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From climate change to GM foods, we are increasingly confronted with complex, interconnected social and environmental problems that span disciplines, knowledge bases and value systems. This book offers a transdisciplinary, open approach for those working towards resolving these 'wicked' problems and highlights the crucial role of this 'transdisciplinary imagination' in addressing the shift to sustainable futures. Tackling Wicked Problems provides readers with a framework and practical examples that will guide the design and conduct of their own open-ended enquiries. In this approach, academic disciplines are combined with personal, local and strategic understanding and researchers are required to recognise multiple knowledge cultures, accept the inevitability of uncertainty, and clarify their own and others' ethical positions. The authors then comment on fifteen practical examples of how researchers have engaged with the opportunities and challenges of conducting transdisciplinary inquiries. The book gives those who are grappling with complex problems innovative methods of inquiry that will allow them to work collaboratively towards long-term solutions.

The Earth's human population is expected to pass eight billion by the year 2025, while rapid growth in the global economy will spur ever increasing demands for natural resources. The world will consequently face growing scarcities of such vital renewable resources as cropland, fresh water, and forests. Thomas Homer-Dixon argues in this sobering book that these environmental scarcities will have profound social consequences--contributing to insurrections, ethnic clashes, urban unrest, and other forms of civil violence, especially in the developing world. Homer-Dixon synthesizes work from a wide range of international research projects to develop a detailed model of the sources of environmental scarcity. He refers to water shortages in China, population growth in sub-Saharan Africa, and land distribution in Mexico, for example, to show that scarcities stem from the degradation and depletion of renewable resources, the increased demand for these resources, and/or their unequal distribution. He shows that these scarcities can lead to deepened poverty, large-scale migrations, sharpened social cleavages, and weakened institutions. And he describes the kinds of violence that can result from these social effects, arguing that conflicts in Chiapas, Mexico and ongoing turmoil in many African and Asian countries, for instance, are already partly a consequence of scarcity. Homer-Dixon is careful to point out that the effects of environmental scarcity are indirect and act in combination with other social, political, and economic stresses. He also acknowledges that human ingenuity can reduce the likelihood of conflict, particularly in countries with efficient markets, capable states, and an educated populace. But he argues that the violent consequences of scarcity should not be underestimated--especially when about half the world's population depends directly on local renewables for their day-to-day well-being. In the next decades, he writes, growing scarcities will affect billions of people with unprecedented severity and at an unparalleled scale and pace. Clearly written and forcefully argued, this book will become the standard work on the complex relationship between environmental scarcities and human violence.

Climate change is profoundly altering our world in ways that pose major risks to human societies and natural systems. We have entered the Climate Casino and are rolling the global-warming dice, warns economist William Nordhaus. But there is still time to turn around and walk back out of the casino, and in this essential book the author explains how. Bringing together all the important issues surrounding the climate debate, Nordhaus describes the science, economics, and politics involved-and the steps necessary to reduce the perils of global warming. Using language accessible to any concerned citizen and taking care to present different points of view fairly, he discusses the problem from start to finish: from the beginning, where warming originates in our personal energy use, to the end, where societies employ regulations or taxes or subsidies to slow the emissions of gases responsible for climate change. Nordhaus offers a new analysis of why earlier policies, such as the Kyoto Protocol, failed to slow carbon dioxide emissions, how new approaches can succeed, and which policy tools will most effectively reduce emissions. In short, he clarifies a defining problem of our times and lays out the next critical steps for slowing the trajectory of global warming.

In today's fast-paced, fast food world, everyone seems to be eating alone, all the time--whether it's at their desks or in the car.Even those who find time for a family meal are cut off from the people who grew, harvested, distributed, marketed, and sold the foods on their table.

Ideas and concepts have been a driving force in human progress, and they may be the most important legacy of the United Nations. UN ideas have set past, present, and future international agendas in many global economic and social arenas and have also led to initiatives and actions that have improved the quality of human life. This capstone volume draws upon findings of the other 14 books in the acclaimed United Nations Intellectual History Project Series. The authors not only assess the development and implementation of UN ideas regarding sustainable economic development and human security, but also apply lessons learned to suggest ways in which the United Nations can play a fuller role in confronting the challenges of human survival with dignity in the 21st century.

The study of societal transformation in response to environmental change has become established, yet little consensus exists regarding the conceptual basis of transformation. This paper aims to provide structure to the dialog on transformation, and to reflect on the challenges of social research in this area. Concepts of transformation are identified through a literature review, and examined using four analytical criteria. It is found that the term 'transformation' is frequently used merely as a metaphor. When transformation is not used as a metaphor, eight concepts are most frequently employed. They differ with respect to (i) system conceptualization, (ii) notions of social consciousness (deliberate/emergent), and (iii) outcome (prescriptive/descriptive). Problem-based research tends to adopt concepts of deliberate transformation with prescriptive outcome, while concepts of emergent transformation with no prescriptive outcome tend to inform descriptive-analytical research. Dialog around the complementarities of different concepts and their empirical testing are priorities for future research.

