This book starts by discussing the global flows of energy and materials and changes caused by human activities. It then examines the limitations of anthropogenic energy and material flows and the consequences for the development of human society. Different scenarios for lifestyle patterns are correlated with the future development of the global energy supply and climate. As it provides a process engineering approach to the Earth system and global development, readers should have a basic understanding of mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology. This second edition also reflects new developments since the original publication: increases in anthropogenic energy and material flows due to significant economic growth in certain parts of the world, and recent changes in energy policy and technological development countries, such as Germany (the Energiewende, or transition to renewable energy sources), where goals have been defined and measures initiated for a future energy supply without fossil and nuclear sources. As such, it offers a valuable resource for undergraduate and graduate students as well as practicing experts alike.

The book provides a critical evaluation of South Africa's freshwater resources to illustrate the way in which its freshwater resources, water access, services and infrastructure have continued to decline over the past three decades. The continued decline of water governance, management, water service delivery, dilapidated water infrastructure, dysfunctional local governments and overall excessive water degradation is illustrated and emphasized using real-life examples and case studies from various contexts within the country. The main argument of the book is that South Africa's freshwater resources have declined to such an extent that it can be described as a predicament. Questionable water governance decisions and reactive water management practices have led to no improvement and/or increased degradation of freshwater resources. An overall lack of service delivery exists across the country, in various contexts, leading to further water and social decline. An inter-disciplinary evaluation of South Africa's current water predicament is provided, major water crises are prioritized, and suitable recommendations are given to transform its predicament into problems which can be addressed. Suitable background information is given to emphasize the necessity of good water governance, management, and service delivery. South Africa's freshwater resources are evaluated with specific focus on the decline of informed water governance, management, service delivery and water quality. Factors requiring urgent attention are determined and suitable recommendations and/or actions are provided. An evaluation and overall synthesis focused on the transformation of the predicament into problems is provided. Primary water problems are prioritized according to urgency and suitable recommendations are given to assist in transforming the country's current complex water predicament into "simpler" water problems. Political will, collaboration with researchers, stakeholders, non-governmental organizations, and cooperation of civil society is required. South Africa's already scarce freshwater resources and decaying infrastructure will persist and possibly collapse if no major actions or interventions are implemented.

This book integrates 30 years of mercury research in the Florida Everglades to inform scientists and policy makers. The Everglades is an iconic ecosystem by virtue of its expanse; diversity of biota; and multiple international designations. Despite this, the Everglades has been subjected to multiple threats including: habitat loss, hydrologic alterations, invasive species and altered water quality. Less well recognized as a threat to Everglades human use and wildlife populations is the toxic metal, mercury. The first half of Volume II focuses on biogeochemistry and factors unique to the Everglades that make it extraordinarily susceptible to mercury methylation following its deposition: warm subtropical climate, shallow depth, high levels of dissolved organic matter, sulfate contamination, nutrient enrichment and sediment redox conditions (for review of atmospheric mercury deposition significance, see Vol. I). The second half of Volume II answers the "so what" question - why biomagnification of the methylmercury produced in the Everglades is a threat to the health of top predators including humans. The results of the synthesis presented in Volume II suggest that the mercury problem in the Florida Everglades is one of the worst in the world due to its areal extent and the degree of risk to ecological receptors and humans.

In recent years, Dutch environmental policy has undergone some pivotal changes, the most significant of which have been decentralization and deregulation, encouraging local communities to develop and deliver policies which are tailor-made to their particular situation. These changes have led to the development of some innovative practical instruments for aiding sustainable environmental spatial policy. This book discusses these new 'methods for environmental externalities' and their significance in the development and delivery of Dutch environmental policies, particularly how they ensure that issues such as health and hygiene are introduced in the early stages of spatial planning processes. This book highlights the most prominent and relevant of these innovative 'methods for environmental externalities' as well as comparing them with some of the classic methods, and analysing strengths and weaknesses. It argues that having such a broad and varied choice of methods is the key to ensuring the impressive and groundbreaking Dutch creativity in environmental management. In conclusion, the book extrapolates current trends in environmental policy, expresses likely and possible developments in 'methods for environmental externalities' and shows how such methods can contribute in our ongoing attempts to develop and deliver liveable, pleasant and sustainable towns and cities.

