The Impacts of Climate Change: A Comprehensive Study of Physical, Biophysical, Social and Political Issues presents the very real issues associated with climate change and global warming and how it affects the planet and everyone on it. From a physical perspective, the book covers such topics as population pressures, food issues, rising sea-levels and coastline degradation, and health. It then goes on to present social impacts, such as humanitarian issues, ethics, adaptation, urban issues, local action, and socio-economic issues. Finally, it addresses the political impacts, such as justice issues and politics of climate change in different locations. By offering this holistic review of the latest impacts of climate change, the book helps researchers to better understand what needs to be done in order to move toward renewable energy, change societal habits, and move toward sustainable development.

Written by leading experts in their respective fields, Principles and Applications of Soil Microbiology 3e, provides a comprehensive, balanced introduction to soil microbiology, and captures the rapid advances in the field such as recent discoveries regarding habitats and organisms, microbially mediated transformations, and applied environmental topics. Carefully edited for ease of reading, it aids users by providing an excellent multi-authored reference, the type of book that is continually used in the field. Background information is provided in the first part of the book for ease of comprehension. The following chapters then describe such fundamental topics as soil environment and microbial processes, microbial groups and their interactions, and thoroughly addresses critical nutrient cycles and important environmental and agricultural applications. An excellent textbook and desk reference, Principles and Applications of Soil Microbiology, 3e, provides readers with broad, foundational coverage of the vast array of microorganisms that live in soil and the major biogeochemical processes they control. Soil scientists, environmental scientists, and others, including soil health and conservation specialists, will find this material invaluable for understanding the amazingly diverse world of soil microbiology, managing agricultural and environmental systems, and formulating environmental policy.

Smart Cities and the UN's SDGs explores how smart cities initiatives intersect with the global goal of making urbanization inclusive, resilient, and sustainable. Topics explored include digital governance, e-democracy, health care access, public-private partnerships, well-being, and more. Examining smart cities concepts, tools, strategies, and obstacles and their applicability to sustainability, the book exposes key structural problems that cities face and how the imperative of sustainability can bypass them. It shows how smart city technological innovation can boost citizens' well-being, serving as a key reference for those seeking to make sense of the issues and challenges of smart cities and SDGs.

In this book the territory of Pechenga, located well above the Arctic circle between Russia, Finland and Norway, holds the key to understanding the geopolitical situation of the Arctic today. With specific focus on the local nickel industry of the region, Lars Rowe explores the interaction between commercial and state security concerns in the Soviet Union. Through the lens of this local industry a larger historical context is unravelled - the nature of Soviet-Finnish relations after the Russian Revolution, Soviet international relations strategies during the Second World War and the nature of the Stalinist economy in the early post-war years. By presenting this environmentally focused history of a small corner of the Arctic, Rowe offers the historical context needed to understand the current geopolitical climate of the Polar North.

Procurement with Purpose describes a growing and powerful movement - how organisations can use the money they spend with suppliers to help address wider environmental, social and economic issues. That is not just about emissions and climate change, but includes how to address issues such as biodiversity and habitat loss, plastics and waste, modern slavery, inequality and discrimination, and more. That organisational 'buying power' is now being used to drive change across the business and political world. With case studies from leading organisations, insightful analysis of 'business purpose' concepts and practical guidance on implementing these ideas through the procurement and contracting cycle, Procurement with Purpose is a fascinating and valuable resource for anyone interested in how organisations can help protect and nurture this planet and its people.

Population Dynamics of the Reef Crisis, Volume 87 in the Advances in Marine Biology series, updates on many topics that will appeal to postgraduates and researchers in marine biology, fisheries science, ecology, zoology and biological oceanography. Chapters in this new release cover SCTL disease and coral population dynamics in S-Florida, Spatial dynamics of juvenile corals in the Persian/Arabian Gulf, Surprising stability in sea urchin populations following shifts to algal dominance on heavily bleached reefs, Biophysical model of population connectivity in the Persian Gulf, Population dynamics of 20-year decline in clownfish anemones on coral reefs at Eilat, northern Red Sea, and much more.

Mathematical Modelling of Contemporary Electricity Markets reviews major methodologies and tools to accurately analyze and forecast contemporary electricity markets in a ways that is ideal for practitioner and academic audiences. Approaches include optimization, neural networks, genetic algorithms, co-optimization, econometrics, E3 models and energy system models. The work examines how new challenges affect power market modeling, including discussions of stochastic renewables, price volatility, dynamic participation of demand, integration of storage and electric vehicles, interdependence with other commodity markets and the evolution of policy developments (market coupling processes, security of supply). Coverage addresses all major forms of electricity markets: day-ahead, forward, intraday, balancing, and capacity.

