The Environmental Studies Shelf

Greenovation: Urban Leadership on Climate Change
Joan Fitzgerald
Oxford University Press
198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016-4314
www.oup.com/us
9780190695514, $31.95, HC, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/Greenovation-Urban-Leadership-Climate-Change/dp/0190= 69551X

Synopsis: Collectively, cities take up a relatively tiny amount of land on = the earth, yet emit 72 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Clearly, cities=
need to be at the center of any broad effort to reduce climate change.

With the publication of "Greenovation: Urban Leadership on Climate Change",=
the eminent urban policy scholar Joan Fitzgerald argues that too many citi=
es are only implementing random acts of greenness that will do little to ad= dress the climate crisis. She instead calls for "greenovation" -- using the=
city as a test bed for adopting and perfecting green technologies for more=
energy efficient buildings, transportation, and infrastructure more broadl=
y.

Further, Professor Fitzgerald contends that while many city mayors cite inc= ome inequality as a pressing problem, few cities are connecting climate act= ion and social justice -- another aspect of greenovation. Focusing on the b= iggest producers of greenhouse gases in cities, buildings, energy and trans= portation, Fitzgerald examines how greenovating cities are reducing emissio=
ns overall and lays out an agenda for fostering and implementing urban inno= vations that can help reverse the path toward irrevocable climate damage. D= rawing on interviews with practitioners in more than 20 North American and = European cities, she identifies the strategies and policies they are employ= ing and how support from state, provincial and national governments has sup= ported or thwarted their efforts.

A uniquely urban-focused appraisal of the economic, political, and social d= ebates that underpin the drive to "go green", "Greenovation" helps us under= stand what is arguably the toughest policy problem of our era: the increasi=
ng impact of anthropocentric climate change on modern social life.

Critique: A timely, focused, insightfully informative, and unique contribut= ion to our on-going national conversation about dealing with our climate-ch= anging environment, "Greenovation: Urban Leadership on Climate Change" is a=
n extraordinary and inspiring read. While unreservedly recommended for pers= onal, professional, community, and academic Contemporary Environmental Poli=
cy collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be note=
d for students, academia, governmental policy makers, environmental activis= ts, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that=
"Greenovation: Urban Leadership on Climate Change" is also available in a = paperback edition (9780197651421, $24.95) and in a digital book format (Kin= dle, $13.19).

Editorial Note: Joan Fitzgerald (https://joanfitzgerald.com) is Professor o=
f Urban and Public Policy at Northeastern University. She focuses on urban = climate action policy, governance, and finance. She is co-authoring her nex=
t book on cities and the struggle for climate justice.

Oil in the Sea IV: Inputs, Fates, and Effects
Consensus Study Report
National Academies Press
500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001
www.nap.edu
9780309274296, $75.00, PB, 516pp

https://www.amazon.com/Oil-Sea-IV-Inputs-Effects/dp/030927429X

Synopsis: Oil and natural gas represent more than 50 percent of the worldwi=
de energy supply, with high energy demand driven by population growth and i= mproving standards of living. Despite significant progress in reducing the = amount of oil in the sea from consumption, exploration, transportation, and=
production, risks remain.

"Oil in the Sea IV: Inputs, Fates, and Effects " is the fourth report in a = series, documents the current state-of-knowledge on inputs, fates and effec=
ts of oil in the sea, reflecting almost 20 additional years of research, in= cluding long-term effects from spills such as the Exxon Valdez and a decade= -long boom in oil spill science research following the Deepwater Horizon oi=
l spill.

This report finds that land-based sources of oil are the biggest input of o=
il to the sea, far outweighing other sources, and it also notes that the ef= fects of chronic inputs on the marine environment, such as land-based runof=
f, are very different than that from an acute input, such as a spill. Steps=
to prevent chronic land-based oil inputs include reducing gasoline vehicle=
usage, improving fuel efficiency, increasing usage of electric vehicles, r= eplacing older vehicles.

This report also identifies research gaps and provides specific recommendat= ions aimed at preventing future accidental spills and ensuring oil spill re= sponders are equipped with the best response tools and information to limit=
oil?s impact on the marine environment.

Critique: Informative enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of Referen= ces, a listing Acronyms/Abbreviations, twelve Appendices, and a Glossary, "= Oil in the Sea IV: Inputs, Fates, and Effects" is exceptionally well organi= zed and presented, making it an invaluable and core addition to personal, p= rofessional, governmental, college, and university library Marine Environme= ntal Studies collections and supplemental curriculum lists.

Environmental Ethics in the Midwest
Ian A. Smith, editor
Matt Ferkany, editor
Michigan State University Press
1405 South Harrison Road, Suite 25, East Lansing, MI 48823-5245 http://msupress.org
9781611864427, $44.95, PB, 270pp

https://msupress.org/9781611864427/environmental-ethics-in-the-midwest

Synopsis: The American Midwest is environmentally rich and complex, home to=
some of the world's largest freshwater lakes and streams as well as cities=
, prairies, forests, and farmlands. Nevertheless, the unique environmental = opportunities and challenges the region presents have been left underapprec= iated and under-explored by environmental ethicists. The close integration =
of the natural and built environments of the Midwest prompts interdisciplin= ary inquiry in a particularly pointed way.

Collaboratively compiled and co-edited by Ian A. Smith and Matt Ferkany in = order to remedy the lack of scholarly attention to this area, "Environmenta=
l Ethics in the Midwest: Interdisciplinary Approaches" attends to the way t= hat the broad concerns of environmental ethics manifest in the region. Comp= rised of eight original essays, the wide range of topics covered include: a= grarian ethics and Stoicism; the Dakota access pipeline and Indigenous wome= n's activism; philosophy of law and species classification; environmental j= ustice and the Flint water crisis; hog farming and antimicrobial drug resis= tance; science education standards and climate change education; virtue eth= ics and ecological restoration; environmental pragmatism and the Clean Wate=
r Act; and more.

Each accessibly written chapter brings multidisciplinary complexity to bear=
on this complex region. The contributors include philosophers working in e= nvironmental ethics and other subfields of philosophy, and together with sc= holars in fields such as environmental sociology, American Indian studies, = and environmental studies. Collectively they provide a fresh and necessary = perspective on various environmental issues germane to the American Midwest=
..

Critique: Featuring a complete listing of the contributors and their creden= tials, "Environmental Ethics in the Midwest: Interdisciplinary Approaches" =
is a very special and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, profes= sional, community, and academic library Environmental and Conservation Ethi=
cs collections and supplemental curriculum studies. It should be noted for = students, academia, environmental activists, governmental policy makers, an=
d non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Envi= ronmental Ethics in the Midwest: Interdisciplinary Approaches" is also avai= lable in a digital book format (Kindle, $42.70).

Editorial Note #1: Ian A. Smith (https://www.washburn.edu/our-faculty/ian-s= mith) is associate professor of philosophy and chair of the Department of P= hilosophy and Religious Studies at Washburn University, where he primarily = teaches ethics and logic classes.

Editorial Note #2: Matt Ferkany (https://people.cal.msu.edu/ferkany) is ass= ociate professor in philosophy and affiliated faculty of the Environmental = Science and Policy Program at Michigan State University. His work concerns = virtue, environmental ethics, and moral education.

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