The Reader is the first comprehensive history of the noosphere and biosphere. Drawing on classical influences, modern parallels, and insights into the future, the Reader traces the emergence of noosphere and biosphere concepts within the concept of environmental change. Reproducing material from seminla works, both past and present, key ideas and writings of prominent thinkers are presented, including Bergson, Vernadsky, Lovelock, Russell, Needham, Huxley, Medawar, Toynbee and Boulding, and extensive introductory pieces bu the editors drawattention to common themes and competing ideas. Focussing on issues of origins, theories, parallels and potential, the discussions place issues in a broad context, compare and contrast central concepts with those of the Gaia hypothesis, sustainability and global change, and examine the potential application of noospheric ideas to current debates about culture, education and technology in such realms as the Internet, space exploration, and the emergence of super-consciousness.
Literally the sphere of mind or intellect', the noosphere is aprt of the realm of the possible' in human affairs, where there is a conscious effort to tackle global issues
The noosphere concept captures a number of key contemporary issues - social evolution, global ecology, Gaia, deep ecology and global environmental change - contributing to ongoing debates concerning the implications of emerging technologies.

The western world has, in recent decades, become familiar with such phenomena as visitor centres, guided walks, living history, trail leaflets and information boards. What is virtually a new profession of "environmental interpretation" has arisen, and is at its busiest in the contexts of tourism, heritage and countryside management, museums and nature conservation. This text offers a rational and philosophical approach to environmental interpretation. It argues that suggesting that it is an educational aim is particularly relevant in an age when specialization has tended to distance many people from direct experience of the way the environment works. The practice of interpretation is also reviewed with the emphasis that effective work in this field must be finely tuned. The interpreter must constantly bear in mind the real value and significance of the features interpreted and the needs of the visitors to whom interpretation is addressed.

This book examines the application of fish community characteristics to evaluate the sustainability and biological integrity of freshwaters. Topics include perspectives on use of fish communities as environmental indicators in program development, collaboration, and partnership forming; influence of specific taxa on assessment of the IBI; regional applications for areas where the IBI had not previously been developed; and specific applications of the IBI developed for coldwater streams, inland lakes, Great Lakes, reservoirs, and tailwaters.

Accelerating Cleanup at Toxic Waste Sites: Fast-tracking Environmental Actions and Decision Making presents truly innovative advances in investigative and cleanup technologies, offering valuable solutions that streamline the data collection process, speed up the time it takes to characterize a site, and expedite decision making.
Using easy to understand graphic displays, tables, text summaries, and real world case studies, and by synthesizing technical and regulatory reference information crucial to the development of effective cleanup strategies,
this book provides the framework for environmental professionals to develop project and program approaches that meet today's needs.
An advanced text for those with at least basic understanding of environmental investigation, cleanup, regulations, decision making, and policy development, Accelerating Cleanup at Toxic Waste Sites addresses the "human" side of the environmental industry and why it is perhaps one of the most important considerations for successful accelerated cleanup. This book takes the next step by providing managers, project teams, and other professionals with approaches that bring techniques, regulations, strategies, and people together into one comprehensive package that works.

This work aims to provide a possible specification of the problems involved in greening the built environment and an articulation of the solutions. It begins with a discussion of sustainability as a concept and its applicability to contemporary towns and cities. The following chapters take up particular aspects of the built environment and sustainability in greater depth and include the construction industry, transport, health, planning, community and equity issues, employment and the economy. The links between environmental damage, poverty and the economy are all themes in this book which also focuses on interconnections and on solutions to these three problems. The final chapter explains how the achievement of sustainable development is, in the authors' opinion, dependent on detailed solutions to everyday problems of modern society.

Reframing Deforestation suggests that the scale of deforestation wrought by West African farmers during the twentieth century has been vastly exaggerated and global analyses have unfairly stigmatised them and obscured their more sustainable, even landscape-enriching practices.
The book begins by reviewing how West African deforestation is represented and the types of evidence which inform deforestation orthodoxy. On a country by country basis (covering Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote D'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Benin), and using historical and social anthropological evidence subsequent chapters evaluate this orthodox critically. Together the cases build up a variety of arguments which serve to reframe history and question how and why deforestation has been exaggerated throughout West Africa, setting the analysis in its institutional and social context.
Stessing that dominant policy approaches in forestry and conservation require major rethinking worldwide, Reframing Deforestation illustrates that more realistic assessments of forest cover change, and more respectful attention to local knowledge and practices, are necessary bases for effective and appropriate environmental policies.

Financialization is the increased influence of financial actors and logics on social and economic life, and is one of the key drivers transforming food systems and rural economies around the world. The premise of this book is that the actions of financial actors, and their financial logics, are transforming agri-food systems in profound ways. It is shown that although financialization is a powerful dynamic, some recent developments suggest that the rollout of financialization is contradictory and uneven in different spaces and markets. The book examines cases in which state regulation or re-regulation and social movement resistance are setting roadblocks or speed bumps in the path of financialization, resulting in a 'cooling off' of investment, as well as the other side of the argument where there is evidence of a 'heating up'. The authors address not only the limits to financialization, but also the mechanisms through which financial entities are able to penetrate and re-shape agri-food industries. This book provides both a comparative analysis of financialization blending, and empirical findings with conceptual insights. It explores the connection between financialization, food systems, and rural transformation by critically examining: the concept of financialization and how food and farming are being financialized; the impacts of financialization in the food industry; and financialization in farming and forestry - along with the impacts this has on rural people and communities. This is a timely book, bringing together concrete case studies, from around the globe, to reveal the operations and impacts of finance capital in the 'space' of agri-food.

