Poison Powder
In 1975 workers at Life Science Products, a small makeshift pesticide factory in Hopewell, Virginia, became ill after exposure to Kepone, the brand name for the pesticide chlordecone. They made the poison under contract for a much larger Hopewell company, Allied Chemical. Life Science workers had been breathing in the dust for more than a year. Ingestion of the chemical made their bodies seize and shake. News of ill workers eventually led to thediscovery of widespread environmental contamination of the nearby James River and the landscape of the small, working-class city. Not only had Life Science dumped the chemical, but so had Allied when the company manufactured it in the 1960s and early 1970s. The resulting toxic impact was not only on the city of Hopewell but also on the faraway fields where Kepone was used as an insecticide. Aspects of this environmental tragedy are all too common: corporate avarice, ignorance, and regulatory failure combined with race and geography to determine toxicity and shape the response. But the Kepone story also contains some surprising medical, legal, and political moments amid the disaster. With Poison Powder, Gregory S. Wilson explores the conditions that put the Kepone factory and the workers there in the first place and the effects of the poison on the people and natural world long after 1975. Although the manufacture and use of Kepone is now banned by the Environmental Protection Agency, organochlorines have long half-lives, and these toxic compounds and their residues still remain in the environment.
Political Economy of China's Climate Policy
An Economic Analysis of China's Climate Policy.- China's Balance of Emissions Embodied in Trade: Approaches to Measurement and Allocating International Responsibility.- Low Carbon Transformation.- Adapting to the Carrying Capacity, Ensuring Ecological Safety.- Post-Paris Process: A Transformational Breakthrough Is Still Needed.
Legacy and Emerging Contaminants in Water and Wastewater
Part 1: State of the science on organic micropollutants in water and wastewater.- Chapter 1-Emerging contaminants in water and wastewater: monitoring, risk assessment and remediation techniques.- Chapter 2-Legacy and emerging contaminants in water: Origin, distribution and implications for human exposure and health.- Chapter 3-Groundwater contamination by persistent organic pollutants in India- A review.- Chapter 4-Fate, Transport and Effects of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Urban Environment.- Chapter 5-Phenoxyacid herbicides in water ecosystems- a review on their fate, risk assessment and remediation techniques.- Part 2: Monitoring of organic micropolluntants and their associated risks.- Chapter 6-Water contamination and sources of plasticizers in Asia: a review.- Chapter 7-Antifouling Strategies & Environmental Issues in Industrial Cooling Water Systems in the Marine Environment.- Chapter 8-Measuring emerging contaminants in freshwater systems.- Chapter 9-Optical Techniques in Monitoring of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in Water and Waste Water.- Part 3: Current approaches for remediation of organic micropollutants.- Chapter 10-Pharmaceuticals in Indian Aquatic Environment: Risk and Implications for Management.- Chapter 11-Suspect and Non-target Screening of Pharmaceuticals in Water and Wastewater Matrices.- Chapter 12-Human exposure and health risks.- Chapter 13-Carbamazepine Residues in Wastewater and River Water: Occurrence, Estimation of Use, and Disposal of this Drug in a Small Community in Western Kentucky, USA.- Chapter 14-Source, Treatment and Management Options of Contaminants of Emerging Concerns (CECs) in Water.- Chapter 15-Emerging Contaminants in Water: Potential Risks and Remedial Techniques.- Chapter 16-Emerging Contaminants Removal from Domestic Wastewater by Advanced Treatment Technologies.- Chapter 17-Treatment Technologies for Emerging Contaminants in Water and Wastewater.- Chapter 18-Novel strategies to treat organic micropollutants.- Chapter 19-Advanced treatment technologies to combat antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes from urban wastewater.- Chapter 20-Nanotechnology based treatment strategies for removal of antibiotic and antibiotic byproducts from waste water.- Chapter 21-Levels, sources and removal efficiency of PCDDs/PCDFs and dl-PCBs in water and wastewater in Poland and Europe under the European water directives.
Metal, Metal-Oxides and Metal-Organic Frameworks for Environmental Remediation
This book reviews principles, techniques and applications of metal, metal oxides, metal sulfides and metal-organic frameworks for removal and degradation of pollutants. Natural materials are often much more advanced than synthetic materials in terms of circularity and are functional, often biodegradable, recyclable and generate little waste. They are, therefore, a source of inspiration for new synthetic materials. In particular, recent research has focused on various types of functional materials such as organic, inorganic, nanostructured and composites for the remediation of environmental pollution.
Making the Green Revolution
In November 2017, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) celebrated its fiftieth anniversary at its headquarters outside Palmira, Colombia. As an important research center of the so-called Green Revolution in agricultural science and technologies, CIAT emphasizes its contributions to sustainability, food security, gender equity, inclusive markets, and resilient, climate-smart agriculture. Yet these terms hardly describe the Cauca Valley where CIAT is physically located, a place that has been transformed into an industrial monoculture of sugarcane where thirteen Colombian corporations oversee the vast majority of this valley's famously fertile soil. This exemplifies the paradox Timothy W. Lorek describes in Making the Green Revolution: an international research center emphasizing small-scale and sustainable agricultural systems sited conspicuously on a landscape otherwise dominated by a large-scale corporate sugarcane industry.Utilizing archives in Colombia, Puerto Rico, and the United States, Lorek tracks the paradoxical but intertwined twentieth-century processes that produced both CIAT and sugar in the Cauca Valley. This history reveals how Colombians contributed to the rise of a global Green Revolution and how that international process in turn intersected with a complex and long-running rural conflict in Colombia.