Several factors influence the environmental performance simultaneously but ethnic fractionalization, political freedom, financial development and institutional quality have a substantial impact to explain the environmental performance across economies. This study focuses to explore that how environmental performance is affected by these economic, political and social indicators by using the annual data of 163 developed and developing countries covering the time period of 1996-2016.The data is collected from World Development Indicators, World Governance Indicators, Freedom House and Cline Centre. The stationarity of variables is analyzed through LLC, IPS and ADF Fisher Chi-square test. Before applying panel ARDL approach to find out the long run relationship among variables, order of integration is determined through Pedroni's cointegration test. The findings of study highlight that ethnic diversity; institutional quality and political freedom play a significant role to decrease CO2emissions while energy consumption, GDP growth and financial development are increasing the environmental degradation. Ethnic diversity is a source of creative and innovative approaches about problem solving of environmental degradation. Political freedom allows people to participate in decision making that posits much compliance with environmental agreements. The foreign direct investment is attracted by good quality institutions which cause to advent of more environment friendly technology along with attractions for further innovations that may helpful to reduce CO2 emissions. Contrary, GDP growth, financial development and energy consumption enhance the industrialization and urbanization leading to increase the level of CO2 emissions. It is suggested for policy makers that cohesion among different ethnic groups; improving institutional quality; providing political freedom to people and inclusive financial sector will acknowledge the less pollutant environment.

Better understanding of the determinants of national life expectancy is crucial for economic development, as a healthy nation is a prerequisite for a wealthy nation. Many socioeconomic, nutritional, lifestyle, genetic and environmental factors can influence a nation's health and longevity. Environmental degradation is one of the critical determinants of life expectancy, which is still under-researched, as the literature suggests. This study aims to investigate the determinants of life expectancy in 31 world's most polluted countries with particular attention on environmental degradation using the World Bank annual data and British Petroleum data over the period of 18 years (2000-2017). The empirical investigation is based on the model of Preston Curve, where panel corrected standard errors (PCSE) and feasible general least square (FGLS) estimates are employed to explore the long-run effects. Pairwise Granger causality test is also used to have short-run causality among the variables of interest, taking into account the cross-sectional dependence test and other essential diagnostic tests. The results confirm the existence of the Preston Curve, implying the positive effect of economic growth on life expectancy. Environmental degradation is found as a threat while health expenditure, clean water and improved sanitation affect the life expectancy positively in the sample countries. The causality test results reveal one-way causality from carbon emissions to life expectancy and bidirectional causalities between drinking water and life expectancy and sanitation and life expectancy. Our results reveal that environmental degradation is a threat to having improved life expectancy in our sample countries. Based on the results of this study, we recommend that: (1) policy marker of these countries should adopt policies that will reduce carbon emissions and thus will improve public health and productivity; (2) environment-friendly technologies and resources, such as renewable energy, should be used in the production process; (3) healthcare expenditure on a national budget should be increased; and (4) clean drinking water and basic sanitation facilities must be ensured for all people.

Austin, Texas, is often depicted as one of the past half century's great urban successstories—a place that has grown enormously through \"creative class\" strategies emphasizing tolerance and environmental consciousness. In Shadows of a Sunbelt City, Eliot Tretter reinterprets this familiar story by exploring the racial and environmental underpinnings of the postindustrial knowledge economy. He is particularly attentive to how the University of Texas—working with federal, municipal, and private-sector partners and acquiring the power of eminent domain—expanded its power and physical footprint. He draws attention to how the university's real estate endeavors shaped the local economy and how the expansion and upgrading of the main campus occurred almost entirely at the expense of the more modestly resourced communities of color that lived in its path. This book challenges Austin's reputation as a bastion of progressive and liberal values, notably with respect to its approach to new urbanism and issues of ecological sustainability. Tretter's insistence on documenting and interrogating the \"shadows\" of this important city should provoke fresh conversations about how urban policy has contributed to Austin's economy, the way it has developed and changed over time, and for whom it works and why. Joining a growing critical literature about universities' effect on urban environments, this book will be of interest to students at all levels in urban history, political science, economic and political geography, public administration, urban and regional planning, and critical legal studies.

Environmental activists and academics alike are realizing that a sustainable society must be a just one. Environmental degradation is almost always linked to questions of human equality and quality of life. Throughout the world, those segments of the population that have the least political power and are the most marginalized are selectively victimized by environmental crises. This book argues that social and environmental justice within and between nations should be an integral part of the policies and agreements that promote sustainable development. The book addresses the links between environmental quality and human equality and between sustainability and environmental justice.