Environmental Disaster in the Gulf South

Environmental Disaster in the Gulf South PDF

Author: Cindy Ermus

Publisher: LSU Press

Published: 2018-01-09

Total Pages: 250

ISBN-13: 0807167126

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Hurricanes, floods, oil spills, disease, and disappearing wetlands are some of the many environmental disasters that impact the Gulf South. The contributors to Environmental Disaster in the Gulf South explore the threat, frequency, and management of this region’s disasters from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Scholars from the fields of history, sociology, and anthropology examine the underlying causes of vulnerability to natural hazards in the coastal states while also suggesting ways to increase resilience. Greg O’Brien considers the New Orleans flood of 1849; Andy Horowitz, the Galveston storm of 1900; and Christopher M. Church, the 1928 hurricane in Florida and the Caribbean. Urmi Engineer Willoughby delves into the turn-of-the-century yellow fever outbreaks in New Orleans and local attempts to eradicate them, while Abraham H. Gibson and Cindy Ermus discuss the human introduction of invasive species and their long-term impact on the region’s ecosystem. Roberto E. Barrios looks at political-ecological susceptibility in New Orleans’s Lower Ninth Ward, and Kevin Fox Gotham treats storm- and flood-defense infrastructures. In his afterword, Ted Steinberg ponders what the future holds when the capitalist state supports an unwinnable battle between land developers and nature. These case studies offer new ways of understanding humans’ interactions with the unique, and at times unforgiving, environment of the Gulf South. These lessons are particularly important as we cope with the effects of climate change and seek to build resilience and reduce vulnerability through enhanced awareness, adequate preparation, and efficient planning.

Oil Pollution and its Environmental Impact in the Arabian Gulf Region

Oil Pollution and its Environmental Impact in the Arabian Gulf Region PDF

Author: M. Al-Azab

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2005-11-11

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 0080457800

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Situated within the richest oil area in the world, the Arabian Gulf represents a stressed ecosystem with scarce published data and environmental studies. The oil-related activities cause significant damages to different ecosystem components such as coral reefs, algal mats, mangrove and other habitats. In addition to the increasing potential of pollution and its adverse effect on the ecosystem, oil spills and relevant implications can severely affect the main source of desalinated water for the Gulf countries due to their limited water resources. Interest in pollution issues associated with Arabian Gulf has been growing in the last few years. These issues include identification and documentation of the major sources of oil pollution in the Gulf region, evaluation of the analytical methods used to identify the different types of pollutants, review of the recent advances in oil pollution impact treatment and prevention, develop stronger cooperation ties between interested members of the community, and encourage awareness of the oil pollution as a serious environmental problem in the region. This book compiles recent studies addressing the above issues grouped in four categories; monitoring and characterizing oil spills, modeling the fate of pollutants and oil slicks in marine water, environmental effects of oil pollution on the ecosystem components, and combating, prevention and treatment of oil pollution. * Studies oil pollution issues in association with the Arabian Gulf * Compiles recent case studies conducted in the Arabian Gulf * Addresses diverse topics related to pollution issues in the marine water in general and in the Arabian Gulf in particular

Environmental Issues for the Gulf

Environmental Issues for the Gulf PDF

Author: Peter Kassler

Publisher: Chatham House (Formerly Riia)

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 152

ISBN-13:

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This book lays the groundwork for a strategy of sustainable development for the United Arab Emirates and its neighbors into the twenty-first century.

The Gulf War Aftermath

The Gulf War Aftermath PDF

Author: M. Sadiq

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 309

ISBN-13: 9401116857

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In 1962 Rachel Carson warned of the consequences of man's pollution in her book Silent Spring, a book that some feel marks the real beginning of our environmental awareness. Silent Spring told of the consequences of our increasing pesticide use to birds. Almost 30 years after her warning, the western Arabian Gulf experienced its "silent spring" when approximately 100,000 to 250,000 waterbirds died, along with millions of other organisms, due to the massive oil spill that resulted due to Gulf war. The magnitude of our environmental problems has continued to grow during the last thirty years to a point where even the "doomsday" environmentalists could hardly have envisioned back in 1962. It seems the death of yet uncounted thousands of humans was not sufficient for Saddam Husain. His desire for power and infamy led him to unleash environmental war on mankind. At the end of the Gulf war he set ablaze the oil fields of Kuwait and released more oil into the sea than had been spilled at any time throughout history. These actions were despicable and an affront to civilized man. A quality environment should be a right of all mankind, and to wage war by deliberately polluting the earth cannot be tolerated.