Challenges and Opportunities of Circular Economy in Agri-Food Sector
Given novelty of the research area and the need for industry & academia, we will publish 14-18 high-quality Chapters in this book. The tentative Chapters list may be provided soon.Tentative topics: Smart and sustainable mfg. systemsEnvironment impact and mitigationCircular economy business models6RsSustainable Supply Chain and Waste Mgmt.Ecosystems and Mfg.Sustainable Innovations Mgmt.Life Cycle Engg. and AssessmentGreen and By-ProductsReverse LogisticsZero-Waste ProductionResources and Efficiency Mgmt.Future Eco-FactorySolid and Electronic Waste Mgmt.Sustainable Food Value ChainCircular economy product designs and mfg.Climate change policy and adaptation;Energy and Environmental policyIndustrial ecology
Making the Green Revolution
In November 2017, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) celebrated its fiftieth anniversary at its headquarters outside Palmira, Colombia. As an important research center of the so-called Green Revolution in agricultural science and technologies, CIAT emphasizes its contributions to sustainability, food security, gender equity, inclusive markets, and resilient, climate-smart agriculture. Yet these terms hardly describe the Cauca Valley where CIAT is physically located, a place that has been transformed into an industrial monoculture of sugarcane where thirteen Colombian corporations oversee the vast majority of this valley's famously fertile soil. This exemplifies the paradox Timothy W. Lorek describes in Making the Green Revolution: an international research center emphasizing small-scale and sustainable agricultural systems sited conspicuously on a landscape otherwise dominated by a large-scale corporate sugarcane industry.Utilizing archives in Colombia, Puerto Rico, and the United States, Lorek tracks the paradoxical but intertwined twentieth-century processes that produced both CIAT and sugar in the Cauca Valley. This history reveals how Colombians contributed to the rise of a global Green Revolution and how that international process in turn intersected with a complex and long-running rural conflict in Colombia.
Miombo Ecology and Management
This book provides comprehensive details of the climate, environment, ecology and species characteristic of Miombo, and describes methods for assessing the timber and other resources, through inventories, in order to use the forest sustainably.
Environmental Contaminants and Neurological Disorders
1-Pathogenesis of neurodegeneration and associated neurological disorders.- 2-Air pollutants and neurological disorders: From exposure to preventive interventions.- 3-Bacterial endotoxins and neurological disorders: From exposure to preventive interventions.- 4-Heavy metals and neurological disorders: From exposure to preventive interventions.- 5-Pesticides and neurological disorders: From exposure to preventive interventions.- 6-Cigarette smoking and neurological disorders: From exposure to preventive interventions.- 7-Mycotoxins and neurological disorders: From exposure to preventive interventions.- 8-Polycarbonate plastics and neurological disorders: From exposure to preventive interventions.- 9-Bisphenol A and neurological disorders: From exposure to preventive interventions.- 10-Volatile organic compounds and neurological disorders: From exposure to preventive interventions.- 11-Persistent organic pollutants and neurological disorders: From exposure to preventive interventions.- 12-Polychlorinated biphenyls and neurological disorders: From pathogenesis and preventive interventions.- 13-Phthalates and neurological disorders: From exposure to preventive interventions.- 14-Perfluoroalkyl chemicals and neurological disorders: From exposure to preventive interventions.- 15-Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and neurological disorders: From exposure to preventive interventions.- 16-Nanomaterials as source of environmental contaminants: from exposure to preventive interventions.
Earth Systems Protection and Sustainability
Earth Systems Protection and Sustainability authorises imperatives to achieve sustainability and protect our threatened and vulnerable Earth. Mathematical advances in context incorporate operational and Boolean, as well as linguistic, logic-based Bayesian, and generative methods for scenario formation. Functional areas and deeper learning enable the use of searching algorithms, proffering optimal solutions for the circular nature of sustainability in natural ecosystems and human dominated settings. Key informative nodes are provided in the hope that we may moderate the very real dangers facing planet Earth and its biodiversity. An arena of insightful chapters is blended with social resilience and socio-economic development coverage, accentuating integrity, protection and sustainability within divergent climatic forces and species dynamics on Earth. Volume 2 focuses on bioaccumulation; climate change and resilience for co-operative socio-economic and ecosystem management via policy frameworks across sectors; mathematical modelling of freshwater in coastal regions in arid and semi-arid zones; decision making in natural disasters; peat solidification for environmentally sustainable geotechnical engineering; green energy conversion; flood risk mapping; rainfall analysis; exposure, safety, and security amidst increasing environmental contamination; remote handling vehicles; wind turbines; and deep learning and its environmental applications. Earth Systems Protection and Sustainability is addressed globally to communities, schools and researchers in professional, governmental and unit operations; descriptive and illustrative sections include all sectors to ensure Earth Systems Protection as our capacity reaches an unsustainable climax.
