![]() |
![]() |
Your cart is empty |
||
Books > Earth & environment > The environment > Pollution & threats to the environment > General
This scientifically rigorous and philosophically sophisticated defense of environmentalism is meant to excite, educate, and alarm the reader. There is a widespread scientific and public recognition that the world is facing an environmental crisis of vast proportions. What is the relationship between the growth of human population and industrial activity on one hand and the environmental crisis on the other? If this is not determined and dealt with, Earth's ecology may be expected to collapse.
This is a very welcome volume, and it will reach a large audience and readership among those involved in these issues from a truly multidisciplinary perspective; in essence, a much needed book Erik Bonsdorff, professor of marine biology at bo Akademi University, Finland This timely volume provides a thorough account of how the highly advanced industrial societies seek to govern and manage the Baltic Sea. The way they proceed, and the degree to which they succeed, provide valuable lessons for riparian states seeking to avoid tragedies of their commons. Lennart J. Lundqvist, professor of environmental policy and administration, University of Gothenburg, Sweden How is a natural common pool resource such as a sea, which is shared by several countries, best governed? The potential for international conflict is immense, as each country may have different agendas with regard to issues such as exploitation and environmental protection. This book uses a case study of the Baltic Sea Region to examine this complex problem. The sea itself has been highly vulnerable to pollution and recently the bordering nations have begun to change their mode of cooperation to tackle this issue by establishing several new forums to manage the sea. Administrative and political structures developed in the region are reviewed and shown to provide a model that could be applied to other seas and natural resource systems elsewhere in the world."
Some issues addressed in this Working Group III volume are mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, managing biological carbon reservoirs, geo-engineering, costing methods, and decision-making frameworks.
Nineteenth-century Britain witnessed a dramatic increase in its town population, as a hitherto largely rural economy transformed itself into an urban one. Though the political and social issues arising from these events are well-known, little is known about how the British legal process coped with the everyday strains that emerged from the unprecedented scale of these changes. This book explores the river pollution dilemma faced by the British courts during the second half of the nineteenth century when the legal process had to confront the new incompatible realities arising from the increasing amounts of untreatable waste flowing into the rivers. This dilemma struck at the heart of both Victorian urban and rural society, as the necessary sanitary reformation of the swelling cities and expanding industry increasingly poisoned the rivers, threatening the countryside and agricultural rents and livelihoods. Focusing on ten legal disputes, the book investigates the dilemma that faced the courts; namely how to protect the traditional and valued rights of landholders whose rivers and lands were being polluted by industrial waste and untreated sewage, whilst not hindering the progress of sanitary reform and economic progress in the towns. The case studies considered involve major industrialising centres, such as Birmingham, Leeds, Northampton, Wolverhampton and Barnsley, but also include smaller towns such as Tunbridge Wells, Leamington Spa and Harrogate. The fundamental issues raised remain as important today as they did in Victorian times. The need for the courts to balance a variety of conflicting needs and rights within the limits of contemporary technological capabilities often played out in surprising ways, with outcomes not always in line with theoretical expectations. As such the historical context of the disputes provide fascinating insights into nineteenth-century legal process, and the environmental and social attitudes of the times.
- A unique topic that integrates legacy, pathogenic and emerging contaminants. - Equally appeals to both beginners and experts, owing to a diverse level of chapters as well as topics. - Numerous case studies to illustrate the proof of concepts. - Implications for policy, guidelines, and regulation. - Helps new scholars, especially M.Tech and PhDs to provide insights on current issues, methods and technologies in the proposed area.
The management of air quality is currently at the forefront of international debate. With authors drawn from international experts in their respective fields, Air Quality Management provides comprehensive coverage of the air quality management issue. There are chapters on improving air quality in the UK, the construction of emissions inventories and the design and operation of air monitoring networks. Validation of air pollution models, requiring source receptor modelling, is described, as is the use of geochemical or biological tolerances known as critical loads to determine the maximum allowable inputs of pollutants to the terrestrial environment. The first European Auto-Oil Study, which was sponsored by the European Commission in order to identify the most cost-effective means of meeting air quality targets, is included as a case study. There is also reference to the successes and problems of air pollution control in California, the US state which has pioneered the promotion of vigorous air pollution control measures. Air Quality Management provides a vital source of material for all those involved in the field, whether as a student, industrialist, consultant, or government agency with responsibility in this area.
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.
