Internet References for: TAKING SIDES: Clashing Views on Environmental Issues, 15e Expanded
Internet References for:
TAKING SIDES: Clashing Views on Environmental Issues
Fifteenth Edition Expanded
Some websites continually change their structure and content, so the information listed here may not always be available.
UNIT 1: ENVIRONMENTAL PHILOSOPHY
The Ecosystems Services Project
The Ecosystems Services Project studies the services people obtain from their
environments, the economic and social values inherent in these services, and
the benefits of considering these services more fully in shaping land management policies.
The Earth Day Network
The Earth Day Network (EDN) promotes environmental citizenship and helps
activists in their efforts to change local, national, and global environmental policies. It also makes the Ecological Footprint quiz available.
The International Institute for Sustainable Development
The International Institute for Sustainable Development advances sustainable
development policy and research by providing information and engaging in
partnerships worldwide. It says it “promotes the transition toward a sustainable
future. We seek to demonstrate how human ingenuity can be applied to improve
the well-being of the environment, economy and society.”
The Natural Resources Defense Council
The Natural Resources Defense Council is one of the most active environmental
research and advocacy organizations. Its home page lists its concerns as clean
air and water, energy, global warming, toxic chemicals, ocean health, and much
more.
The United Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme “works to encourage sustainable
development through sound environmental practices everywhere. Its activities
cover a wide range of issues, from atmosphere and terrestrial ecosystems,
the promotion of environmental science and information, to an early warning
and emergency response capacity to deal with environmental disasters and
emergencies.”
UNIT 2: PRINCIPLES VERSUS POLITICS
Arc Ecology Project: Military and the Environment
Arc Ecology is a nonprofit, public interest organization concerned with the ecology of humanity and its place in the global ecology. Among the issues it addresses is the environmental threat posed by military activities.
ECOLEX: A Gateway to Environmental Law
This site, sponsored by the United Nations and the World Conservation Union,
is a comprehensive resource for environmental treaties, national legislation, and
court decisions.
Environmental Defense Fund
The Environmental Defense Fund is a leading national nonprofit organization
that links science, economics, and law to create innovative, equitable, and cost-effective solutions to society’s most urgent environmental problems.
The Rewilding Institute
The Rewilding Institute’s mission is to develop and promote the ideas and strategies to advance continental-scale conservation in North America, particularly the need for large carnivores and a permeable landscape for their movement, and to offer a bold, scientifically credible, practically achievable, and hopeful vision for the future of wild nature and human civilization in North America.
SourceWatch
SourceWatch is a collaborative project of the Center for Media and Democracy.
Its primary focus is on documenting the interconnections and agendas of public
relations firms, think tanks, industry-funded organizations, and industry-friendly
experts that work to influence public opinion and public policy on behalf of corporations, governments, and special interests.
UNIT 3: ENERGY ISSUES
350.org
350.org is an international campaign dedicated to building a movement to unite
the world around solutions to the climate crisis—the solutions that justice demands. Its goal is to inspire the world to reduce the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million, the level scientists have identified as the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere.
Climate Change
The United Nations Environmental Program maintains this site as a central source for substantive work and information resources with regard to climate change.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was formed by the
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) to assess the scientific, technical, and socio-economic information relevant for the understanding of the risk of human-induced climate
change.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is the nation’s primary laboratory for
renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. Among other things, it works on wind power and biofuels.
www.nrel.gov/
Nuclear Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy leads U.S. efforts
to develop new nuclear energy generation technologies; to develop advanced,
proliferation-resistant nuclear fuel technologies that maximize energy from nuclear fuel; and to maintain and enhance the national nuclear technology infrastructure.
www.ne.doe.gov/
UNIT 4: FOOD AND POPULATION
The Agriculture Network Information Center
The Agriculture Network Information Center is a guide to quality agricultural
(including biotechnology) information on the Internet as selected by the National
Agricultural Library, land-grant universities, and other institutions.
American Fisheries Society
The mission of the American Fisheries Society is to improve the conservation
and sustainability of fishery resources and aquatic ecosystems by advancing
fisheries and aquatic science and promoting the development of fisheries
professionals.
EarthTrends
The World Resources Institute offers data on biodiversity, fisheries, agriculture,
population, and a great deal more.
Organic Farming Research Foundation
The Organic Farming Research Foundation sponsors research related to organic
farming practices, disseminates research results, and educates the public and
decision makers about organic farming issues.
The Population Council
Established in 1952, the Population Council “is an international, nonprofit institution that conducts research on three fronts: biomedical, social science, and
public health. This research—and the information it produces—helps change
the way people think about problems related to reproductive health and population growth.” Many of the council’s publications are available online.
United Nations Population Division
The United Nations Population Division is responsible for monitoring and
appraising a broad range of areas in the field of population. This site offers a
wealth of recent data and links.
UNIT 5: TOXIC CHEMICALS
The Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ)
The Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ) was founded by Lois Gibbs, who in connection with the Love Canal toxic waste site awakened the nation to the link between toxic wastes and public health. CHEJ was instrumental in establishing some of the first national policies critical to protecting community health like the Superfund Program.
e.hormone
e.hormone is hosted by the Center for Bioenvironmental Research at Tulane and
Xavier Universities in New Orleans. It provides accurate, timely information about
environmental hormones and their impacts.
http://e.hormone.tulane.edu/
The J. Craig Venter Institute
The J. Craig Venter Institute, formed in October 2006, is a world leader in genomics research, including the effort to create synthetic cells.
The La Hague Nuclear Reprocessing Plant
The AREVA NC La Hague site, located on the western tip of the Cotentin
Peninsula in Normandy, reprocesses spent power reactor fuel to recycle reusable energy materials—uranium and plutonium—and to condition the waste into suitable final form.
fuel.html
The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition
The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (SVTC) was formed to engage in research,
advocacy, and organizing associated with environmental and human problems
caused by the rapid growth of the high-tech electronics industry.
Superfund
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides a great deal of information
on the Superfund program, including material on environmental justice.
www.epa.gov/superfund/
ADDITIONAL INTERNET RESOURCES
Greenpeace—Greenwashing
Greenpeace has long monitored corporate malfeasance, confronted polluters,
and tried to stop environmental crimes whenever and wherever
they occur. Its StopGreenwash.org website aims to confront deceptive
greenwashing campaigns and give consumers, activists, and lawmakers
the information and tools they need to confront corporate deception and
hold corporations accountable for the impacts their core business decisions
and investments are having on our planet.
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission offers consumers help in interpreting what
claims like “environmentally safe,” “recyclable,” “degradable” or “ozone
friendly” really mean.
www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/general/gen02.shtm
The Wilderness Society
The Wilderness Society is the leading American conservation organization
working to protect the 635 million acres of government-managed public
lands in the United States.
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