Environmental Economics
Introduction.- PART I THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT.- Differing Views on the Environment.- The International Dimension of the Environment.- PART II THEORETICAL ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS.- Basics of Environmental Economics.- Allocation Problems in a Market Economy.- The Internalization of External Effects.- Public Goods in Environmental Economics.- PART III ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY.- From Theory to Policy: Information Deficits.- Command-and-Control Policy.- The Price-Standard Approach to Environmental Policy.- International Environmental Commodities and the Principal-Agent-Approach.- Holistic Environmental Policies.- PART IV THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE GLOBALIZED WORLD.- Trade and the Environment: The Legal Context.- Overfishing.- Integration of Trade and the Environment.
Economic Evaluation, Cost-Benefit Analysis, Economic Ethics
Chapter 1: Problem and Fundaments.-Chapter 2. Idea-historical foundations and dubious (standard) objections to cost-benefit analysis.- Chapter 3. Frictions on the application level: costs and benefits, discounting, uncertainty, fact base.- Chapter 4. Collision of the cost-benefit analysis with liberal-democratic basic principles and the claim of validity of law.- Chapter 5. Cost-benefit analysis without convincing theoretical basis.- Chapter 6. Remaining relevance of cost-benefit elements in balancing.
Biodiversity-Health-Sustainability Nexus in Socio-Ecological Production Landscapes and Seascapes (Sepls)
Chapter 1. Introduction.- Chapter 2. Human-Nature Cooperation for Well-being: Community Understanding on One Health Approach in the COVID-19 Era in the Sundarbans .- Chapter 3. Linking Biocultural Memory Conservation and Human Well-Being in Indigenous Socio-Ecological Production Landscapes in the Colombian Pacific Region.- Chapter 4. SEPLS Well-being as a Vision: Co-managing for Diversity, Connectivity and Adaptive Capacity in Xinshe Village, Hualien County, Chinese Taipei.- Chapter 5. To Take Care of the Land Means Taking Care of Ourselves" Local Perceptions on Human and Environmental Health in a High Agrobiodiversity Landscape in the Yucatan Peninsula.- Chapter 6. Community 'Bio-rights' in Augmenting Health and Climate Resilience of a Socio-ecological Production Landscape in Peri-urban Ramsar Wetlands.- Chapter 7. Effective Water Management for Landscape Management in the Siem Reap Catchment, Cambodia.- Chapter 8.Are the Skiing Industry, Globalisation and Urbanisation of Alpine Landscapes Threatening Human Health and Ecosystem Diversity?.- Chapter 9.Promoting Local Health Traditions and Local Food Baskets: A Case Study from a Bio-cultural Hotspot of India.- Chapter 10.Safeguarding the Biodiversity Associated with Local Foodways in Traditionally-Managed Socio-Ecological Production Landscapes in Kenya.- Chapter 11.Multi-stakeholder Approach to Conserving Agricultural Biodiversity and Enhancing Food Security and Community Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Kampong Cham, Cambodia.- Chapter 12.Reducing Commodity-Driven Biodiversity Loss: The Case of Pesticide Use and Impacts on Socio-Ecological Production Landscapes (SEPL) in Ghana.- Chapter 13. Synthesis: Concept, Methodologies and Strategies to Address the Nexus in SEPLS.
The Call of the Cranes
Cranes are enigmatic birds. Only very little is known about the behaviour of these graceful dancers. The renowned naturalist and crane expert Bernhard Wessling takes us on exciting and adventurous expeditions into their hidden world and gets to the bottom of the myths surrounding these birds of happiness. With the help of a specially developed bioacoustic method, Dr. Wessling studied Eurasian, Red-Crowned, Sandhill and Whooping Cranes, all in the wild. He has researched their intelligence, social dynamics and communication and engaged in their protection. Impressively illustrated and lively narrated, this book presents his findings on their individually unique lives and relationships, their ability to adapt and solve problems, and their emotions. His observations allow us to delve deeply into the cranes' way of life and consciousness, often demonstrating the surprising similarities between humans and animals. An amazing work about the spirit of discovery, humility and respect for nature in the tradition of Alexander von Humboldt.Cranes are among the most captivating birds on this planet. Dr. Wessling knows these birds, has accumulated a lifetime of observations on them, and has thought deeply about their abilities. In this book, he seeks to overturn old ideas about how these birds live, communicate, and think. His revelations surprise and delight and shed new light on an ancient avian family. Jennifer Ackerman, author of the New York Times bestseller The Genius of Birds and The Bird WayThe Call of the Cranes is a mesmerizing, vivid, lyrical and revelatory book. It truly is a spectacular book and a treasure! Sy Montgomery, naturalist and author of 31 books (incl. the New York Times bestseller The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness)In this book, Bernhard Wessling shareshis fascinating stories about cranes through patient observations and thoughtful conclusions. George Archibald, Co-Founder of the International Crane Foundation, Senior Conservationist
A Guide to Career Resilience
Mentors and sponsors are essential to career success, but these close relationships are not always free from trouble. This book shares advice and practical examples on how to survive and thrive throughout your career by differentiating between good and bad guidance you receive from mentors and sponsors. Real-life guidance is provided on how to manage troubled mentoring and sponsoring relationships at work.
