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Nature and the environment

  • Auteur:
    Loptson, Peter
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    Freedom, Nature, and World is a collection of essays by Peter Loptson which examine issues posed by a broadly naturalistic view of the world, which Loptson defends while also exploring some of the challenges it confronts. Papers on freedom, Kant, Christianity, Homer, the history of analytic philosophy, the place of humanity in nature, and other topics, are brought together within a synoptically naturalistic purview. All the essays rest on, and in some cases extend, that synoptic perspective, which seeks to encompass both a scientific understanding of humankind in the natural world and the complexities of free rational agency within our cultural and historical settings.

  • Auteur:
    Li, Qing
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    The definitive guide to the therapeutic Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or the art and science of how trees can promote health and happiness Notice how a tree sways in the wind. Run your hands over its bark. Take in its citrusy scent. As a society we suffer from nature deficit disorder, but studies have shown that spending mindful, intentional time around trees-what the Japanese call shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing-can promote health and happiness. In this beautiful book-featuring more than 100 color photographs from forests around the world, including the forest therapy trails that criss-cross Japan-Dr. Qing Li, the world's foremost expert in forest medicine, shows how forest bathing can reduce your stress levels and blood pressure, strengthen your immune and cardiovascular systems, boost your energy, mood, creativity, and concentration, and even help you lose weight and live longer. Once you've discovered the healing power of trees, you can lose yourself in the beauty of your surroundings, leave everyday stress behind, and reach a place of greater calm and wellness.

  • Auteur:
    Gierach, John
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    If John Gierach is living in a fool's paradise, then it's a paradise that his regular readers will recognize and new fans will delight in discovering. Laced with the inimitable blend of wit and wisdom that have made him fly-fishing's foremost scribe, Fool's Paradise chronicles the fishing life in all its glory (catching your biggest fish ever) and squalor (being stranded in a tent during a soaking rainstorm). In Gierach's world, both experiences are valuable, and perhaps inevitable. Fishermen everywhere will understand Gierach's quest to discover and explore new waters, the unlikely appeal of winter fly-fishing, or his dismay at encroaching development. Braving trips on small prop planes and down "Oh-My-God" roads, Gierach and his fishing buddies pursue bull trout in British Columbia, steelhead in the Rocky Mountains, and pike so fierce that a wise fisherman wears Kevlar gloves for the obligatory trophy photo. Equal parts fishing lore, philosophy, and great fish stories, Fool's Paradise may not be a perfect substitute for actually being out on the water, but it's surely the next best thing.

  • Auteur:
    Mosco, Rosemary
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    Flowers seem pretty in concept, but with each flip of the page readers are welcomed into the side of flowers that is downright weird.

  • Auteur:
    Levine, Sara
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    A cantankerous talking cactus reveals the significance of colors in flowers. Each different color means something to pollinators-bees, bats, birds, and more-to help them navigate and pollinate easily! This fun nonfiction presentation of science combines beautiful colors and our favorite pollinators and flowers to present new information that may surprise even some adults!

  • Auteur:
    Vaillant, John
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    #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER WINNER OF THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NONFICTION - FINALIST FOR THE HILARY WESTON WRITERS' TRUST PRIZE FOR NONFICTION - FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN NONFICTION - ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES ' TOP TEN BOOKS OF THE YEAR - A stunning account of the colossal wildfire at Fort McMurray, and a panoramic exploration of the rapidly changing relationship between fire and humankind from the award-winning, best-selling author of The Tiger and The Golden Spruce . Named a Best Book of the Year by The Guardian - TIME - The Globe and Mail - The New Yorker - Financial Times - CBC - Smithsonian - Air Mail Weekly - Slate - NPR - Toronto Star - The Washington Post - The Times - Orion Magazine In May 2016, Fort McMurray, the hub of Canada's petroleum industry and America's biggest foreign supplier, was overrun by wildfire. The multi-billion-dollar disaster melted vehicles, turned entire neighborhoods into firebombs, and drove 88,000 people from their homes in a single afternoon. Through the lens of this apocalyptic conflagration-the wildfire equivalent of Hurricane Katrina-John Vaillant warns that this was not a unique event but a shocking preview of what we must prepare for in a hotter, more flammable world. For hundreds of millennia, fire has been a partner in our evolution, shaping culture, civilization, and, very likely, our brains. Fire has enabled us to cook our food, defend and heat our homes, and power the machines that drive our titanic economy. Yet this volatile energy source has always threatened to elude our control, and in our new age of intensifying climate change, we are seeing its destructive power unleashed in previously unimaginable ways. With masterly prose and a cinematic eye, Vaillant takes us on a riveting journey through the intertwined histories of North America's oil industry and the birth of climate science, to the unprecedented devastation wrought by modern forest fires, and into lives forever changed by these disasters. John Vaillant's urgent work is a book for-and from-our new century of fire, which has only just begun.

