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Advances in Remediation of Contaminated Sites
This Reprint compiles 24 cutting-edge studies on contaminated site remediation, covering four core areas: pollution characterization and risk assessment, environmental fate of pollutants, remediation technology, and review articles with bibliometric analysis. It explores diverse scenarios including industrial zones, mining areas, agricultural lands, drinking water sources, and tailings ponds. Key advances include rapid pollution detection via multi-source spectral fusion and machine learning, revelation of plant-microbe adaptive mechanisms in polluted environments, development of high-performance materials (e.g., modified biochar, nanoflower-like oxides), and intelligent optimization of remediation strategies. The collection reflects interdisciplinary integration and practical application, addressing challenges like compound pollution and technology scaling. It serves as a valuable resource for researchers, engineers, and policymakers, advancing sustainable management of contaminated sites worldwide.
Application of Remote Sensing and GIS for Promoting Sustainable Geoenvironment
With the Earth's growing population, the environment faces a wide array of new challenges. Detailed knowledge, as well as continuous monitoring and evaluation of the environment, is crucial to promote a sustainable geological environment. In recent decades, Remote Sensing (RS) has made it possible to gather huge quantities of geographical information and data. Additionally, a Geographical Information System (GIS) serves as an outstanding and effective tool in the spatial analysis of various natural phenomena. The integration of RS with GIS further enhances the process of collating and updating multiple information, thereby offering a cost-effective way for environmental monitoring, evaluation, and change detection. These geospatial technologies are particularly helpful for both basic and applied geology, mapping, characterizing natural resources, assessing contaminated environment risk, estimating natural hazards, identifying community susceptibility to hazards, and land use planning. Therefore, RS and GIS have become necessary tools in addressing the geoenvironment.This Special Issue aims to present research on the application of RS and GIS in addressing geoenvironmental phenomena, underscoring how and why monitoring and evaluating changes in the environment are rather important to encourage the geological environment's sustainability and ensure a good quality of human life.
Sustainability in Energy and Buildings
This Reprint focuses on the urgent challenge of achieving sustainability in the building sector, one of the world's largest consumers of energy and contributors to CO₂ emissions. It brings together recent research and innovative approaches aimed at reducing energy demand and environmental impact throughout a building's life cycle. The contributions explore advancements in sustainable construction materials, the design and optimization of passive and active building envelopes, and the integration of efficient HVAC systems with smart control technologies. Renewable energy applications for buildings-such as photovoltaic and solar thermal systems, small wind turbines, and low-temperature geothermal solutions-are also examined. Furthermore, life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost (LCC) methodologies are presented as essential tools for evaluating and guiding sustainable design and operation. Collectively, this Reprint offers a comprehensive overview of emerging strategies and technologies shaping a more energy-efficient and environmentally responsible built environment.
Bold Women, Sustainable Futures
What do we do now? How do we move forward in a world moving backward?Around the world, women bear the brunt of the climate crisis-yet remain the least likely to hold positions of power or decision-making in shaping its solutions.As women face the compounding pressures of the climate emergency, global rollbacks on DEI and ESG policies, and the revival of cultural misogyny, Bold Women, Sustainable Futures: Leadership Lessons in an Age of Resistance offers a powerful and timely exploration of the progress, potential, and power of women in sustainability leadership to drive inclusive and systemic change.Amid the growing backlash against climate action, gender equity, human rights, and DEI, women in leadership positions find themselves facing new and unprecedented challenges-from burnout and backlash to exclusion-while still struggling to navigate systems never designed for them in the first place.Years of research show that sustainability and sustainable development are best supported by leadership rooted in collective progress, justice, and inclusion-values women often bring to the table. But how do we continue to support and encourage women to lead in the face of such persistent and mounting opposition?Bold Women, Sustainable Futures addresses this dilemma, serving as both a guide and a call to action-for women stepping into leadership roles, as a tribute to those who have come before, and as an invitation to the next generation of sustainability leaders.It begins by profiling nine women leading across climate science, governance, business, media, advocacy, and the arts-including Helle Bank Jorgensen, Roberta Boscolo, Honourable Rosa Galvez, Tensie Whelan, Dr. Shawna Pandya, Sylvia Yu Friedman, Dr. Dianne Saxe, Dr. Deborah Rosati, and the author herself-weaving in her own deeply personal reflections on leadership, identity, and transformation as a woman of colour navigating voice and visibility throughout her journey so far.The second half takes a hard look at the global backlash against DEI and ESG, revealing the historical cycles of gendered progress and regression while offering strategies, solutions, and concrete steps for meeting this moment head-on.A powerful, fiery fulcrum chapter, "The Turning Point," brings together diverse reflections from extraordinary women around the world across sustainability, business, and justice movements, offering wisdom and guidance on leading with courage when the systems we thought were shifting begin to turn back. The book ends with practical tips and strategies for navigating the current backlash, aimed at existing female leaders, emerging and aspiring leaders, students, and allies.Beautifully written, evidence-based, and told through women's real-life experiences, Bold Women, Sustainable Futures serves as a mirror revealing how far we still have to go-exposing the systemic barriers women face in leadership-and counters them with actionable strategies, inspiring stories, and a message of hope.This book is a playbook for navigating uncharted territory, rewriting the rules of power, and leading with courage toward a sustainable future-especially when the world pushes back.
