Lake Baikal is the oldest, largest and deepest lake in the world. Its unique animal life and the beauty of the surrounding landscapes are renowned.
The book discusses the sustainable development of the lake and its use as a model for the rest of the world. It consolidates existing data on the current state of the environment and economy of the region, develops a system of indicators of sustainable developments, makes recommendations on additional components to the existing monitoring system and considers a legal framework and instrument for its implementation.

The oceans provide a truly millennial challenge for both the development and management of planet earth by humankind. Awareness of the nature and scale of this challenge, the opportunities and the limitations, has been developing over the past three decades. In particular, new approaches to the development of the law of the sea, the division of the oceans among states, and new thinking on institutions will be needed in the transition to the new millennium. Understanding of the newness of the challenges has to be underpinned by understanding of the uses of the sea in terms of major sectors, and recognition of the importance of the many regional worlds of perception, understanding and action which link the diverse ocean environment to the diversity of human culture. This book covers all these themes in depth. It is aimed at both academics and students in higher education, and practitioners in the rapidly growing fields of ocean and coastal management in the public, private, and voluntary sectors.

Light scattering by densely packed inhomogeneous media is a particularly ch- lenging optics problem. In most cases, only approximate methods are used for the calculations. However, in the case where only a small number of macroscopic sc- tering particles are in contact (clusters or aggregates) it is possible to obtain exact results solving Maxwell's equations. Simulations are possible, however, only for a relativelysmallnumberofparticles,especiallyiftheirsizesarelargerthanthewa- length of incident light. The ?rst review chapter in PartI of this volume, prepared by Yasuhiko Okada, presents modern numerical techniques used for the simulation of optical characteristics of densely packed groups of spherical particles. In this case, Mie theory cannot provide accurate results because particles are located in the near ?eld of each other and strongly interact. As a matter of fact, Maxwell's equations must be solved not for each particle separately but for the ensemble as a whole in this case. The author describes techniques for the generation of shapes of aggregates. The orientation averaging is performed by a numerical integration with respect to Euler angles. The numerical aspects of various techniques such as the T-matrix method, discrete dipole approximation, the ?nite di?erence time domain method, e?ective medium theory, and generalized multi-particle Mie so- tion are presented. Recent advances in numerical techniques such as the grouping and adding method and also numerical orientation averaging using a Monte Carlo method are discussed in great depth.

Proceedings of the EEC/DOE Workshop hosted by the Commissariat a L'Energie Solaire, held in Sophia-Antipolis, France, 23-24 October 1980

Climate change is a major environmental concern of regional, national, and international scope, but its inherent uncertainties have often been cited as the main reason for delaying any actions to mitigate its potential impacts. Recent reviews of environmental impact assessments have shown that impacts from climate change have been inadequately addressed and that the corresponding uncertainties have been addressed even more poorly within them. However, this inaction runs completely contrary to the principles of sound risk management, since a proper consideration of the impact from uncertainty increases, rather than decreases, the rationale for preventative action. Irrespective of climate uncertainties, decisions have to be made today and it proves a better course of action to adopt the precautionary principle when making these decisions by recognizing the uncertainties rather than by ignoring them completely. Change Uncertainties in Environmental Assessments demonstrates methods for addressing, incorporating, and communicating the inherent uncertainties surrounding climate change in environmental impact assessments. Clearly, potential impacts from climate change require immediate attention because of the uncertainties, not in spite of them.

Using a scientific approach to identify and take action against persistent organic pollutants (POPs), this book focuses on preventative measures to manage POPs at their source. Readers get a complete overview of existing POPs monitoring activities and programs. Moreover, readers discover the full range of remediation methods and the latest advances in the measurement of POPs. In addition, the authors discuss how POPs affect health.

In 1984, the Conference on Environmental Quality, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Science Foundation convened a series of panel meetings to discuss long-term environmental issues. "Preserving Ecological SystemS" is the result of that prestigious conference. Drawing on contributions from nationally recognized scientists and experts from industry and government, this collection of papers covers geochemical and hydrologic processes and provides overall recommendations for conducting environmental research and development during the next twenty years. In addition, the book offers insights on how environmental analyses can be made more reliable. The book covers global cycles, habitat diversity and genetic variability, improved methods for mitigating the environmental impacts of current technologies, and anticipating the environmental impact of emerging technologies, among other topics.

