Transparency in the regulation of water utilities is essential in order to ensure quality and fairness. This book explores and compares different regulatory arrangements in the water utilities sectors in three jurisdictions to determine which regulatory and ownership model is most transparent and why. The three jurisdictions considered are England (UK), Victoria (Australia) and Jakarta (Indonesia). Following an introduction to the importance of transparency in water utilities regulation, the book provides an overview of the three chosen jurisdictions and their legal and institutional frameworks. Through a comparison of these the author explores the contested and difficult terrain of "privatization", as (often) opposed to public ownership, in which it is shown that the relationships between transparency and ownership models are not as clear-cut as might be assumed. Chapters consider various aspects and outcomes of the regulatory process and the role of transparency, including topics such as regulators' internal governance mechanisms, utilities corporate governance, licensing and information flow, freedom of information and transparency in tariffs and pricing, as well as customer service. The book concludes with a summary of lessons learned to inform the refinement of transparency in utilities regulation.

In recent years the water sector has undergone profound institutional, economic and political transformations. Some countries have encouraged privatization of water services, but in many cases this has provoked adverse reaction to such a neoliberal and market-based approach to this common shared but essential resource. This book goes beyond the ideology of the public versus private water regime debate, by focusing on the results of these types of initiatives to provide better water services, particularly in urban settings. It provides numerous examples of alternative models, to show who is responsible for implementing such systems and what are their social, institutional and technical-scientific characteristics. Policies are analysed in terms of their implications for employees and residents. The book presents a new combinatory approach of water regimes, based on several international case studies (Argentina, Bolivia, China, France, Germany, India, South Africa and the USA, plus a comparison of three cities in Africa) presenting specific challenges for water models. These case studies demonstrate the successes and problems of a range of private sector involvements in the provision of water services, and provide examples of how small-scale systems can compare with larger-scale more technical systems.

This book is ground breaking in its study of business actors in climate and energy politics. While various studies have demonstrated the influence of business actors across multiple policy domains, this is the first to examine the behaviour of business actors in energy centric industries in the US that will be vital for achieving a clean energy transition, namely the oil, gas, coal, utility, and renewable industries. Drawing on almost 80 interviews with senior energy executives, lobbyists, and policymakers, it asks two central questions: (i) how and why are business actors shaping energy policy contests in the US? And (ii) what are the implications for policymakers? In answering these questions, this book provides new insights about the preferences and strategies of business in the energy sector, and, significantly, it identifies strategies for policymakers seeking to regulate energy in the face of political resistance from incumbent fossil fuel industries. This book will be of particular value to students, scholars, and policymakers working in the fields of energy, climate, and environmental politics, as well as individuals generally interested in the role that business exerts over policy processes.

The greatest challenge facing humanity today is the transition to a more sustainable energy infrastructure while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Meeting this challenge will require a diversified array of solutions spanning across multiple industries. One of the solutions rising to the fore is the potential to rapidly build out carbon sequestration, which involves the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere and its storage in the subsurface. Integrated Aquifer Characterization and Modeling for Energy Sustainability: Key Lessons from the Petroleum Industry provides a comprehensive and practical technical guide into the potential that aquifers hold as sites for carbon and energy storage. Aquifers occupy a significant part of the Earth's available volume in the subsurface and thus hold immense potential as sites for carbon storage. Many aquifers have been studied extensively as part of oil and gas energy development projects and, as such, they represent an opportunity to sequester carbon within existing areas of infrastructure that have already been impacted by, and integrated into, an inherited energy framework. Moreover, future efforts to reconfigure the landscape of our national and global energy systems can extract valuable lessons from this existing trove of data and expertise. From a multidisciplinary perspective, this book provides a valuable and up-to-date overview of how we can draw on the wealth of existing technologies and data deployed by the petroleum industry in the transition to a more sustainable future. Integrated Aquifer Characterization and Modeling for Energy Sustainability will be of value to academic, professional and business audiences who wish to evaluate the potential underground storage of carbon and/or energy, and for policy makers in developing the right policy tools to further the goals of a sustainable energy transition.

