Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has become the recognized instrument to assess the ecological burdens and human health impacts connected with the complete life cycle (creation, use, end-of-life) of products, processes and activities, enabling the assessor to model the entire system from which products are derived or in which processes and activities operate. This volume introduces the major new book series "LCA Compendium - The Complete World of Life Cycle Assessment." In this volume, the main drivers in the development of LCA are explored. The volume also discusses strengths and limitations in LCA as well as challenges and gaps, thus offering an unbiased picture of the state-of-the-art and future of LCA.

This book treats the theoretical fundamentals of adsorption technology for water treatment from a practical perspective. It presents all the basics needed for experimental adsorption studies as well as for process modeling and adsorber design. According to the increasing importance of micropollutants in the water cycle, particular attention is paid to their competitive adsorption in the presence of background organic matter. The current edition considers recent developments in adsorption theory and practice.

The new edition will discuss recent advances in computer modeling, including how fields generated outside the body are distributed inside and how various frequencies may interact differently with natural biological or biochemical cycles. It covers the basic biological, medical, physical, and electrical engineering principles and experimental results concerning how electric and magnetic fields affect biological systems-both as potential hazards to health and as potential tools for medical treatment and scientific research. It also briefly includes material on the relationship between the science and the regulatory processes concerning human exposure to the fields.

This book introduces readers to the status quo and recent advances in China's low-carbon development. From the evolution of human civilization, to the proposal of low-carbon concepts, up to the choice of China's low-carbon path, the book provides a comprehensive review of low-carbon development, while also elaborating on the core concept, goals and methods. In addition, it addresses a series of questions and issues closely tied to today's social development, such as: "Why is it so vital to pursue low-carbon development?" and "How can China implement low-carbon development?" Accordingly, readers will gain a better grasp of low-carbon development, including low-carbon production and low-carbon lifestyles.

"Sustainability Science: Managing Risk and Resilience for Sustainable Development" examines this holistic discipline s key concepts, models, and findings regarding the most pressing sustainability issues: climate change, population growth and poverty, energy, public policy, economic growth, and resource systems. The natural and social sciences are woven together throughout the book to provide an inclusive, accurate understanding of relevant trends and events.

Emerging as new disciplines at the turn of the twenty-first century, sustainability science and sustainable development are becoming guiding principles across the geosciences, ecology, environmental science, economics, and social science. Scientists continue to wrestle with their complexity, interwoven concepts, and mutual impact, but because of the subjects indigenous challenges and necessary multidisciplinary focus, it s difficult to find authoritative content in a single source. Authored by a scientist with multiple degrees in geosciences, environmental science, political science, and engineering, this book helps galvanize the science s multidisciplinary nature by focusing on the guiding principles of sustainability science s past, present, and future, and how it is shaping our management of human-environment interaction.
Examines our vulnerability to natural and human-induced hazards and disasters, and how the management of the human-environment relationship impacts and shapes public policy and global economic healthIntroduces new understanding of how poverty reduction and more viable use of natural resources is vital to sustainable future development Features more than 150 figures, full-color photographs, diagrams, and illustrations to highlight major themes and aid in the retention of key concepts Presents a holistic approach to advances in the inter-relationships across the geosciences, ecology, environmental science, economics, and engineering, and provides conceptual and practical tools for linking safety and sustainability"

This six volume book set examines a range of topics and applications related to biotechnology. Volumes include fermentation and algal biotechnologies; agricultural biotechnology; medical biotechnology, biopharmaceutics; biosafety, bioethics, biotechnology policy; microbiomes; bioenergy and environmental biotechnology for sustainable development. The topics address significant aspects of the dairy and fermented foods; crop genetics, breeding and genomics; microalgae and novel products; molecular diagnostics and DNA forensics; biosafety, bioethics and legal issues in biotechnology; biotechnology policy advocacy, enlightenment and engagement with stakeholders; medical and pharmaceutical biotechnology; omics and bioinformatics; waste recycling, biofuels and environmental remediation; animal genetics, breeding and genomics; genetic resources conservation and utilization; medicinal and underutilized plants; medical insect biotechnology, genomics and molecular genetics of pests; microbiomes and microbial biotechnology; biotechnology education and curriculum development; and water and waste water research. Volumes include: I: Fermentation and Algal Biotechnologies for the Food, Beverage and other Bioproduct Industries II: Agricultural Biotechnology, Biodiversity and Bio-resources Conservation and Utilization III: Medical Biotechnology, Biopharmaceutics, Forensic Science and Bioinformatics IV: Biosafety and Bioethics in Biotechnology: Policy, Advocacy, and Capacity Building V: Microbiomes and Emerging Applications VI: Bioenergy and Environmental Biotechnology for Sustainable Development The book is a timely knowledge product that documents key issues on advances in biotechnology for use by a variety of readers including postgraduate students, professionals in the field, policy makers, science advocacy groups.

