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Nature and the environment

  • Auteur:
    Peterson, Dale
    Sommaire:

    This book is an exploration of what morality means, and what animals can teach us about it. Wild elephants walking along a trail stop and spontaneously try to protect and assist a weak and dying fellow elephant. Laboratory rats, finding other rats caged nearby in distressing circumstances, proceed to rescue them. A chimpanzee in a zoo loses his own life trying to save an unrelated infant who has fallen into a watery moat. The examples above and many others, argues the author, show that our fellow creatures have powerful impulses toward cooperation, generosity, and fairness, even morality. Yet it is commonly held that we Homo sapiens are the only animals with a moral sense, that we are somehow above and apart from "the animals." This book forces us to reexamine what the author calls our "Darwinian narcissism", and it shows the profound connections, the moral continuum, that link humans to many other species. The author shows how much animal behavior follows principles embodied in humanity's ancient moral codes, from the Old Testament rules as expressed in the Ten Commandments to the New Testament principles of attachment through cooperation, kindness, and empathy. Understanding the moral lives of animals offers new insight into our own.

  • Auteur:
    Ginalina
    Sommaire:

    Learn about rivers and the plants and animals that depend on them. Explore how vital rivers are to our ways of life, and how we can protect them.

  • Auteur:
    Guitard, Nicholas
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    For more than 50 years, William Francis Ganong explored the wilderness of New Brunswick to document its natural history. The importance of his work is well understood by academics studying natural history or cartography, but for the most part, it is unknown to the general public. The intention of this book is to provide a photographic and narrative account of a selection of Ganong's reports to the Natural History Society of New Brunswick through first-hand research and fieldwork. For the most part, I have attempted to find the exact locations in which Ganong may have stood when he conducted barometric readings to measure the height of mountain or a series of compass bearings to triangulate a particular location to a known reference point. Poring over his sketched maps and reports, and aided by current topographical maps and Google Earth, I identified coordinates and routes that would guide me to the various sites. Always the advocate, I usually invited friends along, for safety as well as to spread the word about Ganong. With field notes, maps, GPS, compass and, most important, my camera equipment, we tramped through some pretty tough forest, across brooks, in streams, slogged through wet meadows and down steep mountainsides, in pursuit of the best photographs to illustrate the physiographic elements that Ganong documented.

  • Auteur:
    Macfarlane, Robert
    Sommaire:

    Since its publication in 2017, The Lost Words has enchanted listeners with its poetry. Now, The Lost Spells, a book kindred in spirit and tone, continues to re-wild the lives of children and adults. The Lost Spells evokes the wonder of everyday nature, conjuring up red foxes, birch trees, jackdaws, and more. These are summoning spells, words of recollection, charms of protection. Across a bewitching natural soundscape by renowned wildlife recordist Chris Watson, readers Yrsa Daley-Ward, Johnny Flynn, and Julie Fowlis bring the magic of both nature and language to listeners in an immersive and unique audio experience. To hear The Lost Spells is to see anew the natural world within our grasp and to be reminded of what happens when we allow it to slip away.

  • Auteur:
    Suzuki, David
    Sommaire:

    Offers the author's thoughts about the destructive relationship that now exists between humans and nature, and a proposition to adopt a holistic worldview in order to save the planet.

  • Auteur:
    Thomas, Leah
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    An introduction to the intersection between environmentalism, racism, and privilege, and an acknowledgment of the fundamental truth that we cannot save the planet without uplifting the voices of its people, especially those most often unheard. Thomas argues that the fight for the planet lies in tandem to the fight for civil rights; and in fact, that one cannot exist without the other.

  • Auteur:
    Milman, Oliver
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    From ants scurrying under leaf litter to bees able to fly higher than Mount Kilimanjaro, insects are everywhere. Three out of every four of our planet's known animal species are insects. In The Insect Crisis, Oliver Milman dives into the torrent of recent evidence that suggests this kaleidoscopic group of creatures is suffering the greatest existential crisis in its remarkable 400-million-year history. What is causing the collapse of the insect world? And what can be done to stem the loss of the miniature empires that hold aloft life as we know it? Milman explores this hidden emergency, arguing that its consequences could even rival climate change. He joins the scientists tracking the decline of insect populations across the globe, including the mountains of Mexico that host an epic, yet dwindling, migration of monarch butterflies; the verdant countryside of England that has been emptied of insect life; the gargantuan fields of US agriculture that have proved a killing ground for bees; and an offbeat experiment in Denmark that shows there aren't that many bugs splattering into your car windshield these days. These losses not only further tear at the tapestry of life on our degraded planet; they imperil everything we hold dear, from the food on our supermarket shelves to the medicines in our cabinets to the riot of nature that thrills and enlivens us.