Paleocological Research on Easter Island: Insights on Settlement, Climate Changes, Deforestation and Cultural Shifts examines the area's climatic and ecological history, a topic not usually addressed in other literature. The book provides a thorough and synthetic account of all paleoecological works developed to date, including the latest discoveries. Finally, it attempts to match paleoecological evidence with the results of other disciplines creating a multidisciplinary framework. This approach to the field is ideal for researchers, university professors and graduate students in a varied range of disciplines and subdisciplines, including ecology, paleoecology, paleoclimatology, biogeography, sedimentology, and paleontology. Users will find synthesized information on Easter Island from the last millennia that will help pave the way towards an integrated interdisciplinary vision of the island's environmental-ecological-cultural system as a complex functional unit. Human and environmental deterministic views are avoided and the Easter Island enigmas are analyzed under a holistic perspective of continuous feedbacks and synergies among the different components of the system.

Advances in Ecological Research, Volume 63, the latest release in this ongoing series includes specific chapters on Tropical Ecosystems in the 21st Century. Chapters in this volume cover topics such as Landscape-scale expansion of agroecology to enhance natural pest control: a systematic review and Ecosystem services and the resilience of agricultural landscapes

Low Carbon Energy Technologies for Sustainable Energy Systems examines, investigates, and integrates current research aimed at operationalizing low carbon technologies within complex transitioning energy economies. Scholarly research has traditionally focused on the technical aspects of exploitation, R&D, operation, infrastructure, and decommissioning, while approaches which can realistically inform their reception and scale-up across real societies and real markets are piecemeal and isolated in separate literatures. Addressing both the technical foundations of each technology together with the sociotechnical ways in which they are spread in markets and societies, this work integrates the technoeconomic assessment of low carbon technologies with direct discussion on legislative and regulatory policies in energy markets. Chapters address issues, such as social acceptance, consumer awareness, environmental valuation systems, and the circular economy, as low carbon technologies expand into energy systems sustainability, sensitivity, and stability. This collective research work is relevant to both researchers and practitioners working in sustainable energy systems. The combination of these features makes it a timely book that is useful and attractive to university students, researchers, academia, and public or private energy policy makers.

Rural Electrification poses solutions to the insuperable modern challenge of providing 24/7 electricity for populations, housing and territory located outside towns and cities. The book reviews the historical development of rural energy systems, their status quo, and the role of renewable and fossil fueled solutions in delivering electricity. It addresses core issues of energy source typologies, resource deployment, fundamental challenges and limitations, the burgeoning threat of climate change, and the role of the renewable energy transition. Chapters account for almost all forms of fuel solutions, with a focus on electrification economics, planning, and policy using the most cost-effective fuels and systems available. Novel approaches to address the challenges of rural electrification, including distributed generation systems, new management and ownership models, off-grid systems, and future energy technologies are thoroughly explored. The work concludes with a comparative assessment of different energy supply technologies and scenarios, contrasting the pros and cons of fossil fuels versus renewable energy resources to achieve the goal of comprehensive rural electrification.

Global Groundwater: Source, Scarcity, Sustainability, Security, and Solutions presents a compilation of compelling insights into groundwater scenarios within all groundwater-stressed regions across the world. Thematic sub-sections include groundwater studies on sources, scarcity, sustainability, security, and solutions. The chapters in these sub-sections provide unique knowledge on groundwater for scientists, planners, and policymakers, and are written by leading global experts and researchers. Global Groundwater: Source, Scarcity, Sustainability, Security, and Solutions provides a unique, unparalleled opportunity to integrate the knowledge on groundwater, ranging from availability to pollution, nation-level groundwater management to transboundary aquifer governance, and global-scale review to local-scale case-studies.

During the first decade of the 21st century, the world has witnessed a plethora of corporate scandals, global economic crises, and rising environmental concerns. As a result of these developments, pressure has been mounting on businesses to pay more attention to the environmental and resource consequences of the products they produce and services they deliver. Recent Developments on Creating Sustainable Value in the Global Economy contains a collection of pioneering research on the integration of issues of sustainability within the traditional areas of management. While highlighting topics including green marketing, circular economy, and sustainable business, this book is ideally designed for managers, executives, environmentalists, economists, business professionals, researchers, academicians, and students in disciplines including marketing, economics, finance, operations management, communication science, and information technology.

Murray-Darling Basin, Australia: Its Future Management is a much-needed text for water resources managers, water, catchment, estuarine and coastal scientists, and aquatic ecologists. The book first provides a summary of the Murray-Darling River system: its hydrology, water-related ecological assets, land uses (particularly irrigation), and its rural and regional communities; and management within the Basin, including catchments and natural resources, water resources, irrigation, environment, and monitoring and evaluation. Additionally, the recent major water reforms in the Basin are discussed, with a focus particularly on the development and implementation of the Basin Plan. Murray-Darling Basin, Australia: Its Future Management then provides an analysis of the next set of policy and institutional reforms (environmental, social, cultural and economic) needed to ensure the Basin is managed as an integrated system (including its water resources, catchment and estuary) capable of adapting to future changes. Six major challenges facing the Basin are identified and discussed, particularly within the context of predicted changes to the climate leading to an increased frequency of drought and a hotter and dryer future. Finally, a 'road map' or 'blueprint' to achieve more integrated management of the Basin is provided, together with some 'key lessons' of relevance to others involved in the management of multijurisdictional river Basins.

