This is the first environmental history of Russia's steppes. From the early-eighteenth century, settlers moved to the semi-arid but fertile grasslands from wetter, forested regions in central and northern Russia and Ukraine, and from central Europe. By the late-nineteenth century, they had turned the steppes into the bread basket of the Russian Empire and parts of Europe. But there was another side to this story. The steppe region was hit by recurring droughts, winds from the east whipped up dust storms, the fertile black earth suffered severe erosion, crops failed, and in the worst years there was famine. David Moon analyses how naturalists and scientists came to understand the steppe environment, including the origins of the fertile black earth. He also analyses how scientists tried to understand environmental change, including climate change. Farmers, and the scientists who advised them, tried different ways to deal with the recurring droughts: planting trees, irrigation, and cultivating the soil in ways that helped retain scarce moisture. More sustainable, however, were techniques of cultivation to retain scarce moisture in the soil. Among the pioneers were Mennonite settlers. Such approaches aimed to work with the environment, rather than trying to change it by planting trees or supplying more water artificially. The story is similar to the Dust Bowl on the Great Plains of the USA, which share a similar environment and environmental history. David Moon places the environmental story of the steppes in the wider context of the environmental history of European colonialism around the globe.

Although upwards of 50,000 environmental assessments (EAs) are prepared annually-compared to some 500 environmental impact statements (EISs)-the focus of U.S. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations is on defining requirements for preparing EISs. Written by Charles Eccleston and J. Peyton Doub, who have established themselves among the top environmental experts in the world, Preparing NEPA Environmental Assessments: A User's Guide to Best Professional Practices fills the need for an authoritative and comprehensive guide on how to prepare EAs. Bridging the regulatory gap, this book identifies relevant EIS regulatory requirements that can be logically interpreted to also apply to EAs. It compiles and synthesizes information scattered throughout NEPA's regulations, executive orders, and guidance documents, and incorporates case law to provide additional clarification. The authors also draw on the professional experiences and best professional practices (BPP) of NEPA practitioners. From the fundamentals to more advanced topics, the book presents a consistent methodology to help beginners, students, and professionals manage, analyze, and write legally sufficient EAs. It addresses dilemmas that have traditionally plagued preparation of EAs, provides BPPs, tools, and approaches for resolving problems, and introduces methods for streamlining the EA process. Building on Eccleston's previous guide to EAs, Effective Environmental Assessments: How to Manage and Prepare NEPA Assessments (2001), this book reflects the rapid changes in government policy over the past ten years. An indispensable source of practical information, it provides readers with step-by-step direction and best practices for preparing defensible EAs.

This book is the proceedings of the conference Faecal Indicators: problem or solution? Has technical progress reduced the need for faecal indicators? held on 6th to 8th June 2011 at Edinburgh Conference Centre, Heriot Watt University, UK. It addresses existing and emerging issues in environmental microbiology which in turn offer exciting new challenges in microbiology, public health and environmental science. The ultimate aim being to assist the monitoring and modelling of environmental systems to protect human health, animal welfare and environmental quality. With contributions from leading scientists and experts in academia and industry, it offers a truly international perspective on both current research and our ability to respond with useful and sustainable solutions to many of the emerging challenges of today's modern communities. The conference featured two combative, provocative and engaging debates examining the moral issues behind the statements "What is a coliform and are coliforms relevant to public health?" and "Do regulations help or hinder the innovation in testing methods?." The reports of these questions are captured in the book. The book appeals across the board from those working in universities and research institutes to local governments, the water and food industries, and health professionals.

Medicinal plants are accumulating impurities from increasing environmental pollution. Pollutants have altered growth features, gas exchange parameters, biochemical attributes, bioactive substances, antioxidant activity, and gene expression. This book brings to light these conditions and a need to alter them. Plants are the natural source of medicines mainly due to the presence of secondary metabolites and have been used as medicine in crude extract form. They have been used to isolate the bioactive compounds in modern medicine as well as in herbal medicine systems and are used worldwide as a valuable source for new drug formulations. This book focuses on secondary metabolites, phytochemicals, and bioactive compounds associated with medicinal plants growing in contamination conditions. There is no existing book on this topic.

