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A Primer on Human Impacts on the Environment
The Conceptual Approach

Liam Heneghan (Author)

9781119642657, Wiley

Paperback / softback, published 13 April 2023

256 pages
25.2 x 17.5 x 1.5 cm, 0.522 kg

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.

Preface: A Roadmap to the Book xi

Acknowledgments 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

Subject Areas: The environment [RN]
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