An insightful and illuminating discussion of the impact humans have had on Earth
In A Primer on Human Impacts on the Environment: The Conceptual Approach, distinguished environmental scientist Liam Heneghan explores the intricate relationships between humanity and Earth in an accessible and engaging style. Replete with real-world examples and drawing from classic and contemporary scholarship, the author adapts the fundamental conceptual models of the environmental disciplines to assess the risks human beings are taking with their home planet. The conceptual approach of this primer challenges readers to think across multiple disciplines to reveal the �big picture� that is all too often lost in the details of contemporary environmental studies.
Readers will also find:
- A thorough introduction to conceptual modeling, showing how systems models can be adapted and applied in a rapidly changing world
- Comprehensive explorations of the human impact on the Earth, including an examination of possible ecological limits and planetary boundaries
- In-depth evaluations of environmental risks, especially, though not limited to, climate change and biodiversity loss
- A guide to contemplating catastrophic risk and the potential for societal collapse without inducing unnecessary anxiety
- An interdisciplinary focus, emphasizing the role of the natural and social sciences, as well as the arts and humanistic disciplines in safeguarding the future
Perfect for students of environmental science and environmental studies, A Primer on Human Impacts on the Environment will also earn a place in the libraries of graduate students working on environmental themes and practicing professionals in the environmental management community.
Table of Contents
Preface: A Roadmap to the Book xiAcknowledgments xvi
Section One Introduction to Primer 1
1 A Manifesto for Conceptual Thinking in Environmental Disciplines 3
2 A Conceptual Approach to Environmental Science 16
3 A Short Chapter on the Definition of Definitions 27
Section Two The Concept of Systems 33
4 Everything Is Connected: The First Rule of Ecology 35
5 Complex Environmental Systems 45
Section Three The Concept of the Environment 61
6 All or Nothing? Or, What, Exactly, Is an Environment? 63
7 Life and Environment Are Indissolubly Linked 79
8 Gaia, the Noösphere, and the Anthropocene 94
Section Four The Concept of Limits 105
9 The Anthropocene and the Concept of Limits 107
10 Modeling the Limits 116
Section Five The Concept of Crisis 139
11 Collapse and the Anthropocene: Learning from the Past 141
12 How to Conceive of a (Climate) Crisis 158
13 Risking Life: Basics of Biological Diversity 173
14 Is the Anthropocene Extinction a Global Catastrophe? 188
Section Six Conceiving a Future 207
15 Conceiving a Future: The Need for Interdisciplinarity 209
16 The Three Futures 217
Index 229