This book is a well organised treatise on identification and measurement of dioxins and furan in the environment. It focuses on their source, fate, behaviour, analytical techniques for measurement, and removal/control methods. Although there are numerous publications that address this subject, rarely are prevention and control concepts considered together in a single volume. This book provides a tool for today's environmental researchers by focusing on an integrated approach to managing environmental pollution problems due to dioxins and furans. The overall objective of this book is not simply to provide a general reference, but to serve as a resource for developing approaches to managing environmental pollution problems due to dioxins and furans.

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This volume focuses on microscopic plastic debris, also referred to as microplastics, which have been detected in aquatic environments around the globe and have accordingly raised serious concerns. The book explores whether microplastics represent emerging contaminants in freshwater systems, an area that remains underrepresented to date. Given the complexity of the issue, the book covers the current state-of-research on microplastics in rivers and lakes, including analytical aspects, environmental concentrations and sources, modelling approaches, interactions with biota, and ecological implications. To provide a broader perspective, the book also discusses lessons learned from nanomaterials and the implications of plastic debris for regulation, politics, economy, and society. In a research field that is rapidly evolving, it offers a solid overview for environmental chemists, engineers, and toxicologists, as well as water managers and policy-makers.

There is growing concern about the state of the world's oceans. The rapid growth of human populations in coastal regions has led to increasing dependence on marine resources. Beneficial features related to food supply and life style need to be balanced against the hazards presented by microbial pathogens, chemical pollutants, and toxic algal blooms. In this book, a group of experts from a range of backgrounds review the key aspects of the marine environment in relation to human health. An initial overview explains the need for integrating a range of disciplines, from physical oceanography and marine biology to molecular biology and epidemiology. Only by this approach can we hope to predict the consequences of environmental change and exploitation of natural resources upon our coastal ecosystems and, ultimately, on society and human health. Subsequent chapters then focus on more specialized topics. Firstly, waterborne pathogens are reviewed in detail and the microbial measures and policy implications important for protecting humans from exposure are described. Next, the consumption of contaminated seafood is considered along with its implications regarding the growth of aquaculture. Priority pollutants, emerging contaminants, and plastics are investigated as are the effects of climate change on pollution. Some phytoplankton produce biotoxins which accumulate in the flesh of filter-feeders such as bivalve molluscs. This creates a health risk when the shellfish are consumed by humans. The penultimate chapter, therefore, concentrates on harmful algal blooms (HABs) and the methodologies used to safeguard human health. The book concludes by proposing a holistic systems approach, such as Integrated Coastal Zone Management, to address the interconnected scientific challenges of increased human population pressure, pollution, over-exploitation of food resources, and the urgent need for effective public health solutions to be developed from politically and environmentally meaningful policies.

This book focuses on the behavior and impact of trace metals in the environment by studying typical cases from China such as the Hetao Area of the Yellow River, Shanghai, and Nanjing. Based on samples and experiments on the behavior of pollutants, it systematically discusses the regulation of trace metals' distribution, accumulation, and migration, associated with the cause of formation demonstration. The author subsequently uses the acquired data to review the evolving trend of trace metal behaviors in natural systems (river or lake water, sediments, and soils), develops suggestions for the prevention of their negative effects, and devise treatments. Moreover, he proposes solutions to difficult research issues such as trace metal speciation extraction, and an analysis, along with operational procedures. Given its scope, the book will provide a valuable guide for researchers and engineers in relevant disciplines of the environmental sciences and engineering, and for environmental policymakers to consult in practices.

How does mercury get out of the ground and into our food? Is tuna safe to eat? What was the Minamata Disaster? Mercury Pollution: A Transdisciplinary Treatment addresses these questions and more. The editors weave interdisciplinary threads into a tapestry that presents a more complete picture of the effects of mercury pollution and provides new ways to think about the environment. The remarkable features that make mercury so useful-and poisonous-have given rise to many stories laid out in rich objective detail, carefully detailing medical, epidemiological, or historical insight, but sidestepping the human experience. A technically rich book that only touches on the human consequences of mercury poisoning cannot fully portray the anguish, confusion, and painful deaths that are the consequence of mercury pollution. Therefore, the editors purposely step out of the conventional scientific framework for discussing mercury pollution to explore the wider human experience. This book clarifies how we are all connected to mercury, how we absorb it through the food we eat and the air we breathe, and how we release it as a consequence of our new technologies. It tackles interesting environmental issues without being overly technical and uses mercury as a case study and model for studying environmental problems. The book uses discussions of the issues surrounding mercury pollution to illustrate how an interdisciplinary vantage is necessary to solve environmental problems. Read an article in the SETAC Globe by Michael C. Newman and Sharon L. Zuber at http://www.setac.org/globe/2011/november/mercury-pollution.html

