Open Access and Climate Justice: Library Books & Documentaries

Our planet / by Dianna Torosyan, Irshat Madyarov

Summary: "Our Planet" is an Open Access textbook for learning English around environmental topics.

You can access and use the full-text PDF of the book in the link below:

https://ace.aua.am/files/2020/04/Our-Planet-Textbook.pdf

A Teacher's Manual and the Teacher's Slides are available on the companion website:

https://ace.aua​.am/ourplanet

Green architecture : energy efficiency and renewable energy / by Alen Amirkhanyan, Tigran Sekoyan (modules 5 ; 6 ; 7 ; primary author of module 9), Ruben Hambartsumyan (module 5), Artak Hambarian (module 6) = Kanach chartarapetut'y​un. energaardyunave​tut

The introductory textbook is intended for both undergraduate and graduate students in the fields of architecture, construction, and engineering. 

The full text of the book is available Open Access online at the link below:

https://ace.aua.am/research/green-architecture-textbook/

The textbook consists of 10 chapters on the following topics:

1. Sources and Uses of Energy in the Built Environment
2. The Built Environment and Its Impact on the Natural Environment: Global Overview
3. Design, Policy, and Regulatory Solutions for Energy
4. Energy Efficiency in Buildings: Passive Solutions
5. Energy Efficiency in Buildings: Building Envelope
6. Building Integrated Renewable Energy
7. Energy Storage for Energy Savings and Renewable Integration
8. Integrated Building Design Approach
9. Building Energy Audit and Certification
10. Basics of Financial Analysis for Architects, Urban Planners, and Engineers

Climate Ethics

This collection gathers a set of seminal papers from the emerging area of ethics and climate change. Topics covered include human rights, international justice, intergenerational ethics, individual responsibility, climate economics, and the ethics of geoengineering. Climate Ethics is intended to serve as a source book for general reference, and for university courses that include a focus on the human dimensions of climate change. It should be of broad interest to all those concerned with global justice, environmental science and policy, and the future of humanity.

Climate Justice

The fruit of twenty years of moral reflection on the emerging greatest challenge to humanity of the 21st century, these far-sighted and influential essays by a pioneering practical philosopher on the tangled questions of justice between nations and justice across generations confronting all attempts at international cooperation in controlling climate change sharply crystallize the central choices and offer constructive directions forward. Arguing that persistent attempts by U.S. negotiators to avoid the fundamental issues of justice at the heart of persistent international disagreement on the terms of a binding multilateral treaty are as morally misguided as they are diplomatically counter-productive, Henry Shue has built a case that efforts to price carbon (through cap-and-trade or carbon taxes) as a mechanism to drive down greenhouse gas emissions by the affluent must, for both ethical and political reasons, be complemented by international transfers that temporarily subsidize the development of non-carbon energy and its dissemination to those trapped in poverty. Our vital escape from climate change rooted in the dominance of the fossil fuel regime ought not, and in fact need not, come at the price of de-railing the escape of the world's poorest from poverty rooted in lack of affordable energy that does not undermine the climate. The momentum of changes in the planetary climate system and the political inertia of energy regimes mean that future generations, like the poorest of the present, are vulnerable to our decisions, and they have rights not to be left helpless by those of us with the power instead to leave them hope.

Fairness in Adaptation to Climate Change

Providing a scientific and policy analysis on the challenges of ensuring that adaptation to global climate change doesn't place unfair burdens on vulnerable populations, this book argues that the key to adapting to climate change lies in recognising the equity and justice issues inherent in its causes and in human responses to it.

Climate Change Justice

A provocative contribution to the climate justice debate Climate change and justice are so closely associated that many people take it for granted that a global climate treaty should--indeed, must--directly address both issues together. But, in fact, this would be a serious mistake, one that, by dooming effective international limits on greenhouse gases, would actually make the world's poor and developing nations far worse off. This is the provocative and original argument of Climate Change Justice. Eric Posner and David Weisbach strongly favor both a climate change agreement and efforts to improve economic justice. But they make a powerful case that the best--and possibly only--way to get an effective climate treaty is to exclude measures designed to redistribute wealth or address historical wrongs against underdeveloped countries. In clear language, Climate Change Justice proposes four basic principles for designing the only kind of climate treaty that will work--a forward-looking agreement that requires every country to make greenhouse-gas reductions but still makes every country better off in its own view. This kind of treaty has the best chance of actually controlling climate change and improving the welfare of people around the world.

