Applied Geography offers an invaluable introduction to useful research in physical, environmental and human geography and provides a new focus and reference point for investigating and understanding problem-orientated research. Forty-nine leading experts in the field introduce and explore research which crosses the traditional boundary between physical and human geography. A wide range of key issues and contemporary debates are within the books main sections, which cover:
natural and environmental hazards
environmental change and management
challenges of the human environment
techniques of spatial analysis
Applied geography is the application of geographic knowledge and skills to identify the nature and causes of social, economic and environmental problems and inform policies which lead to their resolution.

Structure-Activity Relationships in Environmental Science is the first book of its kind that brings together information from a variety of sources into one document. It provides a comprehensive overview of the entire field of quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) as well as being a reference for SAR experts. The book comprises three parts. Part One covers the theoretical background of structure-activity studies and Part Two deals with the practical applications of such methods in the environmental sciences. Part Three critically discusses SAR models with respect to their reliability and their aptness in environmental hazard and risk assessment. Recommendations are made as to which model to use and the case is presented for using QSARs in hazard assessment. The use of QSARs is becoming increasingly important since there is little experimental data available on environmentally relevant chemicals. Structure-Activity Relationships in Environmental Sciences will thus serve as an invaluable guide to both postgraduate and research scientists as well as professional ecologists.

As occupational health and safety professionals require increased awareness of the whole field-and not just its specialized areas-they've started to need an all-encompassing reference work of necessary mathematical relationships.
Concise Guide to Environmental Definitions, Conversions, and Formulae is the quick and proficient source for that information. Professionals will find it's ideal for immediate reference; students and interns can benefit from it as a comprehensive study guide for certification exam preparation purposes.
Based on information presented in another essential reference (Definitions, Conversions, and Calculations for Occupational Safety and Health Professionals, Second Edition), the Concise Guide brings its most-cited details to an easily carried, portable size (41/2 x 6 3/4). Essential conversions, formulae, and definitions all await within those pages.
Virtually all of the mathematical relationships, formulas, definitions, and conversion factors any health and safety expert or trainee will ever need are all contained in the Concise Guide to Environmental Definitions, Conversions, and Formulae.

The concept of "environment" refers to the physical surroundings of human societies. However, the word "environment" is nearly always used in the context of problematic environmental problems and conditions. This book examines different ways in which social scientists study environmental change and environmental problems. History and geography of the relationship between environment and society is explored, as well as social dilemmas and cultural considerations faced when confronting environmental issues. Society's perception of, and response to, environment and risk are examined in detail. Causes of local and global environmental problems, together with the policies implemented to control them and how these affect, and are affected by, the interests of organizations, are also considered.
"Society and Its" "Environment: An Introduction" is the completely revised, expanded, and internationalized edition of Tellegen and Wolsinks's renowned Dutch textbook.

To date, both internal and external corporate environmental reporting and management systems have focused on physical input-output measures. However, external stakeholders are increasingly demanding that organisations provide more financial information about the costs and benefits of their environmental actions. As environmental costs rise, internal decision-makers are also seeking such information to ensure that money is well spent. Beyond basic compliance, many companies will not countenance environmental actions for which a "business case" cannot be made. A number of companies - such as Baxter, BT, Xerox, Zeneca and others - are now beginning to develop a better understanding of the costs and benefits of environmental action. The US Environmental Protection Agency has also done considerable work on models designed to understand the "full costs" of pollution control investments, with the aim of demonstrating that - when these are properly considered - pollution prevention can be a more cost-effective alternative. The Green Bottom Line brings together much of the world's leading research and best-practice case studies on the topic. Divided into four sections, covering "General Concepts", "Empirical Studies", "Case Studies" and "Implementation", the book includes case studies from the US EPA's Environment Accounting Programme and contributions from authors at institutions including the IMD, INSEAD, Tellus Institute and the World Resources Institute. It constitutes a state-of-the-art collection.