Escape the Meatrix
Choose the red pill andEscape the MeatrixWhat if you suddenly discovered you were trapped inside a dystopian cult of oppression, murder, and profit-and that your greatest source of calories was an artificially invented diet created by powerful lobbies, designed to line the pockets of the 1% at the cost of your own health and the planet's very survival?What would you do?Escape the Meatrix chronicles Stuart Waldner's eye-opening battle against climate change as he exposes the real reason veggies are more expensive than a burger (it's not what you think); the shocking list of diseases that a plant-based lifestyle can slow, prevent, or even cure; and how America's declining health is linked directly to corporate profit.We might not like the truth, but the cost of ignorance is far too high. Will you take the blue pill and let the planet burn? Or will you take the red pill, open this book, and Escape the Meatrix?
Escape the Meatrix
Choose the red pill andEscape the MeatrixWhat if you suddenly discovered you were trapped inside a dystopian cult of oppression, murder, and profit-and that your greatest source of calories was an artificially invented diet created by powerful lobbies, designed to line the pockets of the 1% at the cost of your own health and the planet's very survival?What would you do?Escape the Meatrix chronicles Stuart Waldner's eye-opening battle against climate change as he exposes the real reason veggies are more expensive than a burger (it's not what you think); the shocking list of diseases that a plant-based lifestyle can slow, prevent, or even cure; and how America's declining health is linked directly to corporate profit.We might not like the truth, but the cost of ignorance is far too high. Will you take the blue pill and let the planet burn? Or will you take the red pill, open this book, and Escape the Meatrix?
The Power of Narrative
There is an ideological war of words waging in America, one that speaks to a new fundamentalism rising not just within the American public, but across other ideologically-torn nations around the globe as well. At its heart is climate skepticism, an ideological watershed that has become a core belief for millions of people despite a large scientific consensus supporting the science of anthropogenic climate change. While many scholars have examined the role of lobbyists and conservative think tanks in fueling the climate skepticism movement, there has not yet been a systematic analysis of why the narrative itself has resonated so powerfully with the public. Pulling from science and technology studies, narrative and discourse theory, and public policy, The Power of Narrative examines the strength of climate skepticism as a story, offering a thoughtful analysis and comparison of anti-climate science narratives over time and across geographic boundaries. This book provides fresh insight into the rhetorical and semantic properties on both sides of the climate change debate that preclude dialogue around climate science, and proposes a means for moving beyond ideological entrenchment through language mediation, further ethnographic study, and research-informed teaching. The Power of Narrative culminates in the revelation of a parallel between narratives about climate skepticism and those in other issue areas (e.g., gun rights, immigration, health crises), exposing a genetic meta-narrative of public distrust and isolation. Ultimately, The Power of Narrative is not a book about climate change in itself: it is, instead, a book about how our society understands and interacts with science, how a social narrative becomes ideology, and how we can move beyond personal and political dogma to arrive at a sense of collective rapprochement.
Sustainable Packaging
Packaging plays a major role in the environmental footprints of products from any industrial sector, and thus is important to address the sustainability issues of packaging. Packaging and the packaging sector have to be eco-conscious as there are many types of packaging across various industrial sectors and so are their environmental impacts as well. Plastic packaging is one of the most common element and the packaging sector accounts for almost 40% of plastic pollution in the world. Sustainable packaging is the only way forward to alleviate the environmental devastations from the the packaging sector. This book presents case studies and discusses how to make packaging more sustainable for a better future. ​
Minerals and Waste
In the field of waste disposal, recovery, and recycling, industrial residues from ceramic and mining activities are just an assemblage of minerals. So is municipal waste, after removing the organic part in incinerators or after long-time disposal. In almost every case, a natural counterpart is present. Applying what is known from natural systems on waste assemblages is the key to predicting their fate, at a short and long time, and suggesting the best for high-temperature recycling. This book aims to bring the Earth Science community to the edge of waste management, offering background information, the basics of high and low-temperature geochemistry involved, and an overview of waste investigation connected to minerals. This book also addresses mineral tailings, incinerator bottom, fly ashes, metal slags, ceramic industry residue, and eventually sanitary issues. The primary readership will be graduate students and professionals in geological and environmental fields.
Fostering Sustainable Business Models Through Financial Markets
The aim of this volume is to foster more sustainable business models through financial markets. To that end, it is necessary to know the main global challenges facing financial markets and their impact on creating sustainable value in business models of enterprises in the context of sustainable adaptation. The book focuses on assessing the decision criteria adopted by financial markets in the process of transaction risk valuation, in terms of the presence of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria, and by assessing the impact of including these criteria in the risk assessment process by financial markets in business decisions, leading as a consequence to building new value in the form of a sustainable business model. The book presents global ESG risks facing the financial markets, and discusses how ESG risks are managed and monitored, and how financial markets can measure and operationalize extra-financial risks in its assessment process. The book alsoanalyses ESG risk implications and influences on company behavior, and the actions that companies should take considering the ESG assessment requirements of financial markets. Finally, it provides a comprehensive, structured, and systematic view of how financial markets and companies should adapt and improve their business models. The book provides unique challenges for investors, companies, financial markets, and for our society as a whole, advancing traditional risk management approaches to address global risks.