Over forty years ago, concern was first focussed on cadmium contamination of soils, fertilisers and the food chain. Adverse effects on human health were first highlighted nearly 30 years ago in Japan with the outbreak of Itai-itai disease. Since then, substantial research data have accumulated for cadmium on chemistry in soils, additions to soils, uptake by plants, adverse effects on the soil biota and transfer through the food chain. However, this information has never been compiled into a single volume. This was the stimulus for the Kevin G. Tiller Memorial Symposium "Cadmium in Soils, Plants and the Food Chain," held at the University of California, Berkeley, in June 1997 as part of the Fourth International Conference on the Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements. This symposium brought together leading scientists in the field of cadmium behaviour in soils and plants, to review the scientific data in the literature and highlight gaps in our current knowledge of the subject. This series of review papers are presented here and deal with the chemistry of cadmium in soils, the potential for transfer through the food chain and management to minimise this problem. We hope this information provides a sound scientific basis to assist development of policies and regulations for controlling cadmium in the soil environment.

Life-cycle assessment of new energy solutions plays an important role in discussions about global warming mitigation options and the evaluation of concrete energy production and conversion installations.

This book starts by describing the methodology of life-cycle analysis and life-cycle assessment of new energy solutions. It then goes on to cover, in detail, a range of applications to individual energy installations, national supply systems, and to the global energy system in a climate impact context. Coverage is not limited to issues related to commercial uses by consultants according to ISO norms. It also emphasizes life-cycle studies as an open-ended scientific discipline embracing economic issues of cost, employment, equity, foreign trade balances, ecological sustainability, and a range of geo-political and social issues.

A wealth of applications are described and a discussion on the results obtained in each study is included. Example areas are fossil and nuclear power plants, renewable energy systems, and systems based on hydrogen or batteries as energy carriers. The analysis is continued to the end-users of energy, where energy use in transportation, industry and home are scrutinized for their life-cycle impacts. Biofuel production and the combustion of firewood in home fireplaces and stoves are amongst the issues discussed.

A central theme of the book is global warming. The impacts of greenhouse gas emissions are meticulously mapped at a depth far beyond that of the IPCC reports. A novel and surprising finding is that more lives will be saved than lost as a direct consequence of a warmer climate. After a 2 C increase in temperature, the reduction in death rates in areas with cold winters would outweigh the increase in the death rates in hot climates. However, this is only one of several impacts from greenhouse gases, and the remaining ones are still overwhelmingly negative. The fact that some population groups may benefit from higher temperatures (notably the ones most responsible for greenhouse gas emissions) whilst others (who did not contribute much to the problem) suffer is one of the main points of the book.

The book is suitable as a university textbook and as a reference source for engineers, managers and public bodies responsible for planning and licensing.
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This book covers the entire spectrum of health effects induced by chronic arsenic poisoning, which is prevalent in more than 30 countries due to the use of unclean underground water, a result of surface water pollution and shortage. This environmental health disaster has been considered more catastrophic than the Chernobyl nuclear plant explosion in the former Soviet Union and the Bhopal chemical plant explosion in India.

All contributors to this review volume have done extensive research on arsenic poisoning and published excellent papers in internationally well-known journals. Health Hazards of Environmental Arsenic Poisoning includes reviews of the state-of-the-art literature and cutting-edge scientific evidence on arsenic-related health effects. It is also an important source of valuable information for health care workers, environmental scientists and epidemiologists, as well as public health practitioners.

This book is the proceedings of the International Conference on Water Contamination Emergencies: Monitoring, Understanding, Acting held in October 2010. The fourth in a series of conference proceedings this book develops themes from three previous, highly successful Water Contamination conferences in addition to dealing specifically with four new principle themes: monitoring, understanding, acting and lessons learned. With contributions from leading scientists and experts in academia and industry it offers a truly international perspective on our ability to deal with water contamination emergencies. Emphasis is given to prevention, strategy and unusual emergency incident situations relating to drinking water. The book appeals across the board from public health and environmental professionals to companies, agencies, regulators and experts involved in emergency planning and response.

