The current paradigm of forest economics is based on Faustmann Formulation (FF) of land expectation value proposed by Martin Faustmann. It was a great achievement by a forester to propose a formulation that captures some fundamental economic features of capital theory which. However, the followers of the FF approach have trapped themselves into the past, and have not shown any indication of economic acumen of the great Faustmann. This has resulted in a common problem in the current paradigm of forest economics, known as Faustmann Forest Resource Economics (FFRE), to prescribe the application of a single (FF) approach to all situations irrespective of the specific features of the situation. The current state of forest economics is similar to that of neoclassical economics, and is full of inefficiencies. In neoclassical economics, inefficiencies are due to its "locked-in" position in rational economic man, while in forest economics inefficiencies are due to its "locked-in" position in the FF. The focus of this volume is on the new paradigm of forest economics termed as Post-Faustmann Forest Resource Economics (PFFRE). The first chapter lays the foundation of the PFFRE, and presents the key distinctions between the FFRE and the PFFRE. The volume includes twelve other chapters that address issues related to forest economics from perspectives different than the FFRE. Chapter 2 to 6 are focused on issues related to human behavior that is different than the rational economic man, Chapter 7 and 8 on public choice theory, Chapter 9 and 10 on systems approaches, and Chapter 11 to 13 on incremental approaches to incorporate new features in the FFRE.

In the present scenario, green technologies are playing significant role in changing the course of nation's economic growth towards sustainability and providing an alternative socio-economic model that will enable present and future generations to live in a clean and healthy environment, in harmony with nature. Green technology, which is also known as clean technology, refers to the development and extension of processes, practices, and applications that improve or replace the existing technologies facilitating society to meet their own needs while substantially decreasing the impact of human on the planet, and reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. The concepts of Green Technologies, if endorsed and pervaded into the lives of all societies, will facilitate the aim of the Millennium Development Goals of keeping the environment intact and improve it for the civilization to survive. Green Technologies and Environmental Sustainability is focused on the goals of green technologies which are becoming increasingly important for ensuring sustainability. This book provides different perspectives of green technology in sectors like energy, agriculture, waste management and economics and contains recent advancements made towards sustainable development in the field of bioenergy, nanotechnology, green chemistry, bioremediation, degraded land reclamation. This book is written for a large and broad readership, including researchers, scientists, academicians and readers from diverse backgrounds across various fields such as nanotechnology, chemistry, agriculture, environmental science, water engineering, waste management and energy. It could also serve as a reference book for graduates and post-graduate students, faculties, environmentalist and industrial personnel who are working in the area of green technologies.

Tourism economics is partly based on established principles from the economics discipline, but it also incorporates elements from sociology, psychology, organization theory and ecology. It has over the years turned into an appealing multi-disciplinary oriented approach to the understanding of the impacts of leisure time in a modern society, including cultural heritage, sustainable quality of life, and industrial organization of the hospitality industry. The increasing dynamics in the tourist industry and its worldwide effects will continue to attract the attention of both the research and the policy sector in the years to come. Rather than speculating on non-observed facts, there is a clear need for evidence-based research in order to map out the complex dynamics of the tourist industry. The present volume comprises novel studies - mainly of a quantitative-analytical nature - on the supply, demand and contextual aspects of modern tourism. It contains a sound mix of theory, methodology, policy and case studies on various tourism issues in different parts of the world.

Authorities in the fields of environmental and international law and policy, political science, environmental technology, and public administration compare and contrast the ways in which the United States and the European Union handle similar environmental issues. The contributors critically analyze the influence of culture and history on the way apparently "similar" developed democracies handle the same problems; they examine the center-state relationship as it applies to EU member countries in contrast to states within the United States; they look at the challenge of transboundary, international, and global environmental problems, and how these relate to the still-emerging geopolitical reconfigurations involved in such structures as NAFTA and the EU; and they examine how transnational resources are handled in the North American and EU contexts. Randall Baker has assembled leading experts who examine significant issues for policymakers and environmentalists in North America and Western Europe.