Health Consequences of Service During the Persian Gulf War

Health Consequences of Service During the Persian Gulf War PDF

Author: Institute of Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 1996-10-10

Total Pages: 205

ISBN-13: 0309175526

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In January 1995 the Institute of Medicine released a preliminary report containing initial findings and recommendations on the federal government's response to reports by some veterans and their families that they were suffering from illnesses related to military service in the Persian Gulf War. The committee was asked to review the government's means of collecting and maintaining information for assessing the health consequences of military service and to recommend improvements and epidemiological studies if warranted. This new volume reflects an additional year of study by the committee and the full results of its three-year effort.

Environmental Public Health Impacts of Disasters

Environmental Public Health Impacts of Disasters PDF

Author: Institute of Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2007-06-13

Total Pages: 100

ISBN-13: 0309179890

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Public health officials have the traditional responsibilities of protecting the food supply, safeguarding against communicable disease, and ensuring safe and healthful conditions for the population. Beyond this, public health today is challenged in a way that it has never been before. Starting with the 9/11 terrorist attacks, public health officers have had to spend significant amounts of time addressing the threat of terrorism to human health. Hurricane Katrina was an unprecedented disaster for the United States. During the first weeks, the enormity of the event and the sheer response needs for public health became apparent. The tragic loss of human life overshadowed the ongoing social and economic disruption in a region that was already economically depressed. Hurricane Katrina reemphasized to the public and to policy makers the importance of addressing long-term needs after a disaster. On October 20, 2005, the Institute of Medicine's Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine held a workshop which convened members of the scientific community to highlight the status of the recovery effort, consider the ongoing challenges in the midst of a disaster, and facilitate scientific dialogue about the impacts of Hurricane Katrina on people's health. Environmental Public Health Impacts of Disasters: Hurricane Katrina is the summary of this workshop. This report will inform the public health, first responder, and scientific communities on how the affected community can be helped in both the midterm and the near future. In addition, the report can provide guidance on how to use the information gathered about environmental health during a disaster to prepare for future events.

The Gulf Monarchies and Climate Change

The Gulf Monarchies and Climate Change PDF

Author: Mari Luomi

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2015-03-15

Total Pages: 301

ISBN-13: 9780199387526

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At the heart of Mari Luomi's salutary book is whether oil- and gas-dependent authoritarian monarchies can keep their natural resource use and the environment in balance. She argues that the Gulf monarchies have already reached their limits of 'natural sustainability', given that several of them are dependent on natural gas imports. Water resources are dwindling, and food import dependence is high and rising. Qatar's per capita emission of CO2 is ten times the global average. As a result of their booming economies, the Gulf monarchies' surging electricity and water demand have exerted unexpected pressures on domestic energy supply. Simultaneously, the consolidation of climate change on the international agenda has created a new uncertainty for local rulers whose survival depends on sales of oil and gas. Meanwhile domestic resource consumption, together with climate change, are putting unprecedented stress on the region's fragile desert environment. The Gulf is under stress, but so too are its states' power, wealth and ecosystems. Luomi reveals how Abu Dhabi and Qatar have responded to these new natural re- source-related pressures, particularly climate change, and how their responses are inextricably linked with elite legitimacy strategies and the 'natural unsustainability' of their political economies.

Sustainability in the Gulf

Sustainability in the Gulf PDF

Author: Elie Azar

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-07-31

Total Pages: 356

ISBN-13: 1351705091

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Sustainability is a topic of great interest today, particularly for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, which have witnessed very rapid economic and demographic growth over the past decade. The observed growth has led to unsustainable consumption patterns of vital resources such as water, energy, and food, highlighting the need for an urgent shift towards green growth and sustainable development strategies. Sustainability in the Gulf covers the region’s contemporary development challenges through the lens of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which place sustainability at the centre of the solution to the current environmental, economic, and social imbalances facing GCC countries. The book presents multiple analyses of Gulf-specific sustainability topics, examining the current status, challenges, and opportunities, as well as identifying key lessons learned. Innovative and practical policy recommendations are provided, as well as new conceptual angles to the evolving academic debates on the post-oil era in the Gulf. Through chapters covering sector-related studies, as well as the socio-economic dimensions of the sustainability paradigm, this volume offers valuable insights into current research efforts made by the GCC states, proposing a way forward based on lessons learned. This is a valuable resource for students, academics, and researchers in the areas of Environmental Studies, Political Economy, and Economics of the GCC states.