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Books > Earth & environment > The environment > Pollution & threats to the environment > General
The very survival of the planet is at risk: human misuse of natural resources and disturbance of natural environmental systems is pushing the Earth to the limits of its capacity. This text is a comprehensive introduction for environmental study, explaining how the environment functions, how environmental systems relate, and the ways in which people and environment interact. Focussing particularly on the environmental impacts of human activities, the book explains the ways in which an understanding of basic physical principles can help us to use the environment and its resources. Three particular approaches are adopted throughout: "a systems approach" - highlighting the interactions and interrelationships between the environment's diverse parts; "an interdisciplinary perspective" - stepping back from individual subject focus to examine the complex breadth of the environment's diversity; and "a global perspective" - incorporating stimulating examples drawn from around the world to illustrate broad global patterns and contrasts.
The protection of groundwater resources has emerged in recent years as a high priority topic on the agenda of many countries. In responding to the growing concern over deteriorating groundwater quality, many countries are developing a comprehensive regulatory framework for the management of subsurface water resources with management referring to both quantity and quality aspects. Within this framework, groundwater models are rapidly coming to playa central role in the development of protection and rehabilitation strategies. These models provide forecasts of the future state of the groundwater aquifer systems and/or the unsaturated zone in response to proposed management initiatives. For example, models will predict the effects of implementing a proposed management scheme on water levels and on the transport and fate of pollutants. The models are now used in the formulation of policies and regulations, the issuing of permits, design of monitoring and data collection systems, and the development of enforcement actions. The growth in the use of these sophisticated tools has led to many unforeseen problems in groundwater management. Lingering issues include reliability of codes, quality assurance in model development and applications, efficient utiliza tion of human and material resources, technology transfer and training. Some issues have legal ramifications, as in cases where the applications of models have been contested in courts."
Until now, information regarding chemical spill clean-up was
available only through manufacturer's literature from an individual
firm, or scattered in the traditional textbooks on remediation
engineering and hazardous waste management. Survey of Chemical
Spill Countermeasures provides a one-stop source of information on
how to clean up spill sites in safe, acceptable ways. Because of
the ever-growing need to maintain constant vigilance over hazardous
chemicals and potential leaks and spills, this reference will
become an important source for the practicing environmental
engineer and field technician.
This text covers the proceedings of the third International Symposium - TISAR 98, held in Amsterdam. Topics include: basin recharge; water management in arid regions; behaviour of pollutants; bank, basin, well and other types of recharge; and storage and recovery efficiency.
This work investigates the dichotomy between the notion of polluting cities and rural idyll. Examining the emergence of the farm pollution problem in Britain in the 1980s, the book traces the resulting change in public opinion leading to a new "moralizing" of the countryside. Drawing on research carried out amongst dairy farmers, National River Authority Pollution Inspectors, agricultural advisers and environmental campaigners, the author discusses whether it is unacceptable to pollute in a farming environment or merely an unfortunate side-effect of dairy production processes in the 1990s. The author examines issues such as effluents in the environment; farm pollution regulation in the 1970s and 1980s; pollution control; and risk and regulatory science.
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) continue to be the subject of concern amongst the public, as well as the scientific and policy-making communities. These concerns are exemplified by the international efforts co-ordinated by the United Nations' Environment Programme and the +Economic Commission for Europe. Whilst the ultimate origin of this concern is the adverse effects of persistent organic pollutants in both humans and wildlife, there are other factors involved. In particular, whilst ambient concentrations of POPs in air and water present little direct hazard via inhalation and ingestion respectively, their propensity for transfer through the food chain means that species at the top of the ecological pyramid - including humans - can be exposed to concentrations of concern via their diet. Furthermore, their ability to undergo long-range atmospheric transport means that they represent a truly cross-boundary problem for mankind. Persistent Organic Pollutants focuses on the sources, atmospheric behaviour, terrestrial and aquatic food chain transfer, and human exposure and fate aspects of this important class of chemicals. Other topical issues are addressed, namely: temporal trends in contamination; their transport to polar regions; and the significance of the former Warsaw Pact nations of Central and Eastern Europe as both a global reservoir and source of POPs. Whilst the main focus is on PCDD/Fs, PCBs, and PAH; other organochlorine POPs such as DDT, lindane, and dieldrin are covered. Persistent Organic Pollutants also provides up-to-date, detailed, and authoritative coverage required by academics, environmental consultants, and policy-makers. Sufficient introductory material is also included to be of relevance to final year undergraduates, Masters and PhD students in Environmental Science/Chemistry.
Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology provides detailed review articles concerned with aspects of chemical contaminants, including pesticides, in the total environment with toxicological considerations and consequences.
This book tells the story of the polution-related activities of companies from the pulp and paper and electric utility industries. The authors trace the development of air and water pollution regulations, analyze pollution data obtained from the EPA offices filed by the companies, and examine the impact of companies' pollution performance on their economic performance. Specifically, the book conducts a comparative analysis of pollution performance of the companies over an eight-year period to evaluate whether the companies have been successful in reducing pollution emissions over this period and how far the pollution emission requirements of the environmental laws are being met, and whether the industries' fear that pollution abatement expenditures would negatively impact their economic performance has any validity. After discussing the provisions and accomplishments of U.S. federal air and water pollution laws, the authors present a plant by plant analysis of air pollution performance for 1979 and 1987 for 109 plants from fifteen electric utility companies, and plant by plant water pollution analysis of fifteen pulp and paper companies. In addition, comparative analyses are presented for the electric utility companies by each air pollutant and by the total air pollution, and for pulp and paper companies for each water pollutant and for the total water pollution. On the basis of an overall pollution index, the authors rank the electric utilities and pulp and paper companies for air and water pollution respectively. The comparative analyses of different time periods demonstrate which companies improved their pollution-abatement performance. The impact of pollution performance on economic performance is addressed by the authors over the short as well as long term. On the basis of earlier research findings and economic theory, the authors hypothesize that there would be a negative economic impact in the short run, but in the long run, this negative impact would disappear. The real life data from companies support this general hypothesis. Finally, the authors relate their research findings to public policy issues and make recommendations for public policy on environmental pollution.
Presenting a comprehensive introduction to the nature of pollution, this text looks at its impacts on the environment, and the practical options and regulatory frameworks for pollution control. Sources of pollution, regulatory controls - including the role of authorities and precautionary and polluter pays principles - technological solutions, management and mitigation techniques and assessment tools, are examined in each key area: air, freshwater and marine pollution, contaminated land and radioactive substances. Illustrated with a range of case examples from the UK, Europe and worldwide, this book offers an up-to-date guide to both the principles and practice of pollution management.
Presents an introduction to the nature of pollution, its impacts on the environment, and the practical options and regulatory frameworks for pollution control. Sources of pollution, regulatory controls - including the role of authorities and precautionary and polluter pays principles - technological solutions, management and mitigation techniques and assessment tools, are examined in each key area: air, freshwater, and marine pollution, contaminated land and radioactive substances. Illustrated with a wide range of case examples from the UK, Europe and worldwide, this book offers an up-to-date guide to both the principles and practice of pollution management.
Every spring, the University of Massachusetts - Amherst welcomes all ''Soils Conference" Scientific Advisory Board members with open arms as we begin the planning process responsible for bringing you quality conferences year after year. With this "homecoming" of sorts comes the promise of reaching across the table and interacting with a wide spectrum of stakeholders, each of them bringing their unique perspective in support of a successful Conference in the fall. This year marks the 20 DEGREES DEGREES anniversary of what started as a couple of thoughtful scientists interested in developing partnerships that together could fuel the environmental cleanup dialogue. Since the passage of the Superfund Law, regulators, academia and industry have come to realize that models that depend exclusively on ''command and control" mandates as the operative underpinning limit our collective ability to bring hazardous waste sites to productive re-use. It is with this concern in mind that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection privatized its cleanup program in 1993, spurring the close-out of over 20,000 sites and spills across the Commonwealth to date, in a manner that is both protective of human health and the environment while also flexible and responsive to varied site uses and redevelopment goals. So we gather together again, this year, to hear our collective stories and share success and challenges just as we share stories at a family gathering. Take a read through the stories contained in these proceedings.