This monograph presents a reliable methodology for characterising the energy and eco-efficiency of unit manufacturing processes. The Specific Energy Consumption, SEC, will be identified as the key indicator for the energy efficiency of unit processes. An empirical approach will be validated on different machine tools and manufacturing processes to depict the relationship between process parameters and energy consumptions. Statistical results and additional validation runs will corroborate the high level of accuracy in predicting the energy consumption. In relation to the eco-efficiency, the value and the associated environmental impacts of manufacturing processes will also be discussed. The interrelationship between process parameters, process value and the associated environmental impact will be integrated in the evaluation of eco-efficiency. The book concludes with a further investigation of the results in order to develop strategies for further efficiency improvement. The target audience primarily comprises researchers and experts in the field, but the book may also be beneficial for graduate students.

Corporations must decide how much to invest in the natural capital (e.g., air, water, land, and forests) that they depend upon for their economic survival. How do they project the costs of essential investments under conditions of scientific and legislative uncertainty? An innovative roadmap is laid out with the help of a case study based on the actual experiences of a forestry company that made such an attempt. Everyone interested in developing a long-range environmental strategy will find this book instructive: senior corporate management, accountants, internal auditors, academics, students, and environmentalists. Based on the author's research for the United Nations, a new methodology is advanced to compute fuller costs. In addition to practical guidance on the theory and practice of calculating these costs, the author illustrates alternatives to traditional capital budgeting models. A whole range of concepts and applications are offered on natural capital; intergenerational equity; waste minimization; asset depletion rates; application of risk-management principles to costing natural capital; off-balance sheet natural assets; modern definition of profit for natural and business capital. Pioneering reporting methods for returns on investment and product costs are recommended in the concluding chapters.

"House Rating Schemes" provides information to students, architects and researchers in the field of the built environment. It reviews current House Rating Schemes (HRS) used in different countries and investigates how these schemes assess the thermal performance of a house. It challenges the way that these schemes assess building energy efficiency and their inability to evaluate free running buildings which do not need an energy load for heating and cooling indoor environments. Finally, the book proposes a new index and method for HRS in which the efficiency of a house design can be evaluated with reference to its thermal performance in both free running and conditioned operation modes. The book deals with various approaches and methods for rating buildings on the basis of different indexes, with implications for both energy efficiency and thermal comfort. It also guides readers through a computer simulation program for developing a rating system that evaluates and ranks building energy efficiency.

This important book deals with the essential principles of resource and environmental economics, provides applications to contemporary issues in this field, and outlines and assesses policies being used or proposed for managing the use of environmental and natural resources. Covering specific contemporary topics such as agriculture and the environment, water use, greenhouse gas management, biodiversity conservation, tourism and the environment, and environmental economics and health, leading issues in resource and environmental economics are outlined and analyzed in an innovative manner. Institutional economics (both new and traditional) is applied and compared with other approaches such as neoclassical economics, behavioral economics and the Austrian School of Economics. This heterogeneous, multi-perspective approach enables problems to be considered from several different angles, thus enhancing the reader's comprehension of the subject matter. Furthermore, using minimal technical jargon, the book takes into account aspects of modern economic analysis such as the costs of and constraints on decision-making and the transaction costs involved in policy implementation.

This important book deals with the essential principles of resource and environmental economics, provides applications to contemporary issues in this field, and outlines and assesses policies being used or proposed for managing the use of environmental and natural resources. Covering specific contemporary topics such as agriculture and the environment, water use, greenhouse gas management, biodiversity conservation, tourism and the environment, and environmental economics and health, leading issues in resource and environmental economics are outlined and analyzed in an innovative manner. Institutional economics (both new and traditional) is applied and compared with other approaches such as neoclassical economics, behavioral economics and the Austrian School of Economics. This heterogeneous, multi-perspective approach enables problems to be considered from several different angles, thus enhancing the reader's comprehension of the subject matter. Furthermore, using minimal technical jargon, the book takes into account aspects of modern economic analysis such as the costs of and constraints on decision-making and the transaction costs involved in policy implementation.