This dictionary provides a source of information on all aspects of the environment. It covers all the basic scientific terms and concepts along with the socio-economic, cultural, historical and political elements which impact on the environment. This dictionary provides the broad, balanced, interdisciplinary approach required to consider environmental issues worldwide. Designed for a wide range of readers, this dictionary is up-to-date and easy to read. Whether approaching environmental study from the perspective of economics, history, geography, environmental studies or from the life or earth sciences, this text offers a deeper understanding of the key issues. Selected environmental issues which have particular importance or topicality are treated in greater depth through a series of extended boxed case studies. A wide range of maps, diagrams and figures illustrate the text and extensive cross-referencing between entries ensures readers can build on their knowledge. The references and further reading sections are drawn from a wide range of accessible sources - from newspaper articles and popular magazines, to academic texts and journals - and provide easy access to further study a

The Environment Dictionary provides an essential source of information on all aspects of the environment. It includes all the basic scientific terms and concepts along with socio-economic, cultural, historical and political elements which impact on the environment. This dictionary provides the interdisciplinary approach required to understand environmental issues worldwide.
Designed for a wide range of readers, the dictionary is up-to-date, easy to read and to reference and clearly and attractively presented. Selected environmental issues which have particular importance are treated in greater depth through a series of boxed case studies. A wide range of maps, diagrams, figures and photos illustrate the texts and extensie cross-referencing between entries ensures readers can build on their knowledge. References and further reading sections are drawn from a wide range of accessible sources - from newspaper articles and popular magazines to academic texts and journals and provide easy access to further study and development of readers' specific interests.

The basic objective of this report is to place the debate about the future of the Northern Sea Route into the larger picture of Arctic politics and the emerging agenda of the Arctic as a developing region in international society. National security and international environmental cooperation, are the objects of study employed, both separately and in various conceptual combinations, to realize this purpose. To help me in this, I was privileged to draw on the profound expertise of my highly esteemed co-authors, Professor Franklyn Griffiths at the University of Toronto and Senior Researchers at IMEMO in Moscow: Raphael Vartanov, Alexei Roginko and Alexander Kolossov. To their cooperative spirit, friendship and solid contributions to this report, ( am deeply indebted. The report is the result of multiple contributions, both in terms of substance and funding, extending far beyond the inputs of the team of authors. The professional input and thorough work 'behind the scene' done by Liv Astrid Sverdrup, Researcher at FNI at an early stage of the project, has been invaluable. Senior Consultant Kjell Moe at the Norwegian Polar Institute also provided valuable comments and improvements to the biological parts of the Introductory chapter, whilst Senior Consultant Ann Skarstad at FNI, worked wonders with the language for those of us not having English as our mother tongue. Claes Lykke Ragner, Deputy head of the (NSROP secretariat, and Dr.

To reach environmental excellence, organizations must unlock and channel the ideas and energies of their staff. This can only be achieved through the effective leadership and commitment of senior managers and the development of sound teamworking throughout the organization. To this end, forward-looking organizations have formulated a range of teams, including: environmental steering committees; environmental action teams; process improvement teams; and quality and environment circles. The aims of this book are to bring together practical experiences and theoretical developments in relation to the role of teamworking within the context of environmental management. Contributions from an international group of leading practitioners and academics present examples of how teamworking can be utilised to solve the complex and uncertain environmental challenges that organisations face. The book is divided into three key sections. The first section examines - in a number of different organizational contexts - the problems that confront managers during the process of forming and developing environmental teams. In the second section, the book examines how environmental teams can trigger changes in core operations and integrate environmental concerns in business decision-making at every level in the organization. In the final section, the focus of the book shifts to environmental networks and their role as inter-organizational co-ordinators. Managing Green Teams: Environmental Change in Organisations and Networks will be of particular interest to educationalists, consultants and practitioners. Teamworking is a well-established field, but, to date, no book has made any attempt to fully integrate teamworking and environmental issues.

