Evidence has come to light regarding the impact of benzene emissions from road transport, the incidence of asthmatic attacks and the possible toll of particulate matter from diesel engines on human health. This book examines the issues and argues that, without a fundamental change in policy, it is inevitable that the transport sector will continue to impose increasing costs on the natural environment, human health and the economy. It also quantifies the external costs of road transport and suggests new measures, such as road pricing and financial incentives, to pave the way to a sustainable transport system.

A study of the legacy of nuclear contamination in the Soviet Union. It gives the location and characteristics of the accumulated radioactive material and wastes by each sector, from ore and mining to use and disposal. It describes types of storage, capacity and utilization, age and location. It gives information on the territories and locations contaminated, by normal operations and by accidents, from which strategic plans for remediation can be formulated.

India is facing a river pollution crisis today. The origins of this crisis are commonly traced back to post-Independence economic development and urbanisation. This book, in contrast, shows that some important early roots of India's river pollution problem, and in particular the pollution of the Ganges, lie with British colonial policies on wastewater disposal during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Analysing the two cornerstones of colonial river pollution history during the late 19th and early 20th centuries - the introduction of sewerage systems and the introduction of biological sewage treatment technologies in cities along the Ganges - the author examines different controversies around the proposed and actual discharge of untreated/treated sewage into the Ganges, which involved officials on different administrative levels as well as the Indian public. The analysis shows that the colonial state essentially ignored the problematic aspects of sewage disposal into rivers, which were clearly evident from European experience. Guided by colonial ideology and fiscal policy, colonial officials supported the introduction of the cheapest available sewerage technologies, which were technologies causing extensive pollution. Thus, policies on sewage disposal into the Ganges and other Indian rivers took on a definite shape around the turn of the 20th century, and acquired certain enduring features that were to exert great negative influence on the future development of river pollution in India. A well-researched study on colonial river pollution history, this book presents an innovative contribution to South Asian environmental history. It is of interest to scholars working on colonial, South Asian and environmental history, and the colonial history of public health, science and technology.

China's rapid industrialisation has led to "an air pollution catastrophe". Concerted efforts to achieve economic growth have led to veiled skies of toxic air and created health and morbidity problems as well as tremendous environmental degradation. China's Air Pollution Problems provides an overview of air pollution in China describing how and why China has ended up in such a dire situation, what the government is doing to address the problem and the difficulties it is encountering in attempting to reduce the pollution. The analysis is based on both grey literature (newspaper articles, NGO reports, Chinese government information) and on academic studies. The grey literature gives a voice to those who suffer from the pollution, their advocates, and government officers, and allows the reader to better grasp the conditions on the ground, and the impact of air pollution among people in different areas in China. The academic literature adds a theoretical perspective and brings these different case studies into a broader context. This book will be of great interest to students of environmental pollution and contemporary Chinese studies looking for an introduction to the topic and also for researchers looking for an extensive list of sources and analysis of China's environmental problems.

Water pollution is one of the most serious problems plaguing China today with millions of citizens drinking water unfit for consumption. These abysmal conditions have fuelled increasing social discontent, as people become more concerned by the need to address the pressing issues of water pollution, scarcity, and waste management. This book describes how and why China has ended up in such a dire situation, what the government is doing to address the problem and the difficulties encountered in attempting to reduce pollution. The analysis is based on both gray literature (newspaper articles, NGO reports, Chinese government information) and on academic studies. The gray literature gives a voice to those who suffer from the pollution, their advocates, and government officers, and allows the reader to better grasp the conditions on the ground, and the impact of the air pollution among the people in different areas in China. The academic literature adds a theoretical perspective and brings these different case studies into a broader context. This book will be of great interest to students of environmental pollution and contemporary Chinese studies looking for an introduction to the topic, as well as researchers looking for an analysis of China's environmental problems.

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.