The book identifies the specific ethical aspects of sustainability and develops ethical tools to analyze them. It also provides a methodological framework to integrate ethical and scientific analyses of sustainability issues, and explores the notion of a new type of self-reflective inter- and transdisciplinary sustainability research. With this, the book aims to strengthen the overall ability of academics to contribute to the analysis and solution of sustainability issues in an inclusive and integrated way.

This book is based on the findings of a long-term (2000-2014) interdisciplinary research project of the University of Hohenheim in collaboration with several universities in Thailand and Vietnam. Titled Sustainable Land Use and Rural Development in Mountainous Areas in Southeast Asia, or the Uplands Program, the project aims to contribute through agricultural research to the conservation of natural resources and the improvement of living conditions of the rural population in the mountainous regions of Southeast Asia. Having three objectives the book first aims to give an interdisciplinary account of the drivers, consequences and challenges of ongoing changes in mountainous areas of Southeast Asia. Second, the book describes how innovation processes can contribute to addressing these challenges and third, how knowledge creation to support change in policies and institutions can assist in sustainably develop mountain areas and people's livelihoods.

This book focuses on the role of subsistence entrepreneurs in creating social and sustainable business opportunities on the global marketplace. Subsistence entrepreneurs use scarce resources to create new business opportunities, often in developing or emerging economies. In addition, subsistence entrepreneurship is increasingly being used as a way to facilitate market entry for small and medium-sized business enterprises that focus on collaborative innovation. The interdisciplinary contributions gathered here will expand readers' understanding of the nature and characteristics of subsistence entrepreneurs, as well as the challenges they face. The central connection between subsistence, sustainability and social entrepreneurship is also explored.

"This book Schooling for Sustainable Development: A Focus on Australia, New Zealand and the Oceanic Region, is the product of passionate interests of teachers, scholars and researchers located in diverse parts of the Australasian region. Working with their colleagues within local contexts they have conducted research and gathered together information for practitioners and students interested in learning more about sustainable lifestyle practices. Some of the work has taken place in remote locations and some has been in within the confines of major cities. The Australasian Region brings together people and cultures that link traditional economies to global networks and lifestyles. Diverse terrain, politics and responses typify the region. Close to Asia there are lingering ties with old European ways and cultural beliefs. The major economies of Australia and New Zealand provide the lead with development practices for lesser economies such as Papua New Guinea, Fiji and the many island nations scattered throughout the South Pacific. This complexity is not easily represented. Key issues relate to land ownership, mobilities within the region and the gradual dissemination of knowledge, skills and wealth. The book will provide both reference material and interesting reading for teachers, researchers and practitioners in interested in community based perspectives on sustainability. We have learnt from each other and hope that others will benefit from our efforts."

Multi-hazard Vulnerability and Resilience Building: Cross Cutting Issues presents multi-disciplinary issues facing disaster risk reduction and sustainable development, focusing on various dimensions of existing and future risk scenarios and highlighting concerted efforts of scientific communities to find new adaptation methods. Disaster risk reduction and resilience requires participation of a wide array of stakeholders, ranging from academicians to policy makers to disaster managers. The book offers evidence-based, problem-solving techniques from social, natural, engineering, and other perspectives, and connects data, research, and conceptual work with practical cases on disaster risk management to capture multi-sectoral aspects of disaster resilience, adaptation strategy, and sustainability.

