An Introduction to Human-Environment Geography E-Book

William G. Moseley

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 727

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

This introductory level text explores various theoretical approaches to human-environment geography, demonstrating how local dynamics and global processes influence how we interact with our environments.

• Introduces students to fundamental concepts in environmental geography and science
• Explores the core theoretical traditions within the field, along with major thematic issues such as population, food and agriculture, and water resources
• Offers an engaging and unique view of the spatial relationships between humans and their environment across geographical locations around the world
• Includes a variety of real-world policy questions and emphasizes geography’s strong tradition of field work by featuring prominent nature-society geographers in guest field notes

Leseprobe

Contents

Notes on the Authors

Preface and Acknowledgments

Part I Fundamentals of Human–Environment Geography

1 Introduction

Icebreaker: Human–Environment Connections Across Time and Space

Chapter Objectives

Introduction

Animals and Their Habitats

What Is Geography and What Does It Have To Do with Studying the Environment?

A Geographic Perspective on Environmental Questions1

Plan for the Rest of the Book

Chapter Summary

Critical Questions

Key Vocabulary

Notes

References

2 The Politics of Nature

Icebreaker: Evolving Environmentalism

Chapter Objectives

Introduction

Human Conceptions of Nature

The Contemporary Environmental Movement in Historical and Global Context

Chapter Summary

Critical Questions

Key Vocabulary

Notes

References

3 The Biophysical Environment

Icebreaker: Amazonian Black Earths (Terra Preta de Indio)

Chapter Objectives

Introduction

The Science of Physical Geography

Global to Local Patterns

Earth–Sun Relations

Solstice and Equinox

Unequal Heating of Land and Water

Pressure, Winds, and Precipitation

Biomes and Major Climates

The Biomes

Disturbance, Succession, and Change

Disturbance: Questioning the Human/Natural

Key Ecological Concepts

Limiting Factors and Niche

Interactions: Competition, Predation, Mutualism

Chapter Summary: Linking Back to Human–Environment Relations

Critical Questions

Key Vocabulary

References

Part II Contemporary Perspectives in Human–Environment Geography

4 Cultural and Political Ecology

Icebreaker: A Farmer in Her Field

Chapter Objectives

Introduction

Setting the Stage for Cultural Ecology

Cultural Ecology

The Emergence of Political Ecology

Linkages to Development Studies

Political Ecology

Political Ecology Critiques

Chapter Summary

Critical Questions

Key Vocabulary

Notes

References

5 Environmental History

Icebreaker: The Sonoran Desert Past and Present

Chapter Objectives

Introduction: What Is Environmental History?

The Range of Environmental Histories

Reconstructing Past Environments: Texts and Tools of the Trade

Urban, Industrial, and Bodily Environmental Histories

Power, Economics, and Environmental History

Transnational and Global Environmental Histories

Environmental History as Context or as a Tool?

Chapter Summary

Critical Questions

Key Vocabulary

References

6 Hazards Geography and Human Vulnerability

Icebreaker: Cyclones Hitting Land in Bangladesh and Myanmar

Chapter Objectives

Introduction

What Is a Hazard?

Hazards and Society

The Political Economy of Natural Hazards

Chapter Summary

Critical Questions

Key Vocabulary

References

7 Environmental Justice

Icebreaker: Environmental Quality in Long Beach, California

Chapter Objectives

Introduction

Definitions and History of Environmental Justice

What Key Questions Does an EJ Perspective Help Us Answer?

Research Agenda

Activist Agenda

Some Key Terms in Environmental Justice

Environmental Racism or Environmental Justice?

History of a Movement

Towards a Global Movement

Documenting Disparities: Cause and Effect and the Evolution of a Field

Theoretical Explanations of Environmental Inequality

Future Directions for Environmental Justice

Chapter Summary

Critical Questions

Key Vocabulary

References

Part III Thematic Issues in Human–Environment Geography

8 Climate, Atmosphere, and Energy

Icebreaker: The Perils of a Micronesian Island State

Chapter Objectives

Introduction

Global Atmospheric Issues

Stratospheric Ozone Depletion

Climate Change and Global Warming

Local and Urban Air Pollution

Energy Consumption

Conventional and Alternative Sources of Energy

Energy and Transport

Chapter Summary

Critical Questions

Key Vocabulary

Notes

References

9 The Population–Consumption–Technology Nexus

Icebreaker: Complicating Overpopulation

Chapter Objectives

Introduction

Population Change in Time and Space

Population, Consumption, and Technology in Relation to the Resource Base

Major Perspectives on the Population–Resource Question

Population Change and Development

Factors that Influence Birth and Fertility Rates

Population and Consumption Politics and Policies

Chapter Summary

Critical Questions

Key Vocabulary

References

10 Agriculture and Food Systems

Icebreaker: The Global Food Crisis

Chapter Objectives

Introduction

Systems of Agricultural Production

The Industrialization of Agriculture

Ecology of Agroecosystems

Common Environmental Constraints and Remedies Associated with Traditional Agriculture

