Listening To The Sea: The Politics of Improving Environmental Protection (Pitt Series in Policy and Institutional Studies) [Paperback]

Robert Jay Wilder (Author)

Book Description

Series: Pitt Series in Policy and Institutional Studies | Publication Date: September 17, 1998

Through a rigorous integration of policy and science, Robert Wilder suggests a much-improved second-generation governance of the oceans and coasts and proposes new ideas for resolving the environmental policy stalemate found within the U.S. government.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The author's many years of research, love, and respect for the sea and his keen desire to construct a more rational regime for ocean governance are apparent throughout this book. Wilder contributes to the fields of legal scholarship and political science by tracing the historical development of customary doctrines, landmark decisions, and major environmental legislation and treaties pertaining to oil and gas development, fisheries conservation, and jurisdiction over resources. Although portions of several chapters originally appeared in leading law reviews and yearbooks, the author creates a newly integrated and holistic approach for oceans governance by designing a "seastate" that features integrated coastal management with the sharing of power and decision-making between federal and state governments. Arguing strongly for the need to protect biodiversity in the marine environment as well as on land, he offers such solutions as pollution prevention, industrial networking, and the reduction of energy demands. Wilder concludes with recommendations and principles that will constitute a framework for a more refined kind of ocean governance. Recommended for academic libraries, law libraries, and environmental collections.?Margaret Ann Aycock, Gulf Coast Environmental Lib., Beaumont, TX
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“This book’s vision of improving U.S. transportation policy through energy efficiency, and clean new alternatives like the fuel cell, is an exciting and fresh approach that merits serious attention. It clearly shows how improving environmental protection requires integrative thinking.”
—Honorable Rodney E. Slater, U.S. Secretary of Transportation

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press; 1 edition (September 17, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822956632
• ISBN-13: 978-0822956631
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,289,088 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written, accesible history and science, November 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Listening To The Sea: The Politics of Improving Environmental Protection (Pitt Series in Policy and Institutional Studies) (Paperback)

"Listening to the Sea" describes the gradual development of territorial sea limits that grew outof military, then fishery protection, concerns that have no relevance whatever to the proper governance of the sea and its resources but which continue to this day to create boundaries where none really exist. Wilder presents a wealth of historical information in a way that is easy to read and retain. He traces the history of federal-state struggles concerning authority over the exploitation of offshore oil and other resources which underpin current issues about the proper uses of the outer continental shelf and how to allocate federal funds related to OCS. Wilder follows the development of US environmental legislation and the inernational agreements that increasingly are required to find solutions to problems that extend across the "notional" borders nations have created at sea, arguing for an emphasis on prevention rather than cure, the extension of the precautionary principle to all national and international rule-making, and the development of a "holistic" approach to all questions involving the seas and the wildlife that live in them. This covers the substance to be found in the book, but not its effect. It is beautifully written. It's hard to avoid a sense that Wilder may be overoptimistic about the potential for the development of a more "enlightened self interest" to prevail in the governance of the oceans. But "Listening to the Seas" does leave you feeling better about the future and possibilities for scientists and policymakers to work together and for international agreements that might begin to turn around some of the awful trends we've seen in the last 20 years. While things have changed for the worse environmentally, they have changed greatly for the better in terms of the public's recognition of those facts and issues.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Listen to Listening to the Sea, May 18, 2001

By 

Glenn Vanstrum (La Jolla, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Listening To The Sea: The Politics of Improving Environmental Protection (Pitt Series in Policy and Institutional Studies) (Paperback)

In this book, a must-read for anyone interested in the sea, Robert Jay Wilder gives us a new and rational slant on the problems and stewardship of the oceans. Rather than painting scapegoats, he gives the reader an unbiased history of current maritime dangers ( from overfishing to competing maritime bureaucracies), and then presents sensible solutions.'Listening to the Sea' doesn't blame, it heals.

Along the way, there are many pearls to keep things interesting - from cannon range leading to the three-mile limit to how fuel cells work. The meat of the book lies in its clear outlining of the precautionary principle, the philosophy underlying sensible reform of our relationship to the oceans. Wilder makes a compelling claim that combining this with an integrated management plan that uses marine reserves, something akin to Australia's approach to the Great Barrier Reef, offers the best chance to save our oceans.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Listen to Listen to the Sea, May 18, 2001

By 

Glenn Vanstrum (La Jolla, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Listening To The Sea: The Politics of Improving Environmental Protection (Pitt Series in Policy and Institutional Studies) (Paperback)

In this book, a must-read for anyone interested in the sea, Robert Jay Wilder gives us a new and rational slant on the problems and stewardship of the oceans. Rather than painting scapegoats, he gives the reader an unbiased history of current maritime dangers (from overfishing to competing maritime bureaucracies), and then presents sensible solutions.'Listening to the Sea' doesn't blame, it heals.

Along the way, there are many pearls to keep things interesting - from cannon range leading to the three-mile limit to how fuel cells work. The meat of the book lies in its clear outlining of the precautionary principle, the philosophy underlying sensible reform of our relationship to the oceans. Wilder makes a compelling claim that combining this with an integrated management plan that includes marine reserves, something akin to Australia's approach to the Great Barrier Reef, offers the best chance to save our oceans.