Several general books are available on ultraviolet light and its applications. However, this is the first comprehensive monograph that deals with its application to water and wastewater treatment. There is a rapidly growing interest in using UV light in water sanitation due to the increased knowledge of the potential health and environmental impacts of disinfection byproducts. Ultraviolet Light in Water and Wastewater Sanitation integrates the fundamental physics applicable to water and wastewater sanitation, the engineering aspects, and the practical experience in the field. The text analyzes the concerns associated with this application of UV light and brings together comprehensive information on the presently available UV technologies applicable to water and wastewater treatment including: lamp technologies, criteria of evaluation and choice of technology; fundamental principles; performance criteria for disinfection; design criteria and methods; synergistic use of UV and oxidants (advanced oxidation); and functional requirements and potential advantages and drawbacks of the technique. Ultraviolet Light in Water and Wastewater Sanitation is the only treatise currently available combining fundamental knowledge, recommendations for design, evaluations of performance, and future prospects for this application. Water and wastewater treatment professionals, water utility employees, governmental regulators, and chemists will find this book an essential and unique reference for a technology which has received growing regulatory acceptance.

Petroleum Development and Environmental Conflict in Aotearoa New Zealand: Texas of the South Pacific examines the dilemmas associated with economic growth through the expansion of resource extraction. States seeking to grow their economies through the expansion of resource extraction are forced to cope with the rising influence of transnational corporations on domestic politics and democratic institutions; to mitigate the environmental damage from increased extraction activities; to respond to the mounting evidence which indicates that unconventional oil and gas development practices are harming communities, local environments, and human health; and to manage the international pressures and citizens' demands that climate change is addressed through a transition from fossil fuel dependence to a clean-energy economy. Terrence M. Loomis analyzes the circumstances under which environmental opposition to state policies to promote oil and gas development-in collaboration with the petroleum industry-, has lead to far-reaching changes in institutional relations between the state and civil society.

This holistic book covers the richest area in North East India in terms of both explored and foreseen reserves of fossil fuels and other natural resources. Using a multidisciplinary approach, GIS, and geospatial data gathered from different case studies included, this book helps readers develop a thorough understanding of a highly dynamic big river, the Brahmaputra, and use it as a comprehensive resource for further understanding the science of rivers. It discusses the causal factors of decadal-scale fluvial dynamics, the nature of fluvial dynamics, lateral variability of the older flood plains and neotectonics in the shallow subsurface, and the overall trend of basin evolution at different depths.

With water as one of the most critical resources of nature that is necessary for sustaining life for all living things, it has become very important for designing and using spatial informational techniques for understanding the root causes behind the degradation of our water resources. This volume discusses in detail a selection of geospatial approaches, tools, and techniques. The uses of geographical information science to measure and manage water resources are diverse. Satellite remote sensing provides essential data for mapping water resources, hydrology flux measurement, monitoring drought, and flood inundation. With an abundance of informative case studies, the chapters discuss the use of the satellite remote sensing and GIS-based systems for managing urban storm water; for flood and soil erosion management; for mapping groundwater zones; for crop production, including measuring soil moisture and aridity; for gauging the impact of climate change; for evaluating glacier change dynamics; for assessing the impact of urban growth on water resources; for measuring the degradation of rivers; and more. This peer-reviewed volume imparts important information on spatial information techniques that are used for understanding the root causes behind the degradation of our water resources. GIScience for the Sustainable Management of Water Resources will be a valuable resource for urban planners, environmentalists, policymakers, ecologists, researchers, academicians, students, and professionals in the fields of remote sensing, civil engineering, social science, computer science, and information technology.

This work traces the development of residential natural gas markets in the United States from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present. It examines how social, economic, and technological factors interrelated to bring a relatively new energy source from obscurity to general acceptance by the population. The author credits the appearance of particular appliances which helped spawn natural gas use, notes legislative developments such as the Natural Gas Act of 1938 and the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978, and shows the various effects of regulation and price changes on the market. The author also demonstrates the use of a general method for performing a regression analysis when the historical data are poorly measured.

This study will be of interest to energy economists, econometricians, and industry specialists, as well as economic and social historians.

In 1984, the oil, chemical and atomic workers began a 5-year campaign to win back the jobs of its members locked out by the BASF Corp. in Geismar, Louisiana. The multiscale campaign involved coalitions with local environmentalists as well as international solidarity from environmental and religious organizations. The local coalition which helped break the lockout was maintained and expanded in the 1990s. This alliance is one of numerous labor-community coalitions to emerge increasingly over the past 20 years.""Labor-Environmental Coalitions: Lessons from a Louisiana Petrochemical Region"" traces the development of the Louisiana Labor-Neighbor Project from 1985 to the present, within the context of a long history of divisions between labor and community in the U.S. The Project continued after the lockout, thriving during 1990s, expanding from one community to four counties to include 20 local member organizations, and broadening its agenda from the original jobs crisis and pollution problems to address a wide range of worker, environmental health, and economic justice issues."" Labor-Environmental Coalitions"" explores the dynamics of the Louisiana coalition to offer lessons for other coalition efforts. The book seeks to understand coalitions as a necessary strategy to counteract the dominant forces of capitalist development. The author contends that the Labor-Neighbor Project, like labor-community coalitions generally, created a unique blend of politics shaped by the geographic nature industry's politics; by the relative openness of government; and by the class experience of labor and community members.The Louisiana Project demonstrates that for labor-community coalitions to thrive they must broaden their agenda, strengthen their leadership and coalition-building skills, and develop access to multiscale resources. The author argues that for labor-community coalitions to have longer term political impact, they should adopt an explicitly progressive approach by building a broader class and cultural leadership, and by demanding state and corporate accountability on economic, public health, and environmental justice issues.