The complexity of issues requiring rational decision making grows and thus such decisions are becoming more and more difficult, despite advances in methodology and tools for decision support and in other areas of research. Globalization, interlinks between environmental, industrial, social and political issues, and rapid speed of change all contribute to the increase of this complexity. Specialized knowledge about decision-making processes and their support is increasing, but a large spectrum of approaches presented in the literature is typically illustrated only by simple examples. Moreover, the integration of model-based decision support methodologies and tools with specialized model-based knowledge developed for handling real problems in environmental, engineering, industrial, economical, social and political activities is often not satisfactory. Therefore, there is a need to present the state of art of methodology and tools for development of model-based decision support systems, and illustrate this state by applications to various complex real-world decision problems. The monograph reports many years of experience of many researchers, who have not only contributed to the developments in operations research but also succeeded to integrate knowledge and craft of various disciplines into several modern decision support systems which have been applied to actual complex decision-making processes in various fields of policy making. The experience presented in this book will be of value to researchers and practitioners in various fields. The issues discussed in this book gain in importance with the development of the new era of the information society, where information, knowledge, and ways of processing them become a decisive part of human activities. The examples presented in this book illustrate how how various methods and tools of model-based decision support can actually be used for helping modern decision makers that face complex problems. Overview of the contents: The first part of this three-part book presents the methodological background and characteristics of modern decision-making environment, and the value of model-based decision support thus addressing current challenges of decision support. It also provides the methodology of building and analyzing mathematical models that represent underlying physical and economic processes, and that are useful for modern decision makers at various stages of decision making. These methods support not only the analysis of Pareto-efficient solutions that correspond best to decision maker preferences but also allow the use of other modeling concepts like soft constraints, soft simulation, or inverse simulation. The second part describes various types of tools that are used for the development of decision support systems. These include tools for modeling, simulation, optimization, tools supporting choice and user interfaces. The described tools are both standard, commercially available, and nonstandard, public domain or shareware software, which are robust enough to be used also for complex applications. All four environmental applications (regional water quality management, land use planning, cost-effective policies aimed at improving the European air quality, energy planning with environmental implications) presented in the third part of the book rely on many years of cooperation between the authors of the book with several IIASA's projects, and with many researchers from the wide IIASA network of collaborating institutions. All these applications are characterized by an intensive use of model-based decision support. Finally, the appendix contains a short description of some of the tools described in the book that are available from IIASA, free of charge, for research and educational purposes. The experiences reported in this book indicate that the development of DSSs for strategic environmental decision making should be a joint effort involving experts in the subject area, modelers, and decision support experts. For the other experiences discussed in this book, the authors stress the importance of good data bases, and good libraries of tools. One of the most important requirements is a modular structure of a DSS that enhances the reusability of system modules. In such modular structures, user interfaces play an important role. The book shows how modern achievements in mathematical programming and computer sciences may be exploited for supporting decision making, especially about strategic environmental problems. It presents the methodological background of various methods for model-based decision support and reviews methods and tools for model development and analysis. The methods and tools are amply illustrated with extensive applications. Audience: This book will be of interest to researchers and practitioners in the fields of model development and analysis, model-based decision analysis and support, (particularly in the environment, economics, agriculture, engineering, and negotiations areas) and mathematical programming. For understanding of some parts of the text a background in mathematics and operational research is required but several chapters of the book will be of value also for readers without such a background. The monograph is also suitable for use as a text book for courses on advanced (Master and Ph.D.) levels for programs on Operations Research, decision analysis, decision support and various environmental studies (depending on the program different parts of the book may be emphasized).

With design quality of growing importance to the public, consumers, developers and their clients, and high on the Secretary of State's agenda, this text makes a practical contribution to improving design control. Examining the design policies in current development plans, this research text explains how clear, comprehensive and effective policies can be researched, written and implemented. Based on detailed analysis of nearly a quarter of the new English plans, and detailed case studies of the 25 "best" plans, the book provides guidance on all aspects of urban design, architecture, landscape, conservation and design process policies, and makes recommendations about how policies should be expressed, organized, implemented and monitored. It makes over 150 specific recommendations for incorporation into better practice and advice. Illustrated with over 20 conceptual diagrams, 55 plan extracts and over 30 tables on plan content, the book provides a reference for architectural and planning practitioners, design and planning students and researchers in the field.

This volume presents a comprehensive introduction to the key environmental issues threatening our global environment. Offering an introduction to the key topics, a source of latest environmental information, and an innovative stimulus for debate, this text should be of value to all those studying or concerned with global environmental issues. In this second edition, the most topical global environmental issues are brought more clearly into focus. Explanations of the evolution of the earth's natural systems (hydrosphere, biosphere, geosphere, ecosphere) provide the essential understanding of the scientific concepts, processes and historical background behind key environmental issues. Contemporary socio-economic, cultural and political considerations are explored and important conceptual approaches such as Gaian hypotheses and Chaos Theory are introduced. Human impact and management of the natural environment, and concerns for maintaining biodiversity are emphasised throughout. Specific features include: case studies drawn from across the world; illustrations: 4-colour plate sections; informative diagrams; and a glossary of key terms, with key concepts highlighted throughout the text

The Routledge Handbook of Comparative Global Urban Studies is a timely intervention into the field of global urban studies, coming as comparison is being more widely used as a method for global urban studies, and as a number of methodological experiments and comparative research projects are being brought to fruition. It consolidates and takes forward an emerging field within urban studies and makes a positive and constructive intervention into a lively arena of current debate in urban theory. Comparative urbanism injects a welcome sense of methodological rigor and a commitment to careful evaluation of claims across different contexts, which will enhance current debates in the field. Drawing together at least 50 international scholars and practitioners, this book offers an overview of key ideas and practices in the field and extends current thinking and practice. The book is primarily intended for scholars and graduate students for whom it will provide an invaluable and up-to-date guide to current thinking across the range of disciplines which converge in the study of urbanism, including geography, sociology, planning, and urban studies.