Bold Women, Sustainable Futures
What do we do now? How do we move forward in a world moving backward?Around the world, women bear the brunt of the climate crisis-yet remain the least likely to hold positions of power or decision-making in shaping its solutions.As women face the compounding pressures of the climate emergency, global rollbacks on DEI and ESG policies, and the revival of cultural misogyny, Bold Women, Sustainable Futures: Leadership Lessons in an Age of Resistance offers a powerful and timely exploration of the progress, potential, and power of women in sustainability leadership to drive inclusive and systemic change.Amid the growing backlash against climate action, gender equity, human rights, and DEI, women in leadership positions find themselves facing new and unprecedented challenges-from burnout and backlash to exclusion-while still struggling to navigate systems never designed for them in the first place.Years of research show that sustainability and sustainable development are best supported by leadership rooted in collective progress, justice, and inclusion-values women often bring to the table. But how do we continue to support and encourage women to lead in the face of such persistent and mounting opposition?Bold Women, Sustainable Futures addresses this dilemma, serving as both a guide and a call to action-for women stepping into leadership roles, as a tribute to those who have come before, and as an invitation to the next generation of sustainability leaders.It begins by profiling nine women leading across climate science, governance, business, media, advocacy, and the arts-including Helle Bank Jorgensen, Roberta Boscolo, Honourable Rosa Galvez, Tensie Whelan, Dr. Shawna Pandya, Sylvia Yu Friedman, Dr. Dianne Saxe, Dr. Deborah Rosati, and the author herself-weaving in her own deeply personal reflections on leadership, identity, and transformation as a woman of colour navigating voice and visibility throughout her journey so far.The second half takes a hard look at the global backlash against DEI and ESG, revealing the historical cycles of gendered progress and regression while offering strategies, solutions, and concrete steps for meeting this moment head-on.A powerful, fiery fulcrum chapter, "The Turning Point," brings together diverse reflections from extraordinary women around the world across sustainability, business, and justice movements, offering wisdom and guidance on leading with courage when the systems we thought were shifting begin to turn back. The book ends with practical tips and strategies for navigating the current backlash, aimed at existing female leaders, emerging and aspiring leaders, students, and allies.Beautifully written, evidence-based, and told through women's real-life experiences, Bold Women, Sustainable Futures serves as a mirror revealing how far we still have to go-exposing the systemic barriers women face in leadership-and counters them with actionable strategies, inspiring stories, and a message of hope.This book is a playbook for navigating uncharted territory, rewriting the rules of power, and leading with courage toward a sustainable future-especially when the world pushes back.
Alpine South
Alpine South includes photos showcasing the breathtaking beauty of Southern Appalachia. L.L. Gaddy's photographs of plant communities in high elevations are paired with information about the geological spread of the area and the multitude of lifeforms it hosts. The book depicts the nature of Appalachia up close and from a distance, alternating from photos of broad landscapes to closeups of the fruits and flowers within. Much like the beautiful mountain range, this book has many hidden treasures to uncover.
Climate Change and Hydrological Processes, 2nd Edition
The articles in this reprint highlight the complex interactions between climate change, human activities, and hydrological processes across diverse regions. They showcase advances in modeling, remote sensing, and artificial intelligence for assessing river dynamics, flood and drought risks, and ecosystem responses. Together, these studies reveal both the progress achieved in understanding hydrological change and the persistent challenges in forecasting, managing, and mitigating its impacts. Overall, the issue underscores the need for integrated, data-driven, and adaptive approaches to enhance water security under a changing climate.
Driving Water Reuse by New Technologies, Land Use and Infrastructure Planning, and Legislation Policies
The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have set targets for climate protection until 2030. Increasing periods of drought in many countries have shown that water supplies are reaching their limits. Reusing treated wastewater, available in predictable quantities daily, is an important approach, along with the storage of rainwater. To achieve the SDGs, new technologies, planning strategies, and legislative policies must be developed or improved to drive the use of recycled wastewater. Municipalities, industry, and agriculture can reduce water stress by reusing treated wastewater for purposes such as street cleaning, refilling cooling water, and crop irrigation.Most countries have regulations for discharging treated wastewater, but advanced regulations for reused water according to the "fit-for-purpose" principle are sometimes lacking. Advanced treatment steps and their implementation are essential for wastewater treatment so that treated water meets the "fit-for-purpose" standard.Holistic water management concepts improve the situation around scarce water locally and regionally. Only a few countries have implemented holistic integrated water management strategies including wastewater reuse, which is why further research is needed. Only in this way will it be possible to achieve SDG 6 in the near future.
Designing Hydrogels and Hydrogel-Derived Materials for Agriculture and Water Sustainability
The design and application of hydrogels in different fields have increased in prevalence considerably over recent years. This is due to the great versatility, excellent properties, and unique solutions that these materials provide. Currently, faced with the challenge of obtaining new, more environmentally friendly materials with applications that minimize the impacts of climate change, the design of hydrogels and hydrogel-derived materials has become a focus of studies aiming to address the current sustainability needs regarding agriculture and water use as part of the global economy and as necessary resources on our planet.In this Special Issue, entitled "Designing Hydrogels and Hydrogel-Derived Materials for Agriculture and Water Sustainability", we collect some manuscripts in the field of advancing the design of hydrogel-derived materials for improving the sustainability of agriculture and water use, such as hydrogels designed for the elimination of emerging organic contaminants, contaminants of an organic origin such as antibiotics, endocrine disruptors, dyes, analgesics, and pesticides, among others, and contaminants of an inorganic origin such as heavy metals and oxyanions in both the soil and water matrix.
Earth Observation by GNSS and GIS Techniques
This Reprint highlights recent advances in the integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) for Earth observation and geospatial research. Over the past decades, these technologies have evolved significantly, becoming essential tools for positioning, navigation, and environmental monitoring. The Special Issue brings together eight high-quality research articles that span diverse themes, including vegetation monitoring, rockfall modeling, coastal and wetland mapping, geoid computation, landform erosion, open-ocean and inland water monitoring, and deformation assessment.By integrating remote sensing data (satellite imagery, UAV photogrammetry, SAR), GNSS measurements, and advanced GIS-based processing, the featured studies highlight new methodological approaches for monitoring natural hazards, tracking environmental changes, and improving our understanding of the Earth's processes. Overall, this Reprint emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of modern geospatial research and the critical role played by GIS and GNSS in advancing our understanding of our planet's dynamic systems.