Environment and Technology in the Former USSR makes a major contribution to the literature, providing new perspectives on power engineering, power generation and associated environmental issues of atmospheric pollution in the former Soviet Union. It considers the consequences of acid rain emissions for neighbouring countries and the technological and commercial factors which influence these levels of pollution. The book begins by providing a contextual and technical background on the capacities, ages, scale of atmospheric pollution and fuel mix of the power generation industry in the former USSR. After establishing the industrial and technical facts using a wide range of Western and Russian literature and placing these in an international context, the author explores possible policy solutions for reducing acid rain emissions and improving power generation efficiency. The main policy prescription considered is the use of technology transfer from the West to the former Soviet Union. Using published data and case study research, the author evaluates the volume and rate of technology transfer, and the current stage of those engaged in, or potential recipients of, Western power engineering technologies. The analysis then extends to consider the political, economic and commercial factors affecting these levels of technological diffusion and future technological developments in the industry. This book will be of special interest to government officials, international agencies, academics and technical and commercial personnel with business interests in Russia.

Economic Policy and Climate Change focuses on the design, implementation and consequences of a feasible system of tradable carbon permits to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the context of the European Union. Economic instruments are considered fundamental in reducing atmospheric pollution, especially carbon dioxide emissions. This important book outlines the design of an achievable system of tradable emission permits in the EU. It considers the distribution of permits, the problem of monitoring and enforcement and the possibility that the system might create a barrier to potential entrants to industry. This is especially important because entry barriers will affect the whole economy and long-term industry dynamics. The analysis then extends to consider the use of tradable permits and taxes in the context of international cooperation on emissions reduction. International agreements are examined within the framework of a second-best, two country model in which governments reduce emissions and raise revenue simultaneously. The author concludes that it is not welfare-maximizing to trade permits between countries if emission limits and side-payments have not first been agreed. This book will be of special interest to environmental economists, environmentalists and policymakers.

The blowout of the Deepwater Horizon and subsequent underground oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 is considered by many to be the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history. Interest groups, public officials, and media organizations have spent considerable time documenting the economic and ecological impacts of this spill as well as the causes of the spill, ostensibly to prevent future disasters of this magnitude. However, rather than an unbiased search for answers, such investigations involve strategic efforts by a variety of political actors to define the spill and its causes in ways that lead to their preferred policy solutions. Framing Environmental Disaster evaluates the causal stories that environmental groups tell about the spill and develops theoretical propositions about the role of such stories in the policy process. Which actors do groups hold responsible, and how do groups use blame attributions to advance their policy agendas? Constructing a creative methodological approach which includes content analysis drawn from blog posts, emails, press releases, and testimony before Congress and insights and quotations drawn from interviews with environmental group representatives, Melissa K. Merry argues that interest groups construct causal explanations long before investigations of policy problems are complete and use focusing events to cast blame for a wide range of harms not directly tied to the events themselves. In doing so, groups seek to take full advantage of "windows of opportunity" resulting from crises. An indispensable resource for scholars of public policy and environmental politics and policy, this book sheds new light on the implications of the gulf disaster for energy politics and policies while advancing scholarly understandings of the role of framing and causal attribution in the policy process.

The coastal tropics comprise some of the most sensitive and yet the most understudied ecosystems in the world. Coastal plains and river valleys are also home to agriculture on a vast scale, and it is not surprising to find that streams and rivers receive the majority of agricultural runoff, carrying the residues of insecticides, fungicides and other pesticides into estuaries and coastal zones. There is a growing awareness of the urgent need to develop strategies to help productive, healthy and economically viable agriculture to coexist with natural resources. Pesticide Residues in Tropical Coastal Ecosystems brings together toxicology experts from around the world to assess pesticide burdens in many of the major food-producing tropical countries. It provides a unique set of case studies, chronicling pesticide usage and its ecotoxicological impact in coastal regions. A practical guide to recent research findings and applications, it is essential reading for environmental professionals, ecotoxicologists, marine chemists and agrochemists.

