Concepts and Approaches for Sustainability Management
With the introduction of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by the United Nations General Assembly in 25 September 2015, UN agencies, member states and stakeholders have begun to focus on the adoption and implementation of these strategies in realization of 17 Sustainable Development Goals. To work toward sustainability, strategic measures to encourage stakeholders to contribute to the goals of the 2030 agenda are needed. In recognition of these efforts, this book is produced to compile research concepts and approaches for the area of sustainability management of industry, technology development, community, education and the environment. The objective of this book is to deliberate concepts and approaches of sustainability management taking place in Malaysia whereby case studies will be revealed to provide way forward of sustainability management toward achieving sustainable development. The insights provided can be applied toadvanced and developing countries by sustainable development practitioners, encompassing government agencies, academia, industries, NGOs and community, who would like to adopt the concept of approach of sustainability into their area of management.
Advances in Air Pollution Profiling and Control
Chapter 1: Airshed of a typical highly industrialized suburb of an Indian city: Air quality modelling and forecasting.- Chapter 2: Responsible factors of environmental degradation in nandakini river valley.- Chapter 3: Assessment of Ground Water Quality along the coastal areas of Srikakulam District, Andhra Pradesh, India.- Chapter 4: Presence of microplastic in water bodies and its impact on human health.- Chapter 5: Assessment of the ambient air quality of a highly industrialized suburb of a typical Indian city Assessment of quality.- Chapter 6: Inherent Safety in Offshore Oil and Gas Activities.- Chapter 7: Ambient quality downwind major industrial estates of Puducherry, India.
Introduction to Bayesian Methods in Ecology and Natural Resources
This book presents modern Bayesian analysis in a format that is accessible to researchers in the fields of ecology, wildlife biology, and natural resource management. Bayesian analysis has undergone a remarkable transformation since the early 1990s. Widespread adoption of Markov chain Monte Carlo techniques has made the Bayesian paradigm the viable alternative to classical statistical procedures for scientific inference. The Bayesian approach has a number of desirable qualities, three chief ones being: i) the mathematical procedure is always the same, allowing the analyst to concentrate on the scientific aspects of the problem; ii) historical information is readily used, when appropriate; and iii) hierarchical models are readily accommodated.This monograph contains numerous worked examples and the requisite computer programs. The latter are easily modified to meet new situations. A primer on probability distributions is also included because these form the basis of Bayesian inference.Researchers and graduate students in Ecology and Natural Resource Management will find this book a valuable reference.
Co-Existing with the Earth
The threat from global warming is growing and human activity is a major contributor to the problem. It is clear that we must change our wasteful behavior before it is too late. The Tzu Chi Foundation believes it can make a difference in addressing this critically important challenge. Over the last three decades it has embraced the cause of recycling and conserving resources to ensure a cleaner environment for future generations. Tzu Chi has mobilized tens of thousands of people in this campaign, expanding from Taiwan to 19 countries and territories around the world. Co-Existing with the Earth, Tzu Chi's Three Decades of Recycling tells the story of this uniquely effective grassroots effort and examines the reasons for its success. It also relates the stories of individual recycling volunteers and explains why they chose to join this international movement.
Co-Existing with the Earth
The threat from global warming is growing and human activity is a major contributor to the problem. It is clear that we must change our wasteful behavior before it is too late. The Tzu Chi Foundation believes it can make a difference in addressing this critically important challenge. Over the last three decades it has embraced the cause of recycling and conserving resources to ensure a cleaner environment for future generations. Tzu Chi has mobilized tens of thousands of people in this campaign, expanding from Taiwan to 19 countries and territories around the world. Co-Existing with the Earth, Tzu Chi's Three Decades of Recycling tells the story of this uniquely effective grassroots effort and examines the reasons for its success. It also relates the stories of individual recycling volunteers and explains why they chose to join this international movement.
Lca Based Carbon Footprint Assessment
This book discusses the concepts, methods and case studies pertaining to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) based Carbon Footprint Assessment. It covers chapters on Carbon Footprint Assessment with LCA methodology & case studies on carbon footprint calculation following the LCA approach on power plants in India, Impacts of Vehicle Incidents On CO2 Emissions and school buildings in India.