This book focuses on the recent trends in carbon management and up-to-date information on different carbon management strategies that lead to manage increasing concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The growing evidence of climate change resulting from the continued increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration has made it a high profile political-social and trade issue. The mean global average earth temperature rose by 0.6+/- 2 DegreesC during the second half of the century with the rate of 0.17 DegreesC/decade. As per GISS data in the year of 2017, it rose 0.9 DegreesC (1.62 DegreesF) above the 1951-1980 mean global temperature. Recently World Meteorological Organization analyzes the past record temperature and found the past 10 years were the warmest years about 1.1 DegreesC above preindustrial level. Over the past decade, carbon management by various techniques has to come to fore as a way to manage carbon dioxide emissions contributing to climate change. The proposed book addresses the need for an understanding of sustainable carbon dioxide management technologies mainly focused on (a) minimizing carbon dioxide emission from sources; (b) maximizing environmentally sound recuse, reduce and recycling; (c)emerging technology toward carbon dioxide mitigation and d) converting carbon dioxide into valuable products form sustainable use. Other books related to carbon management attempt to cover the carbon capture and sequestration, carbon mineralization, utilization and storage but the topic of CO2 management strategies is not discussed in detail for sustainable development. Furthermore, this book also covers all physical, chemical and biological process for long-term capture, removal and sequestration of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for sustainable management which is not described in other carbon management books. In order to meet CO2 emissions reduction target, a range of technological approaches, including development of clean fuels and clean coal technologies, adopting cleaner and more energy efficiency and conservation, developing renewable energy and implementing CCS technologies, will also be considered for sustainable future.

This first of this set of books presents the various sustainable approaches in terms of circular economy and micro plastic pollution pertaining to the textiles and fashion supply chain. Sustainability is one of the important aspects in today's industrial context, which is followed by every industrial sector with no exception to textiles and fashion. Sustainability and strict adherence to the principles of sustainability has become one of the essential needs in industry. There are countless measures in terms of various approaches to make the textiles and fashion sector sustainable. These measures, but not limited to, range from innovating and implementing new fibres and raw materials, introducing innovative manufacturing methods, chemicals, processes to focus on all the possible stages of a textile product's life cycle from cradle to grave. These approaches include making the textiles and fashion sector circular and also development of new products from sustainable raw materials/processes or combination of both.

This book presents innovative research on soil nitrogen cycling and nitrate leaching with a view to improving soil management and fertiliser nitrogen use efficiency and reducing nitrogen leaching losses. In this regard, nitrogen-15 (15N)-labelled fertiliser was used as a biochemical and physical stable isotope tracer in laboratory and field experiments. The major outcome of the research was the development, validation and application of a new compound-specific amino acid 15N stable isotope probing method for assessing the assimilation of fertiliser nitrogen by soil microbial biomass. The novelty of the method lies in its tracing of incorporated nitrogen into newly biosynthesised microbial protein in time-course experiments using gas chromatography-combustion-isotope ratio mass spectrometry. The approach provides previously unattainable insights into the microbial processing of different nitrogen fertilisers in different soils. Further, it identifies the mechanistic link between molecular-scale processes and observations of field-scale fertiliser nitrogen immobilisation studies. The method and the results presented here will have far-reaching implications for the development of enhanced recommendations concerning farm-based soil management practices for increasing soil productivity and reducing nitrogen losses, which is essential to minimising environmental impacts.

This book is intended for those in government, academia and industry who are interested in, or responsible for pollution prevention (P2). The second edition reflects the rapid change in pollution prevention strategies and market needs. It calls the readers attention to the concept and practices of pollution management rather than waste management only and to the understanding of pollution problems caused not only by pollutants and wastes but also by environmentally unfriendly products and services. The contents of the 16 chapters have been thoroughly revised and new chapters have been added on total environmental quality management; laws, regulations, programs and strategies; state, city and local P2 programs; education and research; P2 in the U.S. Defense Department; and sources of P2 information.

