Global CA-CoP CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
for sustainable agriculture and land management
Dear BIOPLANNERS,
Most of us will not be able to participate in any collective actions for Earth Day, except remotely perhaps, and we may still have a bit more reading time available than usual, so please find below a small (all free access) compilation of Earth Day reading.
First up is a link to the official Earth Day website, where you can explore what is being planned around the world - see https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2020/
Here is a one page editorial summarising the early successes and latter-day failing of the (mostly US) environment movement – see:
TURNER, JAMES MORTON, and Andrew C Isenberg, ‘Earth Day at 50’, Science, 368 (2020), 215–15 http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.abc1967
Thirdly, is a nice one page commentary from environmental journalist, Emma Marris, on the relative importance of both personal and collective action to address major environmental challenges, notably climate change – see:
Marris, Emma, ‘On the 50th Earth Day, Take Collective Action for the Planet’, Nature, 580 (2020), 433–33 http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-01123-z
Next up, a nine page essay from Philippe Tortell that could be titled “50 Years of History of Environmental Action 101 – very clearly written and well-referenced – see:
Tortell, Philippe D, ‘Earth 2020: Science, Society, and Sustainability in the Anthropocene’, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 42 (2020), 202001919 http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2001919117
April 22, 2020, marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and the birth of the modern environmental movement. As we look back over the past half century, we can gain significant insights into the evolving human imprint on Earth’s biophysical systems, and the role of science and scientists in driving societal transitions toward greater sustainability. Science is a foundation for such transitions, but it is not enough. Rather, it is through wide collaborations across fields, including law, economics, and politics, and through direct engagement with civil society, that science can illuminate a better path forward. This is illustrated through a number of case studies highlighting the role of scientists in leading positive societal change, often in the face of strong oppositional forces. The past five decades reveal significant triumphs of environmental protection, but also notable failures, which have led to the continuing deterioration of Earth’s natural systems. Today, more than ever, these historical lessons loom large as we face increasingly complex and pernicious environmental problems.
Tortell references a 290 page e-book which he has edited which contains 28 chapters on a wide range of environmental themes. The whole e-book can be downloaded as a free pdf or purchased in book form at the link below, but I have pasted links to the individual chapters below my signature.
Tortell, Philippe D. (Ed.) Earth 2020: an Insider's Guide to a Rapidly Changing Planet (Open Book Publishers, 2020) http://dx.doi.org/10.11647/obp.0193
Finally, a longer article from the New York Times on the key people behind the 1st Earth Day and how they are working to “pass on the baton” to the next generations – see”
Schwartz, John (2020) The ‘Profoundly Radical’ Message of Earth Day’s First Organizer. New York Times - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/20/climate/denis-hayes-earth-day-organizer.html (may need to register for free access)
See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day for more history.
Something to read and digest during lockdown – to energise us all to more (collective) action once we begin to move again.
Best wishes and Happy Earth Day
David Duthie
PS: Belatedly, I realised I left out the link to the Op-Ed by sustainability guru John Elkington in my previous post.
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Introduction Download
Philippe D. Tortell
Earth Sounds Download
Philippe D. Tortell
Impatient Earth Download
John Harte and Robert Socolow
Climate 1970-2020
Download
Tapio Schneider
Politics and Law Download
Elizabeth May
Carbon Download
David Archer
Everyday
Biodiversity Download
Jeffrey R. Smith and Gretchen C. Daily
Energy Download
Elizabeth J. Wilson and Elias Grove Nielsen
Forests Download
Sally N. Aitken
Environmental
Economics Download
Don Fullerton
Air Download
Jon Abbatt
Geoengineering Download
Douglas G. MacMartin and Katharine L. Ricke
Ice Download
Julian Dowdeswell
Imaging Earth Download
Edward Burtynsky
Mother Earth Download
Deborah McGregor
Sea Level Rise,
1970-2070: A View from the Future Download
Robert E. Kopp
Climate
Negotiation Download
Rosemary Lyster
Weather Download
Neville Nicholls
Knowing Earth Download
Sheila Jasanoff
Fish Download
U. Rashid Sumaila and Daniel Pauly
The Global
Chemical Experiment Download
Elsie Sunderland and Charlotte Wagner
Land Download
Navin Ramankutty and Hannah Wittman
Oceans 2020 Download
David M. Karl
Earth and Plastic
Download
Roland Geyer
Fresh Water Download
Janet G. Hering
Media Download
Candis Callison
Space Junk Download
Alice Gorman
Saving the Boat Download
Zoe Craig-Sparrow and Grace Nosek-Sparrow
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