Growth in the numbers of organic chemicals during recent decades has been extraordinary. Most are complex compounds that are released directly and/or indirectly to the surrounding environment. A view is emerging in relation to environmental protection and hazardous substance management that (1) some organic chemicals and/or organic leachates from solid waste materials and contaminated sediment/soil sites are of such extreme environmental concern that all use should be highly controlled including isolation for disposal; and (2) most hazardous substances are of sufficient social value that their continual use, production and disposal are justified. For these chemicals their types, sources, fate, behavior, effects and remediation at solid- aqueous phase interfaces must be fully assessed and understood. This assessment and understanding are essential for society to accept risks of adverse ecological or human health effects.

This book explores how and why the idea of the African environmental crisis developed and persisted through colonial and post-colonial periods, and why it has been so influential in development discourse. From the beginnings of imperial administration, the idea of the desiccation of African environments grew in popularity, but this crisis discourse was dominated by the imposition of imperial scientific knowledge, neglecting indigenous knowledge and experience. African Environmental Crisis provides a synthesis of more than one-and-a-half century's research on peasant agriculture and pastoral rangeland development in terms of soil erosion control, animal husbandry, grazing schemes, large-scale agricultural schemes, social and administrative science research, and vector-disease and pest controls. Drawing on comparative socio-ecological perspectives of African peoples across the East African colonies and post-independent states, this book refutes the hypothesis that African peoples were responsible for environmental degradation. Instead, Gufu Oba argues that flawed imperial assumptions and short-term research projects generated an inaccurate view of the environment in Africa. This book's discussion of the history of science for development provides researchers across environmental studies, agronomy, African history and development studies with a lens through which to understand the underlying assumptions behind development projects in Africa.

This book opens new approach to the study of global environmental changes having unfourable character for peoples and other living systems. Main advantage of this book consists in the accumulation of knowledge from different sciences to parameterize global biogeochemical cycles in the context of globalization and sustainable development. Basic global problems of the nature-society system dynamics have been considered and the key problems of ensuring its sustainable development have been discussed. An analysis has been made of the present trend in changing ecological systems and characteristics of the present global ecodynamics have been estimated. The emphasis has been placed on the accomplishment of global geoinformation monitoring, which could provide a reliable control of the environmental processes development with further obtaining prognostic estimates of consequences of realization of anthropogenic projects. A new approach to the nature-society system numerical modelling has been proposed and demonstrative results have been given of modelling the dynamics of this system s characteristics in cases of realization of some scenarios of anthropogenic impact on the biogeochemical cycles. The importance and the need has been emphasized of development of adaptive algorithms of monitoring data processing which make it possible to reduce the economic expenses on its accomplishment and raise the reliability of the obtained estimates of the global ecodynamics characteristics. Perspective approaches have been suggested for the development of technology to estimate the risk of realization of decisions on ecosystems management. The realization of this approach allows integration within a complex structure of all international and national means of environmental monitoring and provides a tool for objective evaluation of the environmental quality. The main purpose of this book is to develop an universal information technology to estimate the state of environmental subsystems functioning under various climatic and anthropogenic conditions and to assess the dependence of global bviogeochemical cycles on the globalization processes. Applied mathematicians, geophysicists, hydrologists, socio-economists, statesmans and other researchers of global change will find a wealth of information and ideas in this book."

* Features positive case studies, as well as 'lessons-learned'. * Highlights the importance of taking cultural differences into account. * Takes a transdisciplinary approach which considers findings from research fields including conceptual and empirical business ethics, behavioural economics, ecological economics, environmental ethics and philosophy of culture. * Weaves pedagogical features throughout, including key case studies, study questions and thought experiments.

This book analyzes water policies in South Asia from the perspective of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). It seeks to address the problems of water scarcity, conflict and pollution resulting from the gross mismanagement and over-exploitation of this finite resource. Highlighting the need for IWRM in mitigating abuse and ensuring sustainable use, it discusses issues relating to groundwater management; inter-state water conflicts; peri-urban water use; local traditional water management practices; coordination between water users and uses; and water integration at the grassroots level. With case studies from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal, the innovative, painstaking and transnational researches presented in the volume deal with questions of equity, gender, sustainability, and democratic governance in water policy interventions. It will interest researchers and students of development studies, environmental studies, natural resource management, water governance, and public administration, as also water sector professionals, policymakers, civil society activists and governmental and nongovernmental organizations.