Environmental conditions do not exist in a vacuum. They are influenced by science, politics, history, public policy, culture, economics, public attitudes, and competing priorities, as well as past human decisions. In the case of Central Asia, such Soviet-era decisions include irrigation systems and physical infrastructure that are now crumbling, mine tailings that leach pollutants into soil and groundwater, and abandoned factories that are physically decrepit and contaminated with toxic chemicals. Environmental Crises in Central Asia highlights major environmental challenges confronting the region's former Soviet republics: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. They include threats to the Caspian and Aral seas, the impact of climate change on glaciers, desertification, deforestation, destruction of habitat and biodiversity, radioactive and hazardous wastes, water quality and supply, energy exploration and development, pesticides and food security, and environmental health. The ramifications of these challenges cross national borders and may affect economic, political, and cultural relationships on a vast geographic scale. At the same time, the region's five governments have demonstrated little resolve to address these complex challenges. This book is a valuable multi-disciplinary resource for academics, scholars, and policymakers in environmental sciences, geography, political science, natural resources, mass communications, public health, and economics.

After sweeping environmental legislation passed in the 1970s and 1980s, the 1990s ushered in an era when new legislation and reforms to existing laws were consistently caught up in a gridlock. In response, environmental groups became more specialized and professional, learning how to effect policy change through the courts, states, and federal agencies rather than through grassroots movements. Without a significantly mobilized public and with a generally uncooperative Congress, presidents since the 1990s have been forced to step into a new role of increasing presidential dominance over environmental policies. Rather than working with Congress, presidents instead have employed unilateral actions and administrative strategies to further their environmental goals. Presidential Administration and the Environment offers a detailed examination of the strategies and tools used by U.S. presidents. Using primary sources from presidential libraries such as speeches and staff communications, David M. Shafie analyzes how presidents such as Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have used alternative executive approaches to pass environmental policies. From there, Shafie presents case studies in land management, water policy, toxics, and climate change. He analyzes the role that executive leadership has played in passing policies within these four areas, explains how this role has changed over time, and concludes by investigating how Obama's policies compare thus far with those of his predecessors. Shafie's combination of qualitative content analysis and topical case studies offers scholars and researchers alike important insights for understanding the interactions between environmental groups and the executive branch and the implications for future policymaking in the United States.

Asbestos dust is well-known for causing cancer and other life-threatening illnesses yet still contaminates countless schools, factories and office buildings. This raises the issue of the best way to deal with Asbestos; immediate removal, containment or removal at renovation or demolition. Originally published in 1986, this report aims to evaluate these methods of dealing with asbestos in relation to their cost-effectiveness to conclude the most appropriate solution. This title will be of interest to students of Environmental Studies and Economics.

What we call the nation's energy policy attempts to give direction to the production, use, transportation, and distribution of energy to help achieve an array of societal goals in the most compatible ways. In this title, originally published in 1993, noted analysts provide insight into complex policy issues of significant importance. Among the topics addressed are difficulties encountered in trying to fashion energy policy in the U.S. congress, the nature of energy policies and environmental polices, the challenges arising from regional conflict over energy policies, and the viability of deregulating electric power production. This collection of lectures is a valuable resource for students interested in environmental studies and public policy.

Despite the efforts of Southeast Asian governments and of ASEAN, transboundary haze continues to be a major environmental problem in Southeast Asia. This book demonstrates that the issue is complex, and explains why efforts to solve the problem in purely political terms are ineffective, and likely to continue to be ineffective. The book shows how state-led, state-incentivised agribusiness development lies at the heart of the problem, leading to a large rise in palm oil production, with extensive clearing of forests, leading to deliberate or accidental fires and the resulting haze. Moreover, although the forest clearing is occurring in Indonesia, many of the companies involved are Malaysian and Singaporean; and, further, many of these companies have close relationships with the politicians and officials responsible for addressing the problem and who thereby have a conflict of interest. The author concludes by discussing the huge difficulties involved in overturning this system of 'patronage politics'.

Public agencies and industry will probably spend tens of billions of dollars on new water pollution abatement facilities in the next few decades. Added billions will be spent for the operation of new and existing facilities. How can physical science research reduce the cost of achieving objectives? And how can social science research make sure that the right objectives are being efficiently pursued? This title, first published in 1962, is directed to the orientation of the research effort, and the tool used for this purpose is an economic framework. This book will be of interest to students of economics and environmental studies.