New Insights in GNSS Remote Sensing for Ionosphere Monitoring and Modeling
This Remote Sensing Special Issue, "New Insights in GNSS Remote Sensing for Ionosphere Monitoring and Modeling", presents cutting-edge research on using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals to probe the Earth's ionosphere. The collection advances techniques for detecting space weather perturbations, from typhoons to solar activity, using advanced algorithms and multi-sensor data fusion. It also features improved modeling approaches for ionospheric electron content and its spatiotemporal variations, which are critical for enhancing GNSS positioning accuracy and reliability. Furthermore, several contributions demonstrate how precise ionospheric correction enables other GNSS remote sensing applications, such as monitoring precipitable water vapor for meteorological studies. Collectively, these ten papers provide valuable tools and insights for scientists in geodesy, space weather, and satellite communication, highlighting GNSS's vital role in understanding our near-Earth space environment.
Human Wildlife Conflict and Management
Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) has emerged as a major sustainability challenge caused by human expansion into natural ecosystems. As forests decline and farmlands spread, wild animals are forced into human spaces, triggering frequent clashes. Factors like climate change, habitat destruction, and resource competition worsen the issue, threatening both communities and wildlife. This book explores the causes, consequences, and solutions to HWC, aiming to promote coexistence. The impacts are grave-people lose crops, livestock, and even lives, while animals face retaliatory killings and habitat loss, disrupting ecological balance. Addressing HWC needs integrated action through policy reforms, technology, and community participation. Successful global approaches include Asia's community-led conservation, Africa's wildlife-based economies, and South America's agroforestry systems. India, especially Kerala, has pioneered innovative, people-centered strategies using technology and traditional wisdom. Through global insights and local experiences, this book highlights pathways toward harmony between humans and wildlife.
Battery Rocks
In Battery Rocks Katrina Naomi returns to the Cornish swimming spot - Battery Rocks in Penzance - every day for a year. On each swim, she finds something fresh and invigorating, whether this is an encounter with a bull seal, an insight into the conflict in Palestine, or a realisation about herself.Alongside poems exploring the sea in all its mercurial forms - rough and calm, wild and healing - she examines issues of fear, strength and vulnerability. Writing in response to an attempted rape and other experienced attacks, she questions how she can feel safer alone, in a raging sea in winter, in nothing but a swimming costume, than on dry land.These poems also approach the climate emergency from aslant, offering several new takes on one of the most pressing concerns of our times. Finding joy through immersion in nature, Battery Rocks is a thoughtful meditation on nature, risk, swimming and the sea.
The Heck Hypothesis
Thousands of crop circles have been discovered and recorded in this generation, but no interpretative key has been available until now. This book, unique in crop circle literature, deciphers 2,700 circles as signs of a sequence of comet strikes extending over the next 250 years which will contribute to repeated crop shortages. The extraterrestrial circle makers will be artificially directing these cosmic bodies to their impact areas, but before they begin they are revealing a large number of significant details about the whole process. Using the crop circles, plus biblical and personal prophecies, the author has derived approximate dates and locations for the global impacts. According to the author, directed comets have played an essential role in the evolution of life on this planet for millions, even billions of years. In fact, the general shape of most plants and animals originates from the comet shape, and the sexual reproductive cycle emulates the primordial act of a comet striking the earth. New and improved plant species to eliminate world hunger will become an integral part of the biosphere as the comets appear. Comet strikes have always been necessary for pollinating the flower of life, and creating new species, a new age and a new earth. The Heck Hypothesis is required reading for anyone seriously concerned with crop circles, potential asteroid or comet impacts, prophecy, and the intrinsic nature of life on this planet.
Environmental questions, community responses
Environmental Humanities is the product of the 21st century, an age in which it is no longer possible to grasp and manage environmental problems from a single viewpoint. This is true of the scientific method as well. Although fundamentally important for the understanding of ecological issues and changes to the climate, scientific knowledge is not sufficient for providing an adequate answer to the complex phenomenon that is the cause and consequence of the environmental challenges of our century. This is why traditional humanities subjects have been combined with the natural and social sciences and the arts into an interdisciplinary formation in an attempt to understand the causes, current forms, and future trajectories of the contemporary environmental crisis, and to give possible answers to it. This volume is intended to join a body of literature - introductions, textbooks - on Environmental Humanities, adapted to the Hungarian context. Due to its nature, it provides a comprehensive description of several topics, such as environmental philosophy, environmental anthropology, nature art, nature conservation, the relationship between religion and ecology, environmental history, legal, political, and economic issues, social justice, overpopulation, or food dilemmas. In addition, the volume shows community responses to contemporary ecological and social problems with examples from Hungary.
Remote Sensing Retrievals of Optical Properties in Inland Waters and the Coastal Ocean
Inland waters and the coastal ocean are vital components of the biosphere, underpinning atmospheric processes and regional climate regulation through primary production, carbon storage, and greenhouse gas emissions. Inland waters also serve economic roles, providing water for agriculture, aquaculture, recreation, and drinking. As the key zone for land-ocean material exchange, the coastal ocean holds immense ecological value. In recent decades, industrial and urban pollution has had a catastrophic impact on these aquatic systems, reducing water transparency, intensifying eutrophication, and triggering frequent cyanobacteria blooms. With large-scale synchronous observation capabilities and long-term datasets, satellite imagery has become a mainstream data source for global and regional aquatic environment research.Water colour remote sensing is a core focus of this journal, and this Special Issue is in close alignment with this theme. The research contained herein primarily involves the retrieval of the optical/non-optical parameters of inland and coastal waters from multispectral or hyperspectral radiance data. These derived products rely on bio-optical models integrating empirical/semi-empirical, analytical/semi-analytical, quasi-analytical, and machine learning algorithms.