Environmental Policy and NEPA is a concise study of environmental policy-where we have come from, what we are facing and where we can go in the future. An outgrowth of initiatives taken by the Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ), and edited by the current Associate Director, this publication studies the effectiveness and efficiency of the implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Divided into three main sections, part one covers the historical background and trends of NEPA. Part two addresses current substantive and conceptual issues associated with the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process. Part three discusses future opportunities including impact on humans, effective public participation in the EIA process and the need for sustainability. This excellent reference brings together 28 contributing authors who combine their expertise to address a multitude of topics. Environmental Policy and NEPA is mandatory reading for the professional, researcher, government policymaker, activist, student or anyone looking for a complete presentation of the EIA process.

One of the best-loved saints of all time, Francis of Assisi is often depicted today as a kind of proto-hippie or early environmentalist. This book, the most comprehensive study in English of Francis's view of nature in the context of medieval tradition, debunks modern anachronistic interpretations, arguing convincingly that Francis's ideas can only be understood in their 13th-century context. Through close analysis of Francis's writings, particularly the Canticle of the Sun, Sorrell shows that many of Francis's beliefs concerning the proper relation of humanity to the natural world have their antecedents in scripture and the medieval monastic orders, while other ideas and practices--his nature mysticism, his concept of familial relationships with created things, and his extension of chivalric conceptions to interactions with creatures--are entirely his own. Sorrell insists, however, that only by seeing Francis in terms of the Western traditions from which he arose can we appreciate the true originality of this extraordinary figure and the relevance of his thought to modern religious and environmental concerns.

Nano-enabled Sustainable and Precision Agriculture is the first single-volume resource to cover this important field using a whole systems approach that considers both opportunities and challenges. The book provides a comprehensive understanding of the role of nanotechnology in agriculture from broad aspects, but also includes a comprehensive view of the interaction of nanomaterials with soil-plant systems. It highlights aspects not described in previous books, including the application of nanoinformatics and artificial intelligence in nano-enabled sustainable agriculture, the application of nanotechnology in alternative forms of agriculture such as hydroponics, and regulatory frameworks for this research field. The book addresses all these aspects by including sections on enhanced sustainability, reduced pollution and enhanced ecosystems' health, and the role of nanoinformatics and machine learning.

Due to increasing practical needs, software support of environmental protection and research tasks is growing in importance and scope. Software systems help to monitor basic data, to maintain and process relevant environmental information, to analyze gathered information and to carry out decision processes, which often have to take into account complex alternatives with various side effects. Therefore software is an important tool for the environmental domain. When the first software systems in the environmental domain grew - 10 to 15 years ag- users and developers were not really aware of the complexity these systems are carrying with themselves: complexity with respect to entities, tasks and procedures. I guess nobody may have figured out at that time that the environmental domain would ask for solutions which information science would not be able to provide and - in several cases - can not provide until today. Therefore environmental informatics - as we call it today - is also an important domain of computer science itself, because practical solutions need to deal with very complex, interdisciplinary, distributed, integrated, sometimes badly defined, user-centered decision processes. I doubt somebody will state that we are already capable of building such integrated systems for end users for reasonable cost on a broad range. The development of the first scientific community for environmental informatics started around 1985 in Germany, becoming a technical committee and working group of the German Computer Society in 1987.

Life itself as well as the entire human economy depends on goods and services provided by earth's natural systems. The processes of cleansing, recycling, and renewal, along with goods such as seafood, forage, and timber, are worth many trillions of dollars annually, and nothing could live without them. Yet growing human impacts on the environment are profoundly disrupting the functioning of natural systems and imperiling the delivery of these services."Nature's Services" brings together world-renowned scientists from a variety of disciplines to examine the character and value of ecosystem services, the damage that has been done to them, and the consequent implications for human society. Contributors including Paul R. Ehrlich, Donald Kennedy, Pamela A. Matson, Robert Costanza, Gary Paul Nabhan, Jane Lubchenco, Sandra Postel, and Norman Myers present a detailed synthesis of our current understanding of a suite of ecosystem services and a preliminary assessment of their economic value. Chapters consider: major services including climate regulation, soil fertility, pollination, and pest control philosophical and economic issues of valuation case studies of specific ecosystems and services implication of recent findings and steps that must be taken to address the most pressing concerns "Nature's Services" represents one of the first efforts by scientists to provide an overview of the many benefits and services that nature offers to people and the extent to which we are all vitally dependent on those services. The book enhances our understanding of the value of the natural systems that surround us and can play an essential role in encouraging greater efforts to protect the earth's basiclife-support systems before it is too late.