This book provides a framework for integrating information management in supply chains. Current trends in business practice have made it necessary to explore the potential held by information integration with regard to environmental aspects. Information flow integration provides an opportunity to focus on the creation of a more "green" supply chain. However, it is currently difficult to identify the impact of information integration on greening a supply chain in a wide range of practical applications. Accordingly, this book focuses on the potential value of information integration solutions in terms of greening supply chain management. It covers the following major topics: Application of information flow standards in the supply chain Information systems and technological solutions for integrating information flows in supply chains The Internet of Things and the industry 4.0 concept, with regard to the integration of supply chains Modeling and simulation of logistics processes Decision-making tools enabling the greening of supply chains

"Ecosystem Services: Global Issues, Local Practices" covers scientific input, socioeconomic considerations, and governance issues on ecosystem services. This book provides hands-on transdisciplinary reflections by administrators and sector representatives involved in the ecosystem service community. "Ecosystem Services" develops shared approaches and scientific methods to achieve knowledge-based sustainable planning and management of ecosystem services. Professionals engaged in ecosystem service implementation have two options: de-emphasize the ecological and socioeconomic complexity and advance in the theoretical, abstract field, or try to develop research that is policy relevant and inclusive in an uncertain environment. This book provides a wide overview of issues at stake, of interest for any professional wishing to develop a broader view on ecosystem service science and practice.
Examines a broad scope of relevant issues to create common understanding in the ecosystem services communityIncludes contributions from several backgrounds, providing a broad, multidisciplinary viewOffers recommendations to develop a thorough understanding and management of ecosystem services based on tools and research in larger territories as well as on local scales

The book presents engineering concepts, techniques, practices, principles, standard procedures, and models that are applied and used to design and evaluate traffic systems, road pavement structures, alternatives of transportation systems, roadway horizontal and vertical alignments to ultimately achieve safety, sustainability, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. The book provides plentiful number of problems on five major areas of transportation engineering and includes broad range of ideas and practical problems that are included in all topics of the book. Furthermore, the book covers problems dealing with theory, concepts, practice, and applications. The solution of each problem in the book follows a step-by-step procedure that includes the theory and the derivation of the formulas in some cases and the computations. Moreover, almost all problems in the five parts of the book include detailed calculations that are solved using the MS Excel worksheets where mathematical, trigonometric, statistical, and logical formulas are used to obtain a more rapid and efficient solution. In some cases, the MS Excel solver tool is used for solving complex equations in several problems of the book. Additionally, numerical methods, linear algebraic methods, and least squares regression techniques are utilized in some problems to assist in solving the problem and make the solution much easier. The book will help academics and professionals to find practical solutions across the spectrum of transportation engineering. The book is designed to be informative and filled with an abundance of solutions to problems in the engineering science of transportation. It is expected that the book will enrich the knowledge and science in transportation engineering, thereby elevating the civil engineering profession in general and the transportation engineering practice in particular as well as advancing the transportation engineering field to the best levels possible. FEATURES: Presents coverage of five major areas in transportation engineering: traffic engineering, pavement materials, analysis, and design, urban transportation planning, highway surveying, and geometric design of highways. Provides solutions to numerous practical problems in transportation engineering including terminology, theory, practice, computation, and design. Includes downloadable and user-friendly MS Excel spreadsheets as well as numerical methods and optimization tools and techniques. Includes several practical case studies throughout. Implements a unique kind of approach in presenting the different topics.

Titles in the Pocket Tutor series give practical guidance on subjects that medical students and foundation doctors need help with "on the go", at a highly affordable price that puts them within reach of those rotating through modular courses or working on attachment. Topics reflect information needs stemming from today’s integrated undergraduate & foundation courses: Common investigations (ECG, imaging, etc) Clinical skills (surface anatomy, patient examination, etc.) Clinical specialties that students perceive as too small to merit a textbook (psychiatry, renal medicine)

