Books in the Resources series

"We use coal because it is cheap: cheap to scrape from the ground, cheap to move in ships and trains, and cheap to burn. Why has it remained the default energy source for much of the world despite the obvious environmental costs? Mark Thurber delves into the politics of energy versus the environment around the world to explore this unique resource"--

Diamonds are a multi-billion dollar business involving some of the world s largest mining companies, a million and a half artisanal diggers, more than a million cutters and polishers and a huge retail jewellery sector.

Land is one of the world s most emotionally resonant resources, and control over it is fundamental to almost all human activity. From the local level to the global, we are often in conflict over the ground beneath our feet. But because human relationships to land are so complex, it can be difficult to think them through in a unified way.

* This is a new title in Polity's Resources' series - a range of short, accessible books designed to introduce readers to the geopolitical battles over the world's most crucial resources. * Examines key issues such as the impact of climate change on supply, water pollution, and efforts to privatize water supplies.

Oil pulses through our daily lives. It is the plastic we touch, the food we eat, and the way we move. Oil politics in the twentieth century was about the management of abundance, state power, and market growth.

We all need food to survive, and forty percent of the world's population relies on agriculture for their livelihood. Yet control over food is concentrated in relatively few hands.

* A new book in Polity's successful Resources series which tells the fascinating story of sugar in the global economy * Ambitious and intriguing, this book advances our understanding of the hugely profitable sugar industry and the economic exploitation and health issues associated with it.

Fishing has played a vital role in human history and culture. But today this key resource faces a serious crisis as most species are being overfished or fished to their very limit. Governments have tried to tackle the problem with limited success. Many of their actions have been counterproductive or ineffective.

Grains - particularly maize, rice, and wheat - are the central component of most people s diets, but we rarely stop to think about the wider role they play in national and international policy-making, as well as global issues like food security, biotechnology, and even climate change.