Governing environmental risk, particularly large-scale transboundary risks associated with climate change and pollution, is one of the most pressing problems facing society . This book focuses on a set of key questions relating to environmental regulation: How are activities regulated in a fragmented world - a world of nation states, regulators, domestic and international law and political contests - and one in which a range of actors, such as governments, corporations and NGOs act in order to influence regulations in specific policy areas? How are complex and trans-boundary environmental issues managed? What role does expert knowledge play in regulating this kind of issues? What give rules authority? In short, how do actors try to render an issue governable? Drawing on regulation theory, discourse theory and science and technology studies, and employing original research, the authors analyse the regulation of four kinds of complex and trans-boundary environmental issues: oil protection in the Baltic Sea, mobile phones and radiation protection, climate change adaptation and genetically modified crops. The outcomes include insights for policymakers, regulators and researchers into how dominant frames are constructed, legitimate actors are configured and authority is established. This in turn exposes the conditions for, and possibility of, developing regulation, making authoritative rules and shaping relevant knowledge in order to govern complex environmental risks.
Drawing on a wide range of Chinese and western sources, this book offers in-depth analysis of the complete range of environmental problems facing China today, from the historical, political, economic and cultural root causes, through the successful and unsuccessful efforts which have been made to find solutions, to possible future scenarios and strategies.
Beatrix Potter was one of the inventors of the contemporary picture book, and her small novels published at the turn of the twentieth century are still available and popular today. Writing in Code is the first book-length study of Potter's work, and it covers the entire oeuvre, examining all facets of her work in relation to her private life. Daphne Kutzer reveals the depth of the symbolism in Potter's work and relates this to the issues of the author's own development as an independent woman and writer, and her struggles with domesticity, Unitarianism, and the socio-political issues in late-19th and early-20th century England. Weaving the subtle themes inscribed in Potter's own stories with the concerns and temperament of the author who wrote them, Kutzer exemplifies literary criticism as it can illuminate the breadth of allusion in children's literature.
This new volume addresses the environmental impacts of pollution on freshwater aquatic ecosystems and presents sustainable management and remediation practices and advanced technology help to address the different types of pollutants. Freshwater Pollution and Aquatic Ecosystems: Environmental Impact and Sustainable Management considers the need for sustainable, efficient, and cost-effective tools and technologies to assess, monitor, and properly manage the increasing issues of aquatic pollution. It provides detailed accounts of the phenomena and mechanisms related to aquatic pollution and highlights the problems and threats associated with pollution contamination in freshwater. It provides useful insight into the sustainable and advanced pollution remediation technology adopted by different countries for the monitoring, assessment, and sustainable management of pollution. The chapters in the volume evaluate the sources of harmful pollutants, which include industrial effluents, sewage, and runoff from agricultural industries, which result in toxic microbes, organic waste, oils, and high load of nutrients. Unsustainable management practices of domestic sewage and indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides lead to the technological disturbance of aquatic biota. In addition to harming aquatic biota, these pollutants find their way into the human body through inhalation, ingestion, or absorption and finally tend to bio-accumulate in trophic levels of the food chain, which poses a major risk to human beings. This book will be a valuable resource for ecologists, environmentalists, scientists, and many others for their work in understanding and management of aquatic pollutants in freshwater biospheres.
Traditionally thought of as the last great unspoiled territory on
Earth, the Arctic is in reality home to some of the most
contaminated people and animals on the planet. Awarded a major
grant to conduct an exhaustive study of the deteriorating
environment of the Arctic by the Pew Charitable Trusts (the first
time Pew has given such a grant to a journalist), "Los Angeles
Times"environmental reporter Marla Cone traveled across the Arctic,
from Greenland to the Aleutian Islands, to find out why the Arctic
is toxic.
This volume focuses on the synthesis of emerging knowledge of the atmospheric aerosol systems, assessment of the validity and usefulness of existing frameworks, and the development of robust aerosol system descriptions on scales ranging from the interpretation of laboratory data to assessment of global impacts. Suspended particulate material in the atmosphere gives rise to a number of poorly determined problems of major current concern. Direct and indirect radiative forcing (the ability of aerosol particles to affect the Earth's radiation budget) each carries larger uncertainties than all other agents of climate change. Furthermore, there are significant challenges associated with the uncertainties of the impacts of particulate material on air quality and human health. A significant contributor to these uncertainties is the vast heterogeneity in the distribution of aerosols by virtue of their disparate sources (both primary and secondary) and transformations in the moist oxidising atmosphere. The complexity of aerosol precursors and variability in the oxidising environment leads to a highly variable loading of particles of widely ranging size, age and property. The topics covered in this volume include: * Formation, * Transformation, * Fate, and * Impacts of tropospheric aerosols.