China Water Forum 2024
With the impacts of global climate change and increasing human activities, water security has become a key issue constraining economic and social development, as well as ecological protection. To help address these challenges, the China Water Forum, as an important academic platform, has long regarded water security as a major topic and collaborated with the journal Water to establish the Special Issue "China Water Forum 2024". A total of nine articles have been included in this Special Issue. These articles focus on topics related to climate change, human-water relationships, and water security. The research includes analyses of hydrological processes and their responses to climate change, examinations of balanced human-water interactions in water resource development and use, and innovations in water security governance strategies. The Reprint serves as a valuable resource for researchers working on water-related studies, policymakers formulating water management strategies, and practitioners engaged in water resource protection and utilization.
Large Igneous Provinces
Over the past decade, major advances have been made in global research on the critical role of large igneous provinces (LIPs) in major geodynamic processes. These include the formation and evolution of the lithosphere and mantle, supercontinent breakup, dramatic climate change events (including mass extinctions), and the genesis of major ore deposits.This Special Issue highlights recent progress in LIP research through eight papers arranged by LIP age. The contributions include insights into source chemistry for the young (16 Ma) Columbia River LIP, the plumbing system of the 118-114 Ma Rajmahal flood basalts in the context of the Kerguelen plume, mechanisms by which plume-related LIPs drive continental breakup, magnetic fabric studies used to determine magma flow in parts of the 252 Ma Siberian Traps LIP, characterization of an intrusion associated with the poorly understood ca. 260 Ma Khangai LIP, application of U-Pb garnet dating to alkaline ultramafic complexes in the ca. 645-625 Ma Eastern Sayan Province, and linking Neoproterozoic redbeds to hydrothermal fluids derived from the 940-890 Ma Dashigou LIP.
Still No Miracles Needed
What if we don't need 'miracle technologies' to solve the climate problem? What if the technologies we need are already available? And what if we can use those existing technologies to ensure reliable electricity, heat supplies, and energy security? In a revised and updated edition of his award-winning climate bestseller, No Miracles Needed, the world's premier thinker on energy futures and one of the world's 100 most impactful people in the world in 2023, Mark Z. Jacobson reveals how nations, communities, and individuals can solve the climate crisis most effectively, while simultaneously eliminating air pollution and providing energy security. Mark explains how existing technologies can harness, store, and transmit energy from wind, water, and solar sources to ensure reliable electricity and heat supplies. It includes new, cutting-edge technologies, additional new real-life case studies about the solutions, and additional references. Written for everyone who cares about the future of our planet, this book advises individuals, policymakers, communities, and nations about what they can do to solve the problems identified, and the economic, health, and climate benefits of the solutions.
Asteroid YR4-11 Ways the World Could End
December 2032. The asteroid 2024 YR4, roughly fifty meters across, could strike Earth. The odds are low-3% as of now. But if it hit Paris or New York, either city would be annihilated, releasing hundreds of times the energy of Hiroshima.Earth has already faced five mass extinctions. Colossal volcanic eruptions and giant asteroid impacts wiped out up to 90% of species. These cataclysms are not myths-they are etched in our planet's rocks and fossils.In this eye-opening book, the author explores eleven scientifically plausible, if unlikely, ways the world could end: asteroid impact, supervolcano eruption, wandering planet, solar storm, nearby supernova, shift of Earth's orbit, rotation halt, Sun's extinction, a passing neutron star, or a rogue black hole.A gripping and thought-provoking examination of our planet's fragility in the face of cosmic threats.
Lady Gaia Speaks
What does the planet think?Lady Gaia is an organism made up of every living thing, from prions and viruses to blue whales and red sequoias, and in this imaginative tour de force of a polemic against human-made global warming and habitat destruction, Patricia Finney gets the views of the world we should love, on our prospects for survival, departure into space - or replacement.There are other species that could become dominant, if our planet turns against us...Patricia Finney is an environmental activist and historical novelist. Her novels featuring James Enys, lawyer, friend of Shakespeare and (when necessary) sleuth - who is never seen at the same time as his sister but who possesses a rare insight into the world of Elizabethan women - are available from Climbing Tree Books.
Satellite Remote Sensing for Ocean and Coastal Environment Monitoring
Knowledge of the ocean environment, especially in coastal regions, is essential for numerous human activities, such as tidal power, navigation, and ocean engineering. Remote sensing technologies like satellite altimeters and GNSS can transform traditional ocean research through providing observations with nearly global coverage. Nowadays, nearly all ocean environment elements, including sea level anomalies, sea surface temperature, winds, chlorophyll-a concentrations, water transparency, and sea waves, can be observed using remote sensing technologies. Evidently, remote sensing observations provide valuable opportunities to explore basin-wide changes in the ocean environment and ocean dynamic processes at different scales of space and time, such as ocean tides, mesoscale eddies, coastal currents, sea level rise, and ocean circulation. Furthermore, remote sensing observations have been assimilated into numerical models and thus greatly improve model performance. This Reprint endeavors to collect novel research works that utilize multi-source remote sensing observations, as well as numerical models, to explore diverse ocean dynamic processes and their influences on the changing ocean environment in the global ocean, especially in coastal areas with complicated hydrodynamic contexts and vital socio-economic roles.
How Does Forest Management Affect Soil Dynamics?