The 1973 'Oil Shock' is considered a turning point in the history of the twentieth century. At the time it seemed to mark a definitive shift from the era of low priced oil to the era of expensive oil. For most Western industrialized countries, it became the symbolic marker of the end of an era. For many oil producers, it translated into an unprecedented control over their energy resources, and completed the process of decolonization, leading to a profound redefinition of international relations.This book provides an analysis of the crisis and its global political and economic impact. It features contributions from a range of perspectives and approaches, including political, economic, environmental, international and social history. The authors examine the origins of what was defined as an 'oil revolution' by the oil-producing countries, as well as the far-reaching effects of the 'shock' on the Cold War and decolonization, on international energy markets and the global economy. In doing so, they help place the event in its historical context as a key moment in the transformation of the international economy and of North-South relations.

This book provides an original analysis of the problems of ensuring that oil ports are sustainable in the broadest sense of the concept including environmental, social, technical and resource aspects. Taking China as its frame for analysis, chosen because of the authors' expertise and because it is the largest oil import country in the world, much of it by ship, it presents a detailed investigation of the issues that make up a sustainable port profile, using a variety of established statistical and operational techniques These are examined before an holistic model is derived. Recommendations are provided for future application both in China and elsewhere and also a range of ways suggested for how the framework could be adapted to other types of ports and locations.

Comparative analyses of social actors and policy outcomes in Bahia and Texas show the similarities and differences in the actors and the policies adopted in each case. As a result of historical and structural developments in Bahia and Texas, Cetrel operates under pollution-control standards and technologies for protecting the environment and workers that are similar to those of the GCA. This convergent trend is characterized as dependent convergence between developing and developed countries. The author makes recommendations for stronger international solidarity among progressive forces in developed and developing countries to promote preventive alternatives to pollution control.

The energy industry is a key source of growth stimulation for developing states. Understandably, developing states are eager to enter into petroleum investment contracts with international investors, with the expectation that this will benefit their countries. The domestic law of some developing states provides a welcoming investment environment in the form of guarantees and stability, while other states provide these opportunities by agreeing to investment contracts or treaties drafted by international organisations established to facilitate such agreements. This book identifies the political risks, particularly of indirect expropriation, that arise from the unilateral actions of host governments during the lifespan of energy investment projects. Focusing on stabilisation clauses as a political risk management tool, this research-based study draws on comparative empirical evidence from Turkey and Azerbaijan to determine what influences host states to consent to the insertion of stabilisation clauses in long-term host government agreements. Proposing a framework for the role to be played by both internal forces and external forces, it examines political regimes and state guarantees to foreign investors in Azerbaijan and Turkey from a comparative perspective, assessing how effective internal factors in Azerbaijan and Turkey are in facilitating contractual stability in their energy investment projects. Providing a comprehensive analysis of stabilisation clauses and the internal and external factors that compel host states to commit to them, this book will appeal to practitioners, students and scholars in international investment law and energy law.

This book provides an in-depth analysis of the energy transformation process ongoing in Germany, now commonly referred to as energiewende, in the European context, with a focus on the electricity sector. It presents an expert look at the origins of the German energiewende, its concrete implementation, its impacts within the European context as well as medium and long-term perspectives. The authors, internationally recognized energy, electricity, and climate economists at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) and Berlin University of Technology, conclude that the first years of the energiewende have successfully laid the foundation for a renewables-based electricity system in Germany, but that challenges remain in relation to decarbonizing the electricity system and phasing out nuclear energy. The authors also provide ground-breaking insights to inform energy policy in other countries and at the European level. In the outlook, the authors explore upcoming issues, such as coupling between the electricity and other sectors, and behavioral changes of industry and households. The book addresses readers in the energy industry, energy and climate policymakers, regulators, and others interested in the low carbon energy system transformation in Germany, Europe, and worldwide.