This volume is the 3rd in a series of comprehensive publications devoted to the molecular spectra and environmentally important properties of polycyclic aromatic compounds which constitute one of the most interesting classes of environmental carcinogens. Since the first identification of dibenz(a, h)anthracene and later benzo(a)pyrene as chemical carcinogens in the 1930's, the number of publications devoted to this ubiquitously occurring group of compounds has increased constantly. Therefore, this reference source for the spectral, physicochemical and en vironmentaJ properties of polycyclic aromatic compounds should be a welcome addition to the previous volumes for scientists engaged in the investigation, characterisation and control of this hazardous class of pollutants. As was the case with the preceding volume, this publication is the fruit of a close collaboration within the General Directorate for SCience, Research and Development of the Commission of the European Communities between the Environment Institute of the Joint Research Centre Ispra, the Community Bureau of Reference and expert laboratories in the member states. F. Geiss Director of the Environment Institute JRC Ispra 1. Introduction Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds (PAC) are an important class of carcinogenic environmental pollutants, which occur in air, water, soils, sediments, in food and in the work area. Because many hundreds of closely related isomers are being formed and released in the environment from combustion processes of fossil fuels and other organic materials, their environmental and health con trol presents a difficult task."

1 AUK ISMAIL-ZADEH ,2, TOM BEER3 1 International Institute of Earthquake Prediction Theory and Mathematical Geophysics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Warshavskoye shosse 79-2, Moscow 113556, Russia; e-mail: [email protected] 2 Geophysikalisches Institut, Universittit Karlsruhe, Hertzstr. 16, Karlsruhe 76187, Germany; e-mail: [email protected] 3 CSIRO Environmental Risk Network, CSIRO Atmospheric Research, Aspendale, Vic. 3195 Australia; e-mail: [email protected] The world faces major threats to the sustainability of our planet. These threats are accompanied by the immediate dangers of natural and man-made disasters. Our vulnerability to them is greatly magnified with each passing year undermining our ability to maintain a sustainable and productive world into the 21st Century and beyond. Both history and common sense teach us that science has a tremendous potential to find ways to cope with these threats. 1 The EUROSCIENCE working group "Science and Urgent Problems of Society" 2 and the IUGG Commission on Geophysical Risk and Sustainability were initiators of the EUROSCIENCE - IUGG Advanced Research Workshop "Science for Reduction of Risk and Sustainable Development of Society" sponsored by the NATO Science Program. The Workshop was held on 15-16 June 2002 in Budapest, Hungary. More than 40 participants from 17 countries took part in the Workshop. Talks and discussions addressed mainly the question of how science can help in reduction of risk and sustainable development of society.

This title, first published in 1987, provides an authoritative account of both the science and the politics of acid rain. Chris Park places the debates surrounding acid rain in context, and examines the full implications of scientific studies and the effects of acid rain on surface waters, soils and buildings. Evidence is drawn from around the world, including an examination of the damage in Scandinavia and Germany and the effects of acid rain in the U.K. and U.S.A. A comprehensive and relevant work, this is an important guide for students of geography, environment and sustainability and energy policy.

First written in 1977, Economics of Natural and Environmental Resources presents a collection of articles written in exploration of the economic, social, and ecological problems peculiar to natural and environmental resources. Whilst focusing on the economic theory of natural resources, the contributions also consider geological, technological, and institutional features of particular resources. Policy implications and considerations are central to the text and although the book was published over thirty years ago, the issues discussed remain relevant to today's society.

The book discusses new algorithms capable of searching for, tracking, mapping and providing a visualization of invisible substances. It reports on the realization of a bacterium-inspired robotic controller that can be used by an agent to search for any environmental spatial function such as temperature or pollution. Using the parameters of a mathematical model, the book shows that it is possible to control the exploration, exploitation and sensitivity of the agent. This feature sets the work apart from the usual method of applying the bacterium behavior to robotic agents. The book also discusses how a computationally tractable multi-agent robotic controller was developed and used to track as well as provide a visual map of a spatio-temporal distribution of a substance. On the one hand, this book provides biologists and ecologists with a basis to perform simulations related to how individual organisms respond to spatio-temporal factors in their environment as well as predict and analyze the behavior of organisms at a population level. On the other hand, it offers robotic engineers practical and fresh insights into the development of computationally tractable algorithms for spatial exploratory and mapping robots. It also allows a more general audience to gain an understanding of the design of computational intelligence algorithms for autonomous physical systems.

