ICSM Facing Nature

(Click to run targeted Subject searches in the IC Library catalog)

Philosophy of nature
   For discussion of how nature is perceived and/or portrayed, also try
     Nature
     Nature (Aesthetics)
     Nature--Effect of human beings on
     Nature--Effect of human beings on--History
     Nature--Psychological aspects
     Nature--Religious aspects [see my guide for Religion & Nature]
     Nature--Social aspects
     Nature in literature
     Nature in motion pictures
   And note: you can try substituting more particular terms for "nature":
     Ocean--Religious aspects
     Wolves (in religion, folk-lore, etc.)
     Trees--Symbolic aspects--United States
     Animals in motion pictures
     Wilderness areas--Social aspects--United States

Environmentalism
Environmentalism--United States
Anti-environmentalism--United States
Ecology--Moral and ethical aspects
Ecology--Philosophy
Environmental degradation
Environmental ethics
Environmental ethics--United States
Environmental policy--United States
Environmental protection--Moral and ethical aspects
Environmental protection--United States
Environmental responsibility
Environmental responsibility--United States
Environmental justice
Environmental justice--United States

Ecofeminism
Deep ecology
Deep ecology--Philosophy
Gaia hypothesis
Ecoterrorism
Ecotourism
Green movement
Green Revolution
Sustainable development
Sustainable development--United States
Sustainable living
Recycling (Waste, etc.)

Nature conservation--Philosophy
Nature conservation--United States
Nature conservation--United States--History
Wilderness areas -- United States
National parks and reserves--United States
Landscape protection
Conservation of natural resources
Conservation of natural resources--United States
Ecosystem management
Ecosystem management--United States

Animals and civilization
Human-animal relationships
Animals (Philosophy)
Animals--Psychological aspects
Animals--Social aspects
Animal rights
Animal welfare
Wildlife management
Wildlife conservation
Wildlife conservation--United States
Biodiversity conservation
Biological diversity conservation
Habitat conservation
Endangered species
Extinction (Biology)
  Indians of North America--Religion
Indian philosophy--North America
Indigenous peoples--Ecology--North America

Agriculture--Environmental aspects
Agricultural ecology
Agriculture--United States
Agricultural biotechnology
Agricultural biotechnology--Environmental aspects
Agricultural biotechnology--Moral and ethical aspects
Crops--Genetic engineering
Crops--Genetic engineering--Environmental aspects
Transgenic plants Sustainable agriculture
Alternative agriculture
Organic farming
Agrobiodiversity
Natural foods
Natural foods industry
Slow food movement
Local foods
Farmers' markets
Farm produce--Marketing
Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism--History
Vegetarianism--Moral and ethical aspects
Veganism

Power resources United States
Energy policy--United States
Energy consumption--United States
Energy conservation--United States
Energy development
Energy development--Environmental aspects
Renewable energy sources
Solar energy
Wind power
Hydrogen as fuel
Biomass energy
Nuclear energy
Nuclear power plants--Accidents
Nuclear power plants--Environmental aspects
Radioactive pollution
Hazardous waste sites--United States
Hazardous waste site remediation--United States 

Global warming
Global warming--Government policy  
Atmospheric carbon dioxide--Environmental aspects
Ozone layer depletion
Greenhouse effect, Atmospheric
Greenhouse gases--Environmental aspects  
Air Pollution--Environmental aspects  
Emissions trading
Global temperature changes
Climatic changes
Climatic changes--Environmental aspects
Global environmental change
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992)

 General OneFile : 
     The most user-friendly of our comprehensive databases, covering almost any topic from a wide range of disciplinary angles and offering lots of full text.  Use the default Subject search to find the best subject heading for your topic (and when you find a good one be sure to look at the "Related Subjects" to see if there's something even better).
     When you settle on a subject heading, open the "Subdivisions" link below it.  Most General OneFile subject searchs produce very large retrievals and the "subdivisions" help you narrow your search to a particular aspect: "Economic aspects," "Energy use," "Environmental aspects," "Ethical aspects," "Forecasts and Trends," "Laws," "Political aspects,"  "Social aspects," and "Statistics," to name only a few.  Also note: one of the standard subheadings here is "Portrayals" which gathers articles on how the Subject is presented in art, literature, and mass media.
      If the best available subdivision is still too broad, open it and add your own Keywords in the "Search within these results" slot at the upper left.    
 
