Pollution in a promised land : an environmental history of Israel / Alon Tal.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Tal, Alon, 1960-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Pollution--Israel.

Pollution.

Environmental protection--Israel.

Environmental protection.

Environmental policy--Israel.

Environmental policy.

Israel--Environmental conditions.

Israel.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (589 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley, Calif. : University of California Press, c2002.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Virtually undeveloped one hundred years ago, Israel, the promised "land of milk and honey," is in ecological disarray. In this gripping book, Alon Tal provides--for the first time ever--a history of environmentalism in Israel, interviewing hundreds of experts and activists who have made it their mission to keep the country's remarkable development sustainable amid a century of political and cultural turmoil. The modern Zionist vision began as a quest to redeem a land that bore the cumulative effects of two thousand years of foreign domination and neglect. Since then, Israel has suffered from its success. A tenfold increase in population and standard of living has polluted the air. The deserts have bloomed but groundwater has become contaminated. Urban sprawl threatens to pave over much of the country's breathtaking landscape. Yet there is hope. Tal's account considers the ecological and tactical lessons that emerge from dozens of cases of environmental mishaps, from habitat loss to river reclamation. Pollution in a Promised Land argues that the priorities and strategies of Israeli environmental advocates must address issues beyond traditional green agendas.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

Illustrations

Acknowledgments

Preface

1. The Pathology of a Polluted River: An Introduction to Israel's Environmental Crises

2. Reclaiming a Homeland: Zionism's Mixed Ecological Message

3. Palestine's Environment, 1900-1949: Prelude to Disaster or Benign Half-Century?

4. The Forest's Many Shades of Green

5. The Emergence of an Israeli Environmental Movement

6. A General Launches a War for Wildlife

7. The Quantity and Quality of Israel's Water Resources

8. Israel's Urban Environment, 1948-1988: The Politics of Neglect

9. A Ministry of the Environment Comes of Age

10. Israel, Arabs, and the Environment

11. Environmental Activism Hits Its Stride

12. Toward a Sustainable Future?

Notes

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 435-516) and index.

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

ISBN:

9786612762710

9781597348195

1597348198

9780520936492

0520936493

9781282762718

1282762710

OCLC:

475931758