Mercury and the Everglades. a Synthesis and Model for Complex Ecosystem Restoration
Volume II - Aquatic Mercury Cycling and Bioaccumulation in the Everglades Table of Contents Chapter 1. Aquatic Cycling of Mercury William H. Orem, David P. Krabbenhoft, Brett Poulin and George R. Aiken 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Cycling of Mercury in Surface Water 1.3 Cycling of Mercury in Aquatic Soils/Sediments and the Formation of Methylmercury (MeHg) 1.4 Perturbations Affecting Mercury Cycling 1.5 Summary and Conclusions Chapter 2. Sulfur Contamination in the Everglades, a Major Control on Mercury Methylation William H. Orem, David P. Krabbenhoft, Brett Poulin and George R. Aiken 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Historical and Background Levels of Sulfur in the Everglades 2.3 Present Levels of Sulfate in the Everglades 2.4 Other Forms of Sulfur in the Everglades 2.5 Sources of Sulfate to the Everglades 2.6 Remobilization of Sulfur from Drought and Fire 2.7 Sulfur Controls on Mercury Methylation 2.8 Other Impacts of Sulfur on the Everglades 2.9 Conclusions Chapter 3. A Causal Analysis for the Dominant Factor in the Extreme Geographic and Temporal Variability in Mercury Biomagnification in the Everglades Darren G. Rumbold 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Methods 3.3 Analysis 3.4 Management Relevant Conclusions 3.5 Final Thoughts Chapter 4. Dissolved Organic Matter Interactions with Mercury in the Florida Everglades Andrew M. Graham 4.1 Introduction 4.2 DOM Concentrations and Quality in the FL Everglades 4.3 Hg Complexation by DOM 4.4 Interactions of DOM with Hg-sulfide Species 4.5 DOM and Microbial Hg Methylation 4.6 DOM and Hg and MeHg Photodegradation 4.7 Impact of DOM on Trophic Transfer of MeHg 4.8 Conclusions Chapter 5. Phosphorus in the Everglades and Its Effects on Oxidation-Reduction Dynamics Sara A. Phelps and Todd Z. Osborne 5.1. Introduction 5.2. Phosphorus in the Everglades 5.3. Phosphorus Dynamics Effects on Reduction-oxidation Reactions in Wetland Soils 5.4. Unknowns and need for future research Chapter 6. Major Drivers of Mercury Methylation & Cycling in the Everglades - A Synthesis Curtis D. Pollman 6.1 Mercury Cycling in the Everglades 6.2 The Role of Organic Carbon 6.3 The Role of Sulfate and Statistical Red Herrings 6.4 The Role of Phosphorus 6.5 Major Loss Mechanisms 6.6 Conclusions Chapter 7. Primer on Methylmercury Biomagnification in the Everglades Darren G. Rumbold 7.1 Introduction 7.2 MeHg entry into the food chain 7.3 Biomagnification Chapter 8. Food Web Structures of Biotically Important Species Peter C. Frederick, William F. Loftus, Ted Lange and Mark Cunningham 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Eastern Mosquitofish 8.3 Largemouth Bass 8.4 Wading birds 8.5 Florida panther 8.6 Discussion Chapter 9. Comparison of Everglades Fish Tissue Mercury Concentrations to Those For Other Fresh Waters Ted Lange 9.1 Introduction 9.2
Energy Efficient Buildings
Climate change is a severe global environmental problem threatening the sustainability of ecosystems worldwide and causing major catastrophes. Mitigation of climate change requires the sharp decrease of GHG emissions into the atmosphere and many countries are targeting to become carbon neutral by 2050. Buildings utilize large amounts of energy while in Europe they consume 40% of the overall energy use. European directives and legislation in member states promote the increase in energy efficiency and performance of public and private buildings transforming them to "nearly zero energy buildings". These green buildings have lower energy consumption, utilize less fossil fuels, more renewable energies while they emit less GHGs. A slightly different concept to "nearly zero energy building" is the concept of green "zero carbon emissions building". These types of energy efficient and green buildings utilize renewable energies to generate the required heat zeroing their carbon emissions. They also generate "green electricity" for their own consumption while they offset annually the grid electricity use. Current advances in various benign renewable energy technologies allow their use for heat, cooling and electricity generation in buildings. Many of these technologies are mature, reliable and cost-effective. They can be used for green energy generation either on-site or off-site while they can also recharge the electric car's batteries owned by the building's residents. The book consists of two parts. The first part includes six papers related with the creation of zero carbon emissions green residential buildings. The second part includes eight papers related with the creation of other types of energy efficient ZCEBs including hospitals, schools, offices, academic institutions, prisons, museums and swimming pools. The book could be useful to architects, engineers, building construction companies and companies manufacturing and installing various renewable energy systems. It could be also useful to public authorities interesting to improve the energy performance in public buildings as well as to policy makers who want to decrease the carbon emissions in the building sector complying with the global efforts for climate change mitigation.
Ozone Crisis
The real story behind the . Ozone Crisis Straight from today's headlines, award-winning science writer Sharon Roan offers an incisive look at one of the planet's most pressing ecological concerns. Ozone Crisis tells the compelling, often shocking story of the discovery of ozone depletion, the fight to ban chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and future prospects and prognoses. ""At last a sober, well-researched, and well-written book on an important environmental problem.. a good yarn about stratospheric ozone..This is clearly one of the best case studies of the evolution of science-intensive public policy."" --Choice ""An engaging account . skillfully recounts in terms readily understood by lay readers the shrewd detective work and unprecedented scientific cooperation that helped give rise to the Montreal Treaty."" --John C. Topping, President, Climate Institute ""Whether you have the slightest interest in environmental matters or not, this book should be on your 'must check out!' list."" --Western Producer ""Anyone interested in understanding contemporary environmental policy issues will find Roan has written a well-researched, well-balanced, and informative book in an easy-to-read, journalistic style."" --Naturalist Review
Reconnect
Divided from earth, divided from our fellows, divided within ourselves, we constructed a dominionist narrative that allowed us to ravish the fertile land, commit genocides, become an agent of extinction, and a cancer that earth may soon remove for her own survival. Little voices are calling to us; memories suppressed for eons are tugging at our subconscious minds. "It's time to come home," they are saying, "time to return to the greater earth community and the nourishing relationships you once knew before word and thought became twisted. It's time to rejoin family, sit by the well-springs, and reconnect again."From his writing desk in his hand-built New Hampshire cabin, Dan Lake sends forth a surprising new version of an old story. Reconnect uses Dan's unique vision and expertise in religion, science, and philosophy to blend current knowledge and technology with ideas that have been with us from the ancient Greeks to Spinoza and Whitman. The result is a new paradigm of oneness designed to embed us once again in our only home, Earth.