Academic Search Premier :
     Like General OneFile and Proquest, a large comprehensive database with ample full text.  Note that you can browse the "Subject Terms" (above the search slots) and once you find a likely Subject Heading for your topic you can "explode" (double click) it for a list of related Subject terms.  And note that after you have retrieved a set of articles you can keep adding Keywords above or suggested Subject Headings listed on the left (though note that these Subject Searches are added to your old search--they will narrow your results.  Also note that with each retrieval set there is a "Geography" button on the left where you can narrow the results by country--for instance, the United States--as well as "Source Types" where you can choose to view only the "academic" (scholarly) journal articles.

GreenFILE &  SocINDEX with Full Text :
     As the names imply, excellent databases for environmental issues and their social ramifications. Click on the "Subject Terms" link above the search slots to find which Subject Headings will work here—for instance browse the Subject headings beginning with the word “Environmental,” including “Environmental ethics,” Environmental justice,” and “Environmental responsibility.”   Double click any Heading for a list of broader, narower, and related Subject Terms.

ScienceDirect :
     Because it’s a large database with a great deal of full text, the absence of Subject searching means that your Keyword searches will often retrieve large sets of articles, many of which mention but don’t discuss your search term(s). One way around this is to limit your initial search to the “Abstract Title Keyword” field. Once you have found an article that sounds on-target, click the “Related Articles” link beneath the citation. This will open a range of articles on the same topic.

     LexisNexis Academic  Law Reviews: Offering a keyword search of 100% full text law reviews (publishers of scholarly articles on legal issues), this is an easy database to use poorly and a bit tricky to use well. In order not to be overwhelmed by articles in which your search terms are mentioned in passing but are not the prime focus, use the atleast command to target articles in which your topic words are required to appear at least a certain number of times. For example: atleast7(“global warming”) or atleast5(business and pollution) or atleast3(“endangered species”) will return only articles in which these words and phrases are used multiple times--an indication that they are a central concern. Note: the term or terms to which you want this command to apply must be put in parentheses with no space between the number you choose and the first parenthesis.
     Use the date range offered under Advanced Options. Because this is a large database of 100% full text, one of the most effective ways to retrieve fewer than 1000 hits is to set up a time frame. Note: if you use the calendar icons to set beginning and end dates, you need to choose a year, a month, and a day for each. Without the day, the date won’t register.

CQ Researcher :
     A weekly publication from Congressional Quarterly. Each report (approx. 20 pages) examines a single issue relevant to American public policy, including the environment. The non-partisan analysis always includes a "Background," "Current Situation," "Outlook," and "Pro/Con" section, as well as numerous charts and graphs of statistical data, maps, and a bibliography for further reading. 
Note the "Issue Tracker" and "Pro/Con" browsers on the left of the home page: these provide an excellent way to find or brainstorm a topic. 
     The archives here extend back to 1991, and since many of these topics are time-sensitive, keep an eye on dates as you scan the reports.

 Philosopher's Index & ATLA religion database with ATLASerials :
     Good resources for the ethical and/or spiritual aspects of environmentalism.

     Few databases offer 100% full text.  Most retrieve a mix of full text articles and article "citations"--article title, author(s), publication info, and usually an "abstract" or one-prargraph summary of the content.  When a citation makes you want the full text, look below it for this icon: 
                                                                  
     Clicking "GETIT" checks (almost all) the IC Library's other databases to see if any offers the full text of the article--or if the Library has a print subscription to the journal in which the article appeared. 

• "GETIT" will usually find the full text in another database and open it in a new window.  

• If none of our databases can access the full text but we have a print subsciption to the journal, "GETIT" will retrieve the Library catalog record for the journal so that you can see if the date of the article falls within the date range we have on hand.

• If full text is not available from any database or from a print subsciption, "GETIT" will provide a link to the IC Library's Interlibrary Loan.  Log in (same as your IC e-mail)--and set up your account if you've never used it before.  "GETIT" will have populated the article request form with all the necessary information and you simply submit the request elecrtonically.  Most articles are supplied as digital files and will be sent to you via e-mail when they arrive.