Common Environmental Constraints and Remedies Associated with Industrial and Plantation Agriculture

Agribusiness and Government Agricultural Policy

Famine and Hunger

Chapter Summary

Critical Questions

Key Vocabulary

References

11 Biodiversity, Conservation, and Protected Areas

Icebreaker: Jaguar Habitat

Chapter Objectives

Introduction

Biodiversity and Habitat Conservation

Nation-State Efforts at Conservation

National Protected Areas in the Pyrenees

Globalizing Conservation and Preservation Efforts

Transboundary Conservation Approaches

Cultural and Natural Biodiversity

Chapter Summary

Critical Questions

Key Vocabulary

References

12 Water Resources and Fishing Livelihoods

Icebreaker: Privatized Water in Cochabamba, Bolivia

Chapter Objectives

Introduction

The Global Water (Hydrologic) Cycle

The Geography of Water

Human Interventions in the Hydrologic Cycle

Contemporary Water Practices: How Do We Use (and Abuse) Water?

The Global Water Crisis

The Politics of Water: Governance in a Globalized World

Ocean Resources and Fishing Livelihoods

Management of Common Property Resources

Chapter Summary

Critical Questions

Key Vocabulary

References

Part IV Bridging Theory and Practice

13 Geographic Research

Icebreaker: Declining Fish Catches in Trivandrum, India

Chapter Objectives

Introduction: What Is Geographic Research?

How Geographers Theorize the World

Research Paradigms in Geography

Collection and Analysis of Geographic Data: Approaches to Field Research

Understanding the “Big Picture” of Human–Environment Interactions

Geographic Research, Politics, and Social Change

Chapter Summary

Critical Questions

Key Vocabulary

References

14 Conclusion

Icebreaker: Three Human–Environment Geographers who Made a Difference

Chapter Objectives

Introduction

A Brief Review of Major Themes from the Book

Theory, Scholarship, and the “Real World”

Geographic Research and Social Change

Making a Difference

Thoughtful Practitioners and Engaged Scholars

Chapter Summary

Critical Questions

Key Vocabulary

Notes

References

Index

This edition first published 2014© 2014 William G. Moseley, Eric Perramond, Holly M. Hapke, Paul Laris

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Moseley, William G.An introduction to human-environment geography : local dynamics and global processes / William G. Moseley, Eric Perramond, Holly M. Hapke, Paul Laris.pages cmIncludes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-4051-8932-3 (hardback : alk. paper) – ISBN 978-1-4051-8931-6 (pbk. : alk. paper)1. Human ecology–Textbooks. 2. Human geography–Textbooks. I. Title. GF43.M67 2013304.2–dc23

2013006409

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Cover image: A man planting rice in paddy fields on the outskirts of Seoul, South Korea. © Philippe Lissac/Godong/Panos.Cover design by www.cyandesign.com

For B. Ikubolajeh Logan (WM)For Marshall Bowen (EP)For my daughter, Syona, and to John Agnew (HH)For B.L. Turner (PL)

