The Global Casino

The Global Casino is a basic text covering environmental concerns that deals both with the functions of the physical environment and with the political, economic, and societal frameworks in which the issues arise. Using illustrations from across the globe, the book emphasizes the underlying reasons behind ecological problems, the human actions that have created them challenges, and the aspirations for solutions. It’s a publication about the human impact on the surrounding and the methods whereby the natural environment affects human society.

The sixth version has been thoroughly modified and updated throughout, with new instances, figures, and online resources including a complete lecture course for mentors and multiple-choice questions for pupils. New concepts and topics covered for the first time in this version include the sustainable economy, the forest transition model, marine microplastic contamination, urban calamities, dismantling of massive dams, and the commencement of the Anthropocene. Recent international initiatives covered include the Paris Agreement on climate adjustment, the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and the Sendai Framework for managing catastrophe peril. New cases involve Morocco’s Noor concentrated solar power plant, desert reclamation in Kuwait, and river governance on the Huang Ho.

Eighteen sections on major matters follow three preliminary sections that outline the background contexts of the physical and human environments and the concept of sustainable development. Each section provides historical context for key concerns, outlines why they have arise, and highlights areas of controversy and uncertainty to evaluate how challenges can be tackled both technically and in political and economic frameworks. Each section also contains an updated essential guide to additional reading – many of them open entry – and websites, as well as discussion points and essay inquiries. The manuscript can be read in its entirety or individual sections pursued as standalone study.

This text is an essential resource for students of the surrounding, geography, earth sciences, and development studies. It provides comprehensive and inspirational coverage of all the major global environmental issues of the day in a manner that is clear and critical.