Mechanical Energy Storage for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Resources
Describes storage techniques intuitively, yet based on very effective ideas Contains some unique ideas/approaches in terms of development and analysis Designed to work as a standalone textbook, with most of the physics and math basis described in early chapters
The Gasoline Diet
WE HAVE A MOMENT to enjoy clear skies, work and meet virtually, and to pause and reflect how much we can improve the environment by burning less gasoline.1. Use The Gasoline Diet to track your gasoline consumption for one month.2. Every 3000 miles you drive you leave behind in CO2 the weight of your car.3. Every mile you drive you leave behind one pound of CO2 - let's change this.Together we can stop climate change within the next decade AND avoid a disastrous future.Let's keep our beautiful blue sky! Follow The Gasoline Diet.
Life Cycle Assessment for Sustainable Mining
Life Cycle Assessment for Sustainable Mining addresses sustainable mining issues based on life cycle assessment, providing a thorough guide to implementing LCAs using sustainability metrics. The book details current research on LCA methodologies related to mining, their outcomes, and how to relate sustainable mining concepts in a circular economy. It is an in-depth, foundational reference for developing ideas for technological advancement through designing reduced-emission mining equipment or processes. It includes literature reviews and theoretical concepts of life cycle assessments applied in mining industries, sustainability metrics and problems related to mining and mineral processing industries identified by the life cycle assessment results. This book will aid researchers, students and academics in the field of environmental science, mining engineering and sustainability to see LCA technology outcomes which would be useful for the future development of environmentally-friendly mining processes.
Environmental Sustainability and Economy
Environmental Sustainability and Economy contains the latest practical and theoretical concepts of sustainability science and economic growth. It includes the latest research on sustainable development, the impact of pollution due to economic activities, energy policies and consumption influencing growth and environment, waste management and recycling, circular economy, and climate change impacts on both the environment and the economy. The 21st century has seen the rise of complex and multi-dimensional pathways between different aspects of sustainability. Due to globalization, these relationships now work at varying spatiotemporal scales resulting in global and regional dynamics. This book explores the complex relationship between sustainable development and economic growth, linking the environmental and social aspects with the economic pillar of sustainable development. Utilizing global case studies and interdisciplinary perspectives, Environmental Sustainability and Economy provides a comprehensive account of sustainable development and the economics of environmental protection studies with a focus on the environmental, geographical, economic, anthropogenic and social-ecological environment.
There Is No Planet B
Feeding the world, climate change, biodiversity, antibiotics, plastics, pandemics - the list of concerns seems endless. But what is most pressing, and what should we do first? Do we all need to become vegetarian? How can we fly in a low-carbon world? How can we take control of technology? And, given the global nature of the challenges we now face, what on Earth can any of us do, as individuals? Mike Berners-Lee has crunched the numbers and plotted a course of action that is full of hope, practical, and enjoyable. This is the big-picture perspective on the environmental and economic challenges of our day, laid out in one place, and traced through to the underlying roots - questions of how we live and think. This updated edition has new material on protests, pandemics, wildfires, investments, carbon targets and of course, on the key question: given all this, what can I do?
Current and Future Trends of Rainfall Erosivity and Soil Erosion in Central Asia
This book analyses climate change influences on rainfall erosivity and soil erosion across Central Asia, provides an overview (past and projections) on the Central Asian countries where projected changes in rainfall erosivity and erosivity density are the greatest, and discusses the potential impacts on the environment across the region. This analysis is accomplished primarily using the RUSLE model with past and future climate projections, spatiotemporal variations of rainfall erosivity and soil erosion based on WorldClim, and Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) climate models (for Central Asia and separately Kazakhstan). The relationship between precipitation characteristics and erosion has been well established, but spatial and temporal projections of future rainfall erosivity in a changing climate in Central Asia have not been published significantly. Therefore, assessing rainfall erosivity and its consequences can assist specialists andresearchers in achieving the best practices for soil conservation. The result of this type of research is all-encompassing, and may reflect normal variations in other parts of the world (for example, the arid and semi-arid regions) and is inherently limited to the Central Asian region.
Remote Sensing of Plant Biodiversity
This Open Access volume aims to methodologically improve our understanding of biodiversity by linking disciplines that incorporate remote sensing, and uniting data and perspectives in the fields of biology, landscape ecology, and geography. The book provides a framework for how biodiversity can be detected and evaluated--focusing particularly on plants--using proximal and remotely sensed hyperspectral data and other tools such as LiDAR. The volume, whose chapters bring together a large cross-section of the biodiversity community engaged in these methods, attempts to establish a common language across disciplines for understanding and implementing remote sensing of biodiversity across scales. The first part of the book offers a potential basis for remote detection of biodiversity. An overview of the nature of biodiversity is described, along with ways for determining traits of plant biodiversity through spectral analyses across spatial scales and linking spectral data to the tree of life. The second part details what can be detected spectrally and remotely. Specific instrumentation and technologies are described, as well as the technical challenges of detection and data synthesis, collection and processing. The third part discusses spatial resolution and integration across scales and ends with a vision for developing a global biodiversity monitoring system. Topics include spectral and functional variation across habitats and biomes, biodiversity variables for global scale assessment, and the prospects and pitfalls in remote sensing of biodiversity at the global scale.