Notes on the Authors

William G. Moseley is a professor and chair of geography at Macalester College, where he teaches courses on environment, development, and Africa. His research interests include political ecology, tropical agriculture, environment and development policy, and livelihood security. His research and work experiences have led to extended stays in Mali, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana, Malawi, Niger, and Lesotho. He is the author of over 60 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters that have appeared in such outlets as Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, Ecological Economics, the Geographical Journal, the Geographical Review, Applied Geography, the Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography, and Geoforum. His books include: four editions of Taking Sides: Clashing Views on African Issues (2004, 2006, 2008, 2011); (with David Lanegran and Kavita Pandit) The Introductory Reader in Human Geography: Contemporary Debates and Classic Writings (Blackwell, 2007); (with Leslie Gray) Hanging by a Thread: Cotton, Globalization and Poverty in Africa (2008); and (with B. Ikubolajeh Logan) African Environment and Development: Rhetoric, Programs, Realities (2004). His fieldwork has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the Fulbright-Hays Program. He has served as editor of the African Geographical Review, as a national councilor to the Association of American Geographers, and as chair of the cultural and political ecology specialty group.Eric Perramond, a geographer, is an associate professor in both the Environmental Science and Southwest Studies programs at the Colorado College. His teaching and research interests include cultural-political ecology, environment and development issues, GIS and research methods, and agro-climate governance issues. He conducts human–environment research in the Greater Southwest, semi-arid Mexico, and the French and Spanish Pyrenees. He has published in the Geographical Review, Area, the Journal of Latin American Geography, and the Journal of Political Ecology. He serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Political Ecology, and was associate editor for the Journal of Latin American Geography and on the editorial board for ACME: An International E-Journal for Critical Geographies. He is the author of Political Ecologies of Cattle Ranching in Northern Mexico (2010) and is a former Fulbright-Garcia Robles Fellow to Mexico. He also served as the Chairman of the Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers (CLAG) during 2008–10.Holly M. Hapke is an associate professor in the Department of Geography at East Carolina University, where she also teaches courses in the International Studies program. Her research and teaching interests include political economy and development; fisheries and coastal livelihoods; ecological conflict; gender; migration; and research methods. Her regional area of expertise is South Asia, and she has conducted research on rural development issues in the US South. Her field research on gender, fisheries development, and fisherfolk livelihoods in India has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Association of American Geographers, and the US Department of Education Fulbright-Hays Program. She has published articles in journals such as Economic Geography, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Professional Geographer, Gender, Place & Culture, and Geographical Review, and she is a contributing author to Pulsipher and Pulsipher, World Regional Geography: Global Patterns, Local Lives, third edition. She currently serves on the editorial board of Gender, Place & Culture.Paul Laris is professor and chair of the Department of Geography at California State University, Long Beach, where he also teaches in the Environment, Science, and Policy Program. His teaching and research interests include biogeography, cultural and political ecology, fire ecology, global change, ecological restoration, and remote sensing. He has conducted research in the savanna of Mali, the grasslands of Tierra del Fuego, and the shrublands of California. He has published in such journals as Human Ecology, The Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Remote Sensing of Environment, Geoforum, and Bois et Forêts des Tropiques. His fieldwork has been funded by NASA and the National Geographic Society.

Preface and Acknowledgments

This book has been a long time in the making. Like any good text, it emerged from a series of conversations, many in bars and cafés, and frequently when we met at our annual professional meeting. We had a few concerns which motivated us to write this book, foremost of which was a text that would convey geography’s theoretically rich tradition and unique approach to environmental issues. Our other concern was to have a text that would be accessible to introductory students, many from allied environmental fields who were encountering geography for the first time, and others in geography for whom this was their first course on human–environment themes. While there are other environmental geography texts on the market, none (in our view) did all that we wanted. We felt that the lower level texts didn’t do enough to convey geography’s unique approach to the subject matter, frequently differing little from more generic environmental studies or environmental science texts. Those books that did convey the theoretical richness of the human environment tradition tended to be pitched at too high a level of student, or too narrowly focused on a particular subtheme of human–environment geography. The text that follows is our attempt to fill this niche.

You will note that the book is divided into four parts. The first part is meant to be a broad overview of the basic information needed to understand human–environment geography, from the geographic perspective, to environmental politics, to some basic physical geography and ecology. The second section explores a sampling of geography’s rich theoretical traditions in the realm of human–environment geography. The third part is more thematic in nature, most closely resembling the traditional textbook approach except for a concerted effort to make connections between this material and the theoretical approaches detailed in the second section. The final part is meant to connect the book’s material to the real world by showing the student how geographers undertake fieldwork and collect and analyze data. The concluding chapter makes suggestions for using the concepts in this text to understand environment-related problems and bring about change. Each of the chapters in these four sections has a similar structure. Chapters begin with an icebreaker, or a meaningful vignette which brings out the major themes of the chapter. This is followed by a statement of chapter objectives, an introduction, and then the main text. All chapters end with a chapter summary, critical questions, key terms, and references.

