Multi-hazard Vulnerability and Resilience Building: Cross Cutting Issues presents multi-disciplinary issues facing disaster risk reduction and sustainable development, focusing on various dimensions of existing and future risk scenarios and highlighting concerted efforts of scientific communities to find new adaptation methods. Disaster risk reduction and resilience requires participation of a wide array of stakeholders, ranging from academicians to policy makers to disaster managers. The book offers evidence-based, problem-solving techniques from social, natural, engineering, and other perspectives, and connects data, research, and conceptual work with practical cases on disaster risk management to capture multi-sectoral aspects of disaster resilience, adaptation strategy, and sustainability.

This book explores the Arctic as a rapidly evolving phenomenon in international affairs of a rising number of stakeholders. For decades, Arctic studies used to be an affair of a relatively narrow group of experts from northern countries. This time is over due to a new Chinese Arctic policy, as well as growing regional interests from South Korea, Singapore, India and Japan. Contributors reflect on new roles for the Arctic region: both as a playground for the old school nation state competition and even confrontation, and a new source for international cooperation in energy, logistics and natural sciences. Climate change, political tensions and economic competition make Arctic a hotter venue of international relations. This new Arctic fever, studied through a comparative analysis of different regional agendas, especially with a focus on the US-China-Russia triangle, represents the main subject of our book, which will be of interest to scholars of geopolitics, of climate change, and of 21st century energy economics.

This volume presents a state-of-the-art assessment of the Earth's climate system in Siberia and relationships between climate, ecosystems and people in that region. Changes in climatic variables and land cover in Siberia are among the earliest indicators of the Earth's response to climate warming. The volume is a compilation of results from studies on climate, land-cover and land-use changes and their interactions with biogeochemical and water cycles, atmospheric aerosol, and human and wildlife populations in Siberia. Regional changes in Siberia are predicted to affect climate and people on a global scale. NASA, the Russian Academy of Sciences, and several European institutions have supported these studies. The primary supporter of the projects that produced the results compiled in this volume is the NASA Land-Cover/Land-Use Change Program, hence most studies use remote sensing in their research. The chapters in this volume were written by an international team of scientists from the USA, Europe and Russia under the auspices of the Northern Eurasia Earth Science Partnership Initiative (NEESPI). This book will be of interest to those involved in studying recent and ongoing changes in Siberia, be they senior scientists, early career scientists or students.

This volume deals with the multifaceted and interdependent impacts of climate change on society from the perspective of a broad set of disciplines. The main objective of the book is to assess public and private cost of climate change as far as quantifiable, while taking into account the high degree of uncertainty. It offers new insights for the economic assessment of a broad range of climate change impact chains at a national scale. The framework presented in the book allows consistent evaluation including mutual interdependencies and macroeconomic feedback. This book develops a toolbox that can be used across the many areas of climate impact and applies it to one particular country: Austria.

This unique book examines the problem of global warming from the perspective of Asian Pacific countries. The unprecedented economic and demographic growth over the past two decades has increased the importance of the Asian Pacific region. It has become both a very large source of greenhouse gases as well as an important site to measure climate change impacts. Complex economic tools including computable general equilibrium models, international input-output models and engineering-economic models are used to assess the baseline emission levels and abatement costs for the economies examined. All outcomes suggest that abatement is possible, but will be expensive. The studies also suggest that the more energy efficient the economy, the higher the costs of further abatement. The book reveals how Asian countries in the tropics are more likely to be harmed than those in the temperate zone. Alternative strategies to mitigate carbon emissions such as energy conservation, emission permit trading, carbon tax, and carbon sequestration are examined to tackle the difficult problem of establishing effective policy tools to control warming in the Asian Pacific and the globe. While no single author provides a complete answer to this complex problem, all authors provide vital information and new ideas with which to fashion workable international and regional policies. Global Warming and the Asian Pacific is likely to be read by scholars and researchers of Asian studies, environmental and resource economics, as well as policymakers and those specifically involved in global warming research and policy.

This book explains how in moving towards Cleaner Production, the Lean Production Philosophy can be applied to reduce carbon emissions in prefabrication - one major source of the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions which contribute to global climate change. This book examines theories and principles in the Lean Production Philosophy to develop situation-based carbon reduction strategies for precast concrete manufacturers and contractors in terms of Site layout, Supply Chain, Production, Stocks and Installation Management. It presents the empirical findings of surveys and case studies with managers and professionals working for precasters and contractors in Singapore, findings which provide good practical guidance for precast concrete manufacturers and contractors to achieve low carbon emissions and to perform better in many sustainability-based rating systems, such as the Singapore Green Labelling Scheme and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) Green Mark Scheme.