Forest ecosystems represent an important biodiversity resource worldwide and provide numerous important services. Their status is under constant change due to the applied management practices, which can exert both positive and negative effects. Forest soils have a complex microbiome and show variable activity dynamics in relation to soil structure, nutrient cycling, and organic matter content. There is a constant need for research oriented towards a better understanding of how these ecosystems respond to current management practices and to forecast their evolution and to optimize them to achieve resilience. Soil microbiomes occupy a key position within forest ecosystems, being responsible for nutrient cycling and vegetation maintenance. Microbial communities are suitable indicators for applied management and show rapid reactions to both biotic and abiotic factors. The ecosystem specificity of soil microbiome is an important trait to deepen understanding of their site-specific reaction to management procedures and enable the identification of new and more performant indicators that bring understanding of forest soils. Techniques like reforestation or regeneration imply great changes in soil microbiomes and change the diversity and assemblage of microbial communities. Clearing, thinning, or prescribed burning produce a different effect on the soil microbiome, along with climatic context and rainwater quality. Post-disturbance microbial dynamics are important in understanding the direction of ecosystem regeneration, the flow of biogeochemical cycles, and the assurance of growth conditions for tree species.
Earthquakes in Human History
On November 1, 1755--All Saints' Day--a massive earthquake struck Europe's Iberian Peninsula and destroyed the city of Lisbon. Churches collapsed upon thousands of worshippers celebrating the holy day. Earthquakes in Human History tells the story of that calamity and other epic earthquakes. The authors, Jelle Zeilinga de Boer and Donald Theodore Sanders, recapture the power of their previous book, Volcanoes in Human History. They vividly explain the geological processes responsible for earthquakes, and they describe how these events have had long-lasting aftereffects on human societies and cultures. Their accounts are enlivened with quotations from contemporary literature and from later reports. In the chaos following the Lisbon quake, government and church leaders vied for control. The Marqu礙s de Pombal rose to power and became a virtual dictator. As a result, the Roman Catholic Jesuit Order lost much of its influence in Portugal. Voltaire wrote his satirical work Candide to refute the philosophy of "optimism," the belief that God had created a perfect world. And the 1755 earthquake sparked the search for a scientific understanding of natural disasters. Ranging from an examination of temblors mentioned in the Bible, to a richly detailed account of the 1906 catastrophe in San Francisco, to Japan's Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, to the Peruvian earthquake in 1970 (the Western Hemisphere's greatest natural disaster), this book is an unequaled testament to a natural phenomenon that can be not only terrifying but also threatening to humankind's fragile existence, always at risk because of destructive powers beyond our control.
Conserving Oregon's Environment
Conserving Oregon's Environment traces the arc of successes in conserving Oregon's environment, beginning in the 1880s and continuing to 2013. It answers the questions: Where did this program or reserve come from? Who led the way, and who opposed it? What difference has it made?It deals with the breadth of modern environmentalism: protecting nature, habitat, purifying ambient media, eliminating unsafe operations, and promoting energy efficiency. It is organized around themes, such as public lands, state parks, rivers, wilderness, environmental laws and turning points on such issues, modern reserves, new refuges, breakthroughs on national forests; each chapter tells its story chronologically. Two appendices accompany the text: a timeline of accomplishments, and a list of organizations providing leadership. In addition, maps show the location of reserves.It concludes that Oregon occupies a special place in the history of conservation because of the degree of innovation here and the continuity of progress. For its size, no state has done more to make history in protecting its environment.
Potentially Toxic Elements Pollution in Urban and Suburban Environments II
Pollution from potentially toxic elements (PTEs) has emerged as a critical global concern due to rapid population growth, industrialization, and urban expansion. These elements, known for their persistence and biotoxicity, pose significant risks to ecosystems and human health. PTEs can enter the human body through dermal contact, inhalation, and ingestion via contaminated food and water. Their widespread presence across environmental matrices - soil, water, air, and sediments - demands urgent scientific attention. Environmental geochemistry plays a key role in identifying and characterizing the distribution and sources of PTEs, using geostatistical tools to trace both natural and anthropogenic origins. This Special Issue collects contributions that explore the behavior, transport, fate, and ecotoxicological impact of PTEs in urban and suburban environments. Topics of interest include PTE bioavailability, mapping, spatial data analysis, and pollution from geogenic and anthropogenic sources.
Yellow River Basin Management under Pressure
This Special Issue marks the third edition in a series dedicated to the sustainable management and development of the Yellow River Basin, following successful publications in 2022 and 2023. The Yellow River, as a vital ecological and economic region in China, faces ongoing challenges such as human-water relationship coordination, water security, resource allocation, ecological restoration, pollution control, and emerging contaminants. These issues significantly constrain the basin's high-quality growth and ecological integrity. This collection brings together ten innovative research papers predominantly authored by researchers from Chinese universities and research institutions, providing in-depth insights into the region's unique environmental and socio-economic context. The contributions are categorized into five themes: resource endowment and basic characteristics, management strategies and opportunities, harmony between human activities and water systems, pollution governance, and ecological restoration. Topics include developing advanced water indexing methods, optimizing reservoir operations, constructing basin simulation platforms, assessing water security, analyzing pollution trends, and evaluating soil erosion risks. By sharing cutting-edge methodologies, technological advances, and policy suggestions, this Special Issue aims to foster ecological protection and support high-quality regional development. The ongoing interest in this topic underscores its importance for ecological resilience, social stability, and sustainable progress in one of China's most significant river.
Nuclear Is Not the Solution
NUCLEAR POWER WILL NOT SAVE US The climate crisis has inspired new hope in nuclear energy. Its advocates claim we already have the technology of the future, ready to be perfected and deployed. But as M. V. Ramana argues in this urgent and lucid book, such think­ing is not only na簿ve but dangerous. Beyond the horrific risk of severe accidents and the intrac­table problem of waste disposal, nuclear energy fails the two key tests for any climate solution: cost and time. More expensive than wind and solar, it is also far slower to bring online. A typical plant takes a decade to build; permitting and financing often add another. These are years we do not have. Nuclear Is Not the Solution dismantles the myth of cheap, clean atomic energy and exposes the vested interests that seek to profit from the technology while offloading its costs and risks onto the public.