Whilst China's growing economy is widely regarded as being responsible for severe environmental degradation and a high reliance on energy from fossil fuels, China is emerging as a potential leader in new green energy technologies. Outlining the extraordinary growth in China's wind power capacity since 2005, this book explores the deliberate creation of a whole industry and the strategy of transitioning the power sector to renewable energy by accelerated experimentation and through literally pushing the emerging wind power sector to its limits. Investigating how wind power may not always be considered as sustainable in a wider Chinese developmental context, the book traces the struggle China has had in getting this high technology sector to qualify as truly Chinese scientific development, whilst often being opaquely at the mercy of foreign expertise, technology, and certification. The book furthermore exposes the surprising nuances, dynamics, and potency of unexpected players in Chinese wind power marketisation. Complex interplays are revealed between wind turbine control systems, algorithms in critical software technology, relationships between suppliers, wind farm developers, financiers, the electrical grid itself, the coal lobby, the broader Chinese state, and much more. The book has important implications far beyond wind power and contemporary China studies, highlighting the much wider story of China's fragmented and experimental style of innovating, upgrading, and greening.

This study examines how China has developed a diplomatic mechanism to expand its international influence through the establishment of strategic partnerships. These strategic partnerships have sparked a debate among analysts. On the one hand, some optimistic studies applaud the win-win objective of China's foreign policy and portray China as a successful model for developing countries. On the other hand, more skeptical studies depict China as a rising imperial power that represents a competitive threat to Latin America. This book focuses on China's strategic partnerships with Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Venezuela within the oil sector. It stresses how Chinese strategic partnerships with each of these four countries have diverged across cases over time (1991-2015). The study finds that the strategic partnerships are asymmetrical in which China benefits more than four Latin American countries in a variety of aspects. I suggest Latin American countries to push for greater diversification of export agenda toward China, to develop new productive partnerships beyond traditional sectors and to increase the competitiveness of firms. Meanwhile, China's diplomatic actions toward Latin America are more than likely to result in forms of change, particularly across my four country cases, and where strategic partnerships are concerned.

High oil prices are bound to undermine the U.S. economic recovery, unless global supplies increase significantly. Latin America holds the world's biggest oil reserves after the Middle East, but politics are hindering its potential, especially in Venezuela. Global U.S. security would benefit from a revamping of outdated and misguided idealism-driven policies toward Latin America, which, in fact, strengthen anti-American forces led by President Hugo Chavez.
This is a blind spot in American politics, one that threatens U.S. geopolitical and economic interests. At stake, ultimately, is the U.S.'s ability to navigate a shifting world and protect its way of life. Washington needs a new regional policy not only to neutralize Chavez, but also to secure long term access to Latin America's oil, improve global security, and counter the rising influence of regional players.
"America's Blind Spo"t offers a fascinating and thorough analysis of key geopolitical and economic threats to the U.S., highlighting the need for a new Latin American policy doctrine based on military and strategic priorities.

Inspired by the fortunes and misfortunes of the Getty family, whose most extraordinary and troubled episode - the kidnap and ransom of grandson Paul Getty - is now a major motion picture, directed by Ridley Scott, from a screenplay written by David Scarpa and starring Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer and Mark Wahlberg.

This bold and controversial argument shows why energy transitions are inherently complex and prolonged affairs, and how ignoring this fact raises unrealistic expectations that the United States and other global economies can be weaned quickly from a primary dependency on fossil fuels. Energy transitions are fundamental processes behind the evolution of human societies: they both drive and are driven by technical, economic, and social changes. In a bold and provocative argument, Energy Transitions: History, Requirements, Prospects describes the history of modern society's dependence on fossil fuels and the prospects for the transition to a nonfossil world. Vaclav Smil, who has published more on various aspects of energy than any working scientist, makes it clear that this transition will not be accomplished easily, and that it cannot be accomplished within the timetables established by the Obama administration. The book begins with a survey of the basic properties of modern energy systems. It then offers detailed explanations of universal patterns of energy transitions, the peculiarities of changing energy use in the world's leading economies, and the coming shifts from fossil fuels to renewable conversions. Specific cases of these transitions are analyzed for eight of the world's leading energy consumers. The author closes with perspectives on the nature and pace of the coming energy transition to renewable conversions.

