Synopses & Reviews
Students today are often confronted with alarms and concerns over the state of the environment. Global warming, biodiversity, genetically engineered food - disputes over such topics are a constant refrain. But to best understand these contemporary debates, students need to understand the long history of these environmental concerns. Great Debates in American Environmental History examines over 200 of the most important and controversial environmental issues in the history of the United States, conveniently organizing them in chronological order from the Colonial period to the present. Each entry describes the issue, the stakeholders of various positions, and both the immediate outcome of the debate, and the long-term consequences of the result.
Great Debates in American Environmental History examines in detail the environmental issues surrounding such turning points in the history of the United States as: The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 and the resulting addition of the Great Plains to the United States. The controversial mid-19th century plans for a large urban park in the middle of Manhattan, now known as Central Park. The debates over the federal land grants given to railroads in the 1860s to spur the construction of transcontinental rail, and the resulting environmental effects that impact much of the West today. The 1921 discovery of tetraethyl lead as an anti-knock gasoline additive, which was put on the market with little research as to the health impact. The current debates over the drilling for oil in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR.
Review
"America's history has been shaped not only by political events but also by its environment. Beginning with the establishment of the English Colonies in the late 16th century, this two-volume set edited by Lybecker (political science, Idaho State Univ.) and Black (history & environmental science, Penn State Univ., Altoona; Nature and the Environment in Nineteenth-Century American Life) presents a chronological view of selected events that demonstrate how the American people have used and adapted the environment to suit their needs and the environment has influenced the American people. Headers for each of the 160-plus articles list the time period being discussed, opposing people or groups during the event, other interested parties, and the general environmental issues under discussion. Subjects covered include political and ecological developments, environmental conservation, agriculture, scalable development, and pollution. Lewis and Clark, American expansion, energy development, and Love Canal articles count among the events covered. The easy-to-read entries vary between one and seven pages in length and conclude with a brief list of sources and titles for further reading." - Library Journal
Review
"Black and Lybecker take a more measured and calmly descriptive appraoch than some previous books on environmental history. This resource will be useful to high-school and college students and teachers along with the general public and is well worth consideration by most libraries." - Booklist
Review
"This is a very useful set of volumes to have available to any college environmental studies program. . . . These volumes are recommended for libraries that have science and contemporary policy collections, especially those accessed by faculty and students in environmental studies programs." - ARBA
Synopsis
Each entry includes all sides of the issue and concludes with a list of resources for further reading.
About the Author
BRIAN BLACK is associate professor in the departments of history and environmental studies at Penn State University, Altoona. He is the author of Nature and the Environment in Nineteenth-Century American Life and Nature and the Environment in Twentieth-Century American Life.DONNA L. LYBECKER is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Idaho State University. She received her M.A. from Tulane University and her Ph.D. from Colorado State University where she focused on Environmental Politics and Latin America. Her research interests include decentralization of environmental policy, water policy in the West and along the US-Mexico border, and cross border environmental politics.
Table of Contents
List of Entries
Guide to Related Topics
Preface
Introduction
Entries
Epilogue
Bibliography
Index