This book shows how specifically each goal of Sustainable Development Goals could be incorporated in country wise developmental programmes set to transform the world. It highlights how a combination of initiatives on mitigation of disasters and a robust progress could build a resilient society. The book discusses multidimensional processes such as administrative, financial and social challenges which can mitigate disasters and help in an advancement towards SDG Goals. It highlights the embeddedness of SDGs in disaster mitigation as they tend to be linked and interdependent. By linking sustainable development to disaster mitigation one gets a strong justification for investment into preparedness as a guarantee or insurance against loss and damages due to unforeseen disasters.

This book presents papers from the 9th Applied Research Conference in Africa (ARCA), showcasing the latest research on sustainable education and development. The conference is focused on applied research discussion and its dissemination, developing understanding about the role of research and researchers in the development of the continent. ARCA gathers papers which explain how key education is to transforming lives, eradicating poverty and driving sustainable development in Africa. Presenting high quality research about developing economies, construction, education and sustainability, this proceedings will be of interest to academics, postgraduate students, and industry professionals.

This book explores the nexus of Sustainability and Information Communication Technologies that are rapidly changing the way we live, learn, and do business. The monumental amount of energy required to power the Zeta byte of data traveling across the globe's billions of computers and mobile phones daily cannot be overstated. This ground-breaking reference examines the possibility that our evolving technologies may enable us to mitigate our global energy crisis, rather than adding to it. By connecting concepts and trends such as smart homes, big data, and the internet of things with their applications to sustainability, the authors suggest that emerging and ubiquitous technologies embedded in our daily lives may rightfully be considered as enabling solutions for our future sustainable development.

Formulating effective responses to the global challenges of mitigating climate change and securing a sustainable energy future requires a clear understanding of the interdependent causalities between institutions, local decision making, strategic alliances and eco-innovations, as well as policies. It has been acknowledged that the linear "Manhattan project" model is not an adequate governance model for mastering the dynamic complexity of socio-technical transitions; therefore this book aims at advancing research on systematic transition management models. It offers qualitative and quantitative analyses of socio-technical transitions in road transportation and housing, bringing together tailored theorizing on sustainability transitions and applied system dynamics modeling. It highlights the interconnected causal feedbacks that are required to overcome the lock-in situation in road transportation and housing fueled by fossil energies. Showing which concerted actions and framework conditions are required in the transition phases in order to initiate and sustain socio-technical transition, it serves as a guide to model-based strategy making, policy design and analyses in support of sustainable futures.

This book systematically explores the trade and environment interests of developing countries from a Southern perspective. The contributors write explicitly about both the fears and hopes in the South regarding trade and environment negotiations. Essays are from leading experts and thought leaders from various regions of the South and work to envision new, bold agendas and priorities for their region.

This book is a philosophical critique of the economics of climate change from both an ethical and philosophy of economics perspective. Mitigating climate change is not so much a scientific problem, but rather a political, social and above all an economic problem. A future without greenhouse gas emissions requires a radical transformation towards a sustainable low-carbon economy and society. How this transformation could be achieved raises numerous economic questions. Many of these questions remain untouched, although economists are equipped with a suitable toolkit and expertise. This book argues that economists have a social responsibility to carry out more research on how global warming could be stopped and that, ultimately, economic analysis of climate change must be a political economic approach that treats the economy as part of a wider social system. This approach will be of interest to policy makers, educators, students and researchers in support of more pluralism in economic research and teaching.

Energy appears to be a fundamental driving force of economic and political strategies as well as planetary stability. Energy-related issues such as (1) the availability of new energy sources and viable technologies, (2) the disparity in access to energy sources, (3) the role of energy in our societies (energy societal metabolism), (4) the energy support to the life of our cities (where about half of world population is going to live very soon), and (5) the energy demand for food security all over the world, are "hot" problems that humans will have to face within the framework of sustainability (ecologically sound production and consumption patterns associated with socially acce- able life styles), in terms of policies, technological development and economic processes. A coherent energy strategy is required, addressing both energy supply and demand, security of access, development problems, equity, market dynamics, by also taking into account the whole energy lifecycle including fuel production, transmission and distribution, energy conversion, and the impact on energy equipment manufacturers and the end-users of energy systems. Issues of energy efficiency and rebound effect must also be taken into proper account. In the short term, the aim should be to achieve higher energy efficiencies and increased supply from local energy sources, in particular renewable energy sources.