This book provides a comprehensive assessment of how local corporate water strategies influence global water governance objectives. In various geographies, companies spearhead a quest for more sustainable water management within and beyond their own operations. This book critically examines such strategies and provides an overarching analysis of the effects that mounting corporate involvement has had on the global water discourse. More specifically, it explains why companies from the food, beverage, textile, and mining sectors have started to incorporate water management objectives into their business strategies, how companies work in partnerships with other stakeholders to realize these objectives, and how these actions acquire wider political legitimacy. It presents insightful interview material from business leaders and other high-level stakeholders. Readers will gain the necessary knowledge to develop a critical view and respond appropriately.

This open access book presents papers displayed in the 2nd International Conference on Energy and Sustainable Futures (ICESF 2020), co-organised by the University of Hertfordshire and the University Alliance DTA in Energy. The research included in this book covers a wide range of topics in the areas of energy and sustainability including: * ICT and control of energy;* conventional energy sources;* energy governance;* materials in energy research;* renewable energy; and* energy storage. The book offers a holistic view of topics related to energy and sustainability, making it of interest to experts in the field, from industry and academia.

Electricity is a basic requirement for a modern economy, and transmission grids at the center of transition to a low-carbon power system. They are the principal means to integrate large shares of wind and solar power and they are essential to ensuring a secure and reliable electricity supply. Grid companies around the world are struggling to find their niche in this transition. The State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) is one of the principal players in this round of global competition. Central state-owned enterprise (SOEs), such as SGCC, continue to hold the 'commanding heights' of the Chinese economy. Their relationship with the Party-state is crucial to understanding the questions of whether SOEs take orders from, and do the bidding of, the Chinese Communist Party, and how they operate under the state ownership and with a wide range of operational autonomy and expectation that they are profit-maximazing corporations. This book examines the origin, development and expansion of SGCC, the world's largest utility company and the 7th largest corporation. By telling both the electricity story and the SOE story, it provides insights into the challenges facing the grids and their possible futures. It challenges the orthodox account of Chinese politics that portrays SOEs as little more than puppets, jumping to every demand of the Party-state. It shows that SGCC has been built into a modern corporation by entrepreneurial managers. By extending its operation to four continents, SGCC is now a global player, competing with its peers and also having its input in the future low-carbon electricity system. This book challenges the popular interpretation of Chinese government. Piling detail on detail, it provides a comprehensive picture of Chinese political economy that is both new and utterly convincing.

Energy as a Sociotechnical Problem offers an innovative approach to equip interdisciplinary research on sociotechnical transitions with coherence and focus. The book emphasizes sociotechnical problems in three analytical dimensions: - In the control dimension, contributing authors examine how control can be maintained despite increasing complexity and uncertainty, e.g., in power grid operations or on energy markets; - In the change dimension, the authors explore if and how change is possible despite the need for stable orientation, e.g., regarding discourses, real-world labs and learning; - Finally, in the action dimension, the authors analyze how the ability to act on a permanent basis is sustained despite opaqueness and ignorance, exemplified by the work on trust, capabilities or individual motives. Drawing on contributions from engineering, economics, philosophy, political science, psychology and sociology, the book assembles a range of classic and current themes including innovation, resilience, institutional economics, design or education. Energy as a Sociotechnical Problem presents the ongoing transformation of the energy complex as a multidimensional process, in which the analytical dimensions interact with each other in shaping the energy future. As such, this book will be of great interest to students and scholars of energy transitions, energy science and environmental social science more generally, as well as to practitioners working within the field of energy policy.

Once a prosperous region, the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) river basin-inhabited by about a tenth of the world's population-is currently one of the poorest. Large-scale socioeconomic development is urgently needed to ensure the sustainability of the region, and the management of water resources is a crucial part of this. Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna Waters: Advances in Development and Management discusses water resource development and management issues related to the GBM river basin, including interactions, institutional set ups, and future perspectives. It also proposes several novel technologies, developed by the author, to help revolutionize the development of India's waters. Written by an authority in water resource management studies, the book addresses the need for a holistic, integrated, basin-wide approach to improve the quality of life for people living within the region. Pointing out that water does not recognize political boundaries, the text also discusses Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan as integral parts of the GBM basin. The author suggests that the unique geophysical and hydrologic characteristics of the basin present an opportunity for technologies that can increase the available water and hydroelectric potential in the region. The proposed advances can also help generate collaborative development between India and its neighboring countries. The book emphasizes the adoption of a societal-environmental systems management approach, which treats the physical and social-environmental systems as integral components, backed by participatory transparent modeling. It also argues that technology must be considered a key part of the system. A unique contribution to water resources engineering, this book provides readers with a case study of the development and management of the world's largest water system. It offers new perspectives and useful advice for other countries and regions developing river and irrigation plans and for policy makers involved in large-scale water resources engineering.