Universities have challenging times ahead: the demands of a global student, new technology, employers wanting work-ready graduates and shifting ideologies that influence who holds and creates knowledge. The role of a university as a civic institution becomes increasingly contested. How can and should universities engage with communities to create lasting social impact?

This collection offers global perspectives on community-university engagement, highlighting innovative approaches to co-production, participatory research and collaboration with stakeholders beyond academia. The book explores the challenges and successes of partnership working, demystifying the university's role beyond teaching, positioning it as an anchor institution that can drive social change.

This book analyzes how trees act as mediators of interspecies relationships in popular science writing and creative nonfiction. Making Kin with Trees argues that trees emerge as agents of "arboreal poetics" shaping not only fictional but also material interactions. Following how speculative care practices infuse scientific and poetic texts, formatting practices of reading, sensing, knowing, and communicating (with) trees while affirming both cultural and scientific meaning making processes. This book shows how arboreal thinking connects and might ultimately require breaking down the barrier between fact and fiction, human and plant, onlooker and artwork. This book will be of interest to audiences based in fields including environmental humanities, science and technology studies and ecocriticism, and everyone engaged in science communication and interested in the relationship between scientific fact and narrative.

This book offers a contractarian reading of the European integration process that corroborates, complements and, on occasion, contests European integration theory. It argues that the social contract theories of Thomas Hobbes and John Rawls provide us with insufficiently exploited clues to the formation and justification of European supranational institutions and redistributive instruments. An advanced understanding of the normative foundations of European integration seems to be all the more important in times of multiple crises, differentiated integration and even disintegration - all accompanied and accelerated by the growth of Euroscepticism and anti-European parties.

If we are to meet 'Net Zero' targets, both climate policies and our daily lives require significant change. The transition towards Net Zero will lead to inevitable trade-offs between social, economic and environmental objectives, and this transition could disproportionately impact households already struggling with poverty and precarity.

This book takes a deep dive into the ways families and communities are, or could be, impacted by the implementation of climate policy. It demonstrates that participation in Net Zero requires people to be economically, culturally, socially and politically engaged ? and provides a practical roadmap to encourage and support a truly just transition.

In the fight against climate change, lithium's role in reducing emissions by powering green economies is a mixed blessing. Drawing on ground-breaking fieldwork in Chile, Nevada and Portugal, Thea Riofrancos explores the environmental and social costs of the global race to expand lithium mining amid supply chain concerns. Tracing the history of global extraction, Riofrancos examines how mining harms landscapes, provokes protest, takes centre stage in national politics and links small countries to huge corporations, commodity markets and powerful investors.

While an unregulated mining boom could inflict irreversible harm, Riofrancos offers compelling ideas about how to harmonise climate action with social justice. Across the world's extractive frontiers, we encounter the most brutal aspects of capitalism-but also witness inspiring visions for our planetary future

Every eighteen hours, the world puts up a nuclear power plant's-worth of solar panels. At the same time, combustion continues to melt the poles, poison our bodies and drive global inequality. It is no longer necessary: For the first time in 700,000 years, we know how to catch the sun's rays and convert them into energy.

In Here Comes the Sun, Bill McKibben tells the story of the spike in power from the sun and wind. McKibben traces the arrival of plentiful, inexpensive solar energy, which, if it accelerates, gives us a chance not just to limit climate change's damage but to reorder the world. Getting there means overcoming obstacles like Big Oil, but McKibben sees a chance for a new civilisation that looks to the sun as the star that fuels our world.

The social and environmental challenges we face today are complex and interdependent. Leaders and experts worldwide acknowledge that we cannot address them in isolation and that to keep doing so is to intensify the problem.

This book connects the dots between a group of diverse, but overlapping, professional domains: design, mission-oriented innovation, foresight and futures design, system innovation and leadership. The authors mix methodology and theory with real-life case studies and compelling visual models to aid readers in navigating a new story, balancing tensions in time scale and mindset, learning through experiments and working collaboratively.

Aimed at policy makers, practitioners and educators, this book encourages a new and heightened awareness of systemic change that can lead to societal transformation in support of a sustainable future.