1. MLA citation for books: in print, from databases, on the Web
2. MLA citation for articles: in print, from databases, on the Web.
3. MLA citation for Web and Multimedia resources, including Web sites, movies, DVDs, CDs, and videos.
4. MLA in-text (parenthetical) citation (far less satanic than the first three).

Search

• Environmental Issues
• Religion & Nature
• Wilderness in the Western Mind
• Agriculture & Food 
• Bioethical Issues
• Native Americans  

From John Henderson & Fiyane Nsilo-Swai:
 

• Sustainability 
• Environmental Science: Biodiversity & Extinction

(Log-in: IC e-mail user name & password)
 

• The Domination of Nature
• Mother/Nature
• Decolonizing Nature
• Cultural Landscapes and Land Use
• Envisioning Nature, Science, and Religion
• Remaking Reality: Nature at the Millenium
• Philosophy of Nature
• Ecospirit
• Nature and Landscape
• Nature and Social Theory
• Meaning of Wilderness
• Earth in Our Care
• Moral Authority of Nature
• Requiem for Nature
• Nature as Landscape
• Environmental Philosophy
• New Economy of Nature
• Nature, God and Humanity
• Aesthetics & Nature

IC Library database log-in required.
 

• Climate Change
• Future of the Arctic
• Coastal Development
• Fracking Controversy 
• Energy Policy
• Managing Nuclear Waste 
• Wind Power
• Disappearing Species
• Buying Green
• Gulf Coast Restoration
• Confronting Warming
• Genetically Modified Food
• National Parks Under Pressure
• Animal Rights

Web Reference:

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:

• Ecology

• Biodiversity

• Environmental Ethics

• Environmental Aesthetics

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy:

• The American Environmental Justice Movement

• Environmental Ethics

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Issues and Regulatory Topics: These provide topical indexes to the wealth of information available at the EPA site.

National Council for Science and the Environment: CRS Reports:
The NCSE collects the CRS (Congressional Research Service) reports on environmental topics. Take advantage of the “Browse Topics” links.

United Nations Environmental Program: There’s a great deal of integrated international research here. Scroll down to the A-Z topic list at the bottom of the page.

World Resources Institute: An “environmental think tank” that supports research with an emphasis on practical solutions to environmental challenges. Check out both their extensive “Publications” and their “News” sections.

Center for International Earth Science Information Network: At Columbia University, this organization posts extensive reports on a wide range of environmental issues. The link here is to their “Browse by Subject” page.

OFFstats: Environment: OFFstats is an international clearinghouse for statistical information.

     Two sites that promote environmental activism and provide extensive online research are the National Resources Defense Council (open “Issues”) and GreenPeace International (navigate with the "What We Do" links). For two conservative and skeptical sites, try the Cato Institute’s “Energy and Environment” research page or the Heritage Foundation’s “Energy and Environment”issues page.

     National Center for Policy Analysis: Environment: Leading think tank that takes a “free enterprise” approach to public policy issues. 

     Brookings Institute: Topics: Another leading think tank, sometimes characterized as liberal, with information on a wide range of social/political issues. See in particular their reports on Climate Change, Environment,Nuclear Energy, Environmental Regulation, and Clean Energy.

• World Nuclear Association:  This is a nuclear industry organization where you'll find a trove of information supportive of  nuclear engergy and confident about the effectiveness of nuclear waste management.  See especially the Radioactive Waste Management page.

• International Atomic Energy Agency: A United Nations sponsored group founded "to promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies." 

• Greenpeace: Radioactive Waste: Greenpeace is opposed to nuclear reactors and highly skeptical about the management of radioactive waste.  Note the index of links at the lower right. 

• Sierra Club: Nuclear Issues: Another highly critical environmentalist group. 

• Nuclear Information and Resource Service: A concerned environmentalist group.  See especially their Radioactive Waste Project.  

• Radioactive Waste Disposal: An Environmental Perspective: from the EPA, note the index of related materials in the left side bar. 

• United states Nuclear Regulatory Commission: Radioactive Waste: Lots of linked resources. 

• Nuclear Energy: Waste Management: an EC (European Commission) site, for a trans-Atlantic perspective.