Delreux examines how the EU functions when it participates in international environmental negotiations. In particular, this book looks at the internal EU decision-making process with regard to international negotiations that lead to multilateral environmental agreements. By studying eight such decision-making processes, the book analyses how much negotiation autonomy (or 'discretion') the EU negotiator (the European Commission or the Council Presidency) enjoys vis-A -vis the member states it represents and how this particular degree of discretion can be explained. The book's empirical evidence is based on extensive literature review, primary and semi-confidential document research, as well as interviews with EU decision-makers. It is aimed at a readership interested in EU politics and decision-making, global/multilateral governance, environmental policy science and methodological development of Qualitative Comparative Analysis.

Guyana's environment is in danger of wholesale destruction. In the name of economic liberalization, this small, indebted country is promoting a dramatic escalation of logging, mining and other forms of extraction. In the 1990s, millions of hectares of rainforest have been leased to foreign companies for logging, while gold mining is going through a new and devastating boom. The Omai gold mine disaster of August 1995 was dramatic evidence of the potential for catastrophe.

A much-needed analysis of international climate change politics as a key issue of modernity and in the context of environmentalism.

Leigh Glover presents a new way to understand the climate change problem and is concerned with problems of modernity and postmodernity in the context of contemporary environmental thought. Focusing on the international politics surrounding the UN agreement of climate change, the Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Kyoto Protocol, Glover examines the issue using the key aspects of climate change science, global environmental politics, and global environmental management.

Economic models are used to show the extent of the difficulties involved in monitoring and enforcing pollution control laws on a continual basis. The authors make several recommendations for policy change. They also show that high rates of compliance can be achieved within tight budget constraints.Originally published in 1986

The contributors explore the decision-making processes that surround environmental issues and attempt to provide realistic models for making policy decisions. Originally published in 1975

This book discusses in a concise manner the key aspects that are important for the understanding of regulations and managerial framework governing marine pollution. It identifies the practical context in which marine pollution comes into play and addresses the international legal regime governing the numerous sources of marine pollution, as well as the ways in which these regulations affect the conduct of day-to-day shipping operations. With illustrations, case studies, emphasis boxes, references to case law and to national jurisdictions and other tools facilitating understanding and knowledge, readers will find helpful guidance on: the sources of marine pollution (including ship-source pollution and pollution from the offshore oil and gas sector); the forms of cooperation needed in order to tackle the prevention, management and response to marine pollution; overview of MARPOL Convention, other key IMO conventions, and selected regional regimes; legal ramifications, including P & I Clubs and limitation of liability; involvement of the flag State, coastal State and port State; industry best practice; the human element Marine Pollution Control will be a useful guidance tool for shipping Industry professionals, (P & I) Clubs, Legal practitioners, maritime administrators, as well as academics and students of marine pollution.

This book presents research into chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) defense and environmental security, exploring practical implications of the research. Contributions from a diverse group of international civilian researchers present the latest work on nanotechnology problems in this area, looking at detection, protective technologies, decontamination and threats to environmental security due to bacteriophages and nanomaterials. Highlights include the potential of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) to characterize the nanoscale properties of microbial pathogens, the development of bacteriophage-based therapeutics, prophylactic and diagnostic preparations and their uses in different fields, such as medicine, veterinary, agriculture, food and water safety, amongst others. Readers may also consider an inexpensive bioassay suited for assessing chemical poisoning in the environment such as the presence of pesticides, sensors to detect ultra-trace quantities of the explosive Pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) using nanotubes and electrochemical sensors to simultaneously detect and reduce the explosive trinitrotoluene (TNT) to 2,4,6-triaminotoluene (TAT) in solution. This book shows how cooperative research among NATO countries and NATO partners can make a critical contribution to meeting the opportunities and challenges of nanotechnology problems relevant to chemical and biological defense needs. The papers presented here are representative of contributions made to the Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on September 22-26, 2014 in Antalya, Turkey, to address the NATO SPS Key Priority of Defense against CBRN Agents and Environmental Security.

