Glaciers : the politics of ice /

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:Taillant, Jorge Daniel, 1968-
Imprint:New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2015.
Description:xxi, 334 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
Language:English
Subject:
Format: Print Book
URL for this record:http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/11061508
Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:9780199367252
0199367256
Notes:Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary:"Glaciers is a volume about the role glaciers play in our daily lives (often without us knowing), the risks posed to glaciers from natural and anthropogenic activity (including climate change and industrial pollution), and policies and practices that should be employed to protect this fundamental hydrological reserve"--
Though not traditionally thought of as strategic natural resources, glaciers are a crucial part of our global ecosystem, playing a fundamental role in the sustaining of life around the world. Comprising three quarters of the world's freshwater, they supply a steady flow of water for agriculture, livestock, industry and human consumption. Without them, many of the planet's rivers would run dry shortly after the winter snow-melt. A single mid-sized glacier in high mountain environments of places like California, Argentina, India, Kyrgyzstan, or Chile can provide an entire community with a sustained flow of drinking water for generations. On the other hand, when global temperatures rise, not only does glacier ice wither away into the oceans and cease to act as water reservoirs, but these massive ice bodies can become highly unstable and collapse, resulting in severe natural events like glacier tsunamis. But despite their critical role in environmental sustainability, glaciers often exist well outside our environmental consciousness, and they are mostly unprotected from atmospheric impacts of global warming, from soot deriving from transportation emissions, or from industrial activity such as mining. This book is a scientific, cultural, and political examination of the cryosphere--the earth's ice--and the environmental policies that are slowly emerging to protect it. It is a quest to educate general society about the basic science behind glaciers, outline current and future risks to their preservation, and reveal the intriguing politics behind glacier melting debates over policies and laws to protect the resource. The author also makes suggestions on what can be done to preserve these crucial sources of fresh water, from both a scientific and policymaking standpoint.--Adapted from dust jacket.

MARC

LEADER 00000cam a2200000 i 4500
001 11061508
003 ICU
005 20160519041846.8
008 150227s2015 nyua b 001 0 eng
010 |a  2014043381 
040 |a DLC  |b eng  |e rda  |c DLC  |d IG#  |d BTCTA  |d YDXCP  |d BDX  |d DAD  |d VP@  |d YAM  |d BUR  |d NLE  |d OKJ  |d OCLCQ  |d S3O  |d BUR 
019 |a 913090968  |a 915155192  |a 935945632 
020 |a 9780199367252  |q (hardback) 
020 |a 0199367256  |q (hardback) 
035 |a (OCoLC)893455392  |z (OCoLC)913090968  |z (OCoLC)915155192  |z (OCoLC)935945632 
042 |a pcc 
050 0 0 |a GB2405  |b .T35 2015 
082 0 0 |a 551.31/2  |2 23 
084 |a SCI026000  |2 bisacsh 
100 1 |a Taillant, Jorge Daniel,  |d 1968-  |0 http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2002111204  |1 http://viaf.org/viaf/98250541 
245 1 0 |a Glaciers :  |b the politics of ice /  |c Jorge Daniel Taillant. 
264 1 |a New York, NY :  |b Oxford University Press,  |c 2015. 
300 |a xxi, 334 pages :  |b illustrations ;  |c 25 cm 
336 |a text  |b txt  |2 rdacontent  |0 http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/contentTypes/txt 
337 |a unmediated  |b n  |2 rdamedia  |0 http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/mediaTypes/n 
338 |a volume  |b nc  |2 rdacarrier  |0 http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/carriers/nc 
520 |a "Glaciers is a volume about the role glaciers play in our daily lives (often without us knowing), the risks posed to glaciers from natural and anthropogenic activity (including climate change and industrial pollution), and policies and practices that should be employed to protect this fundamental hydrological reserve"--  |c Provided by publisher. 
520 |a Though not traditionally thought of as strategic natural resources, glaciers are a crucial part of our global ecosystem, playing a fundamental role in the sustaining of life around the world. Comprising three quarters of the world's freshwater, they supply a steady flow of water for agriculture, livestock, industry and human consumption. Without them, many of the planet's rivers would run dry shortly after the winter snow-melt. A single mid-sized glacier in high mountain environments of places like California, Argentina, India, Kyrgyzstan, or Chile can provide an entire community with a sustained flow of drinking water for generations. On the other hand, when global temperatures rise, not only does glacier ice wither away into the oceans and cease to act as water reservoirs, but these massive ice bodies can become highly unstable and collapse, resulting in severe natural events like glacier tsunamis. But despite their critical role in environmental sustainability, glaciers often exist well outside our environmental consciousness, and they are mostly unprotected from atmospheric impacts of global warming, from soot deriving from transportation emissions, or from industrial activity such as mining. This book is a scientific, cultural, and political examination of the cryosphere--the earth's ice--and the environmental policies that are slowly emerging to protect it. It is a quest to educate general society about the basic science behind glaciers, outline current and future risks to their preservation, and reveal the intriguing politics behind glacier melting debates over policies and laws to protect the resource. The author also makes suggestions on what can be done to preserve these crucial sources of fresh water, from both a scientific and policymaking standpoint.--Adapted from dust jacket. 
504 |a Includes bibliographical references and index. 
505 0 |a Dynamiting glaciers -- What is a glacier? -- The birth of cryoactivism -- Invisible glaciers -- The Barrick veto -- Life without glaciers -- Resurgence -- Amazing glacier stuff -- Implementation -- The human right ... to glaciers? -- Final words -- Appendix: The Argentine National Glacier Act. 
650 0 |a Glaciers.  |0 http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85055066 
650 0 |a Glacial erosion.  |0 http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85055052 
650 0 |a Glaciers  |x Environmental aspects. 
650 0 |a Glaciers  |x Social aspects. 
650 7 |a SCIENCE  |x Environmental Science.  |2 bisacsh 
650 7 |a Glaciärer  |x miljöaspekter.  |2 sao 
650 7 |a Glaciärer  |x sociala aspekter.  |2 sao 
650 7 |a Erosion.  |2 sao 
650 7 |a Glacial erosion.  |2 fast  |0 http://id.worldcat.org/fast/fst00942966 
650 7 |a Glaciers.  |2 fast  |0 http://id.worldcat.org/fast/fst00942975 
650 7 |a Glaciers  |x Environmental aspects.  |2 fast  |0 http://id.worldcat.org/fast/fst00942976 
903 |a HeVa 
929 |a cat 
999 f f |i ce72282c-9790-5cfc-82c6-d2aa2c1749d7  |s 12a1bab3-6288-53c4-871a-f576a4653a45 
928 |t Library of Congress classification  |a GB2405.T35 2015  |l JRL  |c JRL-Gen  |i 9757685 
927 |t Library of Congress classification  |a GB2405.T35 2015  |l JRL  |c JRL-Gen  |e CL89  |b 113747727  |i 9800658