Cultural Values and Human Ecology in Southeast Asia, Volume 27
Ecologists have long based their conceptual frameworks in the natural sciences. Recently, however, they have acknowledged that ecosystems cannot be understood without taking into account human interventions that may have taken place for thousands of years. And for their part, social scientists have recognized that human behavior must be understood in the environment in which it is acted out. Researchers have thus begun to develop the area of "human ecology." Yet human ecology needs suitable conceptual frameworks to tie the human and natural together.In response, Cultural Values and Human Ecology uses the framework of cultural values to collect a set of highly diverse contributions to the field of human ecology. Values represent an important and essential aspect of the intellectual organization of a society, integrated into and ordained by the over-arching cosmological system, and constituting the meaningful basis for action, in terms of concreteness and abstraction of content as well as mutability and permanence. Because of this balance, values lend themselves to the kinds of analyses of ecological relationships conducted here, those that demand a reasonable amount of specificity as well as historical stability.The contributions to Cultural Values and Human Ecology are exceedingly diverse. They include abstract theoretical discussions and specific case studies, ranging across the landscape of Southeast Asia from the islands to southern China. They deal with hunting-gathering populations as well as peasants operating within contemporary nation-states, and they are the work of natural scientists, social scientists, and humanists of Western and Asian origin. Diversity in the backgrounds of the authors contributes most to the varied approaches to the theme of this volume, because differences in cultural background and academic tradition will lead to different research interests and to differences in the empirical approaches chosen to pursue given problems.
Pollinators and Pollination
The pollination of flowers by insects, birds and other animals is a crucial interaction that supports both the natural world and human society. Written by one of the world's leading pollination ecologists, this book offers a unique insight into the ecology and evolution of pollinators, and why they need conserving in a rapidly changing world.
Microplastic Pollution
Microplastics pollution in aquatic systems: Ecotoxicological effects on biota Current State of Microplastic Research in SAARC Countries- A Review Microplastic pollution in sediments: occurence, fate and effects (with a specific focus on biogeochemical carbon and nitrogen cycles) A Review of Microplastics in Dentistry Domestic laundry and microfiber shedding of synthetic textiles Effect of textile parameters on microfiber shedding properties of apparels ​
Pollution of Water Bodies in Latin America
Preface.- Historical findings on presence of pollutans in water bodies in Latin America and their ecotoxicological impact.- Toxicity produced by an industrial effluent from Mexico on the common carp (Cyprinus carpio).- Pesticide contamination in Southern Brazil.- Embryotoxicity and teratogenicity induced by naproxen in Xenopus laevis, species of ecological interest in Mexico.- Differential responses of biochemical and behavioral parameters in the native gastropod Chilina gibbosa exposed subchronically to environmental concentrations of two insecticides used in argentina.- Oxidative stress induced by water from a hospital effluent of the city of Toluca, Mexico on Hyalella azteca.- Evaluation of the toxicity of municipal effluents from a locality in the State of Mexico using Hyalella azteca as a bioindicator.- Analysis of heavy metals present on air through the toxicity analysis in water by the gas washer method, using the organism Daphnia magna.- Ecotoxicological Studies of Metal Pollution in Sea Turtles of Latin America.- Evaluation of the toxicity of an industrial effluent before and after a treatment with Sn-modified TiO2 under UV irradiation through oxidative stress biomarkers.- Effects of river pollution on its biota: results from twenty years studies in the Suqu穩a River Basin (C籀rdoba, Argentina).- Effects found and induced by the presence of metals in species of the economic and ecological importance of Mexican aquatic environments.- Environmental Pollution by Hydrocarbons in Colombia and its Impact on the Health of Aquatic Ecosystems.- Biomonitoring of diffuse contamination in the Subtropical Region of Brazil: Multibiomarker Assessment in neotropical freshwater fishes.- Genotoxicity biomarkers in fish erythrocytes and water quality parameters.- Health diagnosis of the fish Scomberomorus cavalla from Tecolutla, Ver. M矇xico.- Histopathological assessment of organisms in ecotoxicological studies from Mexico.- Histopathological analysis of the intestine from Mugil cephalus on environment reference sites.- Impacts caused by manganese in the aquatic environments of Brazil.- Genotoxic effect of amoxicillin on peripheral blood of common carp (Cyprinus carpio).- Final conclusions.- Index.
Virus Host Cell Genetic Material Transport
The reproduction and spread of a virus during an epidemic proceeds when the virus attaches to a host cell and viral genetic material (VGM) (protein, DNA, RNA) enters the cell, then replicates, and perhaps mutates, in the cell. The movement of the VGM across the host cell outer membrane and within the host cell is a spatiotemporal dynamic process that is modeled in this book as a system of ordinary and partial differential equations (ODE/PDEs). The movement of the virus proteins through the cell membrane is modeled as a diffusion process expressed by the diffusion PDE (Fick's second law). Within the cell, the time variation of the VGM is modeled as ODEs. The evolution of the dependent variables is computed by the numerical integration of the ODE/PDEs starting from zero initial conditions (ICs). The departure of the dependent variables from zero is in response to the virus protein concentration at the outer membrane surface (the point at which the virus binds to the host cell). The numerical integration of the ODE/PDEs is performed with routines coded (programmed) in R, a quality, open-source scientific computing system that is readily available from the Internet. Formal mathematics is minimized, e.g., no theorems and proofs. Rather, the presentation is through detailed examples that the reader/researcher/analyst can execute on modest computers. The ODE/PDE dependent variables are displayed graphically with basic R plotting utilities. The R routines are available from a download link so that the example models can be executed without having to first study numerical methods and computer coding. The routines can then be applied to variations and extensions of the ODE/PDE model, such as changes in the parameters and the form of the model equations.