  • Auteur:
    Humphreys, Helen
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    '[A] delightful mix of memoir and field study.' — Publishers Weekly STARRED review Award-winning and beloved author Helen Humphreys discovers her local herbarium and realizes we need to look for beauty in whatever nature we have left — no matter how diminished Award-winning poet and novelist Helen Humphreys returns to her series of nature meditations in this gorgeously written book that takes a deep look at the forgotten world of herbariums and the people who amassed collections of plant specimens in the 19th and 20th centuries. From Emily Dickinson's and Henry David Thoreau's collections to the amateur naturalists whose names are forgotten but whose collections still grace our world, herbariums are the records of the often-humble plants that are still with us and those that are lost. Over the course of a year, Humphreys considers life and loss and the importance of finding solace in nature.

  • Auteur:
    Kolbert, Elizabeth
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    New Yorker writer Kolbert tackles the controversial subject of global warming. Americans have been warned since the late 1970s that the buildup of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere threatens to melt the polar ice sheets and irreversibly change our climate. With little done since then to alter this dangerous course, now is the moment to salvage our future. By the end of the century, the world will likely be hotter than it's been in the last two million years, and the sweeping consequences of this change will determine the future of life on earth for generations to come. Kolbert approaches this monumental problem from every angle. She travels to the Arctic, interviews researchers and environmentalists, explains the science and the studies, draws frightening parallels to lost ancient civilizations, unpacks the politics, and presents the personal tales of those who are being affected most--the people who make their homes near the poles and are watching their worlds disappear.

  • Auteur:
    Nugara, Andrew
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    The first book for the Canadian Rockies in the series brings together an inspiring collection of comfortable walks and spectacular hikes for visitors and locals looking for unique, guided wanderings in a number of diverse locations in the Rockies. Ranging from charmingly easy to moderately challenging, these hikes are all accessible from reliable roads and popular staging areas. In addition, each hike is accompanied by a clear, colourful map, step by step directions, and full-colour photographs.

  • Auteur:
    Lomborg, Bjorn
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    The New York Times-bestselling "skeptical environmentalist" argues that panic over climate change is causing more harm than good Hurricanes batter our coasts. Wildfires rage across the American West. Glaciers collapse in the Artic. Politicians, activists, and the media espouse a common message: climate change is destroying the planet, and we must take drastic action immediately to stop it. Children panic about their future, and adults wonder if it is even ethical to bring new life into the world. Enough, argues bestselling author Bjorn Lomborg. Climate change is real, but it's not the apocalyptic threat that we've been told it is. Projections of Earth's imminent demise are based on bad science and even worse economics. In panic, world leaders have committed to wildly expensive but largely ineffective policies that hamper growth and crowd out more pressing investments in human capital, from immunization to education. False Alarm will convince you that everything you think about climate change is wrong -- and points the way toward making the world a vastly better, if slightly warmer, place for us all.

