Before commercial whaling was outlawed in the 1980s, diplomats, scientists, bureaucrats, environmentalists, and sometimes even whalers themselves had attempted to create an international regulatory framework that would allow for a sustainable whaling industry. In Whales and Nations, Kurkpatrick Dorsey tells the story of the international negotiation, scientific research, and industrial development behind these efforts —and their ultimate failure. Whales and Nations begins in the early twentieth century, when new technology revived the fading whaling industry and made whale hunting possible on an unprecedented scale. By the 1920s, declining whale populations prompted efforts to develop “rational”—what today would be called sustainable—whaling practices. But even though almost everyone involved with commercial whaling knew that the industry was on an unsustainable path, Dorsey argues, powerful economic, political, and scientific forces made failure nearly inevitable. Based on a deep engagement with diplomatic history, Whales and Nations provides a unique perspective on the challenges facing international conservation projects. This history has profound implications for today’s pressing questions of global environmental cooperation and sustainability. Watch the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QsLlM5KTx0

Antarctica is no longer a 'pole apart'. From a scientific perspective, the Antarctic ice sheet, ocean and climate systems are intimately linked with the global climate and are now seen to be of international significance for understanding climate change. From an economic perspective, the Antarctic is perceived to have great potential as a source of marine resources although the extent of speculated mineral and hydrocarbon resources is unknown. From a conservation perspective, the continent of Antarctica represents the ideal image of unspoiled wilderness. Antarctic Environments and Resources is an accessible and timely new geography of the Antarctic which examines the differing and sometimes conflicting interests in the great southern continent, the Southern Ocean and the subantarctic islands against a background of the physical and natural systems of the region and their interactions. It charts the development of human involvement in the area, focusing on the exploitation of resources from early sealing to modern fisheries, tourism and science, and it assesses the consequent impacts on the natural environment. The text also reviews the emerging framework for future environmental management developed under the Antarctic Treaty System. This is an ideal text for undergraduates studying glacial geomorphology, environmental management, polar regions and the Antarctic.

This extensively illustrated book is the only comprehensive account of the island of South Georgia.

The New Bedford whaling fleet was the most numerous and arranging in the world, setting off on voyages that often lasted for years and extended as far as the Antarctic and Siberia. This title features over 700 detailed photos from the world's finest collection of scrimshaw, the New Bedford Whaling Museum.