Climate Change and Coastal Ecosystems
Produced by a Leading Aquatic ScientistA narrative account of how estuaries around the world are being altered by human forces and human-induced global climate changes, Climate Change and Coastal Ecosystems: Long-Term Effects of Climate and Nutrient Loading on Trophic Organization chronicles a more than 40-year-old research effort conducted by Dr. Robert J. Livingston and his research team at Florida State University. Designed to evaluate system-level responses to natural and anthropogenic nutrient loading and long-term climate changes, the study focused on the northeast Gulf of Mexico river-bay systems, and concentrated on phytoplankton/benthic macrophyte productivity and associated food web organization. It addressed the changes of food web structure relative to long-term trends of climatological conditions, and was carried out using a combination of field-descriptive and experimental approaches.Details Climate Change, Climate Change Effects, and EutrophicationThis book includes comparative analyses of how the trophic organization of different river-bay ecosystems responded to variations of both anthropogenic impacts and natural driving factors in space and time. It incorporates a climate database and evaluates the effects of climate change in the region. It also provides insights into the effects of nutrient loading and climate on the trophic organization of coastal systems in other global regions. Presents research compiled from consistent field sampling methods and detailed taxonomic identifications over an extended period of study Includes the methods and materials that the research team used to access the health and trophic organization of Florida's estuaries Provides an up-to-date bibliography of estuarine publications and reports Based on a longitudinal study of anthropogenic and natural driving factors on river-estuarine systems in the northeast Gulf of Mexico, Climate Change and Coastal Ecosystems: Long-Term Effects of Climate and Nutrient Loading on Trophic Organization is useful as a reference for researchers working on riverine, estuarine, and coastal marine systems.
Tropical and Extratropical Air-Sea Interactions
Tropical and Extratropical Air-Sea Interactions: Modes of Climate Variations provides a thorough introduction to global atmospheric and oceanic processes, as well as tropical, subtropical and mid-latitude ocean-atmosphere interactions. Written by leading experts in the field, each chapter is dedicated to a specific topic of air-sea interactions (such as ENSO, IOD, Atlantic Nino, ENSO Modoki, and newly discovered coastal Ni簽os/Ni簽as) and their teleconnections. As the first book to cover all topics of tropical and extra-tropical air-sea interactions and new modes of climate variations, this book is an excellent resource for researchers and students of ocean, atmospheric and climate sciences.
Strategic Decision Making for Sustainable Management of Industrial Networks
This book presents a diverse set of decision-making methodologies to solve some of the most important decisions that most organizations face today. It is an excellent demonstration of some great challenges in our society in the area of sustainability. These great challenges, ranging from sustainability in logistics to the use of renewable energies, needs to be urgently addressed. Sustainability has become one of the most important topics in management and many organizations are taking big steps towards sustainability. Organizations are attempting to use cleaner production technologies and renewable energies sources, to improve health and safety issues within their industries and the products and services they offer. These points involve several important strategic and managerial decisions, highlighted in this book. The book can be used by decision-makers and policy-makers as exemplary guidelines to solve sustainability problems.
Towards Water Secure Societies
This book describes the water security challenges with focus on water scarcity and quality in our rapidly changing world. Achieving water security is essential to promoting economic and social development, as well as resource sustainability and ecosystem integrity. Questions of water security are central to recent global agreements such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The thematic areas discussed here support the SDGs, with special attention to Goal 6 ("Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation"). The book is a collection of studies from engineering, social and environmental disciplines and aims at giving a balanced overview of the current, complex discourse on water scarcity and quality. It offers a source of inspiration and information for researchers, policymakers, planners, and practitioners concerning the further development of concepts, approaches, and methodologies for promoting water secure societies.
Arctic Ecology
The Arctic is often portrayed as being isolated, but the reality is that the connectivity with the rest of the planet is huge, be it through weather patterns, global ocean circulation, and large-scale migration patterns to name but a few. There is a huge amount of public interest in the 'changing Arctic', especially in terms of the rapid changes taking place in ecosystems and exploitation of resources. There can be no doubt that the Arctic is at the forefront of the international environmental science agenda, both from a scientific aspect, and also from a policy/environmental management perspective. This book aims to stimulate a wide audience to think about the Arctic by highlighting the remarkable breadth of what it means to study its ecology. Arctic Ecology seeks to systematically introduce the diverse array of ecologies within the Arctic region. As the Arctic rapidly changes, understanding the fundamental ecology underpinning the Arctic is paramount to understanding the consequences of what such change will inevitably bring about. Arctic Ecology is designed to provide graduate students of environmental science, ecology and climate change with a source where Arctic ecology is addressed specifically, with issues due to climate change clearly discussed. It will also be of use to policy-makers, researchers and international agencies who are focusing on ecological issues and effects of global climate change in the Arctic. About the Editor David N. Thomas is Professor of Arctic Ecosystem Research in the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki. Previously he spent 24 years in the School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Wales. He studies marine systems, with a particular emphasis on sea ice and land-coast interactions in the Arctic and Southern Oceans as well as the Baltic Sea. He also edited a related book: Sea Ice, 3rd Edition (2017), which is also published by Wiley-Blackwell.
Recycle Based Organic Agriculture in a City
Chapter 1: Status and Prospects of Urban Agriculture.- Chapter 2: Discharge and Recycling of Urban Wasted Biomass.- Chapter 3: Carbonization of Waste Biomass and Carbon Sequestration.- Chapter 4: Nutrient Recovery from Wasted Biomass using Microbial Electrochemical Technologies.- Chapter 5: Energy Production from Wasted Biomass.- Chapter 6: New Technologies to Implement Precise Management of Farming in a City.- Chapter 7: Soil Health and Carbon Sequestration in Urban Farmland.- Chapter 8: Cover Crop Farming System.- Chapter 9: Symbiotic Co-Existence of Paddy Field and Urban Ecosystem.- Chapter 10: Recycle-based Organic Agriculture in Japan and World.