In the summer of 2003, a workshop was held in Portsmouth, NH, to discuss land measurement techniques for the North American Carbon Program. Over 40 sci- tists representing government agencies, academia and nonprofit research organi- tions located in Canada, the US and Mexico participated. During the course of the workshop a number of topics were discussed, with an emphasis on the following: * The need for an intermediate tier of carbon measurements. This level of study would be more extensive than state-level inventories of the US Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis Program, but less detailed than intensive ecos- tem studies sites such as those in Long Term Ecological Research network. This tier would ideally provide a basis to link and scale remote sensing measurements and inventory data, and supply data required to parameterize existing models (see Wofsy and Harriss 2002, Denning et al. 2005). * The design criteria that such a network of sites should meet. The network and s- pling design should be standardized, but flexible enough to be applied across North America. The design also needs to be efficient enough to be implemented without the need for large field crews, yet robust enough to provide useful information. Finally, the spatial scale must permit easy linkage to remotely sensed data. * The key variables that should be measured at each site, and the frequency of measurement.

Scientific and technological innovation continues at a rapid pace, but the public is increasingly aware of possible risks and demanding greater involvement in decisions about new technologies. This edited volume brings together leading social scientists who address recent evidence and debates about public engagement and trust in experts. The chapters consider different methods of public consultation and 'deliberation' in relation to a variety of new technologies, including genetically modified foods, mobile telecommunications, nanotechnology, and hydrogen energy.

Hazardous Air Pollutants: Case Studies from Asia examines the variety of public health problems, such as cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, increased mortality, and impaired mental health, that are severely affecting multiple Asian countries as a result of exposure to high concentrations of air pollution in the wake of rapid industrialization. The contributors to this book have direct research experience in health problems caused by air pollution in the countries under discussion. The countries analyzed include China, Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Korea. The book is divided in two sections. Each chapter of the first section focuses on one country and summarizes multiple key aspects that contextualize public health issues within it, including Geography Meteorology Economics Demographics Sources of air pollution Epidemiological findings Biological mechanisms The first section also assesses the exposure and risk within each country. The second section introduces new fields of air pollution research, the impact of vehicle emission regulations, the effects of coal energy generation, and climate change. Presented in a concise and methodical manner, this book provides an up-to-date overview of the air pollution levels, health findings, and air quality policies of Asian countries. It expands understanding about the effects of air pollution on public health in Asia and lays a groundwork for future approaches to research and policy.

This unique volume focuses on Egypt's conventional water resources and the main water consumer: Egypt's agriculture. It provides an up-to-date overview and the latest research findings, and covers the following main topics: * History of irrigation and irrigation projects * Key features of agriculture, the administrative and legal framework in Egypt * Land resources for agriculture development * Food insecurity due to water shortages and climate change; resulting challenges and opportunities * Assessment of water resources for irrigation and drinking purposes * Impacts of upstream dams, such as the GERD and Tekeze Dam, on Egypt's water resources and crop yield * Sustainable use of water resources and the future of mega irrigation projects * Quantity and quality of water in Egypt's water resources bank This book and the companion volume Unconventional Water Resources and Agriculture in Egypt offer invaluable reference guides for postgraduates, researchers, professionals, environmental managers and policymakers interested in water resources and their management worldwide.

This book outlines the methodologies, approaches and tools for modelling chemicals in a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) perspective, and also covers the main advantages and drawbacks of applying LCA to chemical processes. In the first part of this book, authors pay close attention to the limitations of modelling the environmental and social impacts of chemical processes, providing valuable insights to the problems of the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) analysis for chemical processes. In the second part of this book, readers will learn about the LCA application to chemical processes in the laboratory and industrial scale. In each chapter of this book, readers will also find specific case studies on the modelling and application of LCA in the chemical industry.