The European Union (EU) aims to put Europe on track toward a low-carbon economy. In this striking challenge, the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) has been singled out as the Union's key climate policy instrument, ultimately aimed as a model for a global carbon market. The learning effect of the EU ETS could thus be tremendous. This study explores how the EU ETS actually works on the ground, affecting corporate climate strategies. It covers general sector responses as well as systematic comparative studies of companies across the sectors. The latter enables improved understanding of causal effects and the role of interaction between different policy instruments and other factors that impact corporate climate strategies. The study explores a broad set of mechanisms at play potentially linking the EU ETS to company climate strategies. These include how corporate norms of responsibility are affected by the EU ETS and how economic incentives provide opportunities for innovation. The book's main contribution lies in its systematic examination of corporate responses to the EU ETS from a broad empirical and analytical social science perspective covering companies in all main EU ETS sectors: electric power, oil, cement, steel and pulp and paper.
Agriculture Pollutes: pesticides can destroy wildlife and some are toxic to humans; some fungicides and herbicides cause cancer. Nitrates result in the contamination of drinking water and produce the risk of the blue-baby syndrome in infants and of stomach cancer in adults. Agriculture produces methane, ammonia, nitrous oxide and the products of burning off, all of which add to the world's problems of acid rain, depletion of the ozone layer and global warming. This book, which focuses on the UK, the USA and Third World countries, is the first comprehensive review of agriculture and pollution: it examines the facts and assesses the relative dangers of each pollution problem. It also considers the effects of pollution on agriculture itself crop yields are depressed and livestock damaged by various forms of pollution from all sources. The authors offer solutions to these apparently overwhelming problems, and describe existing technology which would allow us to deal with them. Originally published in 1991
The world is moving into a new era which will be dominated by a new range of threats and a new range of priorities. Already headlines tell of storms and droughts, mass emigrations, the danger of old Soviet nuclear reactors and the thinning ozone layer, and with the menaces of global warming, deforestation, pollution and loss of biodiversity, the picture is likely to get bleaker. Unlike traditional threats, these are not made deliberately and standard military responses are usually inappropriate They are threats without enemies and they present quite new and fundamental challenges to the international community which has to find new methods and institutions, as well as the resolve, to tackle them. In this book, eminent experts describe the new threats and the scale of the dangers which they present and set out the political, military and institutional changes needed. Gwyn Prins is Director of the Global Security Programme at the University of Cambridge. He is author of Top guns and Toxic Whales, also published by Earthscan. Progress For A Small Planet Three topics dominate discussions of the global environment: pollution; the consequences of the affluent running ever faster through finite resources; and the growing tensions between rich and poor as a third of humanity continues to live and die in desperate poverty. In this exceptional book Barbara Ward (co-author with Rene Dubos of the bestselling Only One Earth) refused to see these processes as inevitable. It describes new technologies for recycling waste, for energy, for 'getting more for less' ,linking them to ordinary people's working lives. It also suggests a strategy for meeting the basic needs of the disadvantaged, and shows how the vast inequalities between countries can be reduced. This perceptive survey of policies outlines a planetary bargain between the world's nations that would guarantee individual freedom from poverty and keep our shared biosphere in good working order. Originally published in 1993
Three topics dominate discussions of the global environment: pollution; the consequences of the affluent running ever faster through finite resources; and the growing tensions between rich and poor as a third of humanity continues to live and die in desperate poverty. In this exceptional book Barbara Ward (co-author with Rene Dubos of the bestselling Only One Earth) refused to see these processes as inevitable. It describes new technologies for recycling waste, for energy, forgetting more or less linking them to ordinary people's working lives. It also suggests a strategy for meeting the basic needs of the disadvantaged, and shows how the vast inequalities between countries can be reduced. This perceptive survey of policies outlines a planetary bargain between the world's nations that would guarantee individual freedom from poverty and keep our shared biosphere in good working order. Originally published in 1988
Recent and dramatic flooding in places as far apart as Bangladesh and North Wales are example of what could become commonplace if sea levels rise. Most scientists are predicting a rise of about one metre and this book, based on research carried out for the Commonwealth governments, describes in simple terms what in. likely to happen as a result and where the worst effects will be. Martin Ince, a well-known scientific journalist, deals with the accuracy of our knowledge and the possible errors in assessment. He considers the different kinds of damage that higher seas could cause, inundation, increased salination, coral damage, increased flood and surge damage and so on. Brief case studies are included covering the UK, the Maldives, North America, Bangladesh, Guyana, Kiribati, The Netherlands, Italy, Egypt and Australasia. The book ends with an examination of the scientific and technical developments which could make the problems easier to deal with and, above all, set. out the policies on which governments must agree. Originally published in 1990