While this book was very much a collective project, our varied regional and thematic expertise helped ensure that a range of material would be covered from some position of comfort and familiarity. We also hail from different types of institutions, private colleges in Minnesota and Colorado, and public universities in North Carolina and California, and thus have experience working with different types of students. All of us relied heavily on our own teaching, research, and work experience to inform this project. This book took longer to complete than originally anticipated. We particularly wish to thank Justin Vaughan and Ben Thatcher at Wiley-Blackwell for attempting to keep us on track and for showing endless patience and understanding when we fell behind. We also thank our families for their understanding and support while we labored at writing, for reading and re-reading drafts in some cases, and for patiently listening to us over meals as we shared our geographic revelations. We finally express our appreciation to the anonymous reviewers who provided feedback on various portions of this text, and to our students with whom our interactions in the classroom have informed the way we present this material.

Part I

Fundamentals of Human–Environment Geography

1

Introduction

A Geographic Perspective on Human–Environment Interactions

Icebreaker: Human–Environment Connections Across Time and Space

Chapter Objectives

Introduction

Animals and Their Habitats

What Is Geography and What Does It Have To Do with Studying the Environment?

A Geographic Perspective on Environmental Questions

Plan for the Rest of the Book

Chapter Summary

Critical Questions

Key Vocabulary

Notes

References

Icebreaker: Human–Environment Connections Across Time and Space

Before chemical fertilizers came into heavy use in the 20th century, guano (bird or bat droppings) was the leading internationally traded source of agricultural plant nutrients. It was valued because of its high levels of phosphorous and nitrogen and lack of odor. The Incas of South America understood the value of guano long before the Europeans and regulated its extraction quite carefully. The Incan government divided up the guano-bearing islands off the coast of modern-day Peru between its different provinces. Guano had accumulated on these islands over centuries because of abundant bird life due to rich fish stocks, a uniquely dry climate which enhanced guano preservation, rocky shores for nesting, and protection for the birds from predators and humans. Rules were established concerning when and where guano could be harvested and disturbing the nesting birds which produced guano was an offense punishable by death.

The geographer and explorer Alexander von Humboldt was the first European to recognize the potential value of guano. He returned from his 1799–1804 voyage around South America with samples which he shared with two French chemists who subsequently confirmed the value of the substance. American farmers experimented with guano in the 1820s, and then British farmers in the 1840s. Despite the initial concerns of farmers that such a powerful fertilizer would upset the nutrient balance of agricultural soils, demand for guano soon surged. The United Kingdom imported over 2 million tons of guano between 1841 and 1857. The fury over the guano trade was intense. It led to the Guano War of 1865–66 between Spain and Peru. The US Navy fought with Peru to maintain access to guano. The US also colonized over 50 islands in the Pacific and the Caribbean (including Midway Island) because of their guano resources. By 1900, the world’s guano resources were all but depleted.

Fast forward to the 21st century, when one of the authors of this text was traveling with a group of students along the Atlantic Coast of South Africa. Here he visited Lambert’s Bay, a fishing village on the coast with a history as a source of guano which was exported as fertilizer to Britain in the 19th century. The small island in Lambert’s Bay was now a bird sanctuary where nature lovers and tourists could come and observe the courting rituals and the nesting habits of the Cape gannet. The gannet was a prodigious producer of the guano that had once accumulated in vast quantities on rocky islands along this semi-arid coastline. The author had been to the island the previous year and seen large numbers of Cape gannets (see Figure 1.01). As he crossed over the bridge to the island, he noticed that something was quite different, there were no gannets. He came to learn that the entire colony had left because they were being attacked by seals. This was, in itself, highly unusual as the seals had long coexisted with the gannets and never bothered them. The problem was that the seals were competing with fishermen for the same food source and were losing. As such, it was hunger which led the seals to attack the gannets on the island and it was this atypical behavior which caused the colony of Cape gannets to leave. While some of the overfishing in this area was caused by South African commercial fishers, the bigger culprit was large international fishing fleets.

The twists and turns of this story raise a number of important issues for consideration. These include: the ability of some societies to manage their resources sustainably, the role of science in the use and management of resources, the seeming inability of the global capitalist system to limit consumption, the role that non-human actors may play in transmitting the impacts of one human action to another human group, and the limits of preservation in open ecosystems and economies. All of these themes and more are central to the dynamic subfield of human–environment geography.

Figure 1.01 A colony of Cape gannets, Lambert’s Bay, Atlantic Coast of South Africa. : Photo by W.G. Moseley. Used with permission.