Energy is a key resource for transformational development globally. Oil and gas continue to play a key role in this sector irrespective of the gradual transition towards renewables and will continue to do so in most developing and emerging economies in the near future. The industry is complex and highly capital intensive with significant risk, but also with significant benefits. Such a complex but important sector is generally not well understood both in academic and policy circles. This book fills this void by serving as a comprehensive reference to the oil and gas sector, with a focus on emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs). It offers in-depth coverage of the critical and contemporary issues in the economics of oil and gas industry by carefully integrating the relevant theoretical underpinnings and practical policy issues across the value chain of the industry in relation to the development, fiscal arrangements, and the economic and financing aspects of the industry. These insights will significantly deepen the understanding of the industry and extend the knowledge of the sector in ways that existing books do not. The book includes relevant cases and thus, will serve as a valuable resource for students taking courses in market analysis of the oil and gas industry, energy economics, development economics and finance, environmental and resource economics, the political economy of the extractive industry and development studies. Researchers and practitioners working in these areas will also find the book to be a useful reference guide.

The recognized requirement for advancements in Concurrent Engineering for sustainable productivity enhancement (improved quality of life) can be viewed positively. The basic aim of productivity enhancement is changing, from primarily seeking collaborative enterprise engineered solutions through a more restricted short-term market view. Rather, it is looking forward to a more expansive truly concurrent engineering approach to development that must be adopted in order to synthesize all of the far-reaching requirements and implications relating to products and their intended operation, service provision and end-of-life. It is already evident in this new century that the desire for sustainable development is increasingly driving the market to reach for new and innovative solutions that more effectively utilize the resources we have inherited from previous generations; with the obvious responsibility to future generations.

There is a need to rethink the way in which we make things in order to revise the a ~cradle to gravea (TM) philosophy of the industrial revolution, which can be viewed as an extreme relative to naturea (TM)s principle of sustainable evolution. Human productivity and progress can be positively engineered and managed in harmony with the provision and needs of our natural environment. One century on from the industrial revolution, this is now the time of the sustainable revolution; requiring holistic technological, process and people integrated solutions to sustained socio-economic enhancement. It might surprise Albert Einstein that he rather well encapsulated the nature of this a ~evolutionary strugglea (TM) when he stated: "The world will not evolve past itscurrent state of crisis by using the same thinking that created the situation."

Collaborative Product and Service Life Cycle Management for a Sustainable World gathers together papers from the 15th ISPE International Conference on Concurrent Engineering (CE2008), to stimulate the new thinking that is so crucial to our sustained productivity enhancement and quality of life.

Land use decisions in karst terrains can have immediate and serious impacts on the local landscape and groundwater resources. The existing literature on karst and land use can be very difficult to locate in the journals of any of a half-dozen different disciplines. This book brings the interdisciplinary knowledge together in one place, in a format that academics and professionals alike will find accessible, informative and useful.

Based on an examination of existing regulations, the experiences and opinions of planners and land use professionals, and quantitative analysis of publicly-available data, the book explores how human settlement patterns and urban systems in karst terrains are affected by land use regulations intended to protect karst resources. The book pays particular attention to the questions of whether these regulations will have a noticeable impact on density and on opportunities for economic growth and development in communities that choose to implement them. This analysis serves as the basis for a regulatory framework that may be used to understand the workings of land use regulations in karst terrains, and to aid in the development of such regulations in the future.

Depending on their national level of income, development and modernization, all countries in the world can be generally categorized as either advanced or developing. Studies on why advanced countries continue to develop, how they maintain their level of development, and how developing countries enter into the advanced club fall into the field of modernization science, which is an emerging interdisciplinary science.

This monograph, the first English book available on modernization science, interprets its concepts, methodologies, general theories, first and second modernization, six level-specific, six field-specific and three sector-specific modernizations, modernization policy and evaluation, and the principles and methods of national development since the 18th century. It provides clear, systematic, up-to-date information on this new discipline with more than 173 figures and 265 tables, and covers 131 countries and 97% of the global population.

A comprehensive outlook on world modernization is presented from a Chinese perspective.