Available open access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND licence.

Images can play a key role in communication - but climate change imagery can be formulaic and narrow in perspective. Going beyond polar bears and wildfires, this book is a manifesto for opening up the visual discourse on climate.

Rather than portraying scenarios that can be remote from many people's lives, Saffron O'Neill shows how images can be powerful tools to engage viewers and enable them to connect different issues together. With engaging case studies and practical advice throughout, the book shows how visuals can represent climate change in more diverse, equitable, inclusive and responsible ways.

This book presents a thorough examination of how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted social life across four major European countries-France, Germany, Italy, and the UK. Drawing on high-quality longitudinal data, it investigates how personal, work, and political lives evolved during and after the pandemic, with particular focus on inequalities based on gender, age, and socio-economic status. The book offers unique insights into both short-term disruptions and longer-term resilience in society, highlighting changes in remote work, family life, and mental health. The book will appeal to scholars and students of sociology, political science, demography, and social policy seeking to understand the pandemic's complex social consequences.

Based on a unique blending of sociology, history, anthropology, and philosophy, this book seeks to reinvigorate youth-centered sports along a path of inclusivity, play, and enjoyment. Beyond the Black Clubs represents a groundbreaking collaboration between leading global researchers as they unravel the intricate tapestry of youth sports in Japan. From Japan's opening to the West in the nineteenth century, the state-driven fusion of sports and education has given rise to a powerful apparatus of moral education, which has helped sustain social stability, order, and hierarchy. And yet, the current state of youth sports is unfortunately pockmarked by so-called "black clubs"-school sports clubs that allow practices such as hazing and corporal punishment, and which lead to many injuries and accidents. This meticulously researched book unveils the global undercurrents that have shaped youth sports in Japan and created the conditions for these black clubs to emerge and, by demanding the attention and action of fellow adults, lays the intellectual foundation for a brighter sports future for all Japanese youth as well as all youth athletes abroad.

As our larger life-giving systems that sustain livelihoods continue to erode at an unprecedented rate, and urban complexities continue to increase, this book presents a refreshingly unconventional, creative, and radical meditation on urbanism and city living. Greg Mews proposes the idea of 'Flux Cities' and offers provocative new ways to inquire into non-linear relations to the city, through questions such as: How can we design from the heart? How to approach the real city and produce for (co)existence? How to navigate the intangible city? How to improve well-being through Flux Cities?

Full of agency, Mews presents deep and personal insights on informal settlements, public space, and the role of Do-It-Yourself Urbanism in enabling spatial justice and regenerative practices towards well-being. A compelling read for anyone willing to shake up the normative existential foundations of cities.

The increasing frequency, scope, and magnitude of global extreme events affect humans and their animal co-inhabitants on our shared planet. This book features a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive text addressing human-animal interactions (HAIs) in the context of climate change, disasters, and other crises. This book presents international professionals' HAI-driven leading ideas, debates, approaches, and promising efforts, providing a range of perspectives across the entire disaster cycle from the Global South and North. Their knowledge, experience, and expertise contribute to a nuanced understanding of disaster-specific HAIs, shedding light on enhancing human-animal welfare, promoting trans-species justice, and building resilience. Students, researchers, educators, practitioners, policymakers, and others can apply this expertise to enhance human-animal welfare and resilience in the global disaster settings.

Chapter "Working Equids in Disasters: Local Concerns and Inspirations" is available open access under a
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

This volume is the first to articulate ethical foundations of transhumanism from perspectives focused on transhuman flourishing, as opposed to utilitarian or deontological approaches. Transhumanism is typically framed as a quest for "transcending biological limitations" and "unlocking human potential"-and thus perceived to be at odds with ethical conceptions of a "good life" that are substantively defined in terms of "human nature." However, the concept of "human nature" is not a biological given but deeply bound up with metaphysical conceptions about what (trans)human futures are possible, desirable, and good. It invites ethical reflection on who we are, the value of embodiment and community to (trans)human existence, and who we might hope to become. The contributions collected in this volume offer a wide spectrum of visions for shaping the techno-progressive agenda of transhumanism in ethically grounded and socially responsible ways.