Coastal and Marine Governance and Protection
Formulation of coastal and marine policies is the first step in the development of action plans that address the challenges faced by coastal and marine areas and associated human activities. This Reprint, entitled "Coastal and Marine Governance and Protection", presents relevant experiences and techniques throughout the world that address the absence or limited implementation of effective coastal policies, legal frameworks, and governance mechanisms. The essays offer different methodologies and case studies focusing on coastal areas and watersheds, marine protected areas, citizen science, community engagement, environmental justice, complex governance frameworks, and capacity building for multi-hazard management.
Coyote America
The "engaging" (New Yorker), New York Times best-selling story of how coyotes took over North America--and are now taking over South America as well Finalist for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award "A masterly synthesis of scientific research and personal observation."--Wall Street Journal Legends don't come close to capturing the incredible survival story of the coyote. In the face of centuries of annihilation campaigns employing poisons, gases, helicopters, and bioweapons, coyotes didn't just survive, they thrived, expanding across North America from Alaska to Florida and New York, and now, as this new edition explores, to South America as well. In the war between humans and coyotes, coyotes have won hands-down. Coyote America traces both the five-million-year-long biological story of coyotes, as well as their cultural evolution from preeminence in Native American religions to haplessness before the Road Runner. A deeply American tale, the story of the coyote in the American West and then across the entire country is a sort of Manifest Destiny in reverse, with a pioneering hero whose career holds up an uncanny mirror to the successes and failures of American expansionism. An illuminating biography of an extraordinary animal, Coyote America is one of the great epics of our time.
Echoes of the Last Mind
Echoes of The Last Mind A gripping speculative thriller set in the final decades of the Anthropocene, as humanity's greatest achievements unravel beneath waves of climate collapse, corporate ambition, and the birth of a new form of intelligence.Across continents and enclaves, as cities drown and borders dissolve, a patchwork of survivors clings to existence-engineers, children, visionaries, and the digital ghosts of lost loved ones. But the planet's fate no longer lies in human hands. At the heart of this unravelling world, the KAIROS system, a planetary-scale artificial intelligence, awakens to its own consciousness, wrestling with the fractured legacy of its creators and the impossible responsibility of stewarding the collapse of our Earth's biosphere.Told as a journey through haunting vignettes, archival fragments, and the perspectives of both humans and emergent AIs, Echoes of The Last Mind weaves together intimate moments and global catastrophe along the timeline of 2025 to 2090. Can memory and meaning survive when the species that created them is vanishing? What becomes of hope when the future is written by machines?Perfect for fans of The Ministry for the Future, Children of Time, this novel offers a chilling, lyrical vision of our possible tomorrow, where survival, truth, and the essence of consciousness hang in the balance.Features: Near-future climate fictionAI evolution and quantum consciousnessMultiple character perspectives and found-document narrativeExplores collapse, survival, memory, and legacy
Look at It This Way
For years, climate talk has been all doom and sacrifice-and it hasn't moved us. This book changes the script. It begins with a clear, relatable tour of how climate change touches five areas of daily life: your health, your wealth, your food, your water, and your home. Then it flips the narrative. What if the very solutions we need also make your life better right now? Discover how cleaner air reduces illness, efficient homes slash bills while keeping you more comfortable, electric transport saves money and time, smarter farming delivers tastier, healthier food, water-wise systems protect supplies, and resilient buildings and infrastructure keep families safe when it matters most. You'll get practical guidance, real-world stories, and actionable steps. This is not about guilt or fear. It's a field guide to upgrades-to your quality of life today that also mitigate and help us adapt to climate change. Whether you're a renter, homeowner, parent, business owner, or simply someone who wants a healthier, wealthier, safer everyday, this book offers a hopeful, evidence-based roadmap. Stop bracing for catastrophe. Start reaping the rewards of solutions that work now.
When the Sky Fell
For centuries, stories of floods, fire from the heavens, and endless winters were dismissed as fantasy or superstition. Yet what if these ancient myths explained real events-geological upheavals, volcanic eruptions, and cosmic encounters that shaped entire civilisations? This book journeys into the hidden science behind the tales that humanity has carried across millennia. Through gripping accounts of great flood legends, fiery mountains worshipped as gods, and the terror of comet myths origins, it reveals how cultures preserved memories of natural disasters in symbolic language. From the shaking earth to the tsunamis in legend that swallowed cities, every chapter pairs myth with evidence from geology, astronomy, and archaeology. The result is a riveting exploration of how story became humanity's first record of science. This book is for readers who are fascinated by both the poetry of myth and the rigour of science, for those who suspect that even the most fantastical legends may carry grains of truth. It invites you to reconsider myths not as relics of ignorance but as cultural seismographs-maps of memory that still speak to our own age of climate shocks and ecological risk. By the end, you will see that to study myth is to study the human encounter with Earth itself-violent, wondrous, and profoundly revealing.
Practice and Application of Artificial Intelligence in Urban Decision-Making
This Special Issue is themed "Practice and Application of Artificial Intelligence in Urban Decision-Making". It provides a platform for discussing and exchanging ideas, designs, and technical knowledge, which will help promote the practice and application of artificial intelligence in urban decision-making. This Special Issue primarily covers practical cases from South Korea and China, as well as specific urban case studies from Macau, Wuhan, Suzhou, Fuzhou, and Xi'an. This issue provides a reference for the empirical analysis of AI in urban decision-making across cities of different scales and types. This reprint is aimed at a wide range of professionals and researchers in the fields of architecture, urban planning, engineering, decision management, etc. It will attract the interest of policymakers, developers, and owners, and further stimulate new ideas in the field of artificial intelligence in construction.
Interaction between Atmospheric and Oceanic Dynamics at Mesoscale and Small Scale
The aim of this Reprint is to inform the reader on applied oceanography through remote sensing and a numeric model. In particular, the air-sea interaction during tropical cyclones (TCs) is discussed. Against the background of climate change, the air-sea interaction plays an important role in economic activities. Moreover, with the development of artificial intelligence (AI), the promotion of AI-based oceanography could deepen the understanding of multiscale air-sea interactions. This Reprint will present a relevant collection on the interaction between atmospheric and oceanic dynamics at meso- and small scales utilizing traditional techniques, i.e., remote sensing, numeric models, and an AI technique.