Pro-Poor Strategies in Urban Water Provisioning
Water utilities are the main instrument for countries to achieve universal service coverage. In pursuing universal service coverage, water utilities have turned to pro-poor water services to extend water services in low-income areas. This thesis discusses the use of pro-poor water services by water utilities in Kenya, with the intention of highlighting the dimensions of the approach that require attention of policy makers and practitioners when engaging with the concept. Based on the analysis of the technologies, financial and organisational arrangements associated with the pro-poor concept, this thesis shows that the use of pro-poor strategies allows water utilities to reduce the risks of servicing low-income areas while still claiming to fulfil their mandate of providing access to all in a commercially viable manner. The analysis also shows that rather than a decision of the water utility, the choice for pro-poor strategies emerges as the result of a consensus or compromise between the different actors that constitute the broader institutional environment in which water utilities operate. The thesis concludes that while pro-poor water services may serve the interests of water utilities and other stakeholders, in the absence of well-directed subsidies and proper monitoring they will not result in low-income households benefiting from more affordable and reliable access to water.
Modelling of Groundwater Pollution Due to Solid Waste Dumping at Chennai, India
Rapid growth of urban areas has affected the groundwater quality due to over exploitation of resources and improper waste disposal. There are many sources that contribute to the contamination of groundwater. Unprotected landfills are one of the major sources of groundwater pollution. Hence, there is always a need for the protection and management of groundwater quality. The primary focus of the present study was to investigate the leachate generation from a solid waste dumping site and its implications on the groundwater pollution.
A World Not Made for Us
In A World Not Made for Us, Keith R. Peterson provides a broad reassessment of the field of environmental philosophy, taking a fresh and critical look at three classical problems of environmentalism: the intrinsic value of nature, the need for an ecological worldview, and a new conception of the place of humankind in nature. He makes the case that a genuinely critical environmental philosophy must adopt an ecological materialist conception of the human, a pluralistic value theory that emphasizes the need for value prioritization, and a stratified categorial ontology that affirms the basic principle of human asymmetrical dependence on more-than-human nature. Integrating environmental ethics with the latest work in political ecology, Peterson argues it is important to understand that the world is not made for us, and that coming to terms with this fact is a condition for survival in future human and more-than-human communities of liberation and solidarity.
Urban Heat Island (Uhi) Mitigation
This book discusses the concepts and technologies associated with the mitigation of urban heat islands (UHIs) that are applicable in hot and humid regions. It presents several city case studies on how UHIs can be reduced in various areas to provide readers, researchers, and policymakers with insights into the concepts and technologies that should be considered when planning and constructing urban centres and buildings. The rapid development of urban areas in hot and humid regions has led to an increase in urban temperatures, a decrease in ventilation in buildings, and a transformation of the once green outdoor environment into areas full of solar-energy-absorbing concrete and asphalt. This situation has increased the discomfort of people living in these areas regardless of whether they occupy concrete structures. This is because indoor and outdoor air quality have both suffered from urbanisation. The development of urban areas has also increased energy consumption so that the occupants of buildings can enjoy indoor thermal comfort and air quality that they need via air conditioning systems. This book offers solutions to the recent increase in the number of heat islands in hot and humid regions.​
Soil Metagenomics
This book focuses on the recent advents and technological breakthroughs in metagenomic approaches coupled with their applications in agriculture. The intended audience include soil and environmental microbiologists, molecular biologists and policy makers. The book expertly describes the latest fourth generation metagenomic technologies from sample collection to data analysis, metatranscriptomic, metaproteomic and metabolomics studies Note: T& F does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Ecological Changes in the Zambezi River Basin
This book provides an analysis of the ecological conditions and ecosystem goods and services of the Zambezi River Basin (ZRB), the fourth largest river in Africa. Various environmental and anthropogenic factors; inclusive of climate, environmental flows, hydrology, morphology, pollution and land use changes among others and their interactions are considered as drivers of the river ecosystems. The impacts of these drivers on aquatic biota, river ecological integrity, and the livelihoods of surrounding communities are analysed within the socio-economic-policy context. The book goes beyond the usual inventories and basic research by using the comparative research method (CRM) in a trans-disciplinary manner. This CRM analytical approach in this book seeks to interrogate the differences or similarities in socio-economic systems, livelihoods, ecological systems, ecosystem goods and services, their usage and management under the seemingly different cultural, socio-economic conditions expected across boarders that are within the ZRB. The multidisciplinary approach also connects the typical ecological research with social dimensions in a holistic manner. The book therefore, provides empirical and research based evidence to support strategic planning and policy development in the wake of ecological changes that nations and indeed regions such as the ZRB are grappling with while seeking to sustainably manage precious river systems.
Environmental Impact Assessments and Mitigation
Environmental Impact Assessments and Mitigation examines various assessments for developmental projects in the housing, mining, energy, and waste management areas. As the world continues to shift toward concerns over climate change and environmental protection issues, developmental projects must have environmental impact assessments (EIA) conducted as well as environmental management plans (EMP). This book describes how all phases of a project, from planning, to operation, to post operation, must consider potential environmental impacts and their mitigation. 　 Features: Presents numerous sustainable development considerations for key industries Discusses how environmental impact assessments are prepared for each stage of a project Describes different environmental management plans for established projects Offers mitigation plans for various potential environmental impacts Includes practical examples from the construction, manufacturing, transport, and mining industries Useful for practicing professional engineers as well as upper-level students, this book covers all aspects of environmental impact assessments from start to finish.