This book bridges the gap between the many different disciplines used in applications of risk analysis to real world problems. Contributed by some of the world's leading experts, it creates a common information base and language for all risk analysis practitioners, risk managers, and decision makers.
Valuable as both a reference for practitioners and a comprehensive textbook for students, Fundamentals of Risk Analysis and Risk Management is a unique contribution to the field. Its broad coverage ranges from basic theory of risk analysis to practical applications, risk perception, legal and political issues, and risk management.

It has become a commonplace that Biblical religion bears a heavy share of responsibility for our past negligence towards the environment. In this provocative book, Norman Wirzba argues that the Biblical doctrine of creation actually holds the key to a true understanding of our place in the environment and our responsibility toward it. Wirzba contends that an adequate response to environmental destruction depends on a new formulation of ourselves as part of a larger whole, rather than as radically free individuals. Drawing on the work of biblical scholars, ecologists, agrarians, philosophers, theologians, and cultural critics, Wirzba presents a compelling vision of a new religious environmentalism.

The two themes of integration of structural and durability design, and integration of concrete technologies in relation to global environmental issues are drawn together in this text. It presents the views of international researchers and engineers on these key topics as the 21st century approaches. Derived from a workshop on rational design of concrete structures held in Hakodate, Japan, in August 1995, the book provides a focus for debate about the ways in which concrete technologies around the world must respond to the necessity of ensuring that concrete construction achieves higher levels of durability, and about the growing imperative to meet higher environmental standards in concrete production and use.

Paranoia and pseudo-science have led to serious misconceptions about environment and human health. Biodegradable bags are perceived as "environmentally friendly' but their decomposition in landfill sites contributes to the greenhouse effect. Potassium rich bananas are regarded healthy but they are also rich in naturally occurring carcinogenic chemicals. The electric car is seen as a solution to air pollution but pollution from car exhaust is transferred to the power plant. This work exposes environmental falsehoods, widely held assumptions and serious errors in environmental vocabulary which have helped to obscure an informed understanding of the environmental crisis. Fears and misconceptions of words relating to scientific and technological investigations are removed for non-scientists through informal explanations of basic concepts and ideas. Examining a wealth of examples of international environmental concern, this work offers a more informed knowledge of the elements of the environmental crisis and moves the environment debate closer to establishing an essential common language.

Cities around the world are facing severe environmental challenges; many have high levels of air and soil pollution, overcrowding, poor sanitation and growing waste disposal problems. This book takes a positive attitude; cities can be made to work sustainably, and many are already doing so. Their high population density works in the environment's favour if they achieve efficient use of resources such as energy and water supplies, and improve transport and infrastructure. The best cities today are clean, resource efficient, green and pleasant, and act as cultural and entertainment centres as well as being efficient generators of economic activity.Making Cities Work looks at the vital role which local authorities can and are playing in safeguarding and developing our towns and cities. Their role is crucial, and the aim of this book is to make governments, international bodies, local authority associations and interested readers aware of how potential environmental and social problems can be overcome, and what can be achieved particularly through cooperation between local governments around the world. The second part of the book comprises 18 case studies from around the world which demonstrates how cities can learn from each other's best practice in urban sustainable development. Written by urban development experts, based on material supplied by the world's leading city associations and commissioned and commissioned by UNCHS for the Habitat II Conference, this is a crucial contribution to the urban debate. Clearly written, accessible and illustrated throughout with photographs, figures and graphs, it is ideal for students, fascinating reading for the general public, and essential for those involved in local authorities, planning and development.

Presents a global view of today's most pressing issues through an analysis of the twelve major regions of the world. Economic and political restructuring, agriculture, industry, catastrophe, human conflict are just some of the issues covered

This innovative introduction to environmental planning is designed for an international readership. Each of the book's chapters focuses on a key question in environmental planning and works through principles which are appropriate in any national context. Case studies from around the world show how the principles apply in practice.