Since the late 1970s, the European Union (EU) has seen an immense growth in regulatory measures aimed at environmental protection. In more recent years, this regulatory activity has come under increasing criticism. This has coincided with a more general disenchantment with regulation, resulting in a wave of "deregulation" initiatives. These initially focused on privatization and market liberalization in various industries (economic deregulation), but subsequently have also been applied to environmental policy itself. This text looks at two separate, but related facets of deregulation in the EU. Through case studies of the energy transport and water sectors, it examines the environmental implication of economic deregulation. Dealing with options for deregulation in environmental policy, the book looks at self-regulation, negotiated agreements and environmental management systems. A number of other issues are also addressed such as the links between deregulation, environmental protection and competition.
High quality fresh water is limited in quantity and there is a need for comprehensive water management involving representatives of all those who use water. Effective management must ensure that the best use is made of available supplies, including protection from pollution, and to limit conflicts over access to fresh water. This calls for the establishment of clearly defined policies and strategies as well as for the development of enforceable mechanisms and tools for water pollution control.
Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology provides detailed review articles concerned with aspects of chemical contaminants, including pesticides, in the total environment with toxicological considerations and consequences.
Small invisible particles in the urban air, especially those produced by human activities, have recently stimulated intense scrutiny, debate, regulation, and legal proceedings. The stakes are high, both with respect to health impacts and economic costs, and the methods used previously to resolve similar issues are no longer adequate. Everyone on earth inhales thousands to millions of particles in each breath, so if urban particulate air pollution-particulate matter (PM)-is significantly hazardous, the negative impact on health could be staggering. Yet the activities that generate PM, such as farming, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and generating electricity, are themselves essential to human health and welfare. Scientists, regulators, legislators, activists, judges, lawyers, journalists, and representatives of the business community are actively involved in addressing the question of what should be done. This complex issue presents opportunities for critically assessing the relevant knowledge and for adopting more rigorous approaches to this and similar problems. What is the PM controversy, and why is it a good case study for how science and public policy might better interface? The PM controversy is the sum of the frequently heated debates related to the potential health risks from urban PM.
This volume is on the flexibility mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol and summarises the main fmdings of a two day workshop on 'Dealing with Carbon Credits after Kyoto', organised by ETC and the JIN foundation (both from the Netherlands) in Callantsoog, the Netherlands, on 28-29 May 1998. The workshop was one of the fIrst meetings held on the flexibility mechanisms after the Kyoto Protocol had been accepted at the Third Conference of the Parties (CoP3) in Kyoto, Japan, in December 1997. During the workshop it became clear that during the stage of translating the Protocol provisions on the flexibility mechanisms (notably Articles 6, 12 and 17) into concrete action, there are still many questions on how to interpret the scope and meaning of the Protocol text precisely. Indeed, various issues need to be elaborated on before a full assessment of the future practical work - the start of CDM and JI projects and possibly international emissions trading - can be made. Several issues were addressed at the workshop: e. g. how and via which procedures to determine the net abatement of particular CDMIJI projects; who is liable for non compliance in international emissions trading; is there a need for credit sharing formulae; can incentives be provided for early action, etc."
