning to sand before they reach the ocean; where fields are parched and crops no longer grow; where once fertile ground has turned to desert; where wars are fought over access to water and cultures are dying out. But he offers us hope for the future - if we can radically revolutionise the way we treat water, and take personal responsibility for the water we use.This landmark work, from a respected and accomplished scientist, will transform the way we view the water in our reservoirs and rivers, and change the way we treat the water in our taps.

The history-making, ground-breaking speeches of Greta Thunberg, the young activist who has become the voice of a generation.In August 2018 a fifteen-year-old Swedish girl, Greta Thunberg, decided not to go to school one day. Her actions ended up sparking a global movement for action against the climate crisis, inspiring millions of pupils to go on strike for our planet, forcing governments to listen, and earning her a Nobel Peace Prize nomination.This book brings you Greta in her own words, for the first time. Collecting her speeches that have made history across Europe, from the UN to mass street protests, No One Is Too Small to Make A Difference is a rallying cry for why we must all wake up and fight to protect the living planet, no matter how powerless we feel. Our future depends upon it.

Are we deranged? The acclaimed Indian novelist Amitav Ghosh argues that future generations may well think so. How else to explain our imaginative failure in the face of global warming? In his first major book of nonfiction since In an Antique Land, Ghosh examines our inability—at the level of literature, history, and politics—to grasp the scale and violence of climate change.The extreme nature of today’s climate events, Ghosh asserts, make them peculiarly resistant to contemporary modes of thinking and imagining. This is particularly true of serious literary fiction: hundred-year storms and freakish tornadoes simply feel too improbable for the novel; they are automatically consigned to other genres. In the writing of history, too, the climate crisis has sometimes led to gross simplifications; Ghosh shows that the history of the carbon economy is a tangled global story with many contradictory and counterintuitive elements.Ghosh ends by suggesting that politics, much like literature, has become a matter of personal moral reckoning rather than an arena of collective action. But to limit fiction and politics to individual moral adventure comes at a great cost. The climate crisis asks us to imagine other forms of human existence—a task to which fiction, Ghosh argues, is the best suited of all cultural forms. His book serves as a great writer’s summons to confront the most urgent task of our time.

"When a Billion Chinese Jump" is a must-read for individuals who are interested in understanding China's environmental crisis and its impact on the world. This book captures the essence of the challenges facing China's environmental issues and highlights the urgent need for immediate action. Jonathan Watts provides an insightful view of China's environmental crisis by combining detailed research with on-the-ground reporting. The most unique and distinctive feature of this book is its focus on the human element. Watts vividly portrays individual lives in a country all too often viewed as a faceless state. This book serves as a wake-up call to all readers to take immediate action to help save our planet.

"The Future History of the Arctic" is a must-read for those interested in global affairs, natural resources, climate change, and geopolitics. Charles Emmerson provides an insightful reflection on the history of the Arctic region, highlighting the forces that shaped it over the years, and introducing the players in politics, business, science, and society who are struggling to control its future. This engrossing book tells the story of how the Arctic is coming of age, full of opportunities and challenges, and how those who will determine its destiny strive to mold it.

This book provides a raw and honest account of how the AIDS crisis has impacted individuals and communities in Nigeria. It includes testimonies from a diverse range of people and provides a candid and unflinching look at the real lives affected by the epidemic. Readers who are interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the crisis and the valiant struggle of those affected by it would find this book insightful and enlightening.

How aluminum enabled a high-speed, gravity-defying American modernity even as other parts of the world paid the price in environmental damage and political turmoil. Aluminum shaped the twentieth century. It enabled high-speed travel and gravity-defying flight. It was the material of a streamlined aesthetic that came to represent modernity. And it became an essential ingredient in industrial and domestic products that ranged from airplanes and cars to designer chairs and artificial Christmas trees. It entered modern homes as packaging, foil, pots and pans and even infiltrated our bodies through food, medicine, and cosmetics. In Aluminum Dreams , Mimi Sheller describes how the materiality and meaning of aluminum transformed modern life and continues to shape the world today. Aluminum, Sheller tells us, changed mobility and mobilized modern life. It enabled air power, the space age and moon landings. Yet, as Sheller makes clear, aluminum was important not only in twentieth-century technology, innovation, architecture, and design but also in underpinning global military power, uneven development, and crucial environmental and health concerns. Sheller describes aluminum's shiny utopia but also its dark side. The unintended consequences of aluminum's widespread use include struggles for sovereignty and resource control in Africa, India, and the Caribbean; the unleashing of multinational corporations; and the pollution of the earth through mining and smelting (and the battle to save it). Using a single material as an entry point to understanding a global history of modernization and its implications for the future, Aluminum Dreams forces us to How do we assemble the material culture of modernity and what are its environmental consequences? Aluminum Dreams includes a generous selection of striking images of iconic aluminum designs, many in color, drawn from advertisements by Alcoa, Bohn, Kaiser, and other major corporations, pamphlets, films, and exhibitions.

An Inconvenient Truth is essential reading for anyone who wants an in-depth understanding of the severity of climate change and the need for immediate action. Al Gore's impassioned writing drives home the reality of the situation and the impact of our actions or inaction. Reading this book will motivate you to take part in the solution and hold global leaders accountable for their actions.

"The Weather Makers" is an urgent warning that explains the history and future impact of climate change, written by a scientist who was initially skeptical but ultimately convinced of the need for urgent action. The book offers a connect-the-dots approach that helps readers understand how climate change is interconnected across the planet, and provides practical steps for preventing a cataclysmic future. Highly recommended for anyone concerned about the future of our planet.