37 Environmental Science
Arcticness
Ilan Kelman
2017
Licence: CC BY
Climate change and globalisation are opening up the Arctic for exploitation by the world – or so we are told. But what about the views, interests and needs of the peoples who live in the region? This volume explores the opportunities and limitations in engaging with the Arctic under change, and the Arctic peoples experiencing the changes, socially and physically.
Formats: PDF
Suggested for: ENVS 243
Chemistry and the Environment: A Chemistry Perspective for discussion of Environmental Issues
Devin R. Latimer (University of Winnepeg)
2020
Licence: CC BY
This textbook designed to accompany a one-semester course in chemistry-based discussions of important environmental issues such as air pollution, the ozone layer, climate change and water quality. Chemical principles are introduced, followed by environmental ‘focus’ sections to base discussions on the scientific principles and societal intricacies of the individual topics. The book also includes the following ancillary resources:
Formats: Online
Climate Toolkit: A Resource Manual for Science and Action
Frank D. Granshaw (Portland State University)
2020
Licence: CC BY-NC
The Climate Toolkit is a resource manual designed to help the reader navigate the complex and perplexing issue of climate change by providing tools and strategies to explore the underlying science. As such it contains a collection of activities that make use of readily available online resources developed by research groups and public agencies. These include web-based climate models, climate data archives, interactive atlases, policy papers, and “solution” catalogs. Unlike a standard textbook, it is designed to help readers do their own climate research and devise their own perspective rather than providing them with a script to assimilate and repeat.
Formats: Online, EPUB, PDF, MOBI, and more
Suggested for: ENVS 200
Community Resilience to Climate Change: Theory, Research and Practice
Dana Hellman and Vivek Shands (Portland State University)
2020
Licence: CC BY-NC
This reader is an Open Educational Resource, meant to accompany a graduate or higher-level undergraduate university course in climate change resilience, adaptation, and/or planning. While the material is geared toward students in urban and regional planning, it may also be of interest to students of urban studies, public health, geography, political science, sociology, risk management, and others.
Each section of this volume includes (1) an introductory summary, (2) a reading list with full text articles, (3) student exercises meant to enhance understanding and facilitate in-class discussion, and (4) additional discussion prompts or activities for instructors to use in class. The format of materials is intended to convey key concepts, while leaving ample space for student exploration, discourse, and creativity. Lessons may culminate in an applied, imaginative final project, a sample framework of which is provided at the end of Section VI.
Formats: PDF and Word
Suggested for: ENVS 200
Earth 2020: An Insider’s Guide to a Rapidly Changing Planet
Edited by Philippe Tortell (University of British Columbia)
2020
Licence: CC BY
Earth 2020: An Insider’s Guide to a Rapidly Changing Planet responds to a public increasingly concerned about the deterioration of Earth’s natural systems, offering readers a wealth of perspectives on our shared ecological past, and on the future trajectory of planet Earth. Written by world-leading thinkers on the front lines of global change research and policy, this multi-disciplinary collection maintains a dual focus: some essays investigate specific facets of the physical Earth system, while others explore the social, legal and political dimensions shaping the human environmental footprint. In doing so, the essays collectively highlight the urgent need for collaboration across diverse domains of expertise in addressing one of the most significant challenges facing us today.
Formats: Online, PDF
Suggested for: ENVS 200
Earth in the Future: Predicting Climate Change and Its Impacts Over the Next Century (EARTH 103N)
David Brice and Tim Bralower (Pennsylvania State University)
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA
Our planet is becoming hot. In fact, Earth may be warming faster than ever before. This warming will challenge society throughout the 21st century. How do we cope with rising seas? How will we prepare for more intense hurricanes? How will we adapt to debilitating droughts and heat waves? Scientists are striving to improve predictions of how the environment will change and how it will impact humans. Earth in the Future: Predicting Climate Change and Its Impacts Over the Next Century is designed to provide the state of the art of climate science, the impact of warming on humans, as well as ways we can adapt. Every student will understand the challenges and opportunities of living in the 21st century.
Formats: Online, HTML
Suggested for: ENVS 305
Environmental Biology
Edited by Matthew R. Fisher (Oregon Coast Community College) (Open Oregon)
2018
Licence: CC BY
This world environmental biology text covers salient issues in the environment using a biological perspective. It covers introductory concepts in environmental biology, from climate change to ozone depletion.
Formats: Online, EPUB, PDF, MOBI, and more
The Environment in the Age of the Internet
Heike Graf
2016
Licence: CC BY
How do we talk about the environment? Does this communication reveal and construct meaning? Is the environment expressed and foregrounded in the new landscape of digital media? An interdisciplinary collection that draws together research and answers from media and communication studies, social sciences, modern history, and folklore studies.
Formats: Online, PDF, EPUB, and more
Environmental Science: A Canadian Perspective
Bill Freedman (Dalhousie University)
2018
Licence: CC BY-NC
This textbook is intended to provide the core elements of a curriculum for teaching environmental science at the introductory level in Canadian colleges and universities. This book is suitable for students beginning a program in environmental science, environmental studies, or sustainability. It is also appropriate for arts students who require a science elective, and for science students who require a non-major elective. This book was written from the ground-up to provide Canadian information and examples. This national context is integrated throughout the text, along with North American and global data that provide a broader perspective.