  • Auteur:
    Dixon, Joan
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    Despite it's characterization in the rest of the world as a land of bush and blizzards, Canada is a country of geographical and climatic variations. It experiences just about every type of extreme weather possible - tornadoes, droughts, dust storms, ice storms, hail storms, hurricanes, floods - in addition to lots of snowstorms. The weather is rarely boring and there are times when it has been so extreme, it has surprised everyone. Grades 4-7. 2005.

  • Auteur:
    Kagume, Krista
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    Super Explorers take you for a wild ride into the jungle. You will explore the canopy and the wildlife that live there and also the floor of the jungle, dark and mysterious!

  • Auteur:
    Ulysse, Collectif
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    Découvrez les Rocheuses canadiennes à l'aide du ce guide de voyage Ulysse Explorez . Le guide propose une liste descriptive et détaillée des différents attraits cette partie du Canada de l'ouest, chaque site étant coté par un système d'étoiles pour vous aider dans vos choix de visites. Pour les informations pratiques, un carnet d'adresses vous indique les meilleurs restaurants et cafés, une sélection d'hôtels et de gîtes, des bons plans pour le magasinage et les sorties.

  • Auteur:
    Suzuki, David
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    In this compilation of David Suzuki's latest thoughts and writings, the renowned scientist, author, and broadcaster explores the myriad environmental challenges the world faces and their interconnected causes. In doing so, Suzuki shows that understanding the causes—and recognizing that everything in nature, including us, is interconnected—is crucial to restoring hope for a better future. The solutions are there, he argues; we just need the will to act together to bring about change.
    Everything Under the Sun delves into such provocative topics as the difference between human hunters and other predators, the lessons we must learn from the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the subsequent meltdown of the nuclear reactors, and our dependence on the sun for all of our food and energy—indeed for our very lives. Suzuki also considers the many positive steps people are making today. And he doesn't shy away from controversial opinion, especially when it comes to taking on those who stand in the way of resolving serious issues like climate change.
    Underpinning it all is the recognition that we are blessed to live on a planet that gives us everything we require to live, under a sun that gives us the energy we need to produce food and transport and modern conveniences. But we must protect what we have if we want to survive and prosper.

  • Auteur:
    Victor, Peter A.
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    Earth is in overshoot. The cumulative impact of 8 billion humans combined with the relentless pursuit of economic growth has stressed the planet beyond carrying capacity. This richly illustrated book describes our current predicament and identifies alternative economic pathways toward a post-growth future.

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    Environmental Biology enables students to develop a nuanced understanding of today's most pressing environmental issues. This text helps students grasp the scientific foundation of these issues so that they can better understand the world around them and their impact upon it. This open textbook covers the most salient environmental issues, from a biological perspective. The text is designed for an introductory-level college science course. Topics include the fundamentals of ecology, biodiversity, pollution, climate change, food production, and human population growth.

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    Courts, regulatory tribunals, and international bodies are often seen as a last line of defense for environmental protection. Governmental bodies at the national and provincial level enact and enforce environmental law, and their decisions and actions are the focus of public attention and debate. Court and tribunal decisions may have significant effects on environmental outcomes, corporate practices, and raise questions of how they may best be effectively and efficiently enforced on an ongoing basis. Environment in the Courtroom, Volume II examines major contemporary environmental issues from an environmental law and policy perspective. Expanding and building upon the concepts explored in Environment in the Courtroom, it focuses on issues that have, or potentially could be, the subject of judicial and regulatory tribunal processes and decisions. This comprehensive work brings together leading environmental law and policy specialists to address the protection of the marine environment, issues in Canadian wildlife protection, and the enforcement of greenhouse gas emissions regulation. Drawing on a wide range of viewpoints, Environment in the Courtroom, Volume II asks specific questions about and provides detailed examination of Canada's international climate obligations, carbon pricing, trading and emissions regulations in oil production, agriculture, and international shipping, the protection of marine mammals and the marine environment, Indigenous rights to protect and manage wildlife, and much more. This is an essential book for students, scholars, and practitioners of environmental law.