1 Einleitung.- 1.1 Problemstellung.- 1.2 Vorgehensweise.- 2 Handelspolitische Konzepte und Umweltpolitik.- 2.1 Freihandel und Handelsliberalisierung.- 2.1.1 Smith, Ricardo und die Natur.- 2.1.2 Marktversagen und naturliche Ressourcen.- 2.1.3 OEkonomische Loesungen bei Marktversagen mit negativen Umweltauswirkungen.- 2.1.4 Die oekologische Kritik am neoliberalen Ansatz des Umweltschutzes.- 2.1.5 Konstanter Rohstoffverbrauch.- 2.2 Entwicklung der Umweltoekonomie nach oekologischer Kritik.- 2.2.1 Neue Impulse durch die OEkologische Umweltoekonomie.- 2.2.2 Der Mainstream der Umweltoekonomie.- 2.3 Zusammenfassung.- 3 Handel, Umweltschutz und zwischenstaatliche Beziehungen.- 3.1 Handelspolitische Effekte auf die Umweltpolitik.- 3.1.1 Produkteffekte.- 3.1.2 Skaleneffekte.- 3.1.3 Struktureffekte.- 3.2 Auswirkungen der Umweltpolitik auf internationalen Handel.- 3.2.1 Umweltpolitische Instrumente.- 3.2.2 Politisch relevante Effekte umweltpolitischer Instrumente.- 3.3 Empirische Beobachtungen.- 3.3.1 Negative Auswirkungen.- 3.3.2 Positive Effekte.- 3.3.3 Umweltpolitische Handlungsmoeglichkeiten.- 3.4 Bewertung.- 3.4.1 Effekte des internationalen Handels auf internationale Umweltpolitik.- 3.4.2 Internationale Umweltschutzabkommen.- 3.5 Konflikte zwischen Entwicklungs- und Industrielandern.- 3.5.1 Positionen des Sudens im Querschnittsbereich von Handels- und Umweltpolitik.- 3.5.2 "Gruner Protektionismus" und "OEkoimperialismus".- 3.6 Fazit.- 4 Umweltschutz im GATT/WTO-System.- 4.1 Die Entwicklung des Welthandelssystems und die Integration von Umweltschutz.- 4.1.1 Vom GATT zur WTO.- 4.1.2 Grundprinzipien.- 4.1.3 Ausnahmen und institutionelle Probleme.- 4.1.4 Multilaterale Handelsrunden.- 4.1.5 Wichtige Weichenstellungen.- 4.1.6 Die WTO.- 4.2 Die WTO und Umweltschutz.- 4.2.1 Institutionelle Entwicklungen.- 4.2.1 Die Konferenz von Seattle und moegliche Folgen.- 4.2.2 Grunde fur das "Scheitern" und Blick in die Zukunft.- 4.3 Streitschlichtungsverfahren aufgrund umweltpolitischer Handelsmassnahmen.- 4.3.1 Entwicklung im GATT.- 4.3.2 Streitschlichtung in der WTO.- 4.3.3 Streitschlichtung bei umweltpolitischen Handelsmassnahmen.- 4.4 Eine vorlaufige Analyse der Schlichtungsverfahren.- 4.4.1 Internationale Umweltschutzabkommen.- 4.4.2 Produktions- und Prozessmethoden.- 4.4.3 ArtikelXX-Praambel.- 4.4.4 Artikel XX (b).- 4.4.5 Artikel XX (g).- 4.5 Das Komitee fur Handel und Umwelt.- 4.5.1 Institutionelle Entwicklung.- 4.5.2 Das CTE in der WTO.- 4.5.3 Das CTE-Arbeitsprogramm.- 4.5.4 Aktueller Diskussionsstand.- 4.5.5 OEffentliche Kritik.- 4.6 Implikationen.- 4.6.1 Die Suche nach dem Ausgleich.- 4.6.2 Implikationen der Streitfalle.- 4.6.3 Politoekonomische Zusammenhange.- 4.6.4 Grenzen der Abwagung.- 5 Die EU, Umweltschutz und Handelspolitik.- 5.1 Umweltpolitik im Binnenmarkt.- 5.1.1 Die Entwicklung der Umweltpolitik in der EU.- 5.1.2 Die Rechtsgrundlagen europaischer Umweltpolitik.- 5.1.3 Umweltpolitik und politische Integration.- 5.1.4 Kritik und Unzulanglichkeiten europaischer Umweltpolitik.- 5.1.5 Der Europaische Gerichtshof und umweltpolitische Handelsmassnahmen.- 5.2 Die internationale Dimension europaischer Umweltpolitik.- 5.2.1 Die Entwicklung internationaler Umweltpolitik der Gemeinschaft.- 5.2.2 Die EU als Akteur.- 5.2.3 Das 5. Umweltaktionsprogramm - "Hin zu Nachhaltigkeit".- 5.3 Die internationale Handelspolitik der Gemeinschaft.- 5.3.1 Die Position der Gemeinschaft im Welthandel.- 5.3.2 Die Rechtsgrundlagen.- 5.3.3 Handelspolitische Instrumente.- 5.3.4 Allgemeine Aspekte der gemeinschaftlichen Handelspolitik.- 5.4 Die Gemeinschaft und die Wechselwirkungen zwischen Umweltschutz und Handel.- 5.4.1 Die programmatische Diskussion uber Handel und Umwelt in der Gemeinschaft.- 5.4.2 Umweltpolitische Handelsmassnahmen der Gemeinschaft.- 5.4.3 Schlussfolgerungen.- 6 Schlussbetrachtung.- 6.1 Handelspolitische und umweltpolitische Konzepte.- 6.2 Die Wechselwirkungen in den zwischenstaatlichen Beziehungen.- 6.3 Die WTO und di