River Basin Environment: Evaluation, Management and Conservation
This book provides updated and comprehensive information on the evaluation of the river basin environment, along with its management and conservation. The chapters collected the latest cutting-edge research achievements in vegetation function evaluation, remote sensing monitoring and analysis, water quality evaluation and control, water and wastewater treatment, soil remediation, forest resource management, microbial disease diagnosis and more, the key components that link directly with the safety, security and sustainability of river basin environment. This book emphasizes the important aspects for better and more effective evaluation, management and conservation of the river basin environment, the foundation for its sustainable utilization and development, the foundation for achieving water and food security, and the United Nations' SDGs for No Poverty (1), Zero Hunger (2) and Clean Water and Sanitation (6), as well as Affordable and Clean Energy (7), Sustainable Cities and Communities (11), Climate Action (13), Life below Water (14) and Life on Land (15). This book will benefit the research community and environmental education. It will prove useful to students, water and forest resource managers, hydrologists and all those engaged or interested in any aspect of evaluation, management, and conservation of the river basin environment. The book also has the potential to inform multi-regional and sectoral policies in all regions of the world and contribute to sustainable development solutions through better management of water, soil, and vegetation resources.
Moving Times
Will we really soon no longer be sitting behind the wheel of our own car, but will only be taken to our destination by driverless electric taxis? Should cities introduce car sharing? What role will electric scooters, cable cars or man-carrying drones play in the mobility systems of major cities? This book finally explains in a generally understandable way what is really behind buzzwords such as electric mobility, autonomous driving, digitalization and mobility services such as car sharing or ride-hailing, how far advanced these technologies are today, and above all in what relationships and dependencies they are to each other. In addition to the technical aspects, the legislative and social trends are also considered, which are important framework conditions that will have a decisive influence on the mobility of the future. From the contents - Mobility needs: Who wants to go where, when and why - and how will this change in the future? - Technological trends: electromobility, digitalization, autonomous driving - what will the vehicles of the future be capable of? - Car sharing, ride-hailing, e-scooters or public transport: What alternatives to the private car will there be in the future? - Politics and society: How will the framework conditions for mobility develop in the future? - Mobility in transition: What should we do to prepare for the future?
(Re)Discovering Proximity
This book explores the topic of proximity and its relations in the design of contemporary urban fabrics and public spaces. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and reflections on the future of cities have lately shed light on the concept of proximity, which is intended as the relationship between communities and urban functions and as relations among people, built spaces, and open spaces. The proximity is a historic and fertile field of interest for American and Northern European urban studies; it is a spatial and social program seemingly surpassed by the styles and rhythms of contemporary city life, but today it is back in vogue with different purposes. Meanwhile, the action research developed by the Department of Architecture and Urban Studies at the Politecnico di Milano for the Municipality of Milan reached its conclusion (2018-2020). The research work focused on contextualizing the new M4 Metro line stations under construction, and jointed mobility flows and places, long-rangenetworks and local ones, boosting the idea of metro stations as regenerative urban thresholds and urban platforms for enabling environmental, sustainable settlement, and active mobility systems. In other words, the action research for Milan shows how to achieve the concept of proximity in the urban design practice in a dense, stratified, and complex urban context.
Mastering Your PhD
This bestselling book guides PhD students through their graduate years and beyond. Filled with practical advice on getting started, communicating with your supervisor, staying the course, and planning for the future, this book is an indispensable guide for graduate students who need that extra bit of help getting started and making it through. Who should read this book? Any student currently in, or curious about, a PhD programme, be it in the physical and life sciences, engineering, computer science, math, medicine, or the humanities -- this book tackles the obstacles and hurdles that almost all PhD students face during their doctoral training. Whether you're at the very beginning of your research, close to the end, or just feeling frustrated and stuck at any point in between...it's never too early -- or too late -- to focus on your success! This third edition contains a variety of new material, including additional chapters and advice on how to make the most of remote learning, collaboration, and communication tools, as well as updated material on your next career step once you have your coveted doctoral degree in hand. Some of the material in the third edition appeared as part of a monthly column on the ScienceCareers website.
Sustainability
This book provides relevant theoretical frameworks and the latest empirical research findings in Operations Research (OR) and Management Science (MS) as applied to sustainability. Its goal is to identify and describe ways in which OR and MS have been applied to and influenced the development of sustainability. Many of the issues we face today stem from the interconnectivity of the economy, society, and the environment, and from how both the economy and society are affecting the environment. In response, there have been a range of local and global efforts to advance society without harming the natural environment. The book showcases how OR/MS can help to address these issues, specifically with regard to renewable energy, smart industry, smart cities, transportation, smart homes and devices, etc. This book is intended for professionals in the fields of energy, engineering, information science, mathematics and economics, and for researchers who wish to develop new skills in connection with sustainability, or whose work involves sustainability.
