Research Help: GEOG/PHIL 2004: Environmental Ethics (Gordon & Svolba): Getting Started

Background Information

Here are a couple of resources to help you choose or narrow down a topic. Also check out the news feeds under Web Resources for more inspiration.

Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
An easy-to-use database providing dictionary and encyclopedia entries on subjects in all academic disciplines; a scholarly alternative to Wikipedia. Provides access to over 1,000 reference books.
Issues And Controversies This link opens in a new window
Up-to-date, in-depth and objective information on the most prominent and hotly debated issues of the day.

The Oxford Handbook of Environmental Ethics by Stephen M. Gardiner (Editor); Allen Thompson
Call Number: GE42.O84 2017
ISBN: 9780199941339
Publication Date: 2016-11-22
We live during a crucial period of human history on Earth. Anthropogenic environmental changes are occurring on global scales at unprecedented rates. Despite a long history of environmental intervention, never before has the collective impact of human behaviors threatened all of the majorbio-systems on the planet. Decisions we make today will have significant consequences for the basic conditions of all life into the indefinite future. What should we do? How should we behave? In what ways ought we organize and respond? The future of the world as we know it depends on our actionstoday.A cutting-edge introduction to environmental ethics in a time of dramatic global environmental change, this collection contains forty-five newly commissioned articles, with contributions from well-established experts and emerging voices in the field. Chapters are arranged in topical sections: socialcontexts (history, science, economics, law, and the Anthropocene), who or what is of value (humanity, conscious animals, living individuals, and wild nature), the nature of value (truth and goodness, practical reasons, hermeneutics, phenomenology, and aesthetics), how things ought to matter(consequences, duty and obligation, character traits, caring for others, and the sacred), essential concepts (responsibility, justice, gender, rights, ecological space, risk and precaution, citizenship, future generations, and sustainability), key issues (pollution, population, energy, food, water,mass extinction, technology, and ecosystem management), climate change (mitigation, adaptation, diplomacy, and geoengineering), and social change (conflict, pragmatism, sacrifice, and action). Each chapter explains the role played by central theories, ideas, issues, and concepts in contemporaryenvironmental ethics, and their relevance for the challenges of the future.

Podcasts

Videos

Case Studies

Bioethics@Iowa State University
Includes case studies divided into categories relevant to bioethics. A brief description of the topics are provided as well.
Online Ethics
Cases, scenarios and role plays, some with commentary, focusing on problems relating to the environment, sustainability, and safety. These cases are housed in our Case Database but are listed here for simplified topical searching.
National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science
The mission of the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science at the University at Buffalo is to promote the development and dissemination of materials and practices for case teaching in the sciences. This website provides access to an award-winning collection of peer-reviewed case studies.
U.S. Department of Transportation (FHA) Environmental Justice Case Studies
A Transportation and Environmental Justice Case Studies booklet is now available.There are two sets of case studies which provide examples of effective practices which promote EJ. While these case studies were developed some time ago, the themes of public involvement and data collection are still relevant to EJ in practice.

News Databases

The FSU library subscribes to databases with online access to hundreds of newspapers. Use these databases to search through multiple newspapers and sources at the same time.

Newspaper Source This link opens in a new window
Selected full text for regional, national (U.S.) and international newspapers; full text television & radio news transcripts.
US Newsstream This link opens in a new window
Full-text coverage of major national newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and NY Times, and many others.
LEXIS-NEXIS Academic (Now called Nexis Uni) This link opens in a new window
Full-text documents from over 5,600 news, business, legal (including cases and legislation), medical, and reference publications with a variety of flexible search options.
NewspaperArchive This link opens in a new window
A digital image archive which contains an extensive number of newspaper issues from both large and small newspapers around the world, spanning more than 400 years. Pages are browsable and searchable.

In the news

The Water Is Already Low At A Florida Freshwater Spring, But Nestlé Wants More
In Florida, Nestlé is taking heat from environmental groups and others concerned about the future of one of the state's most endangered natural resources — its freshwater springs.
Studying The Ripple Effects Of Shrinking Arctic Sea Ice
Arctic sea ice is one of the most dramatic indicators of the changing climate. Ice cover on the Arctic Ocean is in some months about half what it was decades ago, and its thickness has shrunk, by some estimates 40%.
The Lake That Feeds The Mekong Basin Is Facing A Shortage Of Fish
Upriver dams and a devastating drought this year brought the Mekong to its lowest level ever recorded. And the combination has left the Tonle Sap Lake—Southeast Asia's largest—in crisis.
As Delhi Chokes On Smog, India's Health Minister Advises: Eat More Carrots
But at the peak of Delhi's pollution, when people all over the city were struggling to breathe, two federal ministers drew wide-spread criticism for tweets that either ignored the problem – or offered a puzzling solution.
New Zealand Commits To Being Carbon Neutral By 2050 — With A Big Loophole
Agriculture is the largest single source of greenhouse emissions in New Zealand, accounting for 48% of the country's total in 2017. Methane emissions from ruminant animals made up 34% of its total emissions. So by putting those emissions in a separate bucket, New Zealand has made hitting its carbon goals a lot easier.
Trump Administration Proposes Relaxing Rules On Waste From Coal Plants
The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed relaxing two Obama-era regulations on waste products from coal-fired power plants, a move environmental groups say would prolong the risk of toxic spills or drinking water contamination.
An Epidemic Is Killing Thousands Of Coal Miners. Regulators Could Have Stopped It
For decades, government regulators had evidence of excessive and toxic mine dust exposures, the kind that can cause PMF, as they were happening. They knew that miners were likely to become sick and die. They were urged to take specific and direct action to stop it. But they didn't.