Carbon Footprint Case Studies
Global warming and its effects are felt and understood by almost every one across the globe now. Carbon footprint calculation and mitigation in different industrial sectors is the need of the hour. There are numerous industrial sectors, whose carbon footprints need to be calculated and the ways to mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions from those sectors need to be started with immediate effect. This book highlights case studies involving the carbon footprints of municipal solid waste, sustainable road transport and Carbon footprint accounting of sources and sinks by studying carbon sequestration of Karnataka, a state in India.
Case Studies in Systems Biology
This book provides case studies that can be used in Systems Biology related classes. Each case study has the same structure which answers the following questions: What is the biological problem and why is it interesting? What are the relevant details with regard to cell physiology and molecular mechanisms? How are the details put together into a mathematical model? How is the model analyzed and simulated? What are the results of the model? How do they compare to the known facts of the cell physiology? Does the model make predictions? What can be done to extend the model? The book presents a summary of results and references to more relevant sources.The volume contains the classic collection of topics and studies that are well established yet novel in the systems biology field.
Emergency Characterization of Unknown Materials
Emergency Characterization of Unknown Materials, Second Edition is fully updated to serve as a portable reference that can be used in the field and laboratory by workers who are responsible for a safe response to and management of unknown hazardous materials. As with the first edition, the book emphasizes public safety and the management of life safety hazards, including strategies and emerging technologies to identify the hazards presented by an unknown material. When responding to a hazardous material emergency involving an unknown substance, firefighters and HAZMAT teams are primarily interested in protecting public safety. The book details risk analysis procedures to identify threats and vulnerabilities, analyzing them to determine how such risks can be eliminated or reduced. If an unknown material can be identified with a high degree of confidence, that can considerably change the response, and measures to be taken. In addition, the book covers practical field applications with updated and additional examples of field instruments. The hazard identification methods presented are intended for use by frontline workers. The test methods presented involve manipulation of small sample amounts - using, literally, a hands-on approach. The three technologies used by first responders and military personnel to identify unknown chemicals, Raman spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy and high-pressure mass spectroscopy, are covered in depth. Features Presents how to identify unknown materials and, if identification is not possible, to characterize the hazards of the material Offers practical examples to introduce new first responders to hazardous materials response Provides up-to-date field applications of the latest developments in commercially available instrumentation Details practical sample manipulations to help the reader successfully identify materials with popular high-end instrumentation Includes several examples of spectra and describes ways in which the reader can utilize data to inform decision making New coverage to this edition includes a chapter and content that focuses on sample manipulation and separations using instruments developed and revised since the first edition was published. These sample manipulations may be performed in the field with a very simple toolkit, which is fully outlined and explained in detail. Identifying the hazards of the unknown substance is essential to plan for response, contingencies and sustained actions. As such, Emergency Characterization of Unknown Materials, Second Edition will be a welcome and essential resource to all response and safety professionals concerned with hazardous materials.
Introduction to Systems Ecology
Possibly the first textbook to present a practically applicable ecosystems theory, Introduction to Systems Ecology helps readers understand how ecosystems work and how they react to disturbances. It demonstrates--with many examples and illustrations--how to apply the theory to explain observations and to make quantitative calculations and predictions.In this book, Sven Erik J繪rgensen takes a first step toward integrating thermodynamics, biochemistry, hierarchical organization, and network theory into a holistic theory of systems ecology. The first part of the book covers the laws of thermodynamics and the basic biochemistry of living organisms, as well as the constraints they impose on ecosystems. To grow and develop, however, ecosystems have to evade these thermodynamic and biochemical constraints, so the second part of the book discusses the seven basic properties that enable ecosystems to grow, develop, and survive: They are open systems, far from thermodynamic equilibrium. They are organized hierarchically. They have a high diversity. They have high buffer capacities toward changes. Their components are organized in cooperative networks, which allows for sophisticated feedback, regulation mechanisms, and higher efficiencies. They contain an enormous amount of information embodied in genomes. They have emerging system properties. This timely textbook also looks at how systems ecology is applied in integrated environmental management, particularly in ecological modeling and engineering and in the assessment of ecosystem health using ecological indicators. Acknowledging that there is still much room for improvement, it will inspire ecologists to develop a stronger and more widely applicable ecosystem theory.
Applications of Hypothesis Testing for Environmental Science
Applications of Hypothesis Testing for Environmental Science presents the theory and application of hypothesis testing in environmental science, allowing researchers to carry out suitable tests for decision-making on a variety of issues. This book works as a step-by-step resource to provide understanding of the concepts and applications of hypothesis testing in the field of environmental science. The tests are presented in simplified form without relying on complex mathematical proofs to allow researchers to easily locate the most appropriate test and apply it to real-world situations. Each example is accompanied by a case study showing the application of the method to realistic data. This book provides step-by-step guidance in analyzing and testing various environmental data for researchers, postgraduates and graduates of environmental sciences, as well as academics looking for a book that includes case studies of the applications of hypothesis testing. It will also be a valuable resource for researchers in other related fields and those who are not familiar with the use of statistics who may need to analyze data or perform hypothesis tests in their research.