This book focuses on urban redevelopment and neighborhood gentrification in three global contexts: New York City (USA), London (UK) and Seoul (South Korea). It examines the processes and challenges that impact the various constituencies who live and work in these different global neighborhoods, in comparative contexts. In so doing, the authors explore the complexities wrought by our global economy through globalization and competition, and the rapid pace of urbanization, as they impact urban redevelopment and neighborhood gentrification in global cities. While all societies seek to advance, the volume's recurring question is cui bono, who benefits from modern day urban redevelopment and neighborhood gentrification, irrespective of geographical setting, and raises the question, 'but, where are the poor to live?'

As nationalist and populist movements gain traction worldwide, democracy faces growing threats. In many cases, large cities have emerged as strongholds of progressive and democratic values, pushing back against authoritarian pressures.

This timely book explores the evolving power struggle between cities and central governments, particularly in countries led by populist regimes. It examines key issues such as decentralization, financial autonomy and participatory governance, showing how cities are leading the fight against democratic backsliding. As local governments become "laboratories of democracy", this collection highlights their crucial role in protecting civil liberties and fostering political engagement in an era of rising extremism.

This volume explores how metadiscourse shapes communication across cultures and time. Drawing on contemporary and historical evidence, the chapters show how writers and speakers organise discourse, construct identities, and negotiate persuasion in diverse intercultural settings. With analyses ranging from academic and medical writing to business and digital interaction, the book illustrates the subtle ways language bridges cultural differences and supports understanding in a globalised world, offering fresh empirical insights into the pragmatics of communication.

This book investigates the affective and aesthetic resonances between the works of Philip K. Dick, Thomas Pynchon, and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, offering a fresh perspective on the current fascination with conspiracy theories in the United States. By drawing connections between these figures, the book provides a comprehensive analysis of conspiracy culture as a social phenomenon, challenging the conventional view that it solely threatens the status quo.

The chapters cover a range of topics, including the role of conspiracy theories in maintaining the status quo, the interplay between neoliberal economics and technology, and the political consequences of conspiracy culture's playful aspects. The author explores the epistemological crisis linked to conspiracy culture, examining how it affects science communication and the reception of information. Through an empathetic approach, the book highlights the potential for building meaningful coalitions with conspiracy theorists who share concerns about legitimate injustices.

This book delves into the critical issues arising from the influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other technologies on human consciousness and societal norms. It discusses job displacement, inequality, ecological impacts, and privacy concerns. It highlights the psychological effects of binge-watching and gaming, and the ways AI tools influence human sensitivity.

The volume balances the economic benefits of AI with potential job losses, scrutinizes ethical dilemmas like data theft and result manipulation. It revisits the insights of Gandhi and Marx to advocate for holistic societal solutions. The book provides an overview of technological developments over recent decades, presenting a global perspective on automation and the history and fundamentals of AI.

The book addresses the ethical dilemmas posed by AI, including its role in surveillance, data collection, and socio-economic imbalances. It offers well-defined policies to guide the development and use of ICT tools and examines the effects of AI across various sectors, including finance, healthcare, education, and entertainment. It highlights the need for skilled manpower to keep pace with emerging technologies. This book is an essential read for anyone interested in the ethical implications of modern technology.

This book provides insights on approaches for enhancing ethical practice, professionalism and integrity for future development in academia and beyond. It does so by offering a thorough review of the background and processes to enhance academic integrity in the years of artificial intelligence. The book also explores the future of research integrity and ethics by examining lessons from the past. Ideas from research findings on how to incorporate an integrity culture in continuously changing secondary and higher education are addressed. The chapters are written by international authors who have been working in the fields of integrity sciences, focussing on ways to enhance ethics and integrity amongst students, academics and institutions (including schools). They identify approaches to deter and detect misconduct and discuss the ways to educate academic integrity amongst academic communities. The book addresses best practices from international institutions and how these can be transformed and adopted in different subject areas. Embracing and managing the use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools in education are key themes throughout. Special attention is given to the ethical use of GenAI, exploring the ways to minimise the misuses via policies and guidelines.