Planet in peril offers an analysis of today's global issues and their impact on human population and the environment. This Atlas illustrates, through text and maps, graphics and diagrams the interplay between population and the world's ecosystems and natural resources both in the short and long terms. It brings together a wealth of information from the most up-to-date sources on such key issues as climate change, access to water, exploitation of ocean resources, nuclear energy and waste, renewable energy, weapons of mass destruction, causes of industrial accidents, waste, export, hunger, genetically modified organisms, urban development, access to health care and ecological change in China.

Exploration of the top four mega-dangers facing humankind and plots a hopeful path to dealing with them through global governance.

Written by an award-winning historian of science and technology, Planet in Peril describes the top four mega-dangers facing humankind – climate change, nukes, pandemics, and artificial intelligence. It outlines the solutions that have been tried, and analyzes why they have thus far fallen short. These four existential dangers present a special kind of challenge that urgently requires planet-level responses, yet today's international institutions have so far failed to meet this need. The book lays out a realistic pathway for gradually modifying the United Nations over the coming century so that it can become more effective at coordinating global solutions to humanity's problems. Neither optimistic nor pessimistic, but pragmatic and constructive, the book explores how to move past ideological polarization and global political fragmentation. Unafraid to take intellectual risks, Planet in Peril sketches a plausible roadmap toward a safer, more democratic future for us all.

Conservation Science and Advocacy for a Planet in Peril: Speaking Truth to Power helps equip scientists working on environmental and sustainability challenges with new tactics for success. Global efforts and cooperation by member states of environmental conventions have steadily increased but lack efficient and scalable mechanisms of translating conservation science to policy. The gap between science and policy is growing and very little time remains before the climate change and biodiversity lossess trigger widespread disruptions of the planet's life support systems. This book covers these important topics, providing a must read for environmental and conservation scientists, climate change activists, students, social scientists, economic professionals, sustainable businesses and policymakers. - Provides an unprecedented collection of local, regional, and national case studies from scientists and practitioners engaged in outreach to decision makers and the public - Covers personal accounts that bring science into policymaking, providing usable guidelines for those working to bridge this gap - Includes the requisite information needed for effective communications and campaign strategies by sharing lessons learned

This insightful text rigorously examines and accounts for contemporary developments – and crucially a reversal of ‘democraticness’ - in democratic polities and related political processes comparing 38 democracies across the world. The focus is on contemporary developments and recent volatile levels of democraticness. Democracies in Peril introduces theoretical backgrounds of what makes democracy tick and scrutinizes empirical trends and development in ‘democraticness’ in an accessible manner. It explores what ‘democracy’ as a political regime implies and how the liberal democratic model developed, as well as examining the present state of affairs in democracies, the challenges democracies encounter and the perils of democracy as a legitimate system of governance in the 21st century. The book provides a ‘systemic’ approach to adjudicate the effects of this assumed reversal in democratization in terms of popular preferences, party behaviour, institutional architecture and policy performance. The effects of public policy formation and the role of the state on actual democratic performance are also analysed. Finally, case studies on the Covid pandemic and the development of social welfare demonstrate the complex relationship between government capacities – under pressure - and the quality of democracy, approaching the question: How do 38 democratic states cope with societal problems, populist tendencies and a fast-changing world without degrading their institutional quality and legitimacy? This text will be of key interest to students, scholars, journalists and interested readers of comparative politics, democratization, public administration, political economy, constitutional law, and the social sciences in general.

Aaarrggh! The planet is in peril. Can you help to fix it with these cool earth-saving tips? Planet in Peril is the ultra useful, totally indispensable, environmental handbook that no child should be without. In your Horrible Geography earth-saving handbook, you'll find out how to stomp on your carbon footprint, discover rubbish ways to watch your waste... and learn how to run a car on dead flies. Armed with earth-saving tips and lots of foul facts, YOU can go green and save the planet!