This is an account of an 18 year journey of discovery on the road that took the author through 135 countries and over 250,000 miles. After a slow start of seven years travelling and working in Europe, two years national service spent mainly in the Congo and three years working in Canada earning enough money to strike out on his own, Brugiroux then spent the next six years constantly on the move. As a hitchhiker, using every conceivable type of transportation, he lived from his savings on only one dollar a day. Living with and like the local people, he travelled the length of the Americas, through the Pacific Islands, the Far East, the USSR, the Middle East and the whole of Africa. Jailed seven times, caught up in wars and very nearly drowned in administrative red tape, Brugiroux never contemplated giving up on his quest to experience mankind in all its despair and glory.
Launched to mark World Environment Day 2005, and produced by the UNEP in collaboration with organisations such as the US Geological Survey and NASA, this publication uses text, illustrations, satellite images and ground photographs to depict and analyse humanity's impact on our environment. Issues discussed include: population growth and urbanisation, natural resources consumption, land use intensification, biodiversity and habitat loss; environmental impacts and trends including global warming, air and water pollution, and the impacts on oceans and coastal zones, forests and tundra; changes that result from geo-hazards such as earthquakes and tsunamis, climate hazards such as floods and droughts, and industrial hazards such as nuclear accidents and oil spills; and suggestions for mitigating the effects of global environmental change.
Planet Earth has been here for over 4.5 billion years but in just two human generations we have managed to place our only 'home' at great risk. Many lessons from history have not yet been learned and new lessons may prove equally, if not more, difficult to take on board as we head deeper into the twenty-first century. This book highlights two of our greatest social problems: changing the way we relate to the planet and to one another, and confronting how we use technology (dataism) for the benefit of both humankind and the planet. Covering a wide range of key topics, including environmental degradation, modern life, capitalism, robotics, financing of war (vs peace) and the pressing need to re-orient society towards a sustainable future, the book contends that lifelong learning for sustainability is key to our survival. The author argues that One Health - recognising the fundamental interconnections between people, animals, plants, the environment - needs to inform the UN-2030 Sustainable Development Goals and that working towards the adoption of a new mindset is essential. We need to replace our current view of limitless resources, exploitation, competition and conflict with one that respects the sanctity of life and strives towards well-being for all, shared prosperity and social stability. Clearly written, evidence based and transdisciplinary - and including contributions from the World Bank, InterAction Council, Chatham House, UNESCO, World Economic Forum, the Tripartite One Health collaboration (UN Food and Agriculture Organization, World Organisation for Animal Health and World Health Organization), One Health Commission and more - this book cuts across sociopolitical, economic and environmental lines. It will be of great interest to practitioners, academics, policy-makers, students, nongovernment agencies and the public at large in both developed and developing nations.
★ “The activists’ stories are extraordinary...It’s a powerful answer to Rao’s framing questions: ‘Who is an environmental defender? What does she or he look like? Maybe like you. Maybe like me.’”—Publishers Weekly, starred review ★ “Thought-provoking reading for young people figuring out their own contributions. This valuable compilation shows that Earth’s salvation lies in the diversity of its people.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review One Earth profiles Black, Indigenous and People of Color who live and work as environmental defenders. Through their individual stories, the book shows that the intersection of environment and ethnicity is an asset to achieving environmental goals. The twenty short biographies introduce readers to diverse activists from all around the world, who are of many ages and ethnicities. From saving ancient trees on the West Coast of Canada, to protecting the Irrawaddy dolphins of India, to uncovering racial inequalities in the food system in the United States, these environmental heroes are celebrated by author and biologist Anuradha Rao, who outlines how they went from being kids who cared about the environment to community leaders in their field. One Earth is full of environmental role models waiting to be found.
The Laws of the Sun is the first in a trilogy of volumes that includes The Laws of Eternity and The Golden Laws. What is the nature of spirit and soul? What are the universal spiritual laws and how can we learn to live in harmony with them? What really happens when we die? In this powerful book, author and teacher Ryuho Okawa reveals the transcendent nature of consciousness and the secrets of our multidimensional universe and our place in it. By understanding the natural laws of the universe and following the Buddhist Eightfold Path, he believes we can speed up our eternal process of development. The Laws of the Sun shows the way to realize true happiness--a happiness that continues from this world through the other. The book's modern interpretation of traditional Buddhist teachings addresses many vital issues including how our thoughts influence reality and the different stages of spiritual and human love.