Presenting a comprehensive analysis of the use of alternative sources of energy and technologies to produce fuels and power, this book describes the energy value chain from harvesting the raw material, (i.e solar, wind, biomass or shale gas) followed by analysis of the processing steps into power, fuels and/or chemicals and finally the distribution of the products. Featuring an examination of the techno-economic processes and integration opportunities which can add value to by-products or promote the use of different sources of energy within the same facility, this book looks at the tools that can make this integration possible as well as utilising a real world case study. The case study of the operation of "El hierro" island is used as an example of the current effort towards more efficient use of the resources available. Tackling head on the open challenges of the supply, the variability of the source and its prediction, the description of novel processes that are being developed and evaluated for their transformation as well as how we can distribute them to the consumer and how we can integrate the new chemicals, fuels and power within the current system and infrastructure, the book takes a process based perspective with such an approach able to help us in the use and integration of these sources of energy and novel technologies.

This book provides an integrated approach to the assessment of seismic hazards. The reduction of losses expected by future earthquakes is probably the most important contribution of seismology to society. Large earthquakes occurred in densely populated areas highlight the dramatic inadequacy of a massive portion of the buildings demonstrating the high risks of modern industrial societies. Building earthquake-resistant structures and retrofitting old buildings on a national scale can be extremely expensive and can represent an economic challenge even for developed western countries. Earthquakes can cause also several psychological problems due to the fact that such kind of disasters will result in casualties, collapsing of houses, strategic buildings and facilities and deeply affect a community. Moreover in our society it is necessary to properly plan emergency responses and rescues taking into account any possible secondary effect in order to avoid more casualties.

The literature and research on environmental and resource economics has exploded in recent years. This major annual publication provides a cutting-edge survey of current research by the leading experts in the field. The Yearbook includes contributions on: * climate change policy * general equilibrium models in environmental and resource economics * hedonic property value techniques for policy and litigation * progress and problems in the economics of sustainability * valuing the health effects of pollution * the economics of carbon sequestration in agricultural soils * tradable permits for air quality * linking environmental ethics and environmental policy.

This unique collection of Clem Tisdell's articles is an eminently readable and comprehensive economic analysis of important contemporary issues involving ecological and environmental economics.Coverage includes the role of ecological economics in the modern world, welfare and ethical considerations in environmental economics, sustainability concerns, the potential role of local communities in conservation, environmental aspects of population growth, and the relevance of carrying capacity concepts. The value for environmental management of different types of governance and of alternative economic policy instruments (such as environmental taxation compared to tradable permits) is also assessed. Ecological, environmental, natural resource, geographical and development economists will all find this book of great interest and value, as will policymakers in this area.

A Handbook of Environmental Management presents a range of case studies that demonstrate the complementary application of different social science techniques in combination with ecology-based management thinking to the natural environment. Contemporary environmental management is characterised by an increasing awareness of the need for interdisciplinary approaches. This requires managers to effectively combine insights from both the natural and social sciences in order to ensure sustainable outcomes. This eloquent and unique Handbook provides a broad overview, complimented by specific case studies and techniques that are used in environmental management from the local level to international environmental regimes. With contributions from leading authorities in the field, this innovative volume provides a valuable teaching aid for students, as well as an insightful and practical reference tool for environmental practitioners with no background in the social sciences. Environmental managers and policymakers attempting to learn about, and integrate thinking from, the social sciences should also not be without this important resource. Contributors: B. Adhikari, J. Barnard, T.M. Brooks, N. Burgess, D. El-Demellawy, G.A.B. da Fonseca, S. Frantzi, F.R. Gell, J. Gerlach, M. Hoffmann, D. Kirby, J.F. Lamoreux, T. Lehmberg, J.C. Lovett, S. Mhagama, G.A. Mill, C.G. Mittermeier, R.A. Mittermeier, D.G. Ockwell, V. Perez-Cirera, J.D. Pilgrim, C.H. Quinn, A.S.L. Rodrigues, Y. Rydin, J. Springer, D. Thomas, T.M. van Rensburg

This book reveals key challenges to ensuring the secure and sustainable production and use of energy resources, and provides corresponding solutions. It discusses the latest advances in renewable energy generation, and includes studies on climate change and social sustainability. In turn, the book goes beyond theory and describes practical challenges and solutions associated with energy and sustainability. In particular, it addresses: * renewable energy conversion technologies; * transmission, storage and consumption; * green buildings and the green economy; and * waste and recycling. The book presents the current state of knowledge on renewable energy and sustainability, supported by detailed examples and case studies, making it not only a cutting-edge source of information for experts and researchers in the field, but also an educational tool for related undergraduate and graduate courses.