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    Canadian environmental law is a dynamic and exciting area that is playing an increasingly important role in furthering sustainable development policy. Environmental law has distinctive relevant principles, operating procedures, implications, and importance in comparison with other areas of law, and these distinctions must be appreciated both within the legal community and by all those who are concerned with the way that courts handle environmental cases. Environment in the Courtroom provides extensive insight into Canadian environmental law. Covering key environmental concepts and the unique nature of environmental damage, environmental prosecutions, sentencing and environmental offences, evidentiary issues in environmental processes and hearings, issues associated with site inspections, investigations, and enforcement, and more, this collection has the potential to make make a significant difference at the level of understanding and practice. Containing perspective and insight from experienced and prominence Canadian legal practitioners and scholars, Environment in the Courtroom addresses the Canadian provinces and territories and provides context by comparison to the United States and Australia. No other collection covers these topics so comprehensively. This is an essential reference for all those interested in Canadian environmental law.

  • Auteur:
    Sheldrake, Merlin
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    A mind-bending journey into the hidden universe of fungi, "one of those rare books that can truly change the way you see the world around you" (Helen Macdonald, author of H Is for Hawk)."Dazzling, vibrant, vision-changing ... a remarkable work by a remarkable writer, which succeeds in springing life into strangeness again."--Robert Macfarlane, author of Underland. When we think of fungi, we likely think of mushrooms. But mushrooms are only fruiting bodies, analogous to apples on a tree. Most fungi live out of sight, yet make up a massively diverse kingdom of organisms that supports and sustains nearly all living systems. Fungi provide a key to understanding the planet on which we live, and the ways we think, feel, and behave. In Entangled Life, the brilliant young biologist Merlin Sheldrake shows us the world from a fungal point of view, providing an exhilarating change of perspective. Sheldrake's vivid exploration takes us from yeast to psychedelics, to the fungi that range for miles underground and are the largest organisms on the planet, to those that link plants together in complex networks known as the "Wood Wide Web," to those that infiltrate and manipulate insect bodies with devastating precision. Fungi throw our concepts of individuality and even intelligence into question. They are metabolic masters, earth makers, and key players in most of life's processes. They can change our minds, heal our bodies, and even help us remediate environmental disaster. By examining fungi on their own terms, Sheldrake reveals how these extraordinary organisms--and our relationships with them--are changing our understanding of how life works. Praise for Entangled Life "Fungi are everywhere, and Merlin Sheldrake is an ideal guide to their mysteries. He's passionate, deeply knowledgeable, and a wonderful writer."--Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction "I was completely unprepared for Sheldrake's book. It rolled me over like a tsunami, leaving the landscape rearranged but all the more beautiful."--Nicholas Humphrey, Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the London School of Economics and author of A History of the Mind and Soul Dust "Sheldrake's charm and curiosity make for a book that is delightful to read but also grand and dizzying in how thoroughly it recalibrates our understanding of the natural world and the often overlooked organisms within it."--Ed Yong, author of I Contain Multitudes

  • Auteur:
    MacDonald, Cameron
    Sommaire:

    Bill Bryson meets John Vaillant in this life list quest to see the rarest species in North America.

    Crammed into a minivan with wife, toddler, infant, and dog, accompanied by mounds of toys, diapers, tent, sleeping bags, and other paraphernalia, Cameron MacDonald embarks on a road trip of a lifetime to observe North America's rarest species. In California, the family camps in the brutally hot Mojave, where he observes a desert tortoise—"the size and shape of a bike helmet and the colour of gravel” sitting motionless in the shade of a scrubby sagebush. In Yellowstone, after driving through unseasonal snow, he manages to spot a rare black wolf and numerous grizzlies, which, unfortunately, call forth a crowd of "grizzly gawkers." The journey takes the MacDonald family from British Columbia, along the west coast of the U.S., through the Southwest and Florida, up the east coast of the U.S., and finally to eastern Canada and then back home to BC.

    Along the way, MacDonald offers fascinating details about the natural history of the endangered species he seeks, as well as threats like overpopulation, commercial fishing, and climate change that are driving them towards extinction.

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