Putting forward an innovative approach to solving current technological problems faced by human society, this book encompasses a holistic way of perceiving the potential of natural systems. Nature has developed several materials and processes which both maintain an optimal performance and are also totally biodegradable, properties which can be used in civil engineering. Delivering the latest research findings to building industry professionals and other practitioners, as well as containing information useful to the public, 'Biotechnologies and Biomimetics for Civil Engineering' serves as an important tool to tackle the challenges of a more sustainable construction industry and the future of buildings.

This thesis presents a comprehensive analysis of the global health impacts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in ambient air, conducted on the basis of a high-resolution emission inventory, global chemical transport modeling, and probabilistic risk assessment. One of the main strengths of the thesis is the concentration downscaling process, which provides a linkage between emissions and exposure concentrations at a comparatively high resolution. Moreover, by focusing on individual susceptibility, the thesis proposes an instrumental revision of current risk assessment methodology and argues that, if individual susceptibility were not taken into consideration, the overall risk would be underestimated by 55% and the proportion of highly vulnerable populations would be underestimated by more than 90%.

The aim of this book is to present qualitative and qualitative aspects of logistics operations and supply chain management which help to implement the sustainable policy principles in the companies and public sector s institutions. Authors in individual chapters address the issues related to reverse network configuration, forward and reverse supply chain integration, CO2 reduction in transportation, improvement of the production operations and management of the recovery activities. Some best practices from different countries and industries are presented. This book will be valuable to both academics and practitioners wishing to deepen their knowledge in the field of logistics operations and management with regard to sustainability issues."

With oil resources approaching their limits, biofuels have become increasingly attractive. This book provides a detailed description of the ecological implications of second and third generation biofuel feedstock production systems, beginning with an introduction to the importance of ecological sustainability alongside economic viability. The book is divided into sections describing theoretical foundation and benefits of various biofuel cropping systems, and providing a description of practical ecological limitations to achieve those fundamental benefits. The book covers such critical issues as greenhouse gas emissions, carbon balance, water cycle components, other biogeochemical and socioeconomic interactions alongside life cycle analysis principals for achieving sustainability. These are some of the most important sustainability, environmental and economic issues which biofuel industry and scientific community is seeking answers to.

The book reveals how green buildings are currently being adapted and applied in developing countries. It includes the major developing countries such as China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Pakistan, Cambodia, Ghana, Nigeria and countries from the Middle East and gathers the insights of respected green building researchers from these areas to map out the developing world's green building revolution. The book highlights these countries' contribution to tackling climate change, emphasising the green building benefits and the research behind them. The contributing authors explore how the green building revolution has spread to developing countries and how national governments have initiated their own green building policies and agendas. They also explore how the market has echoed the green building policy, and how a business case for green buildings has been established. In turn, they show how an international set of green building standards, in the form of various techniques and tools, has been incorporated into local building and construction practices. In closing, they demonstrate how the developing world is emerging as a key player for addressing the energy and environmental problems currently facing the world. The book helps developers, designers and policy-makers in governments and green building stakeholders to make better decisions on the basis of global and local conditions. It is also of interest to engineers, designers, facility managers and researchers, as it provides a holistic picture of how the industry is responding to the worldwide call for greener and more sustainable buildings.