Dead zones are on the rise... Human activity has caused an increase in uninhabitable, oxygen-poor zones-also known as "dead zones"-in our waters. Oxygen is the third most abundant element in the universe, and it is a necessity for nearly all life on Earth. Yet many rivers, estuaries, coastal waters, and parts of the open ocean lack enough of it. In this book, David L. Kirchman explains the impacts of dead zones and provides an in-depth history of oxygen loss in water. He details the role the agricultural industry plays in water pollution, showcasing how fertilizers contaminate water supplies and kickstart harmful algal blooms in local lakes, reservoirs, and coastal oceans. Algae decomposition requires so much oxygen that levels drop low enough to kill fish, destroy bottom-dwelling biota, reduce biological diversity, and rearrange food webs. We can't undo the damage completely, but we can work together to reduce the size and intensity of dead zones in places like the Gulf of Mexico, Chesapeake Bay, and the Baltic Sea. Not only does Kirchman clearly outline what dead zones mean for humanity, he also supplies ways we can reduce their deadly impact on human and aquatic life. Nutrient pollution in some regions has already begun to decline because of wastewater treatment, buffer zones, cover crops, and precision agriculture. More needs to be done, though, to reduce the harmful impact of existing dead zones and to stop the thousands of new ones from cropping up in our waters. Kirchman provides insight into the ways changing our diet can reduce nutrient pollution while also lowering greenhouse gasses emitted by the agricultural industry. Individuals can do something positive for their health and the world around them. The resulting book allows readers interested in the environment-whether students, policymakers, ecosystem managers, or science buffs-to dive into these deadly zones and discover how they can help mitigate the harmful effects of oxygen-poor waters today.

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.

'A book of wonders' Bee Wilson, Sunday Times Books of the Year Winner of the Wainwright Prize 2022 - Eating to Extinction is an astonishing journey through the past, present and future of food, showing why reclaiming a diverse food culture is vital. 'Saladino inspires us to believe that turning the tide is still possible' Yotam Ottolenghi From a tiny crimson pear in the west of England to an exploding corn in Mexico, there are thousands of foods that are at risk of being lost for ever. Dan Saladino spans the globe to uncover their stories, meeting the pioneering farmers, scientists, cooks, food producers and indigenous communities who are defending food traditions and fighting for change. Eating to Extinction is about so much more than preserving the past. It is about the crisis facing our planet today, and why reclaiming a diverse food culture is vital for our future. * With a new preface by the author * Winner of multiple awards, including the Fortnum & Mason Food Book Award and the Guild of Food Writers Food Book Award. 'I love this book... I wish the whole world could read it' Raymond Blanc 'A brilliant read' Tim Spector

This volume focuses on modelling the fate of chemicals in the environment and the human body to arrive at an integrated exposure assessment. It covers five broad topics, namely: future challenges in exposure assessment; the evolution of human health and environmental risk assessment; standard documentation for exposure models; modelling different environmental components (i.e. surface waters, atmosphere, soil, groundwater, plants, aquatic organisms and mammals); and the fate of contaminants in humans. This work draws on the authors' and editors' extensive experience and a range of different research activities, including case studies, that have led to the development of MERLIN-Expo, a standardised software package for simulating the fate of chemicals in the main environmental systems and in the human body in an integrated manner. It will be of considerable interest to researchers and students, risk managers, and policy- and decision-makers whose work involves environmental protection and human health.

At the UN Climate Negotiations in Copenhagen, 117 heads of state concluded that low-carbon development is necessary in order to combat climate change. However, they also understood that transition to a low-carbon economy requires the implementation of a portfolio of policies and programs - a challenging endeavour for any nation. This book addresses the need for information about factors impacting climate policy implementation, using as a case study one effort that is at the heart of attempts to create a low-carbon future: the European Emission Trading Scheme. It explores problems surrounding the implementation of the ETS, including the role of vested interests, the impact of design details and opportunities to attract long-term investments. It also shows how international climate cooperation can be designed to support the domestic implementation of low-carbon policies. This timely analysis of carbon pricing contains important lessons for all those concerned with the development of post-Copenhagen climate policy.