This volume examines energy security in a privatized, liberalized, and increasingly global energy market, in which the concept of sustainability has developed together with a higher awareness of environmental issues, but where the potential for supply disruptions, price fluctuation, and threats to infrastructure safety must also be considered. Part I commences with an essential introductory chapter which defines energy security and sets forth the key issues and themes of the book. There then follow several cross-cutting chapters which include sceptical analysis of energy security claims from an environmental perspective and a broader geopolitical analysis of energy security. Part II examines a wide variety of international, regional, and national approaches to energy security issues. Energy security concerns differ considerably from country to country, however most of the chapters examining particular nations provide an economic and historical context of their energy security concerns, followed by a detailed analysis of the legal provisions relating to each of the main energy sectors (oil, gas, coal, electricity, nuclear, and renewable energies). This entails examination of regulation, organization, and planning for security and other purposes. In a number of cases, energy security law is shaped by other factors such as market liberalization, environmental protection, and competition policy. Part III comprises two final chapters, the first contrasting the various national and regional approaches and analysing cross-cutting issues, whilst the concluding chapter forecasts future trends in the legal regulation of energy security.
Containing rigorous hard evidence, this book is of immense practical use to postgraduates, researchers and business communities affected by or working in environmental regulation. The author, a leading name in the environmental economics community, examines the problem of urban smog in cityscapes and the difficulty of achieving cost-effective controls. Analyzing the key areas of urban smog, low-level ozone and volatile organic compound emissions and their impact on health and welfare of communities this text assesses and evaluates the performance of emissions trading systems and suggests alternative market designs for incentive control of pollution. Taking a well-reasoned approach to the contentious area of the use of market incentives to achieve environmental goals, it provides a study of the pioneering cap-and-trade market, particularly focusing on its poor performance in Chicago. A perfect supplementary text postgraduates and researchers, this is also an essential read for all those interested in environmental economics.
'The Yearbook's extensive coverage makes a valuable contribution in promoting international co-operation on environment' Xie Zhenhu, Minister of the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) of China 'A vital contribution in terms of reliable research and information on key issues of sustainable development. It constitutes an invaluable tool for facilitating the dialogue among all stakeholders involved in the implementation of the commitments agreed to in the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)' Ian Johnson World Bank Vice President for Sustainable Development The essential reference to all the rapidly multiplying international agreements on environment and development issues. This ninth annual edition of the Yearbook demonstrates the international community's position on specific environment and development problems, the main obstacles to effective international solutions, and how to overcome them. It assesses both the achievements and shortcomings of co-operation, distinguishing between the rhetoric and the reality of environment world politics. Contents * Current Issues and Key Themes * Agreements on Environment and Development Systematically listed key data and illustrations concerning the most important international agreements presented on the basis of information from the organizations in question and other sources, covering such matters as: objectives ? scope ? time and place of establishment ? status of participation ? affiliated instruments and organizations ? major activities ? secretariat ? finance ? rules and standards ? monitoring and implementation ? decision-making bodies ? key publications ? Internet sources. This edition includes several recently adopted conventions and protocols. * Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs), including UN specialized agencies objectives ? type of organization ? membership ? date of establishment ? secretariat ? activities ? decision-making bodies ? finance ? key publications ? Internet sources. * International Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) * objectives ? type of organization ? membership ? date of establishment ? secretariat ? activities ? budget ? key publications ? Internet sources. Originally published in 2003
