LibGuides: Human Impact Project: Environment

Database Links

Library Books

Sugar Changed the World by Marc Aronson; Marina Tamar Budhos
ISBN: 9780618574926
Publication Date: 2010-11-15
Traces the panoramic story of the sweet substance and its important role in shaping world history.
The Poisoned City by Anna Clark
ISBN: 9781250125149
Publication Date: 2018-07-10
Documents the 2014 poisoning of the residents of Flint, Michigan, by contaminated water, and the ensuing 18-month activism case that only got the state to admit its complicity after 12 people died and many others suffered permanent injuries.
The Ripple Effect by Alex Prud'homme
ISBN: 9781416535454
Publication Date: 2011-06-07
"Alex Prud'homme's remarkable work of investigative journalism shows how fresh water is the pressing global issue of the twenty-first century"-
Global Weirdness by Climate Central, Inc. Staff
ISBN: 9780307907301
Publication Date: 2012-07-24
An accessible explanation of climate change summarizes its science while sharing insights into its implications for the future, answering key questions from the role of fossil fuels to the economic costs of reducing carbon emissions.
We Are the Weather Makers by Tim Flannery; Sally M. Walker (Adapted by)
ISBN: 9780763636562
Publication Date: 2009-10-13
Based on the author's best seller The Weather Makers, this accessible new edition speaks directly to young adults, offering a clear look at the history of climate change, how it will unfold over the next century, and what we can do to prevent a cataclysmic future.
The New Wild West by Blaire Briody
ISBN: 9781250064929
Publication Date: 2017-09-26
An award-winning social justice reporter examines the negative impact of fracking on the sleepy farm community of Williston, North Dakota, tracing how the lure of the American Dream triggered the nation's biggest unregulated boom since the Gold Rush and gave way to regional violence, overcrowding and an impossibly high cost of living.
Coal Power by Diane Bailey
ISBN: 9781608184088
Publication Date: 2014-09-01
"An examination of the ways in which coal has historically been used as an energy source and how current and future energy demands are changing its technical applications and efficiency levels."
Hydropower by Diane Bailey
ISBN: 9781608184101
Publication Date: 2014-09-01
"An examination of the ways in which water has historically been used as an energy source and how current and future energy demands are changing its technical applications and efficiency levels."
Natural Gas Power by Diane Bailey
ISBN: 9781608184095
Publication Date: 2014-09-01
"An examination of the ways in which natural gas has historically been used as an energy source and how current and future energy demands are changing its technical applications and efficiency levels."
Nuclear Power by Diane Bailey
ISBN: 9781608184118
Publication Date: 2014-07-01
"An examination of the ways in which nuclear reactions have historically been used as energy sources and how current and future energy demands are changing their technical applications and efficiency levels."
Solar Power by Diane Bailey
ISBN: 9781608184125
Publication Date: 2014-07-01
"An examination of the ways in which the sun has historically been used as an energy source and how current and future energy demands are changing its technical applications and efficiency levels."
Wind Power by Diane Bailey
ISBN: 9781608184132
Publication Date: 2014-07-01
"An examination of the ways in which wind has historically been used as an energy source and how current and future energy demands are changing its technical applications and efficiency levels."
Trashing the Planet by Stuart A. Kallen
ISBN: 9781512413144
Publication Date: 2017-08-01
Introduces the problems of global waste disposal, describing the hazards of toxins associated with landfills, plastics floating in the oceans, and debris orbiting the planet, with some of the solutions proposed by scientists.

Environment Topic Ideas

General Topic	Specific Ideas
Food Production	Water shortages and water scarcity Animal agriculture and its impacts (e.g., methane) Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) Genetic engineering or modification Crop toxicity due to climate change Deforestation of Amazon Rainforest and Cattle ranching Palm Oil plantations Seed patents Soil erosion Soil contamination Soil salinization Food waste (methane in landfills) Food transportation miles Biofuels (ethanol) production related to food security Fisheries, aquaculture marine and coastal conservation as they pertain to food and nutrition security
Climate Change	Natural disasters linked to climate change: Desertification Deforestation Loss of natural resources such as wetlands, etc. Greenhouse gas emissions Melting ice caps Melting glaciers Rising ocean levels threaten island nations Rising ocean levels and climate refugees Misinformation about climate change in media Climate refugees Solutions - world climate agreements (Paris Agreement 2020) Look at major contributors: transportation, agriculture, energy production Solutions such as carbon tax
Energy	Biofuels (ethanol) production and food security Peak oil Consumerism (linking consumption to environmental degradation) Planned obsolescence Nuclear power waste and pollution Mineral resources over-extraction The extraction of resources to create energy Mountaintop removal of coal Tar sands for Bakken oil Hydroelectric power Fracking for natural gas Deepwater drilling for oil Renewable energy siting Pollution created by extraction of energy Pipeline construction Power line construction Pipeline leaks or explosions Built Environment -- High home or office heating costs and inefficient buildings
Oceans	Acidification (e.g., algal bloom and coral reef loss) Overfishing (depletion of ocean fish stocks) Microplastic waste in oceans Marine Garbage Patches Whaling (a specific issue due to its worldwide nature, treaties and persistent campaigns to prevent it; other cetaceans also impacted) Fisheries, aquaculture marine and coastal conservation as they pertain to food and nutrition security
Biodiversity	Deforestation (illegal logging, impact of fires, rapid pace of destruction) Desertification Endangered species / threatened species (CITES, loss of species, impact of chemical use on species, species extinction, invasive species) Trade and endangered species Conservation of biological diversity Invasive species Land use planning (urban/suburban sprawl) and habitat loss Habitat fragmentation Soil conservation (includes soil erosion, contamination and salination of land, especially fertile land; see also desertification and deforestation)
Pollution	Mineral extraction / mining / quarries Light pollution Noise pollution Dam toxicity Air quality (air pollution- particulate matter, ozone pollution, diesel emissions, etc.) (particulate matter) Bioaccumulation / environmental health Toxic chemicals (persistent organic pollutants, prior informed consent, pesticides, endocrine disruptors, etc.) Ozone depletion Water pollution (freshwater and ocean pollution, river and lake pollution, riparian issues) Flint, Michigan lead exposure Southern Vermont perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) exposure Toxic chemicals in beauty and other health products Acid rain Oil spills Pipeline accidents Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Waste (landfills, recycling, incineration, various types of waste produced from human endeavors, etc.) Human consumption / consumerism Recycling Composting
Diminishing Resources	Lack of space for landfills / waste Overpopulation and access to reproductive control Water scarcity Consumerism (linking consumption to environmental degradation) Planned obsolescence
Transportation	Lack of safe bike lanes Lack of reliable public transportation Miles Per Gallon (MPG) fuel economy “Green” vehicles
Social Justice	A look at how energy (mining, logging, drilling, etc.) development impacts Indigenous peoples The Wet'suwet'en and British Columbia Canada gas-pipeline battle Mining in the Intag region of Peru

Human Impact Project: Environment

Overview

Database Links

Library Books

Environment Topic Ideas

The Wet'suwet'en and British Columbia Canada gas-pipeline battle