Urban subsurface resources and particularly urban groundwater are vulnerable to environmental impacts, and their rational management is of major importance. In this book a multidisciplinary team of specialists and scientists presents innovative process-oriented approaches to the sustainable use of these resources. The included case studies from northwestern Switzerland describe representative environments and are relevant for urban areas in general. They illustrate the protection of groundwater; river restoration; engineering and hydrogeological questions related to urban infrastructure and management concepts; as well as monitoring, modeling and remediation strategies for contaminated sites; problems caused by karst in urban environments; the use of shallow geothermal energy; and natural hazards such as flood events and earthquakes.

It is demonstrated that modern quantitative earth sciences can contribute significantly in finding solutions concerning the sustainable use of subsurface resources in urban environments.

The book is an invaluable source of information for hydrogeologists, geologists, urban planners, water supply engineers, and environmental agencies.

"

This book explores effective environmental impact mitigation for petroleum-based lubricants to reduce their negative persistence during usage and upon end-of-life disposal. The book reviews the basic tribology of lubricants as well as initiatives that may enhance the environmental and economic effectiveness of lubricating oils from the composition design perspective across industries. Considering the blending, application, and disposal of petroleum lubricants in a holistic manner, the book presents and extends current best practices that minimize or eliminate adverse environmental impact throughout the product's life cycle. The book reviews methods including: raw material substitution, minimizing oil losses during and after manufacturing, raw material and energy consumption reduction, and environmentally friendly applications of oil disposal as ways forward for cleaner and more effective production. This book provides readers with strategies for incorporating cleaner production practices into their operations - a benefit to both environmental legal compliance and business competitiveness - all the while preserving the environment for sustainable development. The book is therefore of interest to both manufacturers and consumers in the lubricants industry.

This book provides a detailed insight into how space and its applications are embedded, and can be further embedded, into African society in support of the SDGs, while taking into account the specific features, needs, and diversity of that society. Contributions drawn from across the continent and further afield provide analyses of the particular social situations in a variety of different African countries and regions, and highlight areas where space applications support the SDGs, and where they can further do so. The chapters cover a wide array of relevant and timely topics including basic needs like water quality, education, and capacity building, as well as financial, security, and legal aspects, together with facets of space technologies and infrastructure in Africa. Embedding Space in African Society will be of great interest to students and professionals in sustainable development, governance, and space studies.

A major objective of this volume is to create and share knowledge about the socio-economic, political and cultural dimensions of climate change. The authors analyze the effects of climate change on the social and environmental determinants of the health and well-being of communities (i.e. poverty, clean air, safe drinking water, food supplies) and on extreme events such as floods and hurricanes. The book covers topics such as the social and political dimensions of the ebola response, inequalities in urban migrant communities, as well as water-related health effects of climate change. The contributors recommend political and social-cultural strategies for mitigate, adapt and prevent the impacts of climate change to human and environmental health. The book will be of interest to scholars and practitioners interested in new methods and tools to reduce risks and to increase health resilience to climate change.

This book is devoted to the analysis and applications of energy, exergy, and environmental issues in all sectors of the economy, including industrial processes, transportation, buildings, and services. Energy sources and technologies considered are hydrocarbons, wind and solar energy, fuel cells, as well as thermal and electrical storage. This book provides theoretical insights, along with state-of-the-art case studies and examples and will appeal to the academic community, but also to energy and environmental professionals and decision makers.

One way to reduce the greenhouse gas from IT is green computing, which is the practice of designing, manufacturing, using, and disposing of computers, servers, and associated subsystems for reducing the use of hazardous materials, maximizing energy efficiency, and promoting the recyclability or biodegradability of products. Sustainable ICTs and Management Systems for Green Computing focuses on information technology using sustainable green computing to reduce energy and resources used. While there are a wide variety of green computing topics, this book is a collection of IT articles using green computing techniques that will provide timely, important technologies and methods of green computing to IT workers, students, and researchers alike.