  • Auteur:
    Johnson, Josephine
    Sommaire:

    "A beautiful book...about nature the way Walden was a book about nature. It should be read by everyone who still retains the capacity to feel anything" ( The New York Times ). Stunningly written and fiercely observed, a new edition of a classic work of nature writing about a year on an Ohio farm, by Pulitzer Prize–winning author Josephine Johnson. Originally published in 1969, The Inland Island is Josephine W. Johnson's startling and brilliant chronicle of nature and the seasons at her rambling thirty-seven-acre farm in Ohio, which she and her husband reverted to wilderness with the help of a state forester. Over the course of twelve months, she observes the changing landscape with a naturalist's precision and a poet's evocative language. Readers will marvel at the way she brings to life flashes of beauty, the inexorable cycle of growth and decay, and the creatures who live alongside her, great and small. A forerunner of iconic American women nature writers and a champion of civil rights who marched in Washington against the Vietnam war, Johnson intersperses these "delicate marvels" ( The New York Times ) with profound reflections about racial inequality, urbanization, social justice, and environmental destruction that speak powerfully to our time. Ready to be rediscovered by a new generation, The Inland Island is a vital and relevant meditation on nature and time, capturing the wonder, beauty, hope—and flaws—of our turbulent world.

  • Auteur:
    Halter, Reese
    Sommaire:

    Provocative, passionate and populist, RMB Manifestos are short and concise non-fiction books of literary, critical, and cultural studies. From Dr. Reese Halter comes a remarkable, concise account of the honeybees that have profoundly shaped our planet for the past 110 million years. They are the most important group of flower-visiting animals, pollinating more multi-billion-dollar crops and plants than any other living group. Since prehistoric times humans and honeybees have been inextricably linked. This book is rich with interesting and humbling facts: bees can count, they can vote, and honey has potent medicinal properties, able to work as an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, even an antiseptic. The fate of the bees, whose numbers have been beleaguered most recently by colony collapse disorder, lies firmly in the hands of humankind. As such, it is our job to ensure their health, protect the habitats within which they live and communicate to others the vital link that human society shares with the remarkable honeybee.

  • Auteur:
    May, Meredith
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    An extraordinary story of a girl, her grandfather and one of nature's most mysterious and beguiling creatures: the honeybee. Meredith May recalls the first time a honeybee crawled on her arm. She was five years old, her parents had recently split and suddenly she found herself in the care of her grandfather, an eccentric beekeeper who made honey in a rusty old military bus in the yard. That first close encounter was at once terrifying and exhilarating for May, and in that moment she discovered that everything she needed to know about life and family was right before her eyes, in the secret world of bees. May turned to her grandfather and the art of beekeeping as an escape from her troubled reality. Her mother had receded into a volatile cycle of neurosis and despair and spent most days locked away in the bedroom. It was during this pivotal time in May's childhood that she learned to take care of herself, forged an unbreakable bond with her grandfather and opened her eyes to the magic and wisdom of nature. The bees became a guiding force in May's life, teaching her about family and community, loyalty and survival, and the unequivocal relationship between a mother and her child. Part memoir, part beekeeping odyssey, The Honey Bus is an unforgettable story about finding home in the most unusual of places and how a tiny, little-understood insect could save a life.

  • Auteur:
    Robinson, Kim Stanley
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    In this tribute to the Sierra Nevada mountains, the author explores what makes this span of mountains one of the most compelling places on Earth and shares his own personal experiences to inspire other travel readers to prepare for a life-changing adventure.

  • Auteur:
    Wohlleben, Peter
    Sommaire:

    An Instant New York Times Bestseller

    With more than 2 million copies sold worldwide, this beautifully-written book journeys deep into the forest to uncover the fascinating-and surprisingly moving-hidden life of trees.
    "At once romantic and scientific, [Wohlleben's] view of the forest calls on us all to reevaluate our relationships with the plant world." - Daniel Chamovitz, PhD, author of What a Plant Knows
    Are trees social beings? In The Hidden Life of Trees forester and author Peter Wohlleben convincingly makes the case that, yes, the forest is a social network. He draws on groundbreaking scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families: tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers. Wohlleben also shares his deep love of woods and forests, explaining the amazing processes of life, death, and regeneration he has observed in his woodland.
    After learning about the complex life of trees, a walk in the woods will never be the same again.
    Includes a Note From a Forest Scientist, by Dr.Suzanne Simard
    Published in Partnership with the David Suzuki Institute

  • Auteur:
    Leiren-Young, Mark
    Sommaire:

    The Green Chain looks at the past, present and future of forestry through interviews with environmentalists, loggers, scientists and others. Raw log exports, environmental devastation, making a living . . . all are discussed in this exploration of the problems facing our forests, and the possible solutions. It's an emotional topic, especially in British Columbia, where Greenpeace and the Raging Grannies were born but where the economy has been fuelled largely by forestry. Both the logging industry and the environmental movement are facing unprecedented challenges, and the world is watching to see how BC and Canada respond. Mark discusses the topic with 22 eloquent, knowledgeable and passionate people, including: ForestEthics and PowerUP Canada founder Tzeporah Berman; activist Severn Cullis-Suzuki; author John Vaillant (The Golden Spruce); former Greenpeace executive and Greenspirit founder Dr. Patrick Moore; poet laureate and former logger George Bowering; Forest Products Association of Canada president and CEO Avrim Lazar; union spokesman Wade Fisher; documentary filmmaker Velcrow Ripper (Fierce Light). The book also includes the screenplay for Leiren-Young's award-winning film The Green Chain.