Reconstructing Medical Practice examines how doctors see health care and their place in it, why they remain in medicine and why they are limited in their ability to lead change in the current system. Doctors are beset by doubts and feel rejected by systems where they should be leaders - some see their role as 'flog[ging] a derelict system to get the last breath of workability out ... for their patients'. Others simply turn away. Rigorous studies carried out at large public teaching hospitals in Australia found that doctors were reluctant to increase safety in the wider health system, despite making every effort for their 'own' patients. Doctors' self-esteem was found to be delicate due to the uncertain nature of their work; colleagues provide the support doctors need to deliver good care. However, these essential relationships and their cherished connections with patients have disadvantages: reducing doctors' ability to admit to error. On top of this, senior doctors predict a future bereft of professional values - one where medicine is 'just a job'. While the loss of professional identity introduces new risks for patients and doctors, the repercussions of the more self-serving attitudes of younger doctors are unknown. Reconstructing Medical Practice concludes that regulation, despite its recent proliferation, is a clumsy and limited approach to ensuring good care. It presents original and much-needed ideas for ways to rebuild the critical relationship between doctors and the system. By better valuing communicative interactions and workplace relationships, safe and satisfying medical practice can be reconstructed.

A Shadowy backlash against environmentalists has begun to emerge in America, the most visible element of which calls itself the "Wise Use" movement. Among its stated goals are the unregulated use of timber, oil, gas, minerals, and range land, and the abolition of all environmental laws and agencies. In this first in depth investigation of the "Wise Use" backlash, author David Helvarg visits rallies, conferences, and confrontations that are the fronts in its war against the greens. Helvarg shows the dimensions of this struggle as it is being waged in the courts; in the media, through popular mouthpieces like Rush Limbaugh and sympathetic coverage in influential newspapers such as the New York Times; in the heretical claims of the movement's "counterscience"; and in the growing number of physical confrontations and threats used against environmental activists. Helvarg also documents the failure of the FBI to prevent such violence.

Biofuels and Rural Poverty makes an original contribution to the current controversial global debate on biofuels, in particular the consequences that large-scale production of transport fuel substitutes can have on rural areas, principally in developing countries but also in some poor rural areas of developed countries.

Three key concerns are examined from a North-South perspective: ecological issues (related to land use and biodiversity), pro-poor policies (related to food and land security, gender and income generation) and equity of benefits within the global value chain. Can biofuels be pro-poor? Can smallholder farmers be equitably integrated in the biofuels global supply chain? Is the biofuels production chain detrimental to biodiversity?

Most other books available on biofuels take a technical approach and are aimed at addressing energy security or climate change issues. This title focuses on the socio-economic impacts on rural people's livelihoods, offering a unique perspective on the potential role of biofuels in reducing rural poverty.

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology publishes authoritative reviews on the occurrence, effects, and fate of pesticide residues and other environmental contaminants. It will keep you informed of the latest significant issues by providing in-depth information in the areas of analytical chemistry, agricultural microbiology, biochemistry, human and veterinary medicine, toxicology, and food technology.

The book Computer Applications in Engineering and Management is about computer applications in management, electrical engineering, electronics engineering, and civil engineering. It covers the software tools for office automation, introduces the basic concepts of database management, and provides an overview about the concepts of data communication, internet, and e-commerce. Additionally, the book explains the principles of computing management used in construction of buildings in civil engineering and the role of computers in power grid automation in electronics engineering. Features Provides an insight to prospective research and application areas related to industry and technology Includes industry-based inputs Provides a hands-on approach for readers of the book to practice and assimilate learning This book is primarily aimed at undergraduates and graduates in computer science, information technology, civil engineering, electronics and electrical engineering, management, academicians, and research scholars.

Resilience and Urban Risk Management presents the latest progress made in designing resilient towns, and identifies leads to be explored for attaining the objective of systematically integrating risks into urban environments The aim of the book is to provide guidance in designing and planning future cities, and to create a new form of risk management that does not ignore what already exists, but integrates it in the same way as if it were new. Resilience and Urban Risk Management is of interest to academics, architects, town planners and engineers concerned with the relationship between urban projects and the various aspects of the urban resilience concept via concrete applications and methodological or historical reflections. Damien SERRE, HDR, Professor Assistant at the Paris-Est University, EIVP, in charge of the "urban resilience" research section. The final objective of his research is to formalize knowledge useful for decision-making and helping in designing towns that are resilient when facing risks. His research is trans-disciplinary and in service of the city. Bruno BARROCA, Architect and Professor Assistant in Urban Engineering at the Paris-Est University, a member of the urban engineering team of the LEESU laboratory (Water, Environment and Urban Systems Laboratory). His research establishes links between geography, town planning and regional development. Applications cover assessment of urban vulnerability and integration of resilience objectives in urban projects located on territories subject to natural and technological risks. Richard LAGANIER, Professor in Geography at the Universite Paris 7 Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cite, the PRODIG laboratory (Centre of Research for Organization and Distribution of Geographical Information). His research activities cover the study of relationships between risks linked with water and territories and analysis of the conditions needed for developing resilience. He is the author/co-author of a large number of works on hydrological extremes and their management.