One Planet, One Health provides a multidisciplinary reflection on the state of our planet, human and animal health, as well as the critical effects of climate change on the environment and on people. Climate change is already affecting many poor communities and traditional aid programs have achieved relatively small gains. Going beyond the narrow disciplinary lens and an exclusive focus on human health, a planetary health approach puts the ecosystem at the centre. The contributors to One Planet, One Health argue that maintaining and restoring ecosystem resilience should be a core priority, carried out in partnership with local communities. One Planet, One Health offers an integrated approach to improving the health of the planet and its inhabitants. With chapters on ethics, research and governance, as well as case studies of government and international aid-agency responses to illustrate successes and failures, the book aims to help scholars, governments and non-governmental organisations understand the benefits of focusing on the interdependence of human and animal health, food, water security and land care.
One Planet, One People does a wonderful job of setting the ethical challenges of creating a functional global society in an evolutionary framework that reaches back to our beginnings. What we have to do today is much like what we have repeatedly done in the past, create ever larger scale institutions to increase cooperation and regulate conflict.-Professor Peter J. Richerson, Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, DavisThe question of when and why religions ever started and how they evolved, as science uncovered so many earlier mysteries, is most fascinating. This book works through the issue, a step at a time, to a clear and well argued position. Not every reader will agree, but every reader will have sharpened his own beliefs and be gratified by the experience.-Louis W. Cabot, Chairman Emeritus, The Brookings InstituteIn this succinct, highly readable overview of the evolution of human society, the author argues that the 21st century will witness a crucially important and difficult transition for the human race. Blending the disciplines of anthropology and evolutionary psychology with over thirty years of experience in the diplomatic corps, Coon traces the evolution of the human tendency to divide others into two groups, us versus them. People tend instinctively to behave altruistically toward members of their own in-group, and to react with suspicion, or even hostility, toward outsiders. He points out that complex human societies became possible only when cultural attitudes and mechanisms became accepted that encouraged individuals to define their in-groups in more expansive ways. Thus small kin-based bands grew into villages, kingdoms, and, eventually, the modern nation-state. Today, he argues, we have reached a stage where the whole world must be viewed as us, for only a united world community can cope with today's global challenges.Coon concludes by discussing the difficulties of making this final transition to a world community and the role the United States should take in leading the way. He deplores the recent unilateral trend of U.S. foreign policy, and advocates strengthening the United Nations.Coon's broad international experience combined with an admirable ability to synthesize the latest research from anthropology and evolutionary psychology results in many original insights and fresh ways of evaluating today's global challenges. This is an extraordinary book that offers a new context to a crucially important message.Carl Coon (Washington, DC) served in the US Foreign Service for more than thirty-five years, during which time he lived and worked in many lands and cultures in both the East and the West. He was ambassador to Nepal from 1981 to 1984.
Welcome home. A place 200 million years in the making. Long ago, our planet had only one gigantic land mass. Then something monumental happened. That supercontinent ruptured and seven different worlds were born. Each of those worlds - or continents - evolved, and continues to evolve, its own way of life. From the jungle of the Congo or the majestic Himalayas to the densely populated wilds of Europe or the comparatively isolated Australasia, Seven Worlds, One Planet explores the natural wonders that give each of our continents its distinct character. Following the animals that have made these iconic environments their home, it discovers spectacular wildlife stories that reveal what makes each of these seven worlds unique. With a foreword by Sir David Attenborough and over 250 breathtaking images, including stills from the BBC Natural History Unit’s spectacular footage, Seven Worlds, One Planet is a stunning exploration of the planet, and the worlds within it, that we call home.
The One Planet Life demonstrates a path for everyone towards a way of life in which we don’t act as if we had more than one planet Earth. The difference between this approach and others is that it uses ecological footprint analysis to help to determine how effective our efforts are. Much of the book is a manual – with examples – on how to live the 'good life' and supply over 65% of your livelihood from your land with mostly positive impacts upon the environment. It examines the pioneering Welsh policy, One Planet Development, then considers efforts towards one planet living in urban areas. After a foreword by BioRegional/One Planet Living co-founder Pooran Desai and an introduction by former Welsh environment minister Jane Davidson, the book contains: An essay arguing that our attitude to planning, land and development needs to change to enable truly sustainable development. Guidelines on finding land, finance, and creating a personal plan for one planet living. Detailed guides on: sustainable building, supplying your own food, generating renewable energy, reducing carbon emissions from travel, land management, water supply and waste treatment. 20 exemplary examples at all scales – from micro-businesses to suburbs – followed by Jane Davidson’s Afterword. The book will interest anyone seeking to find out how a sustainable lifestyle can be achieved. It is also key reading for rural and built environment practitioners and policy makers keen to support low impact initiatives, and for students studying aspects of planning, geography, governance, sustainability and renewable energy.