  • Auteur:
    Grady, Wayne, Damstra, Emily, Litteljohn, Bruce
    Sommaire:

    Five immense lakes lie at the heart of North America. They cover an area of nearly 95,000 square miles and hold more than 5,500 cubic miles of water. Together they comprise the world's largest freshwater system, containing 95 percent of the continent's fresh water - and one-fifth of the planet's total supply. Home to 40 million people, the Great Lakes' drainage basin is the hub of industry and agriculture in North America. More than a region; it is almost a nation in itself.

    The Great Lakes: A Natural History of a Changing Region is the most authoritative, complete and accessible book to date about the biology and ecology of this vital, ever-changing terrain. It begins with an account of the geological formation of the lakes and an overview of the lakes' role in relatively recent human history. Grady takes readers through the lakes basin, defined and explored by its three component forest ecosystems: the Boreal, the Great Lakes/St Lawrence and the Carolinian Forests. Representative flora and fauna species are profiled, along with notable physical, climatic, and environmental features.

    The Great Lakes is both a first-hand tribute and an essential guide to a fascinating ecosystem in eternal flux.

  • Auteur:
    Hobbelink , Henk
    Sommaire:

    The Great Climate Robbery connects analysis of the food system to larger issues affecting the planet, and links peoples' struggles over food to climate change. This book will help readers to understand the ways in which corporations control the food system and provide the analysis needed to challenge this control.

  • Auteur:
    McAllister, Ian
    Sommaire:

    Along the coast between Vancouver Island and Alaska lies 250 miles of forested island and inlets. Ian and Karen McAllister spent seven years photographing and mapping this forgotten wild ecosystem. Their informative text and remarkable photographs (including some of the most extraordinary images of wild bears ever published) present a complete picture of this unique area. 150 color photos.

  • Auteur:
    Holthaus, Eric
    Sommaire:

    Cimate change advocate and journalist Eric Holthaus offers a radical vision of our future, specifically how to reverse the short and long-term effects of climate change over the next three decades. Holthaus invites us to imagine how we can reverse the effects of climate change in our own lifetime, and encourages us to re-affirm our commitment to one another in our shared humanity as conscientious stewards of the earth.

  • Auteur:
    Calgary Herald, Nenshi, Naheed
    Sommaire:

    The Flood of 2013 chronicles an unforgettable summer of angry rivers, unprecedented flooding, and undeniable human spirit. This book looks at how the disaster irrevocably changed southern Alberta and its people. In the face of disaster, Albertans showed their true grit and rose above adversity — just like their ancestors did for generations before them. The flood began in southern Alberta on June 20 and led to four deaths, billions of dollars in damage, and more than 100,000 people fleeing their homes to escape raging waters. More than 80 Herald journalists — photographers, writers, editors, videographers, researchers, and digital producers — helped to narrate the tale of the flood. Using their words and images, this stunning volume captures not only the devastation and destruction of the flood but also the emergence of heroes and heartfelt moments. Neighbors helped neighbors. Strangers helped strangers. And Albertans vowed to recover, come hell or high water.

  • Auteur:
    Virgo, Seán
    Sommaire:

    The essays in this inaugural volume were commissioned from a number of outstanding writers (many of them national prize winners). Some are professional naturalists, others are poets, filmmakers, dancers, philosophers, activists. All write with passion, originality and humour about the natural world, our place within it, and our impact upon it. The Eye in the Thicket reminds us of the tradition embraced by natural histories, while the authors included here all have the creative ability to transcend social concerns and political boundaries. The series will create a unique archive of Canadian writers reflecting upon our environment and our history. Contributors include: Don Gayton, Jan Zwicky, Don McKay, Barry Callaghan, Patrick Lane, Susan Musgrave, Brian Brett, Terry Glavin, Trevor Herriot, Davida Monk, Tim Lilburn, Steven Lattey, Prudence Grieve, Iltyd Perkins, and Lloyd Ratzlaff.

  • Auteur:
    Nikiforuk, Andrew
    Sommaire:

    Ancient civilizations relied on shackled human muscle. It took the energy of slaves to plant crops, clothe emperors, and build cities. Nineteenth-century slaveholders viewed critics as hostilely as oil companies and governments now regard environmentalists. Yet the abolition movement had an invisible ally: coal and oil. As the world's most versatile workers, fossil fuels replenished slavery's ranks with combustion engines and other labor-saving tools. Since then, cheap oil has transformed politics, economics, science, agriculture, and even our concept of happiness. Many North Americans today live as extravagantly as Caribbean plantation owners. We feel entitled to surplus energy and rationalize inequality, even barbarity, to get it. But endless growth is an illusion.
    What we need, Andrew Nikiforuk argues in this provocative new book, is a radical emancipation movement that ends our master-and-slave approach to energy. We must learn to use energy on a moral, just, and truly human scale.
    Published in Partnership with the David Suzuki Institute.

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