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Mineral deposits are non-renewable; they do not grow in the ground. Sustainable use of finite mineral wealth requires that revenues from mineral extraction be invested in renewable wealth, education and infrastructure, machines and other production equipment, or in financial assets. Different countries, states and provinces have done so with a varying degree of success. Investing for Sustainability: The Management of Mineral Wealth highlights mineral rents investment funds in Norway, Alaska and Alberta, all of which derive considerable revenues from the production of petroleum bound to diminish over time. The book examines the institutional and political framework in which these funds are embedded and how successfully they have been used for making non-renewable petroleum wealth permanent. Investing for Sustainability: The Management of Mineral Wealth begins with a discussion of the elusive concept of sustainability. New technology and substitution has made a resource like peat obsolete long before it became exhausted physically. Jevons' famous book "The Coal Question" is discussed at some length as a case of unwarranted concern about the depletion of resources. The book also highlights other cases which strike a less happy note. Nauru, one of the smallest sovereign states in the world, has for decades lived off phosphate resources that are now running out. Nauru attempted to make its phosphate wealth permanent through investment funds but failed. Despite its success with its Permanent Fund, less of the oil wealth of Alaska has been made permanent than would appear warranted, and the same is true of Alberta and Norway. Judging from the experiences of the three funds, and the current political debate in Norway, Investing for Sustainability: The Management of Mineral Wealth suggests that it is essential that the citizenry at large benefit directly from mineral rents investment funds if they are to succeed.

The book presents case studies from Africa, Asia and Latin America addressing global development issues in the fields of health, energy, ICT and urbanism in an interdisciplinary way. The book illustrates key issues at the interface of technology, human, social, and economic development. Bringing together the best papers of the 2014 EPFL-UNESCO Conference on Technologies for Development, this book explores innovative technologies in the global South. It will be a valuable reference for researchers from engineering, natural sciences, information management, quantitative social sciences, and business faculties, as well as for development practitioners and policy makers. It shows the development potential of technologies, and discusses successful processes to develop and deploy them, as well how to evaluate their impact. The introduction to the book begins with a reflection on key issues regarding technologies for development. The following four sections focus on; (i) Innovative Technologies for Development, (ii) Open Source-Open Access-Open Innovation, (iii) Medical Technologies for the Global South, and (iv) Impact Assessment of Technologies for Development. Individual chapters explore issues such as a need for solid standards for newly developed technologies, how to successfully up-scale technology to a larger region, and how to involve private industry in the development of a technology.

The quantity of fossil fuels left on the planet is limited, and their use is subject to further restrictions due to constraints on CO2 emissions. This crisis has brought to the forefront of the political agenda the need for a conversion to a sustainable society. In this compelling book, a backcasting approach based on energy flows is used to evaluate the physical constraints on sustainable development. The starting point for the backcasting approach is the definition of a desired situation at a determined point in the future. This leads to the development of scenarios that connect our present status with the desired future point. This detailed, quantitative approach gives insights into the challenges that lie ahead in order to realise our goal. This book clearly displays large sets of expectations concerning the development of future population size and wealth, technological improvements and resource quantities. These are used to discuss the overall possibility for a transition to a sustainable society and highlight the dilemma between equity and environmental quality. A selection of other energy-scenario studies using different approaches are also discussed and contrasted with the backcasting model. The book concludes with some reflections on the institutional and socio-psychological aspects of a transition to sustainability and recommends a goal-oriented policy to implement this change. This book will prove essential reading for those with an interest in ecological economics, energy and environmental policymakers and research planners.

In the past, the science of ecology has frequently been excluded from the development agenda for various reasons. Increasingly however there has been a renewed interest in finding more ecologically sustainable means of development that have required a strong foundation in ecological knowledge (for example EcoAgriculture Partnerships, EcoHealth presented at ESA, and EcoNutrition proposed by Deckelbaum et al). Each of these examples has already taken the critical first step at integrating ecological knowledge with agriculture, health and nutrition, respectively. However, this is only the first step; more attention needs to be placed not only on the role that two fields can play towards poverty alleviation, but on the role of a truly integrated, interdisciplinary approach towards development goals that is firmly grounded in ecological understanding. We feel that a critical look at what ecology can and cannot provide to the development agenda, in light of the Millennium Development goals, is timely and crucial. The introduction and the final section of the book will then integrate the lessons and principles outlined in each of the chapters. All chapter authors will be heavily encouraged to focus on how their sub-discipline in ecology impacts overall human well-being and environmental sustainability.