The siting of locally obnoxious but nationally relevant and necessary facilities such as sewage treatment plants, landfills, dams and nuclear power stations is an important issue in public policy planning. In view of the negative externalities such as declining property prices, health threats, and air, water and noise pollution imposed on the local communities that house them, the location of these facilities generates a consensus among the general public aptly termed 'not-in-my-backyard' or NIMBY syndrome. Drawing on the experiences of North America, Europe, Oceania and Asia, this book offers a comprehensive review of existing conflict-resolution instruments used in the siting of these facilities. The authors highlight in particular legal and command instruments such as zoning and compulsory acquisition of land, and economic incentives such as compensation and mitigation. Using elements from areas such as game theory and risk analysis and the use of compensation auction mechanisms, the authors present a series of decision steps to provide a credible alternative methodology designed to minimise such conflicts. This innovative study will be welcomed by all those with an interest in environmental and public policy planning.

This title was first published in 2000: In examining the domestic politics of international co-operation, this book addresses two important questions: 1. Why do governments often take different positions in negotiations about common problems - why do some states push for international regulation while others hold back? 2. How can variance in the domestic implementation of and compliance with, international agreements be explained - why do some states deliver more than they have promised, others less? The authors report findings and observations from a major study which focused on efforts to establish international regulations to cope with the problem known as acid rain. They provide in-depth case studies of nine European countries as well as a comparative analysis searching for patterns and general conclusions.

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.

As aviation is celebrated as one of the world's fastest growing industries, with passenger numbers and cargo volumes projected to double in the next 20 years, Plane Truth sounds a note of caution. In addition to the environmental impact of airport expansion, devouring farmland and wildlife habitats, and aviation's impact of noise and air pollution on communities, Rose Bridger reveals the extraordinary government subsidies for the aviation industry, encompassing government expenditure on infrastructure to tax breaks, all of which serve to support the industry in the face of rising oil prices and global economic downturn. Disavowing 'greenwashing' claims of fuel-efficient aircraft and alternative fuels that will enable growth without climate change, from British Airways to American Airlines, the symbiotic relationship between aviation and the wider socio-economic problems facing humanity is manifest.

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.

Professor Sigman has selected the most authoritative previously published papers for this pathbreaking collection. This timely book examines private decision-making and government policy for the management of hazardous waste, the clean-up of contaminated land and the redevelopment of brownfield sites. Issues explored include the success of economic incentive policies such as 'green taxes' and tort liability, environmental decentralization and attitudes toward risk by both regulators and households. The additional focus on empirical analysis will help economists understand this challenging public policy area and will make economic insights accessible to policymakers.

Low Carbon Cities is a book for practitioners, students and scholars in architecture, urban planning and design. It features essays on ecologically sustainable cities by leading exponents of urban sustainability, case studies of the new directions low carbon cities might take and investigations of how we can mitigate urban heat stress in our cities' microclimates. The book explores the underlying dimensions of how existing cities can be transformed into low carbon urban systems and describes the design of low carbon cities in theory and practice. It considers the connections between low carbon cities and sustainable design, social and individual values, public space, housing affordability, public transport and urban microclimates. Given the rapid urbanisation underway globally, and the need for all our cities to operate more sustainably, we need to think about how spatial planning and design can help transform urban systems to create low carbon cities, and this book provides key insights.

The Global Politics of Pesticides explores the varied, and often conflicting, interests involved in the formulation of international policies on chemical pesticide manufacture and use in each of the main areas of environmental pollution, trade, development, public health, food security, biotechnology and industrial safety and explains why some aspects of pesticide use are subject to strict international guidelines whilst others are not. The book breaks new ground in objectively examining the competing viewpoints of food producers and other pesticide users, the chemical industry, health officials, traders, environmental/consumer pressure groups and the public. It also considers how international regulation can occur in spite of the fundamental differences of opinion and seemingly opposing interests held by the key actors.

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."