ean 9781466559707 temática ECOLOGÍA, MEDIO AMBIENTE año Publicación 2013 idioma INGLÉS editorial TAYLOR AND FRANCIS formato CARTONÉ 54,44 €    PEDIR   NOVEDAD

Últimas novedades
ecología
medio ambiente

Protecting the natural environment and promoting sustainability have become important objectives, but achieving such goals presents myriad challenges for even the most committed environmentalist. American Environmentalism: Philosophy, History, and Public Policy examines whether competing interests can be reconciled while developing consistent, coherent, effective public policy to regulate uses and protection of the natural environment without destroying the national economy. It then reviews a range of possible solutions. The book delves into key normative concepts that undergird American perspectives on nature by providing an overview of philosophical concepts found in the western intellectual tradition, the presuppositions inherent in neoclassical economics, and anthropocentric (human-centered) and biocentric (earth-centered) positions on sustainability. It traces the evolution of attitudes about nature from the time of the Ancient Greeks through Europeans in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the Enlightenment and the American Founders, the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and up to the present. Building on this foundation, the author examines the political landscape as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), industry leaders, and government officials struggle to balance industrial development with environmental concerns. Outrageous claims, silly misrepresentations, bogus arguments, absurd contentions, and overblown prophesies of impending calamities are bandied about by many parties on all sides of the debate—industry spokespeople, elected representatives, unelected regulators, concerned citizens, and environmental NGOs alike. In lieu of descending into this morass, the author circumvents the silliness to explore the crucial issues through a more focused, disciplined approach. Rather than engage in acrimonious debate over minutiae, as so often occurs in the context of "green" claims, he recasts the issue in a way that provides a cohesive look at all sides. This effort may be quixotic, but how else to cut the Gordian knot?

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PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS OF AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTALISM Philosophical Ideas and Concepts Concepts of Nature in the Western Intellectual Tradition Rights Natural Rights and Natural Law Utilitarianism Kantianism as an Alternative to Utilitarianism Ethical Egoism and Social Darwinism Environmental Justice Conclusion: Where Do We Go from Here? Notes Neoclassical Economics The Rise of Neoclassical Economics Economics, Public Policy, and the Freedom-Authority Divide Efficiency versus Equity: An Unbridgeable Gulf? Notes Environmental Ethics: An Overview Anthropocentrism, Neoclassical Economics, and the Scientific Method Weak Sustainability Strong Sustainability Ecological Sustainability Normative Sustainability Intrinsic Value Theory and Its Discontents The Ethical Dilemma in a Nutshell Notes HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS OF AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTALISM Pre-American Attitudes about the Natural Environment The Ancient Greeks The Biblical Tradition Europeans in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance Native Americans Conclusion: The March of Anthropocentric Progress Notes The Enlightenment and the American Founders The Enlightenment Project John Locke, the Social Contract, and Private Property American Enlightenment Figures Humanity and Classification The Enlightenment: Friend or Foe of Environmentalism? Notes The Nineteenth Century Lewis and Clark and the Advent of Manifest Destiny John James Audubon—The Ornithologist as Environmental Steward Henry David Thoreau on Government and Society The Gilded Age and American Urbanization Notes The Twentieth Century Progressivism and Twentieth-Century Social Movements John Muir, Gifford Pinchot, Theodore Roosevelt, and the Preservation-Conservation Debate From Progressivism to the New Deal: The Evolving Role of Government in Natural-Resource Protection Environmental Activism Comes of Age The Rise of the Modern American Environmental Movement Notes POST MODERN AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS AND POLICY Environmental Interest Groups The Interest-Group Theory of Democracy Well-Known Environmental Groups in the American Landscape The Strengths and Weaknesses of the NGO Model Notes The Foundations of Twenty-First-Century Sustainability Famous International Conferences and Agreements American Environmental Law in a Federal System Management Systems, Standards Organizations, and Certifications Environmentalism for Dummies Notes Conclusion: The Path Forward Common Pitfalls The Quest for Energy and Its Environmental Consequences Who Pays and Who Plays Tradeoffs and Choices: Life Cycle Management (LCM) Notes References Index