Elgar Companion to Sustainable Cities

The Elgar Companion to Sustainable Citiesprovides a comprehensive framework for understanding and applying the methods and strategies for cities to attain a more sustainable future. Against a backdrop of unprecedented levels of urbanization, 21st century cities across the globe share mutual concerns for the challenges they face. This Companionfocuses on the importance of the city as a critical building block for a more sustainable future within broader subnational, national and continental contexts, and ultimately, within a global systems context. It discusses the sustainable strategies being devised, as well as the methods and tools for achieving them. Examples of social, economic, political and environmental sustainable policy strategies are presented and the extent to which they actually increase sustainability is analyzed. Topics explored include compact cities and urban metabolism; environmental justice; water resources planning and the impact of climate change on industry, food policy and urban design. This book will appeal to academics and students of planning, public policy and administration, as well as environmental and urban studies. It will also be of interest to those working in urban planning and sustainable development professions. Contributors: L. Baker, T. Banerjee, E.J Blakley, H. Blanco, M.R. Boswell, H. Brattelbo, R.F. Callahan, K. Chapple, N. Cohen, E. Dreps, D.J. Fiorino, A.I. Greve, R.J. Jackson, B. Jiménez Cisneros, C. Kennedy, G.A. Keoleian, D.A. Mazmanian, A. Miller, J.P. Newell, P. Newman, L.K. Nijaki, C.P. Ozawa, M. Pastor, M. Pisano, K.E. Portney, A. Rose, T.L. Seale, B. Tomlinson, K.S. Wolske, M. Xu, R. Zimmerman, M. Zint

Dead Heat

George W. Bush's refusal to sign the Kyoto treaty was openly based on protecting corporate profit, not protecting the public good. With scientists claiming that pollution must be cut by 15 percent while current gas emissions are still rising drastically, something must be done. 'Dead Heat' explains the environmental problem, the ethical and political constraints on implementing solutions, and argues that global environmental justice and economic realism must be factored together in order to advance a climate protocol that puts public good before big business.

The Post Carbon Reader

This diverse collection by best-selling authors, renowned scientists, and experienced activists is an engaging and practical book that will be of interest to the lay reader as well as university students in both graduate and undergraduate courses. The expert contributors toThe Post Carbon Reader were asked to unflinchingly describe the deep and interconnected sustainability crises confronting humanity in the 21st century--and then give readers concrete steps for addressing those crises. This unprecedented collection of writings (34 essays, 4 previously published) is an honest, informed and engaging exploration of the most challenging issues of our time. It includes chapters by best-selling authors like climate activist Bill McKibben, renowned scholars like "ecological footprint" co-founder William Rees, and up-and-coming experts like urban food systems pioneer Erika Allen. Lead editor Richard Heinberg is the world's leading author of mass-market books on fossil fuel dependence and depletion. Heinberg says, "We've run out of time, natural resources and capital, so this is our only chance to get things right."

Can a City Be Sustainable? (State of the World)

Cities are the world's future. Today, more than half of the global population--3.7 billion people--are urban dwellers, and that number is expected to double by 2050. There is no question that cities are growing; the only debate is over how they will grow. Will we invest in the physical and social infrastructure necessary for livable, equitable, and sustainable cities? In the latest edition of State of the World, the flagship publication of the Worldwatch Institute, experts from around the globe examine the core principles of sustainable urbanism and profile cities that are putting them into practice. State of the World first puts our current moment in context, tracing cities in the arc of human history. It also examines the basic structural elements of every city: materials and fuels; people and economics; and biodiversity. In part two, professionals working on some of the world's most inventive urban sustainability projects share their first-hand experience. Success stories come from places as diverse as Ahmedabad, India; Freiburg, Germany; and Shanghai, China. In many cases, local people are acting to improve their cities, even when national efforts are stalled. Parts three and four examine cross-cutting issues that affect the success of all cities. Topics range from the nitty-gritty of handling waste and developing public transportation to civic participation and navigating dysfunctional government. Throughout, readers discover the most pressing challenges facing communities and the most promising solutions currently being developed. The result is a snapshot of cities today and a vision for global urban sustainability tomorrow.    

The Politics of the Environment

Environmental problems are firmly on the political agenda. The stark threat to the planet from climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution can no longer be ignored by governments, political parties, businesses or individuals. Responding to the considerable developments of the last decade, Neil Carter has updated his popular textbook thoroughly, while retaining the existing structure of previous editions. The Politics of the Environment continues to analyse the relationship between 'green ideas' and other political doctrines, the development of green parties and public policymaking, and environmental issues at international, national and local levels. It provides students with a comprehensive comparative introduction to ideas, activism and policy. New to this edition are discussions on climate justice, climate legislation and recent environmental struggles, such as demonstrations against fracking. It employs a variety of global examples and includes pedagogical features such as boxes, a glossary and guides to further study.

A Cultural History of Climate

Global warming and the future of the climate is one of the greatest challenges of our time, but what do we know about climate variations 500 years ago, or 5000 years ago? How can we know anything at all about the history of weather? What impact have climate changes had on human prosperity and the spirit of invention? In this major new book Wolfgang Behringer introduces us to the latest historical research on the development of the earth's climate. He focuses above all on the cultural reactions to climate change through the ages, showing how even minor changes in the climate sometimes resulted in major social, political and religious upheavals. By examining how our predecessors responded to climate changes, Behringer provides us with a fresh basis for thinking about how we might address the serious climatic challenges we face today.