Now recognized as one of the most influential books of the twentieth century, Silent Spring exposed the destruction of wildlife through the widespread use of pesticides. Despite condemnation in the press and heavy-handed attempts by the chemical industry to ban the book, Rachel Carson succeeded in creating a new public awareness of the environment which led to changes in government policy and inspired the modern ecological movement.

This book covers edge-point applications in science and engineering. The chapters discuss the functional properties of advanced engineering materials and biomolecules, improving the comprehension of their chemical physical properties and potential for new technological and medicinal applications. The book presents a small number of experimental techniques and computational simulation models from basic concepts of classical/quantum mechanics, physics, chemistry, biology, statistical methods that can predict important applications and properties of these materials/biomolecules. The content shows how improving design of new systems helps in addressing future world problems (health, energy, food, environment, transportation, housing, clothing, etc.), i.e., almost every aspects of our daily lives.

Over the last decade, synthetic musk fragrances, which after use enter the environment by different pathways, have been described as a new group of bioaccumulative and persistent xenobiotics. This book gives the first comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the environmental pollution caused by several different synthetic musks. Written by a wide range of international experts in the field, the book summarizes and critically discusses the musk levels in the different compartments of the aquatic environment, in indoor/ambient air, house dust, and in addition, in human samples. The aspects of biotransformation and metabolism of several synthetic musks in the environment and in animals/humans are particularly emphasized. Finally, a provisional toxicological assessment and risk evaluation is given. Many, as yet unpublished, data complete this survey. The volume also points out the gaps, the still missing toxicological and environmental data, and in general, the need for further research work in this field.

Although there are some biological processes that are supported by UV radiation, most organisms are stressed by it in various ways, e.g. through DNA damage.Top international experts present an integrated overview of UV radiation and its effects on terrestrial, freshwater and marine Arctic biota. Increased stratospheric ozone depletion and the corresponding increase in ground levels of UV radiation as well as ambient, "natural" UV radiation as a key ecological factor in the Arctic spring and summer are discussed in detail. Additionally, basic information on Arctic ecosystems is given. The volume provides not only an excellent account of present-day knowledge of the subject, but also describes the state of the art on which future research can be built.

This Volume 2 contains essential contributions highlighting the use of biotechnology in dye removal. It begins with an overview of activated sludge process for dye removal along with its limitation is carried out and describes the fundamental concepts of dye-containing textile wastewater treatments, particularly microbial and enzymatic approaches, including the most usual textile wastewater treatments and their trends. It discusses the role microbial biofilms play when employed in the integrated treatment system for effective detoxification, degradation and complete mineralization of pollutants in dye waste effluents. It assesses the most recent advances in the biotransformation of synthetic dyes from wastewater, especially anthraquinone-typed dyes. Phycoremediation as an emerging and efficient technology in dye removal, remediation strategies used by microalgae, and the role of fungi in the dye removal are presented.

This book describes the role and fundamental aspects of the diverse ranges of nanostructured materials for energy applications in a comprehensive manner. Advanced nanomaterial is an important and interdisciplinary field which includes science and technology. This work thus gives the reader an in depth analysis focussed on particular nanomaterials and systems applicable for technologies such as clean fuel, hydrogen generation, absorption and storage, supercapacitors, battery applications and more. Furthermore, it not only aims to exploit certain nanomaterials for technology transfer, but also exploits a wide knowledge on avenues such as biomass-derived nanomaterials, carbon dioxide conversions into renewable fuel chemicals using nanomaterials. These are the areas with lacunae that demand more research and application.

This volume discusses the sustainability of Egypt's agriculture and the challenges involved. It provides a comprehensive review and the latest research findings, and covers a variety of topics under the following themes: * Integrated natural resources management for sustainable production * Integrated biopesticides and biofertilizers for sustainable agriculture * Integrated plant and animal production for a sustainable food supply * Policies for sustainable agriculture in Egypt The volume closes with a summary of the key conclusions and recommendations from all chapters. Together with the companion volume Sustainability of Agricultural Environment in Egypt: Part I, it offers an essential source of information for postgraduate students, researchers, and stakeholders alike.