A Primer on Population Dynamics Modeling
This textbook provides an introduction to the mathematical models of population dynamics in mathematical biology. The focus of this book is on the biological meaning/translation of mathematical structures in mathematical models, rather than simply explaining mathematical details and literacies to analyze a model. In some recent usages of the mathematical model simply with computer numerical calculations, the model includes some inappropriate mathematical structure concerning the reasonability of modeling for the biological problem under investigation. For students and researchers who study or use mathematical models, it is important and helpful to understand what mathematical setup could be regarded as reasonable for the model with respect to the relation between the biological factors involved in the assumptions and the mathematical structure of the model. Topics covered in this book are; modeling with geometric progression, density effect in population dynamics, deriving continuous time models from discrete time models, basic modeling for birth-death stochastic processes, continuous time models, modeling interspecific reaction for the continuous time population dynamics model, competition and prey-predator dynamics, modeling for population dynamics with a heterogeneous structure of population, qualitative analysis on the discrete time dynamical system, necessary knowledge about fundamental mathematical theories to understand the dynamical nature of continuous time models. The book includes popular topics in ecology and mathematical biology, as well as classic theoretical topics. By understanding the biological meaning of modeling for simple models, readers will be able to derive a specific mathematical model for a biological problem by reasonable modeling. The contents of this book is made accessible for readers without strong Mathematical background.
Detecting Environmental Radioactivity
This textbook presents the principles and methods for the measurement of radioactivity in the environment. In this regard, specific low-level radiation counting and spectrometry or mass spectrometry techniques are discussed, including sources, distribution, levels and dynamics of radioactivity in nature. The author gives an accurate description of the fundamental concepts and laws of radioactivity as well as the different types of detectors and mass spectrometers needed for detection. Special attention is paid to scintillators, semiconductor detectors, and gas ionization detectors. In order to explain radiochemistry, some concepts about chemical separations are introduced as well. The book is meant for graduate and advanced undergraduate students in physics, chemistry or engineering oriented to environmental sciences, and to other disciplines where monitoring of the environment and its management is of great interest.
Covid-19
The Role of Innovation in the Health Crisis and the Sustainable Post-COVID Europe Sustainable Management of Biomedical waste during COVID -19 Pandemic Sustainability and Waste Management of PPEs and Masks: Challenges during and post COVID-19 Pandemic Triple challenges (COVID-19, CO2 emissions, and public debts) for a sustainable development in Germany - a CGE Model approach Design and Development of a three layered surgical mask for healthcare professionals against COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for COVID-19 Assessment of air quality impact of COVID-19: Global scenario Socio-economic insinuations and air quality status in India due to COVID-19 pandemic
Relative Sea-Level Changes and their Impact on Coastal Zones
In the last few centuries, the study of sea-level changes along the world's shores has been a primary scientific focus in analyses of climate change, but also for scientists exploring past landscape evolution, geomorphological processes, human impacts, and system responses. The relative variation in sea level derives as a result of global, regional, and local processes. All these processes are spatially and temporally variable and cause complex sea-level changes at both regional and local scales. A multidisciplinary approach addressed to palaeo sea-level reconstructions at regional and local scale is the best method to understand the role of natural and anthropogenic forcing in the landscape evolution, as well as to discover the historical human adaptions to natural modifications of the landscape. Definitely, investigating these regional and local patterns is mandatory to reconstruct possible scenarios of the relative sea level rise impacts and to prepare the adaptation of coastal communities threatened by future climate changes. The aim of this Special Issue has been to collect contributions addressing and discussing methodological and multi-disciplinary approaches to studying the regional and local coastal modifications in relation to historical and recent relative sea-level changes to hypothesize future trends.
Site Assessment and Remediation for Environmental Engineers
Site Assessment and Remediation for Environmental Engineers provides upper-level undergraduate and graduate students with practical, project-oriented knowledge of how to investigate and clean up a site contaminated with chemicals and hazardous waste.
Human Sustainable Cities
Chapter1. A Planet of Cities at Times unlike Any Other: Towards the 2030 SustainableDevelopment Agenda.- Chapter2. Urban Ecology and Humanism: Pathways to Regeneration.- Chapter3. Climate-Conscious Cities: The Critical Decade.- Chapter4. The Energy Race to Decarbonisation.- Chapter5. Sustainable Circular Economies for Transformative Cities.- Chapter6. A New Social Contract for Healthy, Safe and Happy Cities for All.- Chapter7. Cities as Living Labs of Knowledge, Co-creation and Innovation.- Chapter8. Accountable Strategic Planning and Citizen Engagement.- Chapter9. Cities in Concert for the Global Sustainability Transition.- Annex: Best Practices, Lighthouse Initiatives and Paradigm Shifts.
Marine Fungus
Most of the available studies on marine fungi are based on the isolation and identification of fungi from different surfaces (e.g., submerged wood, sediments, macrophytes), mostly in coastal benthic environments. However, recent evidence suggests that fungi are also present in the oceanic water column, most likely mainly associated to particles, with the genomic potential to significantly contribute to marine biogeochemical cycles. Still, we lack even basic information on the ecology of the oceanic mycobiome, precluding us from determining the ecological role of this enigmatic kingdom in our oceans. The aim of this book and Special Issue was to focus on the ecology of marine fungi. Topics include, fungal abundance, distribution, activity, and phylogenetic and/or functional diversity in coastal to open ocean environments, including seawater column and sediments, derived both from laboratory and field studies.