This book examines green management practices among top-performing companies operating on the Chinese mainland. It begins with the question: what constitutes a "green" company? Is this definition different when we consider China's sustainability efforts? Taken into consideration are such aspects as green management vision, supplier management programs, resource usage and investment in the environment. Through in-depth interviews with sustainability leaders and top executives, this Green Management Book will reveal how to systematically create or improve existing green management strategies in China. It uses actual case studies from domestic and foreign companies to highlight these practices. Over 2 years of extensive research - working with the research board of the Fortune China CSR rankings and China-based CSR strategy platform InnoCSR - contribute to a comprehensive list of companies that are leading the way towards a greener China.

Towards a Cultural Politics of Climate Change provides a new perspective on how climate change matters in policy-making, business and everyday life. It argues that the work of low carbon transitions takes place through the creation of devices, the mobilisation of desires, and the articulation of dissent. Using case studies from the US, Australia, and Europe, the book examines the creation and contestation of new forms of cultural politics - of how a climate-changed society is articulated, realized and contested. Through this approach it opens up questions about how, where and by whom climate politics is conducted and the ways in which we might respond differently to this societal challenge. This book provides a key reference point for the emerging academic community working on the cultural politics of climate change, and a means through which to engage this new area of research with the broader social sciences.

Mountain regions represent about one fourth of the earth's surface area and provide a significant share of goods and services to humanity. In this book, the authors demonstrate how alpine environments throughout the world are particularly vulnerable to global environmental change. Alpine populations will often be affected earliest and most significantly, for example through extreme weather systems, and their scope for adaptation is relatively limited. Drawing on the natural and social sciences, particularly economics, this book supplies a broad picture of the diverse issues involved. The authors show that observed changes in natural phenomena, such as acidity and fish toxicity in high altitude lakes, clearly support the thesis on ongoing global change induced by humans. They then analyse the manifold socio-economic impacts of global environmental change which are likely to be felt in various sectors and industries including tourism, insurance and water cycle management. It is shown that adaptation options though limited can be improved, such as in natural hazard management. Finally the authors evaluate the various mitigation options available for policymakers in agriculture, energy production, transport and land use planning. Global Environmental Change in Alpine Regions demonstrates that although environmental change is a global phenomenon, the impacts are distributed unevenly and vary in severity. This book will be required reading for all students and scholars of environmental and resource economics, public management and policy.

As the demand for environmental quality is increasing and as GATT rules monitored by the WTO are not very suitable for environmental protection, either a new international environmental organization may be formed soon or new environmental regulations may be added to GATT. In either case, understanding of the interactions between trade and the environment will be vital. This book presents both the theoretical and empirical exposition of (i) the impact of trade liberalization on environmental quality; (ii) the impact of environmental regulations on international competitiveness; and (iii) strategic trade and environmental policies. An important feature of this work is that it brings together the reciprocal interactions between trade and the environment. It can be used as the main or complementary textbook for a course on trade and the environment. Researchers and students in trade and/or environment fields as well as policy makers should benefit from this book.

This book intends to be an alert to the fact that the curve measuring environmental costs against the economic benefits of capitalism has irreversibly entered into a negative phase. The prospect of an environmental collapse has been evidenced by the sciences and the humanities since the 1960s. Today, it imposes its urgency. This collapse differs from past civilizations in that it is neither local nor just civilizational. It is global and occurs at the broadest level of the biosphere, accelerated by the convergence of different socio-environmental crises, such as: Earth energy imbalance, climate change and global warming Sea-level rise Decrease and degradation of forests Collapse of terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity Floods, droughts, wildfires, and extreme weather events Degradation of soils and water resources Increase in pollution caused by fossil fuels and coal Increase in waste production and industrial intoxication The book is divided in two parts. In the first part it presents a comprehensive review of scientific data to show the already visible effects of each of the different environmental crises and its consequences to human life on Earth. In the second part, Luiz Marques critically discusses what he calls the three concentric illusions that prevent us from realizing the gravity of the current socio-environmental crises: the illusion of a sustainable capitalism, the illusion that economic growth is still capable of providing more well-being and the anthropocentric illusion. Finally, Marques argues that "fitting" back into the biosphere will only be possible if we dismantle the expansive socioeconomic gear that has shaped our societies since the 16th century by moving from a Social Contract to a Natural Contract, which takes into account the whole biosphere. According to him, the future society will be post-capitalist or it will not be a complex society, and even perhaps, we must fear, no society at all. "This book is backed up with the latest and best science and has made the complexities understandable for the average reader, all in a context of hope for the future." - William J. Ripple, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Ecology, Director of the Alliance of World Scientists, Oregon State University

This book describes the principles of integrated assessment models (IAM) for climate change economics and introduces various computable models for different development mechanisms under climate change governance. The authors present several new models they have constructed based on the RICE framework, specifically the MRICES((multi-factor RICE)) and EMRICES models, which incorporate global economic interactions into the RICE framework, and the CINCIA model, which describes technological advances and industrial structure evolution, introducing the mechanism of evolutionary economics. The models discussed in the book help governments and policy-makers tackle climate change and take positive measures on climate governance as well as promote economic and social development to narrow the gaps between countries.