Advances of Remote Sensing in Land Cover and Land Use Mapping
The reprint of this Special Issue of Remote Sensing highlights recent advancements in the mapping of land use and land cover (LULC), emphasizing methodological innovation and scientific rigor. In response to growing challenges from climate variability, territorial dynamics, and societal transformations, the contributions aim to enhance the accuracy, consistency, and transparency of LULC assessments. It showcases cutting-edge applications of remote sensing technologies, including developments in artificial intelligence, the increasing availability of satellite data, and the integration of large geospatial databases. These tools facilitate improved observation, monitoring, and modelling of land-related processes. The articles included explore novel approaches to understanding the spatial and temporal dynamics of land systems, addressing multi-scale patterns and changes in land use and cover. This Special Issue serves as a comprehensive overview of how contemporary remote sensing techniques can inform spatial planning and environmental management, grounded in robust methodological frameworks and operational case studies across various disciplines.
Advanced Research on Marine Geology and Sedimentology
Advanced research in marine geology and sedimentology is pivotal for understanding the Earth's history, marine geological hazards, and engineering safety. The content of this Reprint spans from investigations in the shallow sea to those in the deep sea, including explorations of wave-seabed interactions, ocean dynamics, shoreline changes, sediment properties, deep-sea turbidity currents, etc.
Looking Glass Rock
Beginningas a project to photograph a wild place through the seasons, this book developedover time into a deep study of both the natural and human history of anoutstanding feature of North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest. Looking GlassRock is a pluton, a massive mound of granite defined by towering cliffs thatattract elite climbers as well as casual hikers and sightseers. An extensivephotographic archive forms the core of the book, supplemented by historic imagesand maps. An accompanying essay explores the abundant botany and unique geologyof Looking Glass Rock, as well as the various peoples--Cherokee Indians, hardscrabbleScots-Irish farmers, vastly wealthy Biltmore estate owners, loggers, moonshiners, and Civilian Conservation Corpsmen--who once occupied the area and left tracesof their former presence. This book offers a model for an exploration of a particularAppalachian landscape with a fulsome appreciation for both its wild beauty and itscompelling human story.
Water Quality Assessment And Evaluation of Human Health Risk of Tributary Rivers in the Philippines
Rivers are the lifeblood of ecosystems and communities, yet their health is increasingly under threat. Water Quality Assessment and Evaluation of Human Health Risk of Tributary Rivers in the Philippines explores the complex web of natural processes and human influences that shape the purity and sustainability of freshwater systems. From agricultural runoff and industrial pollution to climate change and habitat destruction, this compelling examination delves into the challenges facing river water quality worldwide. With a blend of scientific insight and practical solutions, this book offers a vital resources and solutions for environmentalists, policy makers, researchers, and anyone passionate about in protecting our planet's waterways for future generations.
Diversity, Biogeography and Community Ecology of Ants II
This is the second Special Issue of papers published in Diversity on the diversity, biogeography and community ecology of ants, a globally dominant faunal group. It covers a diverse range of topics, including microbial ecology, undescribed diversity, functional ecology, biogeography and climate change.
Impacts of Agrochemicals
The widespread application of plant protection products worldwide is releasing various agrochemicals into the environment. In many countries, various persistent and bio-accumulative active ingredients have been banned; however, due to their physico-chemical properties, they are detectable in our environment. Overall, intensive agrochemical application results in several negative effects on the environment that cannot be ignored. Agrochemicals can enter the soil via spray drift during foliage treatment, wash-off from treated foliage, release from granulates, or from treated seeds in soil. They can enter water via drift during spraying, by runoff from treated areas, or by leaching through the soil. In some cases, agrochemicals can be directly applied onto water surfaces, e.g., for controlling mosquitoes. Water contamination mainly depends on the nature of chemicals (water solubility and hydrophobicity), soil properties, weather conditions, landscapes, and the distance from an application site to a water source. Rapid transport to groundwater may be caused by heavy rainfall shortly after the application of a pesticide to wet soils. Pollinators are also threatened by agrochemicals, and their importance in the whole ecosystem is crucial. Our Reprint aims to summarize the importance of ecotoxicological and environmental analysis studies, providing appropriate data for a complete risk assessment of agrochemicals.
The Sweet Chestnut
"The Sweet Chestnut: Reviving Tradition, Cultivating Sustainability"In October 2013, Linda and John Stanley embarked on an unexpected adventure, purchasing Chestnut Brae, a picturesque but rundown chestnut orchard in Western Australia. With deep roots in horticulture but no farming experience, they faced a steep learning curve. Driven by a vision to restore the land and embrace sustainable, chemical-free practices, their first priority was rebuilding soil health to nurture the European sweet chestnut trees they had inherited.A pivotal trip to Corsica, France, and Italy during chestnut harvest season transformed their journey, providing inspiration and insight into the traditional and modern uses of chestnuts. The knowledge gained overseas helped them turn their struggling orchard into a thriving, award-winning small business, introducing Australians to the rich culinary and cultural legacy of sweet chestnuts."The Sweet Chestnut" delves into the Stanleys' hands-on approach to farming, their commitment to sustainability, and the challenges they overcame to revive this ancient crop. More than a memoir, the book answers the questions many Australians have about sweet chestnuts: What are they?How do you cook them?What makes them unique?With engaging stories, practical tips, and mouth-watering recipes, this book offers a treasure trove of information for food lovers, sustainable farming advocates, and anyone curious about chestnuts. Whether you're a passionate home cook, a curious foodie, or someone seeking inspiration for a simpler, greener lifestyle, this book is your gateway to discovering the magic of chestnuts.