Understanding the balance of society and nature is imperative when researching ecosystems and their global influence. A method of studying the health of these ecosystems is biodiversity. The more diverse the species that live in an ecosystem, the healthier it is. As the climate continues to transform, small-scale ecosystems are affected, altering their diversity. Environmentalists need a book of research that studies the specific impacts of climate change and how it affects the future of the environment. Current State and Future Impacts of Climate Change on Biodiversity is a pivotal reference source that provides vital research on biological systems and how climate change influences their health. While highlighting topics such as genetic diversity, economic valuation, and climatic conditions, this publication explores the effects of climate change as well as the methods of sustainable management within ecosystems. This book is ideally designed for environmental scientists, environmental professionals, scientists, ecologists, conservationists, government officials, policymakers, agriculturalists, environmentalists, zoologists, botanists, entomologists, urban planners, researchers, scholars, and students seeking research on current and future developments of various ecosystems.

Responsible Care - A Case Study is the first book of its kind to provide insight into the development and evolution of Responsible Care and its influence of societal outcomes on the basis of case studies. It provides readers in industry, government, and academia with the principles and innovative thinking associated with the Responsible Care ethic as a means to promote and implement such advanced concepts in their own institution. The book is not only a teaching aid for university curriculum, it also serves as a practical tool to industrial management and staff to improve industrial policies. The last chapter illustrates a practical example of a workshop held at McMaster University, Canada, which can be used as a model for readers to use this book as an educational tool.

The book presents a collection of selected papers from the I Workshop of the Venezuelan Society of Fluid Mechanics held on Margarita Island, Venezuela from November 4 to 9, 2012. Written by experts in their respective fields, the contributions are organized into five parts: - Part I Invited Lectures, consisting of full-length technical papers on both computational and experimental fluid mechanics covering a wide range of topics from drops to multiphase and granular flows to astrophysical flows, - Part II Drops, Particles and Waves - Part III Multiphase and Multicomponent Flows - Part IV Atmospheric and Granular Flows - and Part V Turbulent and Astrophysical Flows. The book is intended for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students as well as for physicists, chemists and engineers teaching and working in the field of fluid mechanics and its applications. The contributions are the result of recent advances in theoretical and experimental research in fluid mechanics, encompassing both fundamentals as well as applications to fluid engineering design, including pipelines, turbines, flow separators, hydraulic systems and biological fluid elements, and to granular, environmental and astrophysical flows.

This monograph describes ways of using trees and their byproducts in environmental protection technologies and methodologies throughout their lifecycles. The tree, the planet's main source of biomass, is an indispensable tool for sustainable technologies, and the authors present a holistic picture of how and why in this volume. The authors describe the indispensable role of the living tree in phytoremediation and biomonitoring and detail the relationship of the tree with its surrounding ecosystem. The direct and indirect relationships of a tree at its vegetation period with various components of the ecosystem (i.e. atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and soil) contribute to the role of a tree as the medium for integrating aerogenic and edaphic pollutants. Trees phytostabilize pollutants in their organisms and remove them from the soil. The ability of some species of trees to reflect the quality of the environment makes a basis for the environmental bioindication, while quantitative representation of the chemical composition of the surrounding environment allows for the use of trees in biomonitoring. Morphological features of trees (e.g. annual tree rings) allow us to observe environmental conditions in the past and retrospectively evaluate them. This monograph also details how wood products (e.g. biochar, chips, bark, etc.) of a tree after it has died are used in environmental technologies. Due to the specific morphological form and physical and chemical composition of wood products, they may be used as active materials in the technologies aimed at reducing pollution in an effective and sustainable manner.

A revolutionary new understanding of the precarious modern human-nature relationship and a path to a healthier, more sustainable world.
Amidst all the wondrous luxuries of the modern world--smartphones, fast intercontinental travel, Internet movies, fully stocked refrigerators--lies an unnerving fact that may be even more disturbing than all the environmental and social costs of our lifestyles. The fragmentations of our modern lives, our disconnections from nature and from the consequences of our actions, make it difficult to follow our own values and ethics, so we can no longer be truly ethical beings. When we buy a computer or a hamburger, our impacts ripple across the globe, and, dissociated from them, we can't quite respond. Our personal and professional choices result in damages ranging from radioactive landscapes to disappearing rainforests, but we can't quite see how.
Environmental scholar Kenneth Worthy traces the broken pathways between consumers and clean-room worker illnesses, superfund sites in Silicon Valley, and massively contaminated landscapes in rural Asian villages. His groundbreaking, psychologically based explanation confirms that our disconnections make us more destructive and that we must bear witness to nature and our consequences. "Invisible Nature "shows the way forward: how we can create more involvement in our own food production, more education about how goods are produced and waste is disposed, more direct and deliberative democracy, and greater contact with the nature that sustains us.