The Theory of Ecological Communities
Rating: Mark Velland. 2017. The Theory of Ecological Communities. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978 0 691 16484 7 Usually, this site reviews texts that cover a range of topics and provide introductions to a broad range of ecological thinking. This text covers just a single area, and a theoretical one at that. As such, it’s a highly advanced text but the underlying theme, that of creating a simple framework for discussion, has implications that can be used elsewhere. The aim […]
Global Population: History, Geopolitics and Life on Earth
Rating: Alison Bashford. 2014. Global Population: History, Geopolitics and Life on Earth. Columbia University Press. ISBN978 0 231 14767 5. Be careful what you wish for. Leaving aside issues on who actually produced these words, they do seem rather apposite for studies on the population numbers debate in the C20th. The problem of over-population would be solved, we were told at the time, by aiming for zero population growth (zpg) – that net increase and decrease would balance. Now, there […]
Ecological Methods 4e
Rating: PA Henderson and TRE Southwood. 2016. Ecological Methods 4e. Wiley. ISBN 978 1 118 89528 3 There are some books which go into numerous editions that are easy to review, in that new material can alter the focus of the text. Then there’s the classic text, such as the one reviewed here, where the content is so well known that it is almost enough to just give the name and hit ‘publish’! This is the fourth edition of the […]
Ecology of Urban Environments
Rating: Kirsten M Parris. 2015. Ecology of Urban Environments. Wiley. ISBN978 1 4443 3265 0 There was a time not long ago when an urban environment was something that destroyed natural systems. This might very well have been the truth then, as well as today, but the focus has changed with an increasing number of books devoted to the relatively new science of urban ecology. The focus is generally on how natural systems adapt to urban settings. There’s also the […]
Global Issues: an introduction. 5e.
Rating: Kristen A Hite and John L Seitz. 2016. Global Issues: an introduction. Wiley Blackwell. ISBN 9781 11896885 7. In an increasingly busy marketplace, it says something that a book makes it into its fifth edition in a 20-year timespan. Clearly, the popularity of the issues has not declined, judging by my reference point, the third edition I reviewed a few years ago! By this edition, climate change has made an entry and the environment section is divided into two […]
Our World in Data
Our World in Data – far from it being difficult to find data, we are often overwhelmed by the sheer mass of material available. This site seeks to make understanding slightly simpler by creating a series of visualizations.
The Global History of Human Migration
Rating: Peter Bellwood (ed). 2013. The Global Prehistory of Human Migration. Wiley. ISBN978 1 118 97059 1 We are used to the idea of migration, largely as a movement of people. If we go back in time, the the various ‘Out of Africa’ hypotheses help us to understand the spread of modern Hominins/Hominids. There is an assumption that there is movement but often of a “silent” people. I would guess there is less focus on the language of such people […]
Sustainable Futures
Rating: Jennie Goldie and Katharine Betts (eds). 2014. Sustainable Futures: Linking population, resources and the environment. CSIRO. ISBN 978 1 486 30189 8 When I first saw the sub-title I was transported back to my beginnings. Surely population, resources, environment was the name of the text and wasn’t it by the Ehrlich’s ? Yes on both counts and the issues they identified there are still with us but in slightly different ways. The authors are also still active, providing not […]
An Introduction to Human-Environment Geography
Rating: William G Moseley, Eric Perramond, Holly M Hapke and Paul Laris. 2014. An Introduction to Human-Environment Geography. Wiley Blackwell. ISBN 978 1 4051 8931 6. Part of the problem with both environmental science and geography is that the problems they investigate can seem increasingly complex. This might encourage some to study to greater depth. At the other end of the spectrum, issues, especially in mainstream media, are often presented as simple, almost shallow in their treatment. The aim is […]
Energy Realities
Energy Realities – Good-looking interactive site dealing with population, resource consumption and pollution production. Subtitled ‘a visual guide to our global energy needs’ the site aims to examine how we can meet our requirements and the options open to us. Great for discussions. Run by Statoil, New Scientist, Economist and National Geographic