Formats: Online, EPUB, PDF, and MOBI
Suggested for: ENVS 200
Environmental ScienceBites
Licence: CC BY-NC
This book was written by undergraduate students at The Ohio State University (OSU) who were enrolled in the class Introduction to Environmental Science. The chapters describe some of Earth’s major environmental challenges and discuss ways that humans are using cutting-edge science and engineering to provide sustainable solutions to these problems.
Formats: Online, PDF, EPUB, and more
Suggested for: ENVS 200
Environmental ScienceBites: Volume 2
Licence: CC BY-NC
The second volume of the Environmental ScienceBites book was authored by 30 unique undergraduate students enrolled in the course Introduction to Environmental Science at OSU. The book highlights both articles and posters describing critical environmental issues important to the first-time authors.
Formats: Online, PDF, EPUB, and more
Suggested for: ENVS 200
Financial Impact of Climate Change
Todd Thexton (Royal Roads University)
2021
Licence: CC BY
This open online course introduces participants to the financial risks and impacts associated with climate change. This four-week course introduces participants to the financial risks and impacts associated with climate change.
Topics will be explored through the use of case study examples, group-based analysis and problem-solving. The learning is supported by readings, videos and live, interactive online sessions. Participants are encouraged to share their own knowledge and expertise in group-based discussion forums. Upon completion of the course, participants will have a foundational understanding of the relationship between climate change and the economy. Participants will develop their ability to identify climate-related financial risks within their own organizations—critical groundwork for effective planning and decision-making for mitigation and adaptation. As an introductory course, this course is suited to those with limited previous experience in climate-related finance or economics. However, a basic understanding of climate science is presumed.
Formats: Online, EPUB, PDF, and more
Future Energy: Opportunities & Challenges
Licence: CC BY
How can we produce enough sustainable energy while avoiding unacceptable environmental consequences? To evaluate the various energy options, we must understand the science of each potential energy source and energy use technology. This book presents the science in an easy-to-understand way to enable readers to make informed decisions about what is possible and practical, and to choose lifestyle options to implement in their personal lives.
Formats: PDF
Global Warming in Local Discourses: How Communities around the World Make Sense of Climate Change
Edited by Michael Brüggemann and Simone Rödder (Universität Hamburg)
2020
Licence: CC BY
Global news on anthropogenic climate change is shaped by international politics, scientific reports and voices from transnational protest movements. This timely volume asks how local communities engage with these transnational discourses. The chapters in this volume present a range of compelling case studies drawn from a broad cross-section of local communities around the world, reflecting diverse cultural and geographical contexts. From Greenland to northern Tanzania, it illuminates how different understandings evolve in diverse cultural and geographical contexts while also revealing some common patterns of how people make sense of climate change. Global Warming in Local Discourses constitutes a significant, new contribution to understanding the multi-perspectivity of our debates on climate change, further highlighting the need for interdisciplinary study within this area. It will be a valuable resource to those studying climate and science communication; those interested in understanding the various roles played by journalism, NGOs, politics and science in shaping public understandings of climate change, as well as those exploring the intersections of the global and the local in debates on the sustainable transformation of societies.
Formats: Online and PDF
Suggested for: ENVS 343
Introduction to Climate Science
Andreas Schmittner (Oregon State University)
2018
Licence: CC BY-NC
This book describes how Earth’s climate is changing, how it has been changing in the recent geological past and how it may change in the future. It covers the physical sciences that build the foundations of our current understanding of global climate change such as radiation, Earth’s energy balance, the greenhouse effect and the carbon cycle. Both natural and human causes for climate change are discussed. Impacts of climate change on natural and human systems are summarized. Ethical and economical aspects of human-caused climate change and solutions are presented.
Formats: Online, EPUB, and PDF
Suggested for: ENVS 200
Introduction to Environmental Science – 2nd Edition
Caralyn Zehnder, Kalina Manoylov, Samuel Mutiti, Christine Mutiti, Allison VandeVoort, and Donna Bennett (Georgia College and State University)
2018
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA
This course uses the basic principles of biology and earth science as a context for understanding environmental policies and resource management practices. Our planet is facing unprecedented environmental challenges, from oil spills to global climate change. In ENSC 1000, you will learn about the science behind these problems; preparing you to make an informed, invaluable contribution to Earth’s future.
Formats: PDF and Word
Suggested for: ENVS 200
Natural Resources Sustainability: An introductory synthesis
Christopher Lant (Utah State University)
2023
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA
This text has evolved from 20 semesters teaching the undergraduate courses Geography, People, and the Environment and Environment and Society. It is designed for freshmen through junior-level courses at community, junior and four-year colleges and universities in the United States. Focused upon the dilemma of environmental sustainability, geography and the emergent field of ecological economics are emphasized in a trans-disciplinary framework. It provides—in a one semester or one quarter undergraduate course that requires no prerequisites—a fundamental background in the essentials students need to deal with natural resource and environmental issues as an informed citizen while building a foundation for further study.
Formats: Online, PDF, eBook
Statistics for Ecologists: A Frequentist and Bayesian Treatment of Modern Regression Models
John R. Fieberg (University of Minnesota)
2024
Licence: CC BY
Ecological data pose many challenges to statistical inference. Most data come from observational studies rather than designed experiments; observational units are frequently sampled repeatedly over time, resulting in multiple, non-independent measurements; response data are often binary (e.g., presence-absence data) or non-negative integers (e.g., counts), and therefore, the data do not fit the standard assumptions of linear regression (Normality, independence, and constant variance). This book will familiarize readers with modern statistical methods that address these complexities using both frequentist and Bayesian frameworks.
Formats: PDF