The interaction between climate change and trade has grown in prominence in recent years. This Research Handbook contains authoritative original contributions from leading experts working at the interface between climate change and trade rules. Regional as well as international perspectives are taken into account to inform the complex questions that arise and redirect research efforts towards newly emerging issues. The Research Handbook on Climate Change and Trade Law discusses some of the most important challenges regarding conflicting interests at the intersection of trade, climate change and investment. The insightful chapters map from both regional and global perspectives the state of affairs in such diverse areas as: carbon credits and taxes, sustainable standard-setting, and trade in 'green' goods and services. This timely book redefines the interrelationship of trade and climate change for future scholarship and offers specific suggestions for much-needed research in topics such as energy, carbon taxes and credits, food, standardization, and investment. This Research Handbook will be essential reading for researchers and advanced students in international trade and investment law. It will also be an invaluable resource for practitioners and policymakers in this dynamic and highly significant area of law. Contributors include: M. Alder, P. Arnaiz, S. Bigdeli, J. Chaisse, T. Cottier, P. Delimatsis, A. Dimopoulos, F. Fleurke, A. Gourgourinis, A.H. Lim, J. McMahon, S. Melnyk, J. Munro, K. Nadakavukaren Schefer, R. Partain, T. Payosova, V. Pogoretskyy, D. Ramos, E. Reid, M. Rimmer, L. Tamiotti, J.P. Trachtman, A. vanDuzer, E. Vranes, M. Wu, M. Young, R. Zhang

Agricultural biomass is abundant worldwide and it can be considered as alternative source of renewable and sustainable materials which can be used as potential materials for different applications. Despite this enormous production of agricultural biomass, only a small fraction of the total biomass is utilized for different applications. Industry must be prepared to take advantage of the situation and utilize the available biomass in the best possible manner. Agricultural biomass such as natural fibres has been successfully investigated as a great potential to be used as a renewable and sustainable materials for the production of composite materials. Natural fibres offer excellent specific properties and have potential as outstanding reinforcing fillers in the matrix and can be used as an alternative material for biocomposites, hybrid composites, pulp, and paper industries. Natural fibre based polymer composites made of jute, oil palm, flex, hemp, kenaf have a low market cost, attractive with respect to global sustainability and find increasing commercial use in different applications. Agricultural biomass based composites find applications in a number of fields viz., automotive industry and construction industry. Future research on agricultural biomass-natural fibre based composites should not only be limited to its automotive applications but can be explored for its application in aircraft components, construction industry, rural housing and biomedical applications. In this book we will cover the chemical, physical, thermal, electrical, and biodegradability properties of agricultural biomass based composite materials and its different potential applications. The main goal of this volume is to familiarize researchers, scientists and engineers with the unique research opportunities and potentials of agricultural biomass based materials. Up-to-date information on alternative biomass utilization Academic and industry leaders discuss unique properties of biomass based composite materials Direct application of agricultural biomass materials as sustainable and renewable alternatives

Through a comprehensive analysis of cognitive factors and eco-innovation attributes, this book provides an understanding into why and how renewable energy technologies are adopted in an emerging market. Drawing on theories such as theory of reasoned action and theory of planned behaviour, Eco-Innovations in Emerging Markets proposes an extended cognitive model to analyse consumer behaviour in this area. Through the use of advanced statistical techniques such as Partial Least Squares, the book presents empirical data and discusses the implications they pose for policy makers and corporate managers.

This book examines the implementation of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) programs in schools across Europe. It describes and analyzes how individual countries and the region as a whole have established teaching and learning methods to help students develop the competencies needed to be part of a sustainable society. Featuring chapters written by experts throughout Europe, the book first provides a general overview of ESD in various contexts, including the state-of-the-art of ESD theory and conceptual development; political and social analysis; the various concepts of ESD competencies; and teacher training. Next, the book details how ESD has been implemented in different European countries and regions, including: Sweden, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Catalonia, Hungary, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Flanders, France, Cyprus, UK and the Netherlands. In recognition of education as a motor of change, the United Nations General Assembly declared a Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014), calling for the integration of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning. Inside this book, readers will find details on what has been done, as well as assessments of what more could be done, across Europe. It will help readers gain valuable insights into how to help students develop the knowledge, skills and values needed to shape a sustainable future.