Is aluminium bad for you? What is an Environment Management System? Is there an effective substitute for Chlorine Bleach? The A - Z of Corporate Environmental Management provides answers to these and many other questions, and is an invaluable guide to managing a company's environmental impact. This practical directory assesses hundreds of products in common use, from aerosols to zinc, via formaldehyde and phosphates. Using an easy-to-understand format it: explains each product's use, its benefits and its environmental risks; recommends safer alternative choices where available; explains issues such as animal testing, eco-labels and recycling; and examines the main impacts of major industries, from aerospace to zoos. Its compact, jargon-free definitions will enable you to produce safer products and communicate your needs more effectively to suppliers. Making extensive use of figures and cross-referencing, this book is ideal for managers who are introducing corporate environmental programmes and risk assessments, and for anyone who needs an objective view of environmental issues in business. With over 800 entries, the A-Z of Corporate Environmental Management provides a clear and authoritative summary of the subject. Its encyclopedic coverage includes: * Management strategies such as ISO 14001 * UK, EU and international legislation * General issues, eg timber * Toxic substances, eg organochlorines * Waste management, eg landfill * Disasters, eg contamination at the Union Carbide plant, Bhopal * Water pollutants, eg chlorine * Air pollutants, eg carbon monoxide The A-Z will help you to: * Reduce your organisation's impacts * Understand major issues * Decide which chemicals to use * Assess whether you are complying with legislation * Communicate with staff and customers * Implement an environmental management system With hundreds of best practice points, the A-Z shows how to reduce pollution, cut costs, improve staff motivation, increase sales and avoid litigation. Its checklists, charts and tables make it a highly practical tool for anyone needing to understand and implement environmental management.
This book examines the question of why effective action has been taken to ameliorate some global environmental problems while no improvement has been made on others. In an asymmetric international system, success depends upon whether the lead state is willing to manipulate the preferences of other states. This book provides a comprehensive typology of the potential costs and benefits of effective agreement for the system leader and clarifies the leader's true interests on particular environmental issues.
This text demonstrates how businesses and institutions continue to operate outside the ecological carrying capacity of the environment, and highlights the need for participation and social innovation on their part. It asserts that senior executives and middle management in large corporations have often sought, deliberately or unconsciously, to block the advancement of environmentalism. Industry has reconstructed the more radical environmental agenda to suit its own purposes, in effect hijacking it, by taking it out of its traditional discourse and placing it in a liberal-productivist framework. The book concludes by examining the way forward for more sustainable business, presenting new models that place greater emphasis on issues such as equity and ethics.
This text provides an account of the nature and applications of the Coliform Index. Since the beginning of the 20th century, indicator organisms, in particular the coliform group, have been used to ensure the microbial quality of drinking water. World-wide legislation to protect consumers is based on these out-dated and unreliable tests and while there is considerable concern among scientists over their use, the water industry and regulators continue to place near total reliance on the Coliform Index. This has serious implications for public health and necessitates the debate which this book enters.
Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology provides detailed review articles concerned with aspects of chemical contaminants, including pesticides, in the total environment with toxicological considerations and consequences.
The popular first edition of this book contained approximately 600 ana lyte/method summaries. This new edition contains twice as many new EPA -approved methods for testing and analyzing industrial chemicals, pest icides, herbicides, dioxins, and PCBs and is a printed version of the EPA's Sampling and Analysis Methods Database. Each analyte/method sum mary contains all of the information required to stand alone as a refe rence. Thus, in addition to a brief summary of each method, descriptio ns include required instrumentation, interferences, sampling container s, preservation techniques, maximum holding times, detection levels, a ccuracy, precision, quality control requirements, EPA reference, and, when available, EPA contacts with phone numbers. Each summarized repor t is a "stand-alone" document.
This volume offers concepts, methods and case studies of innovative and evolving technologies in the area of watershed assessment. Topics discussed include: (1) Development and applications of geospatial, satellite imagery and remote sensing technologies for land monitoring; (2) Development and applications of satellite imagery for monitoring inland water quality; (3) Development and applications of water sensor technologies for real-time monitoring of water quantity and quality; and (4) Advances in biological monitoring and microbial source tracking technologies. This book will be of interest to graduate students and researchers involved in watershed science and environmental studies. Equally, it will serve as a valuable guide to experts in government agencies who are concerned with water-availability and water-quality issues, and engineers and other professionals involved in the design of land- and water-monitoring systems.
This integrated study of the emerging interdisciplinary field of environmental aesthetics takes the reader through a brief history of both aesthetics and taste, then discusses the psychology of human-environment relations, the influences of literary, artistic and legal activism on city, countryside and wilderness, and concludes with an analysis of the roles of public policy and of planning. Clearly written and illustrated, the book brings together the ideas, method and practices of a range of academic and professional disciplines. The book should be a useful introduction to those interested in how the experience of city (and country) life can and should be improved. |
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