'This Yearbook clearly fills many gaps and provides reliable and well-researched information' Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) 'The key updates on conventions and organizations are complemented by a series of proactive essays by leading environmentalists on the cutting-edge issues. This edition is an important source book in advance of the World Summit for Sustainable Development 2002' Nigel Cross, Executive Director, International Institute for Environment and Development (UNEP) The essential reference to all the rapidly multiplying international agreements on environment and development issues. This ninth annual edition of the Yearbook demonstrates the international community's position on specific environment and development problems, the main obstacles to effective international solutions, and how to overcome them. It assesses both the achievements and shortcomings of co-operation, distinguishing between the rhetoric and the reality of environment world politics. Contents * Current Issues and Key Themes * Agreements on Environment and Development Systematically listed key data and illustrations concerning the most important international agreements presented on the basis of information from the organizations in question and other sources, covering such matters as: objectives ? scope ? time and place of establishment ? status of participation ? affiliated instruments and organizations ? major activities ? secretariat ? finance ? rules and standards ? monitoring and implementation ? decision-making bodies ? key publications ? Internet sources. This edition includes the new Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity. * Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs), including UN specialized agencies objectives ? type of organization ? membership ? date of establishment ? secretariat ? activities ? decision-making bodies ? finance ? key publications ? Internet sources. * International Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) * objectives ? type of organization ? membership ? date of establishment ? secretariat ? activities ? budget ? key publications ? Internet sources. * Country Profiles Summaries of the performance and main commitments of all OECD countries in addition to Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, the Russian Federation, South Africa, and Thailand. Originally published in 2001
'An important tool for researchers and decision-makers alike' Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO) 'An invaluable source for everyone who needs to be up-to-date on international efforts to solve global environmental challenges. Unique in its presentations of the interrelationship between treaties, IGO, NGOs and governments' Jonathan Lash, President, World Resources Institute (WRI) The essential reference to all the rapidly multiplying international agreements on environment and development issues. This ninth annual edition of the Yearbook demonstrates the international community's position on specific environment and development problems, the main obstacles to effective international solutions, and how to overcome them. It assesses both the achievements and shortcomings of co-operation, distinguishing between the rhetoric and the reality of environment world politics. Contents * Current Issues and Key Themes * Agreements on Environment and Development Systematically listed key data and illustrations concerning the most important international agreements presented on the basis of information from the organizations in question and other sources, covering such matters as: objectives ? scope ? time and place of establishment ? status of participation ? affiliated instruments and organizations ? major activities ? secretariat ? finance ? rules and standards ? monitoring and implementation ? decision-making bodies ? key publications ? Internet sources. This edition includes the new International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. * Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs), including UN specialized agencies objectives ? type of organization ? membership ? date of establishment ? secretariat ? activities ? decision-making bodies ? finance ? key publications ? Internet sources. * International Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) * objectives ? type of organization ? membership ? date of establishment ? secretariat ? activities ? budget ? key publications ? Internet sources. Originally published in 2002
This edition includes the new Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in decision Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters and the Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade. Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs), including UN specialized agencies objectives ,Country Profiles Summaries of the performance and main commitments of 15 OECD countries in addition to Brazil, Indonesia, Nigeria, South Africa, and Thailand. Originally published in 1999
Did dinosaurs contribute to global warming? What is rubbish theory and what indeed is rubbish? And how did the whale become a cuddly toy? And why did we decide to saturate our land and food with pesticides? Dirty Words examines all of these questions and also includes a study of pollution in fiction, from the fogs of Dickens to the smog of Chandler, advice on how to be an environmental troublemaker, and a suggestion of our choice of futures: the world as an icebox or a greenhouse. This entertaining and provocative collection of pieces by a group of environmental experts challenges the reader to take a closer look at the current pollution debate. Originally published in 1991 |
![]() ![]() You may like...
Streaming Analytics - Concepts…
Pethuru Raj, Chellammal Surianarayanan, …
Hardcover
Data Analytics for Social Microblogging…
Soumi Dutta, Asit Kumar Das, …
Paperback
R3,543
Discovery Miles 35 430
Applied User Data Collection and…
Kyle Goslin, Markus Hofmann
Hardcover
R4,046
Discovery Miles 40 460
Learning from Data Streams - Processing…
Joao Gama, Mohamed Medhat Gaber
Hardcover
R2,878
Discovery Miles 28 780
Compiler Technology - Tools, Translators…
Derek Beng Kee Kiong
Hardcover
R4,477
Discovery Miles 44 770
Machine Learning and Data Analytics for…
Manikant Roy, Lovi Raj Gupta
Hardcover
R11,492
Discovery Miles 114 920
|