This book describes green photocatalysts and their diverse applications in the fields of environmental sciences and energy. It especially takes a closer look at the removal of air and water pollutants, the generation of hydrogen, photo fuel cells, electrophotocatalysts, solar energy conversions, and green biophotocatalysts. Furthermore it also discusses on the role of catalysts along with their chemical reactions, challenges, past developments and directions for further research on photocatalysts. It includes recent developments of quantum dots (QDs) and photocatalytic applications of QDs such as carbon materials like carbon and graphene based QDs, metal, metal sulfide and metal oxide based QDs as well as a detailed review on various types of templates used for the preparation of porous g-C3N4 and its applications in detail. This is done with special reference to dye degradation, reduction of hexavalent Cr, and reduction of CO2 and for the evolution of H2 photocatalytically. This book offers an intriguing and useful guide for a broad readership in various fields of catalysis, material sciences, environment and energy.

Personal Sustainability Practices is a collection of 19 academic and practitioner perspectives on the topic of faculty personal sustainability. The book addresses the issues of whether, how, where, and when faculty who teach, research, consult, and perform academic and community service are, or need to be, practicing and communicating their own sustainability behaviors to students and other stakeholders. The contributors represent multiple countries, disciplines, academic levels and affiliations, and orientations on those issues and on the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals related to their personal sustainability practices. The chapter contributions highlight the several main concepts of systems, internal and external integration, curriculum development, and social movements. The key takeaway is that many sustainability scholars are practicing and communicating a wide variety of sustainability actions but that greater consistency and frequency among faculty sustainability values, expression, and actions are generally possible and necessary, and that further exploration of this overall topic is encouraged. Current faculty and doctoral students in the field of environmental or socio-economic sustainability, as well as business, government and nonprofit organization executives who interact with said faculty, will be inspired by the examination of values and personal practices.

This volume presents the outcome of an Agriculture Workshop organized by the Gulf Research Centre Cambridge (GRCC) and held at Cambridge University, UK during the Gulf Research Meeting 11-14 July 2012. Co-directed by the editors, the workshop, entitled Environmental Cost and Changing Face of Agriculture in the Gulf States was attended by participants from Australia, Bahrain, India, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UAE, UK and Morocco. These scientists, educators, researchers, policy makers and managers share their experience in agriculture in the Gulf States, with the aim of helping to improve agriculture production and thus bridge the gap between local production and the food import.

The papers gathered here were presented at the workshop and have all passed through rigorous peer review by renowned scientists. The diverse papers present various aspects of agriculture production in the evolving face of climate change and dwindling water resources in the region. The book covers topics such as the prospects of agriculture in a changing climate; the potential of climate-smart agriculture; the impact of food prices, income and income distribution on food security; improved efficiency in water use; challenges in using treated wastewater in agriculture; investment in foreign agriculture and agricultural research and development. The papers span the nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council, with specific case studies set in Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait."

This book addresses the issue of smart and sustainable development in the Mediterranean (MED) region, a distinct part of the world, full of challenges and risks but also opportunities. Above all, the book focuses on smartening up small and medium-sized cities and insular communities, taking into account their geographical peculiarities, the pattern of MED urban settlements and the abundance of island complexes in the MED Basin. Taking for granted that sustainability in the MED is the overarching policy goal that needs to be served, the book explores different aspects of smartness in support of this goal's achievement. In this respect, evidence from concrete smart developments adopted by forerunners in the MED region is collected and analyzed; coupled with experiences gathered from successful, non-MED, examples of smart efforts in European countries. More specifically, current research and empirical results from MED urban environments are discussed, as well as findings from or concerning other parts of the world, which are of relevance to the MED region. The book's primary goal is to enable policymakers, planners and decision-making bodies to recognize the challenges and options available; and make to more informed policy decisions towards smart, sustainable, inclusive and resilient urban and regional futures in the MED.

The project CLEAN (CO2 Large-Scale Enhanced Gas Recovery in the Altmark Natural Gas Field) provides site specific knowledge for a potential future pilot project. This contributed volume gives an overview and final results of the entire project which is finalized to the end of 2012.