By departing from conventionally analytical tools such as Cobb-Douglas and CES production functions, the author quantitatively analyses the production structure and productivity of Japanese agriculture for the second half of the 20th century. To achieve this objective the book uses newly developed analytical tools from the early-1950s through to the 1980s such as the duality theorem, flexible functional forms, and index number theories. By making full use of these newly developed analytical tools, the author offers comprehensive, consistent, integrated, and reliable empirical results for analysing the production structure and productivity of postwar Japanese agriculture.
Volume 1 utilises the crop-livestock multiple product total and variable translog cost to quantitatively assess production structure and productivity from 1957-1997. Important indicators of production are estimated for different size classes for each
year and are compared over time. Furthermore, a distinctive feature of Volume 1 is the introduction of a newly devised method for decomposing the growth rate of labor productivity. This process departs from the conventional Solow growth account method, which is not explicitly integrated with the theory of the firm.

This book presents the findings of the study, and offers analysis of both its methodological and policy-related implications. On the methodology side, it assesses and validates the valuation workshop approach; appraises the effect of distance on willingness to pay and the influence of the respondents ability to pay. From a policy perspective, the book examines the attitudes and preference of respondents on trade-offs between economic growth and ecological use."

This book reflects on the causes of resource-based conflicts and competition, and presents solutions for safely and sustainably providing resources with a focus on material flow management. The contributions from different disciplines highlight issues such as safe access to resources, conflicts over water and energy supplies, waste of strategic mineral resources, sustainable resource consumption, and renewable energy technologies.

Fate of Biological Contaminants During Recycling of Organic Wastes covers the fate of viruses, HPBs, and ARGs in organic wastes, and their eliminating methods, including composting, vermicomposting and anaerobic digestion. In addition, this work describes the environmental risks associated with the application of excess sludge, livestock and other bio-wastes in soils Fate of Biological Contaminants During Recycling of Organic Wastes will benefit environmental and soil scientists engaged in the latest research regarding risk assessment and remediation techniques in wastewater, and solid wastes, and agricultural wastes.

The linkages between WTO rules governing trade and energy security with a certain degree of focus on India are the main subject of this book. The edited volume brings together the views of academics, policymakers and experts with extensive experience covering WTO and international trade issues. The issues examined include mapping the linkages between trade and energy security in the WTO agreements, case law, accession and Doha negotiations; assessing the issues that could be raised by energy deficit or energy surplus countries at the WTO; analyzing the provisions of the ECT and NAFTA vis-a-vis the Indian policy framework and examining the trade regimes of selected OPEC members and other major suppliers of fossil fuels to India. While the Indian perspective is evident in the contributions, this book will also be of interest to an international audience, as trade, the WTO and energy security are global concerns and of relevance to all practitioners and academics working on these issues."

This edited book responds to the need for a better understanding of how climate change affects North America and for the identification of processes, methods and tools that may help countries and communities to develop a more robust adaptive capacity. It showcases successful examples of how to manage the social, economic and environmental complexities posed by climate change. The book attempts to synthesize various branches of resilience and adaptation scholarship into a cohesive text that highlights field research and best practices that are shaping policy and practice in a wide geography from the coastal conditions of the Caribbean to the thawing landscape of the Arctic Circle.

This volume contains papers presented in a workshop of international experts in September 2008 in Berlin. The experts discussed how environmental consequences of EU legislation can be incorporated in a more effective way. In other words, this contribution focuses on the question of which measures can strengthen the cons- eration of environmental effects in the EU impact assessment procedure and in the subsequent legislative decision-making process. This allows drawing conclusions for the impact assessment process in Germany. This volume begins with an introductory paper (Bizer/Lechner/Fuhr) which served as the basis for discussion in our workshop. The questions raised in this paper are addressed by the authors of the subsequent chapters. Stephen White (DG Environment, EU-Commission) discusses the impact assessment from an int- nal perspective within the Commission. Pendo Maro (European Environmental Bureau) reviews the impact assessment practice from the perspective of an en- ronmental NGO. Martin Schmidt et al. discuss the potential for more formalism to strengthen environmental issues within impact assessments and favour a checklist."