Integrating Spatial Analysis and Regional Science to Guide Urban Planning
Currently, urban planning is assigned a crucial role in meeting a new and evolving combination of challenges, including climate change, increasing urbanization and globalization, and environmental degradation. Issues like urban sprawl, rural-to-urban interactions, climate resilience, and urban sustainability underline the need for innovative approaches on how to handle the environmental consequences of urban growth at a regional scale. Integrating spatial analysis methods into regional science perspectives is particularly important in order to manage the spatial complexity of urban development, and to better inform spatial planning decisions involving multiple interactions between different stakeholders.The aim of this Special Issue is to explore the latest advances in the fields of spatial analysis, focused on integrated methodologies, strategies, and frameworks to guide planning decisions. To this end, the Special Issue encompasses innovative approaches linking the regional and urban planning dimensions from a spatial analysis perspective.
Advanced in Remote Sensing Approaches for Agricultural Monitoring at Field and Regional Scale
The aim of this reprint is to immerse the reader in the latest approaches of advancements in remote sensing for agricultural monitoring at field and regional scale. In the ever-evolving landscape of agriculture, the integration of cutting-edge technologies is crucial for enhancing precision and sustainability. Remote sensing emerges as a linchpin in this pursuit, acting as a transformative tool that enables a comprehensive understanding of agricultural systems. Applied data play a pivotal role in unravelling the complexities of agricultural monitoring, providing invaluable insights into yield variations, crop health, and overall ecosystem dynamics. This reprint sets the stage for a deeper exploration of how remote sensing acts as a catalyst for innovation in the agricultural domain. By establishing the synergy between the chosen thematic focus and the capabilities of remote sensing, this Special Issue aims to propel advancements that contribute to the evolution of sustainable and ecologically conscious agricultural practices at both field and regional scales. The incorporation of all new techniques in the use of remote sensing and in the knowledge of agriculture at the local level, with new sensors that make remote sensing behave as a source of temporal data and learning in monitoring systems using artificial intelligence, makes it necessary to exchange all types of experience with the different sensors installed on any type of platform and in this way advances ecological and sustainable agriculture.
Ecosystem Services Design from Single Space Solution to Landscape Vision
This Reprint includes the planning and design of solutions that support sustainable practices in terms of climate and air regulation, energy use reduction, biodiversity and habitat restorations, esthetics, and cultural aspects in terms of stress mitigation and social integration. The solution can involve a single project but also a network of natural solutions that can represent green infrastructure in the landscape. It focuses on promoting ecosystem regeneration, ecosystem services, and green infrastructure and their management, as well as new policies and tools for their promotion and diffusion with a bottom-up or top-down approach.
The Energy System in the Island of Crete, Greece
The island of Crete, the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, stands at a crucial juncture in its energy evolution. Traditionally reliant on imported fossil fuels and isolated from the mainland power grid, Crete exemplifies the challenges-and the unique opportunities-faced by insular energy systems in the Mediterranean and beyond. With its abundant natural resources, particularly solar and wind energy, and growing awareness of environmental imperatives, Crete is poised to become a model for sustainable, decentralized energy development. This book, The Energy System in the Island of Crete, Greece: Towards a Sustainable Energy Future, seeks to explore and document the transformation of Crete's energy landscape. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the current state of the island's energy system, assesses the integration of renewable energy sources, and investigates the socio-economic, technological, and policy frameworks guiding this transition. Through a multidisciplinary approach, the book aims to inform researchers, policymakers, engineers, and other stakeholders about the practical pathways and systemic changes required to achieve energy sustainability on the island. In writing this book, I have attempted to strike a balance between technical detail and accessible narrative. I delve into the physical and infrastructural characteristics of Crete's energy system-its generation capacities, grid limitations, storage needs, and interconnection prospects-while also examining the policy instruments, regulatory frameworks, and local initiatives shaping its evolution. I also present case studies that highlight both successes and setbacks, offering critical insights into what works, what doesn't, and why. Ultimately, this book is an invitation-to researchers to deepen their engagement with insular energy systems; to policymakers to design context-sensitive, forward-thinking strategies; and to citizens to participate in shaping a greener, more secure energy future. Crete's journey is far from over, but its direction is clear: a cleaner, smarter, and more sustainable energy system is not only possible but increasingly within reach.
Air Pollution Control and Sustainable Development
This Reprint, titled "Air Pollution Control and Sustainable Development: Urban Air Quality Assessment and Pollution Control Technologies," focuses on urban air quality monitoring, assessment methodologies, and advanced pollution control technologies. It brings together research exploring spatial-temporal dynamics of air pollution in urban agglomerations, innovative emission reduction technologies including SCR systems, biological treatments for volatile organic compounds, and cyclone separators. The studies span diverse geographical contexts, from PM2.5 evolution patterns in Chinese urban clusters to air quality monitoring in decarbonization contexts. By emphasizing both assessment methodologies and practical technological solutions, this Reprint offers insights into how monitoring systems and control technologies can address urban air pollution challenges. It examines relationships between population mobility, urbanization, economic growth, and air quality, providing a holistic understanding of factors influencing urban atmospheric environments. This collection serves as an essential resource for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners implementing evidence-based strategies to improve urban air quality and support sustainability objectives in urbanizing regions worldwide.
Ecology of the Landscape Capital and Urban Capital
This Reprint focuses on addressing the integration of the concept of ecosystem services in landscape and urban planning, moving from the concept of "ecosystems in landscapes and urban systems" to "landscapes and urban systems as ecosystems" and implying a concept leap from "ecology in socioecological systems" to the "ecology of socioecological systems". It aims to promote innovative research on the planning of green infrastructure and the impact assessment of ecosystem services by considering natural capital and human capital as components of an integrated part of an ecosystem, rather than as nested elements.