The Sustainability Transformation is a must-read for anyone trying to make sense of what is happening to our world and wanting to change it for the better.
Renowned consultant and communicator Alan AtKisson, author of the sustainability classic Believing Cassandra, cuts through the jargon and illuminates the essentials in this highly readable and motivational work. The Sustainability Transformation covers theory and practice, tools and strategies, the opportunities and the obstacles, illustrated with in-depth case studies and poignant personal anecdotes. AtKisson's aim is to empower the reader and to help grow a global 'army of change agents, ' working effectively to overcome the great challenges of our times.
At the heart of the book is AtKisson's potent ISIS Method, used by business, governments, and organizations around the world. ISIS - Indicators, Systems, Innovation, Strategy - helps professionals, students, and amateurs alike to put sustainability to work and accelerate change, even when facing difficult circumstances. AtKisson also introduces the reader to many inspiring people, unsung heroes whose success stories provide a solid foundation for hope.
Previously published in hardcover as The ISIS Agreement.

Evidence of climate change, resource shortages and biodiversity loss is growing in significance year by year. This second edition of Environmental Policy explains how policy can respond and bring about greater sustainability in individual lifestyles, corporate strategies, national policies and international relations. The book discusses the interaction between environmental and human systems, proposing environmental policy as a way to steer human systems to function within environmental constraints. The second edition has been completely updated to reflect advances in scholarship (for example developments in governance theory) and the increasing primacy of climate policy within environmental policy as a whole. Key political, social and economic concepts are used to explain how effective environmental policies can be designed, implemented and evaluated. Environmental problems, the role of human beings in creating them and sustainable development are all introduced. Environmental policy formulation, implementation and evaluation are discussed within three specific contexts: the firm, the nation state and at an international level. The book reviews the relationship of economics, science and technology to environmental policy. It ends by reflecting upon the predicament of humankind in the twenty-first century and the potential of achieve sustainability through the use of the environmental policy 'toolbox'. Environmental Policy is an accessible text with a multi-disciplinary perspective. Lively case studies drawn from a range of international examples - and completely updated for this second edition - illustrate issues such as climate change, international trade, tourism and human rights. It includes chapter summaries, suggestions for further reading and links to relevant web resources.

In this new authoritative collection The Environment and Transport, the editors have selected the most important articles published in the last twenty years concerning pollution, the effects of traffic on the environment and the development of controls on both a regional and national level. This important new reference work will prove an invaluable source to both practitioners and students in the field of environmental studies.

One of the most challenging environmental threats to the ten countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been the haze, the sickening and deadly cloud of smoky pollution caused by widespread burning of land and forests in Indonesia. This book examines both the threat and response to it by analysing environmental cooperation in Southeast Asia from an international regime perspective. Tracing the development of regional cooperation on the haze and evaluating the effectiveness of the cooperation, the author argues that the haze crisis, combined with the economic crisis of 1997, has profoundly challenged the ASEAN modus operandi, and resulted in ASEAN's efforts to establish an environmental regime to cope with environmental challenges. The emerging ASEAN haze regime is a unique case study of a regional environmental institution in multi-levelled global environmental governance. Based on in-depth original research, this case study is integrated into international relations, political science, and comparative political analysis literatures and contributes to a better understanding of processes within the regional organisation.

It is predicted that climate change will result in big changes to the global distribution of rainfall, causing drought and desertification in some regions and floods in others. Already there are signs of such changes occurring, with particularly serious consequences for poorer countries. The need for international cooperation in managing the effects of climate change, and other influences on the hydrological cycle, is becoming urgent. Future wars may well be fought over water. This book is part of a series focusing on key issues in environmental science and technology. Focusing on the sustainability of water supplies to the growing populations throughout the world, this volume consists of articles contributed by a group of experts drawn from around the globe. Issues covered include: policy making in the European Union; rural water supplies in Africa; chemical monitoring and analytical methods; water use in agriculture; social justice in supplying water; potable water recycling, and sustainable water treatment. The book will be useful to those working in the water industry, policy makers and planners, researchers and environmental consultants, and students in environmental science, technology, engineering, and management. There is also much here to interest all concerned with major environmental issues such as climate change and the many other factors which influence the sustainability of water supplies.