Watersheds, supplying crucial ecosystem services to humans, seem to be a logical territorial unit to integrate societal benefits and environmental needs in order to evaluate the sustainability of natural resource use patterns. Based on this belief the book is an attempt to initiate a comprehensive environmental security assessment in the basin of the Azov Sea, shared by Russia and Ukraine. Though the region provides a variety of essential services and plays a strategic role in national and international development plans, it has been excluded from most regional environmental discussions. At the same time there is an alarming degradation rate of basin freshwater ecosystems that has occurred due to overutilization of certain prioritized services (e.g. transportation). The collapse of neglected services (e.g. fishery and freshwater supply) poses serious threats to the national economies as well as the local population, and to mitigate these threats priority in water management should be given to securing sustainability of the regional freshwater ecosystems. In addition to the review of the current status of Azov ecosystem services, the authors analyze likely future availability and challenges. The relevant experience derived from basin management of the Black Sea and other similar basins is also discussed.

Comprising specially selected papers, this book refers to all aspects of urban environment and provides solutions that lead towards sustainability. These research studies include contributions that have been made from a diverse range of researchers, resulting in a variety of topics and experiences. Urban areas face a number of challenges related to reducing pollution, improving main transportation and infrastructure systems and these challenges can contribute to the development of social and economic imbalances and require the development of new solutions. The challenge is to manage human activities, pursuing welfare and prosperity in the urban environment, whilst considering the relationships between the parts and their connections with the living world. The dynamics of its networks (flows of energy matter, people, goods, information andother resources) are fundamental for an understanding of the evolving nature of today's cities. Large cities represent a productive ground for architects, engineers, city planners, social and political scientists able to conceive new ideas and time them according to technological advances and human requirements. The multidisciplinary components of urban planning, the challenges presented by the increasing size of cities, the amount of resources required and the complexity of modern society are all addressed.

This book highlights the importance of Turkey in diversifying supplies in future European energy security, focusing in particular on the rapidly emerging southern energy corridor. Turkey, by its location, occupies a key role in this corridor, fed by hydrocarbon supplies from Russian, Caspian, east Mediterranean and Arab sources. The book examines Turkey's role as a transit country (in addition to its own growing domestic energy market) and it utilizes the latest evidence on the geopolitics of various pipelines which convergence on Turkey. The evidence, including maps, strongly favor Turkey as an energy hub within a regional energy model driven by rational behavior and market forces. The book recommends an increasing strategic energy cooperation between the EU and Turkey to maximize mutual interest.

This book introduces some emerging functional foods that are natural resources with tremendous promise as nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. The author considers biodiversity and bioprospecting as a response to food security issues, drug-resistance, nutrition-poor diets and other problems, exploring the prospects of several under-utilized nutrients and bioactive repositories. Readers will discover biochemical makeups, validated health benefits, explanations of underlying mechanisms, hurdles in the path of popularity and promotion strategies. Chapters explore particular plants, seeds and fruits including the strawberry guava, opuntia fruits, the Carissa genus, grape seeds, quinoa and the milk thistle (Silybum), amongst others. They are considered as food sources where possible and from the perspective of the roles they can play in complementary and alternative medicine, such as in wound healing, antimicrobial activity, gastroprotective activity in treatment of cancers and as natural antioxidant sources. This rich compilation holds plausible solutions to a range of current issues and it endorses the much-needed goal of sustainability in terms of diet and drugs. It paves the path for further research and development on hitherto obscure natural resources. Scientists working in the area of food development, phytochemical and antioxidant analysis, bioprospecting of low-profile foods and in complementary and alternative medicine will find this work particularly valuable. It will also be of interest to the general reader with an interest in food science, food security, phytochemicals and functional food studies.

Any reader eager to gain a comprehensive insight into forest development policy, praxis and reality shouldn't miss this excellent publication. Hard to find a comparable reading where the author is digging as deep into Forest Development Policy. The author discovered numerous highly relevant theories as well as inspiring cases about forests and people from around the world, focusing on 'change' rather than 'development' and on the role of various actors in creating or preventing 'change'. The exciting results uncover reality and lead to inspiring discussions on concepts of development cooperation. All individual theoretical arguments and empirical proofs are well based and shed light into the political process of Forest Development Policy. The book is an essential contribution to scholarly debate and research on forestry in the South, and its relations to development cooperation, for both, readers with theoretical and practice related interests.