Environmental Planning and Modeling
The focus of this reprint is on environmental planning and modeling. It examines articles on green consumption, biodiversity, and household waste recycling, as well as presenting a review of the trend in publications on household waste recycling. A number of country-based applications are presented and models are used to show how multiple perspectives can be considered in policy making. This reprint will be of special interest to researchers and readers involved in sustainability management. Further, although some chapters present models to solve sustainability problems, they also share policy and decision-making frameworks for applying such models.
Urban Bats
The Anthropocene is the "age of human influence", an epoch well known for its urban impact. More than half of all people already live in cities, and this proportion is expected to rise to almost 70 percent by 2050. Like other species in urban areas, bats must contend with the pressures of profound and irreversible land cover change and overcome certain unique challenges, such as the high density of roads, lights, glass, and free-ranging domestic animals. Research on urban bats in recent decades indicates that when it comes to urban life, some bats are synanthropes. In other words, although most species of bats are negatively impacted by urbanisation, many appear to not only succeed, but also thrive in cities and towns. This observation has inspired interesting questions about bats in relation to urbanisation. Which traits and behaviours equip bats for urban success? What features of urban areas increase the likelihood that bats will successfully persist there or even colonize newareas? And how does the success of urban bats affect co-habiting humans?Our book explores the interactions between bats and urban environments through case studies and reviews. Understanding how different species interact with urban environments can reveal potential opportunities to mitigate urban threats to bats and threats posed by bats to other urban organisms, including humans. With this book, we thus aspire to provide a knowledge base to help guide current and future efforts to conserve bats.
Engagement with Sustainable Development in Higher Education
Chapter1. What is missing? Learning from Case Studies in "Circular" Products about the Need for Degrowth as a Long-term Sustainability Strategy.- Chapter2. The Blockchain Business Model Canvas for the Post-Pandemic Sustainable University.- Chapter3. Distance Learning and Sustainability Curriculum Development on Higher Education.- Chapter4. Holistic Interactions in Higher Education and SDG Indicators With Consequences Based on Environmental Shocks.- Chapter5. SDGs and Universities: Higher Education Engagement through the Global Master's in Development Practice Program.- Chapter6. Engaging Students of Business Management to Face Collective Social Dilemmas: The Contribution of the Sociology of Emotions.- Chapter7. Engaging Students in Global Endeavors: Case of a Small Liberal Art College in the USA in Partnerships to Promote SDGs.- Chapter8. Higher Education for Sustainable Development in China: Policy, Curriculum, Practices and Perspectives.- Chapter9. Engagement of Sustainable Development Goals in Higher Education Curricula: A Reflection from Tanzania.- Chapter10. Sustainable Development Goals in Higher Education in Mexico: History, Public Policies, and Results.- Chapter11. Reforming Religion-Based Higher Education for Sustainable Development: A Case Study of The Southernmost Thailand's Islamic Studies International Program, Prince of Songkla University.- Chapter12. Planning and Technology Implementation for Student Engagement in Developing SDGs in Indian Engineering Education Institution: A Case Study.- Chapter13. Teacher Education Study Abroad at the Vanguard for Sustainability Education.- Chapter14. Engagement with Sustainable Development Goals in Accounting Education: The Case of a Public University in Sri Lanka
Effective Waste Management and Circular Economy
This book is an invaluable resource for researchers, PhD, graduate and Under-Graduate students analysing the legal framework, strategies in waste management, circular economy adoption, use of mathematical and statistical modelling in setting waste management strategies, sanitation and Hygiene in waste management.
Traditional Urbanism Response to Climate Change
Section 1 Traditional Urbanism Section 2 Climate change Section 3 Walled City of Jaipur
Economics, Ecology, and Policy for the Bioeconomy
This book calls for a holistic approach to the bioeconomy to achieve its potential in driving economic growth while simultaneously providing ecological, social and technological benefits. Essential reading for students and scholars of ecological economics, environmental economics, sustainability, innovation, and regional development.
Computer Vision based Identification and Mosaic of Gramineous Grass Seeds
Introduction.- Forage Identification and Experimental Materials.- Identification of Gramineous Grass Seeds Using Gabor and Locality Preserving Projections.- Identification of Gramineous Grass Seeds Using Difference of Local Fractal Dimensions.- Identification of Gramineous Grass Seeds Using Local Similarity Pattern and Linear Discriminant Analysis.- Identification of Gramineous Grass Seeds Using Local Similarity Pattern and Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix.- Microscopic Image Mosaic of Gramineous Grass Seeds.- Digital Information Platform of Grassland and Forage Based on Computer Vision.