• Modern Shale Gas Development in the United States--A Primer: A 2009 report from the Department of Energy.
• Hydraulic Fracturing: Web resources from the EPA.
• How Hydraulic Fracturing Works: Allegheny College has put together a thorough, heavy linked series of pages on fracking, its regulation, and its repurcussions.
• Sourcewatch: Fracking: Sourcewatch is an online encyclopedia of the Center for Media and Democracy, who describe themselves as "non-partisan" but also as a "consumer watchdog group."  Also see their entry for theMarcellus Shale.
• Hydraulic Fracturing 101: This is an anti-fracking site from Earthworks with a wide range of information.
• Hydraulic Fracturing and the Marcellus Shale: 90 minute video of an "event" at Cornell, featuring a public discussion/debate of the environmental issues.  Also check out theFracking Web site of the  Associate Dean of the Engineering School at Cornell, Rick Allmendinger.
• Hydraulic Fracturing Facts: a pro-fracking site from Chesapeake Energy.
• Toxic Chemicals on Tap: How Natural Gas Drilling Threatens Drinking Water: online monograph from Environment Illinois Research and Policy Center.

• TransCanada: Keystone XL Pipeline Project: Since this is the company that plans to build the pipeline, it of course champions the project. 
• Friends of the Earth: Keystone XL Pipeline: An environmentalist group which opposes the project.  Be sure to scroll all the way down to the "Resources" section of links.
• Much Ado about a Pipeline: from the Center for Strategic & International Studies, this offers a nifty table laying out the pros and cons.
• National Wildlife Federation: Keystone XL Pipeline: More activist opposition.  Scroll all the way down to "Tar Sands News" and "Reports and Fact Sheets."
• Keystone Cop-Out: brief article from the Economist, notable for concluding that the debate is a tempest in a teapot and that both sides misrepresent the facts.
• Sierra Club: This links to a large collection of articles on Keystone XL--just keep scrolling--but also try putting keystone in the search box at the upper right.
• Keystone XL Pipeline: Here's a slew of links from the U.S. State department, helpfuly presented in reverse chronological order, so you can trace the project through time.  Or use this chonology of documents from the U.S. Embassy in Canada.
• Climate Impact of the Keystone XL Pipeline  and The Keystone XL Objections Wither Away are two recent postings at the Cato Institute, a leading conservative American think tank.
• Tar Sands Action: from 350.org, a leading sponsor of activist oppostion to the project.
• Keystone XL—A Matter of First Importance and A Year Later, Keystone XL Still a Good Decision are two recent postings from the Heritage Foundation, another leading conservative think tank.
• Cornell GLI Study Finds Keystone XL Pipeline Will Create Few Jobs: Cornell's Global Labor Institute offers this summary of a study they conducted.  Note the related links at the bottom, and for the full GLI study click here.
• Pro-Keystone XL Letter Dripping in Fossil Fuel Money: from OilChange International--"exposing the true costs of fossil fuels"--this is a highly partisan site, but the links are interesting.

One way of putting this controversy in a broader context is to read the CQ Researcher from June of 2012,  U.S. Oil Dependence, which discusses Keystone XL. This is a Library database, so log in required.

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: A Special Report: Part of the Arctic Circle Web site, sponsored in part by the University of Connecticut. A good overview of the refuge under "Natural Resources" and coverage of both pro-drilling and anti-drilling positions under "The Debate." 

To Drill . . .

Alaska Pipeline Service Company: The word from BP, Exxon, and other big players in Alaskan oil.

ANWR.org: They describe themselves as a "grassroots" citizens group, but if you look at the main sponsors you will see that this is the voice of Alaska Oil & Gas, the Alaska miners' and truckers" associations, and the Alaska Chamber of Commerce. Accordingly, they make the case for opening the refuge to drilling.

. . . or Not To Drill

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: from the National Resources Defense Council. Linked resources.

Defenders of Wildlife: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Their name is also their position on ANWR.

Chill the Drills: The Sierra Club's position.

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill: from Yale Environment 360.

Oil Spill: from the Rosenstiel School at the University of Miami.

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response: from University of Southern Florida.

Putting BP's Oil Spill Into Context: a statistical approach from TheGreenGrok at Duke.

Assessing the Effects of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill on Human Health: An online monograph from the the National Academies.