Climate Change and Development Impacts on Groundwater Resources in the Nile Delta Aquifer, Egypt
Climate change is likely to continue to have severe impacts, including sea level rise. At the same time, population increase and development imperatives create additional pressure on available water resources. These changes are problematic for the Mediterranean coastal areas and especially the Nile Delta coast. Particular focus of this study is on salinization of groundwater resources in the Nile Delta Aquifer (NDA) due to saltwater intrusion. To assess current conditions and develop future adaptation strategies for the NDA, a 3D model simulating regional variable-density groundwater flow and coupled salt transport was constructed based on available data set, using the SEAWAT code. A method for identification of the most representative model has been developed, based on testing different simulation periods during which the NDA has 'evolved' from completely fresh groundwater conditions to conditions representative for the year 2010.This model was then applied to analyze possible future NDA conditions under several predefined scenarios of sea level rise and groundwater extraction. This analysis indicated that the impacts from further extractions of groundwater on availability of fresh groundwater in the aquifer are more significant compared to those from sea level rise. Furthermore, three different adaptation measures and their impacts in the Sharkeya Nile Delta governorate were tested. It was shown that that changing crop types and irrigation practices towards water saving options seem to be more promising than artificial recharge with injection wells or extraction and usage of brackish groundwater after desalination. The developed model is useful for further Water-Food Nexus studies.
Land Degradation in the Dinder and Rahad Basins
The spatial and temporal variability of the hydro-climate as well as land use and land cover (LULC) changes are among the most challenging problems facing water resources management. Understanding the interaction between climate variability, land use and land cover changes and their links to hydrology, river morphology and ecohydrology in the Dinder and Rahad basins in Sudan is confronted by the lack of climatic, hydrological and ecological data. This book investigated the impacts of land degradation on the Dinder and Rahad hydrology and morphology, and interlinkage to the ecohydrological system of the Dinder National Park (DNP) in Sudan. It used an ensemble of techniques to improve our understanding of the hydrological processes and LULC changes in these basins. This included long-term trend analysis of hydroclimatic variables, LULC changes analysis, field measurements, rainfall-runoff modelling, hydrodynamic and morphological modelling of the Dinder river and its floodplain, with special focus on the Mayas wetlands. Moreover, this research is the first study to investigate the eco-hydrology of the DNP. It is expected that the results of the study will be beneficial to all stakeholders concerned and support decision-making processes for better management of water resources and ecosystem conservation in the area and possibly beyond.
Urban Agroecology
Today, 20 percent of the global food supply relies on urban agriculture: social-ecological systems shaped by both human and non-human interactions. This book shows how urban agroecologists measure flora and fauna that underpin the ecological dynamics of these systems, and how people manage and benefit from these systems. It explains how the sociopolitical landscape in which these systems are embedded can in turn shape the social, ecological, political, and economic dynamics within them. Synthesizing interdisciplinary approaches in urban agroecology in the natural and social sciences, the book explores methodologies and new directions in research that can be adopted by scholars and practitioners alike. With contributions from researchers utilizing both social and natural science approaches, Urban Agroecology describes the current social-environmental understandings of the science, the movement and the practices in urban agroecology. By investigating the role of agroecology in cities, the book calls for the creation of spaces for food to be sustainably grown in urban spaces: an Urban Agriculture (UA) movement. Essential reading for graduate students, practitioners, policy makers and researchers, this book charts the course for accelerating this movement.
The Ecology of Everyday Things
Nature is all around us, in the beautiful but also in the unappealing and functional, and from the awe-inspiring to the mundane. It is vital that we learn to see the agency of the natural world in all things that make our lives possible, comfortable and profitable. The Ecology of Everyday Things pulls back the veil of our familiarity on a range of 'everyday things' that surround us, and which we perhaps take too much for granted. This key into the magic world of the everyday can enable us to take better account of our common natural inheritance.Professor James Longhurst, Assistant Vice Chancellor, University of the West of England (UWE Bristol)For many people, ecosystems may be a remote concept, yet we eat, drink, breathe and interface with them in every moment of our lives. In this engaging textbook, ecosystems scientist Dr. Mark Everard considers a diversity of 'everyday things', including fascinating facts about their ecological origins: from the tea we drink, to the things we wear, read and enjoy, to the ecology of communities and space flight, and the important roles played by germs and 'unappealing creatures' such as slugs and wasps.In today's society, we are so umbilically connected to ecosystems that we fail to notice them, and this oversight blinds us to the unsustainability of everyday life and the industries and policy environment that supports it. The Ecology of Everyday Things takes the reader on an enlightening, fascinating voyage of discovery, all the while soundly rooted in robust science. It will stimulate awareness about how connected we all are to the natural world and its processes, and how important it is to learn to better treat our environment. Ideal for use in undergraduate- and school-level teaching, it will also interest, educate, engage and enthuse a wide range of less technical audiences.
Plastic Free
In July 2011, Rebecca Prince-Ruiz challenged herself to go plastic free for the whole month. Starting with a small group of people in the city of Perth, the Plastic Free July movement has grown into a 250-million strong community across 177 countries, empowering people to reduce single-use plastic consumption and create a cleaner future. This book explores how one of the world's leading environmental campaigns took off and shares lessons from its success. From narrating marine-debris research expeditions to tracking what actually happens to our waste to sharing insights from behavioral research, it speaks to the massive scale of the plastic waste problem and how we can tackle it together. Interweaving interviews from participants, activists, and experts, Plastic Free tells the inspiring story of how ordinary people have created change in their homes, communities, workplaces, schools, businesses, and beyond. It is easy to feel overwhelmed in the face of global environmental problems and wonder what difference our own actions could possibly make. Plastic Free offers hope for the future through the stories of those who have taken on what looked like an insurmountable challenge and succeeded in innovative and practical ways, one step--and one piece of plastic--at a time.