Viruses and Society
Viruses and Society is geared towards professionals and students in college-level introductory biology courses devoted to understanding viruses, vaccines, and their global impact. The beginning of the book introduces cells, DNA, and viruses themselves. There follows a review of how the immune system works and how scientists and physicians harness the immune system to protect people through vaccines. Specific chapters will focus on the 1918 influenza pandemic, the fight to eradicate polio, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and our current COVID-19 crisis. Additionally, the book reviews the uses of viruses in genetic engineering and in gene therapy as well. The book will conclude by describing public health initiatives to keep emerging viruses in check and the role of scientific communication in how viruses are perceived and have an impact on our society. Key Features 1) The text employs approachable and simplified language 2) Provides all the essential elements for understanding virus biology 3) Includes details on how viruses affect individuals 4) Describes the ways public health decisions are made in light of how viral pathogens spread 5) Highlights up to date scientific findings on the features of emerging viruses that will always be with us
The Cosmic Oasis
Alone in the known universe the Earth glows bright with life, a unique cosmic oasis of biodiversity which is now under threat from our own actions. The Earth is a unique as a living planet, a cosmic oasis drifting in the vastness of barren space. It is strikingly and obviously different from our nearest heavenly neighbours, the Moon, Venus and Mars, in its thin skin of biology, extending from the surface for a few kilometres into the crust, and for a few tens of kilometres into the air. But how did this remarkable abundance and diversity of life arise? How has life survived over the enormous time frame of Earth's history? And does it continue to flourish now, especially with the growing pressure for space from humans? The Cosmic Oasis examines life on Earth, from our earliest interactions with animals and plants to our absolute domination of biology. It follows our developing understanding of life's origins, its remarkable complexity, and its interactions with the air, oceans and land. It also shows how patterns of diversity across the surface of the planet evolved, and how humans are now homogenising these, degrading both biodiversity and the space in which life can exist. Within this overall trend of loss there are some remarkable examples of survival, from the beneficial relationships between the gelada monkeys and wolves of the Ethiopian highlands, and the people and brown howler monkeys of Porte Allegre in Brazil, to interactions between you and your gut microbiome. Thoughout, the authors ask what these interactions can teach us about building a better relationship with nature, and consider how we might become stewards, rather than destructive exploiters, of the life around us.
Integrating Mental Health and Disability Into Public Health Disaster Preparedness and Response
Integrating Mental Health and Disability into Public Health Disaster Preparedness and Response brings together the fields of mental/behavioral health, law, human rights, and medicine as they relate to disaster planning and response for people with disabilities, mental and behavioral health conditions and chronic illness. Children and adults with disabilities, mental/behavioral health conditions and chronic illness remain more vulnerable to the negative effects of emergencies and disasters than the general population. This book addresses the effects of emotional trauma, personal growth and resilience, the impact on physical health and systems of care, and legal compliance and advocacy. Following a philosophy of whole community emergency planning, inclusive of people with disabilities, the book advocates for considering and addressing these issues together in an effort to ultimately lead to greater resilience for individuals with disabilities and the whole community.
Appraisal of Metal(loids) in the Ecosystem
Heavy metal pollution is a serious threat to living organisms. Industrial development has aggravated multifaceted problems in the environment requiring a comprehensive solution. Appraisal of Metal(loids) in the Ecosystem addresses this need and provides a basic introduction of different heavy metals. Presented in a consistent and comprehensive manner, each chapter highlights the background level, occurrence, speciation, bioavailability, uptake detoxification mechanisms, and management of each metal in polluted soils. It provides the latest up-to-date information about different aspects of As, Hg, Si, Cu, Co, Ni, Mn, Cd, Cr, etc. in single source. This book provides scientists and researchers with the most current source of information on the topic. Written by a global and diverse group of experts, Appraisal of Metal(loids) in the Ecosystem also covers the many field applications associated with phytoremediation and extraction and provides guidance on decision making when selecting advanced techniques.
Children and Media Worldwide in a Time of a Pandemic
This edited volume focuses on the lived experiences of children during the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in the spring of 2020, their knowledge and emotional reactions, the adjustments they made in their everyday lives, and the strengths and skills they developed in response.
Improving Flood Detection and Monitoring through Remote Sensing
As climate-change- and human-induced floods inflict increasing costs upon the planet, both in terms of lives and environmental damage, flood monitoring tools derived from remote sensing platforms have undergone improvements in their performance and capabilities in terms of spectral, spatial and temporal extents and resolutions.Such improvements raise new challenges connected to data analysis and interpretation, in terms of, e.g., effectively discerning the presence of floodwaters in different land-cover types and environmental conditions or refining the accuracy of detection algorithms.In this sense, high expectations are placed on new methods that integrate information obtained from multiple techniques, platforms, sensors, bands and acquisition times. Moreover, the assessment of such techniques strongly benefits from collaboration with hydrological and/or hydraulic modeling of the evolution of flood events.The aim of this Special Issue is to provide an overview of recent advancements in the state of the art of flood monitoring methods and techniques derived from remotely sensed data.
The Earth's Human Carrying Capacity
Chapter1.- Earth's Human Carrying Capacity: The Basics.- Chapter2.- Water: A Limit On Our Earth's Carrying Capacity.- Chapter3.- Food Security/Insecurity, Food Systems.- Chapter4.- Impact of Global Warming/Climate Change On Food Security 2020.- Chapter 5.- Sanitation: Waste Generation/Capture/Disposal Status 2020.- Chapter6.- Access To Natural Resources Not Water Or Food 2020.- Chapter7.- Global Warming And Water 2050: More People, Yes; Less Ice, Yes; More Water, Yes; More Fresh Water, Probably; More Accessible Fresh Water.- Chapter8.- Food 2050 - More Mouths To Feed: Food Availability and Access.- Chapter9.-Sanitation 2050.- Chapter10.- Natural Resources Beyond Water And Food 2020 To 2050.- Chapter11.- Economic Realities in 2020 Populations: What do they Portend for 2050? 2100?