Modern Treatment Strategies for Marine Pollution provides an overview of assessment tools that identify contaminants in marine water, also discussing the latest technologies for removing these contaminants. Through templated and consistently structured chapters, the author explores the importance of seawater to our marine ecosystems and the devastating effects pollutants are causing. Sections cover the emission of toxic pollutants from industries, wastewater discharge, oil spills from boarding ships, ballast water emission, abnormal growth of algal blooms, and more. Techniques explored include huge diameter pipelines erected for removing floating debris from seawater, which is denoted as a primary idea for cleaning contaminants. The book includes numerous case studies that demonstrate how these tools can be successfully used. It is an essential read for marine ecologists and oceanographers at the graduate level and above, but is also ideal for those looking to incorporate these techniques into their own work.

Advances in Agronomy, Volume 163, continues to be recognized as a leading reference and first-rate source for the latest research in agronomy. Each volume contains an eclectic group of reviews by leading scientists throughout the world. As always, the subjects covered are rich, varied and exemplary of the abundant subject matter addressed by this long-running serial.

Advances in Marine Biology, Volume 86, the latest release in a series that has been providing in-depth and up-to-date reviews on all aspects of marine biology since 1963, updates on many topics that will appeal to postgraduates and researchers in marine biology, fisheries science, ecology, zoology and biological oceanography. Chapters in this new release include Marine Environmental DNA: Approaches, Applications, and Opportunities, and The Biology and Ecology of the Banana Prawns.

In 2009, Rolling Stone named Joe Romm to its list of "100 People Who Are Changing America." Romm is a climate expert, physicist, energy consultant, and former official in the Department of Energy. But it's his influential blog, one of the "Top Fifteen Green Websites" according to Time magazine, that's caught national attention. Climate change is far more urgent than people understand, Romm says, and traditional media, scientists, and politicians are missing the story. Straight Up draws on Romm's most important posts to explain the dangers of and solutions to climate change that you won't find in newspapers, in journals, or on T.V. Compared to coverage of Jay-Z or the latest philandering politician, climate change makes up a pathetically small share of news reports. And when journalists do try to tackle this complex issue, they often lack the background to tell the full story. Despite the dearth of reporting, polls show that two in five Americans think the press is actually exaggerating the threat of climate change. That gives Big Oil, and others with a vested interest in the status quo, a huge opportunity to mislead the public. Romm cuts through the misinformation and presents the truth about humanity's most dire threat. His analysis is based on sophisticated knowledge of renewable technologies, climate impacts, and government policy, written in a style everyone can understand. Romm shows how a 20 percent reduction in global emissions over the next quarter century could improve the economy; how we can replace most coal and with what technologies; why Sarah Palin wears a polar bear pin; and why controversial, emerging technologies like biochar have to be part of the solution. The ultimate solution, Romm argues, is bigger than any individual technology: it's citizen action. Without public pressure, Washington and industry don't budge. With it, our grandkids might just have a habitable place to live. "The Web's most influential climate-change blogger" and "Hero of the Environment 2009" --Time Magazine "I trust Joe Romm on climate." --Paul Krugman, New York Times "America's fiercest climate-change activist-blogger" and one of "The 100 People Who Are Changing America" -- Rolling Stone "One of the most influential energy and environmental policy makers in the Obama era" -- U.S. News & World Report "The indispensable blog" --Thomas Friedman, New York Times "One of the most influential energy and environmental policy makers in the Obama era" -- U.S. News & World Report "The indispensable blog" --Thomas Friedman, New York Times

Urban Ecology covers the latest theoretical and applied concepts in urban ecological research. This book covers the key environmental issues of urban ecosystems as well as the human-centric issues, particularly those of governance, economics, sociology and human health. The goal of Urban Ecology is to challenge readers' thinking around urban ecology from a resource-based approach to a holistic and applied field for sustainable development. There are seven major themes of the book: emerging urban concepts and urbanization, land use/land cover change, urban social-ecological systems, urban environment, urban material balance, smart, healthy and sustainable cities and sustainable urban design. Within each section, key concepts such as monitoring the urbanization phenomena, land use cover, urban soil fluxes, urban metabolism, pollution and human health and sustainable cities are covered. Urban Ecology serves as a comprehensive and advanced book for students, researchers, practitioners and policymakers in urban ecology and urban environmental research, planning and practice.