A concise treatment of water-resource economics. Based upon political economy perspectives, it draws upon a worldwide range of case-studies. There is guidance on abbreviations, acronyms, and technical terms.

The third edition of this classic volume integrates the idea of balancing tourism with protection of the resources upon which it depends. The text stresses the role of the community, identifies potential pitfalls, and raises issues of developmental ethics. It includes topics such as environmental impact, sustainability, and ecotourism. Special emphasis is given to the growing need for business to implement environmental protection and ecological integrity as an essential part of economic development. The book is filled with many sketches, functional diagrams, and photographs.

The coast can no longer be left to nature to determine its fate. Wealth, property, economic interests, recreation, tourism and wildlife are all threatened. Coasts are an administrative battle ground and one of the most important and widely examined topics in environmental management. This volume examines the issues surrounding the human use and abuse of estuarine and coastal environments. Emphasizing the importance and significance of this natural resource, the uses and conflicts which occur and the results of human activity, this book explains the ways in which conservation and management policies and practices can protect this productive and diverse ecosystem. Examples and real-life case studies illustrate the effect of human intervention, both from an historic and contemporary perspective. Exposing the environmental consequences of estuarine pollution, Peter French highlights the need for management strategies to promote a sustainable development ethic for estuaries.

The coast cannot be left to nature to determine its fate. Wealth, property, economic interests, recreation, tourism and wildlife are all threatened. Coasts are an administrative battle ground and one of the most important and widely examined topics in environmental management.
Coastal and Estuarine Management examines the issues surrounding the human use and abuse of estuarine and coastal environments. Emphasising the importance and significance of this natural resource, the uses and conflicts which occur and the results of human activity, this book explains the ways in which conservation and management policies and practices can protect this productive and diverse ecosystem.
Examples and real-life case studies illustrate the effect of human intervention, both from an historic and contemporary perspective. Exposing the environmental consequences of estuarine pollution, Peter French highlights the need for management strategies to promote a sustainable development ethic for estuaries.

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.

Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Desalination Handbook provides professionals and researchers with the latest treatment activities in the advancement of desalination technology. The book enables municipalities and private companies to custom-design sustainable desalination plants that will minimize discharge, energy costs and environmental footprint. Individual case studies are included to illustrate the benefits and drawback of each technique. Sections discuss a multitude of recently developed, advanced processes, along with notable advances made in existing technologies. These processes include adsorption, forward osmosis, humidification and dehumidification, membrane distillation, pervaporation and spray type thermal processes. In addition, theoretical membrane materials, such as nanocomposite and carbon nanotube membranes are also explored. Other chapters cover the desalination of shale gas, produced water, forward osmosis for agriculture, desalination for crop irrigation, and seawater for sustainable agriculture. International in its coverage, the chapters of this handbook are contributed by leading authors and researchers in all relevant fields.

Comprehensive Energy Systems, Seven Volume Set provides a unified source of information covering the entire spectrum of energy, one of the most significant issues humanity has to face. This comprehensive book describes traditional and novel energy systems, from single generation to multi-generation, also covering theory and applications. In addition, it also presents high-level coverage on energy policies, strategies, environmental impacts and sustainable development. No other published work covers such breadth of topics in similar depth. High-level sections include Energy Fundamentals, Energy Materials, Energy Production, Energy Conversion, and Energy Management.

Creating Freshwater Wetlands, Second Edition clearly demonstrates the step-by-step processes required to restore or create freshwater wetlands. It presents practical advice on choosing sites, getting help, attracting and stocking wildlife, selecting plants, and wetland operation and maintenance. This is an excellent book on one of the most fascinating ecosystems on the planet.

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.

Freshwater is a finite resource as essential to agriculture and industry as it is to basic human existence. Water quality monitoring is a fundamental tool in the management of freshwater resources, and this book explores the monitoring operation. The book highlights the impact of human activity on water resources - both surface and groundwater; provides a general protocol for the design and implementation of a monitoring programme; provides detailed sampling and analytical methods; and explains the detection and monitoring of trends in the water environment. The book provides a basis for designing and implementing water quality monitoring programmes and studies of the impact of human activities on water bodies. It brings together information on proven methods and thus should be useful for anyone concerned with water quality monitoring a scientific, managerial or engineering background, including field staff. An overview of the principles underlying hydrological, chemical, biological and sediment measurements together with their importance and relevance to water quality monitoring is also included.

In countries where scarce surface water causes disease and conflict, an abundance of water can bring peace. With the growing impact of climate change, an estimated one third of the world's population lacks fresh water. By 2050 it could well be over half, some five billion people. Alain Gachet, known as the "Wizard of H2O", explores and unravels the interrelated humanitarian, environmental, scientific and geo-political concerns generated by water scarcity. An archaeological explorer and mining engineer, Gachet has developed a technology (using Nasa satellite imagery) to identify massive aquifers beneath the earth's surface using a mathematical algorithm that could completely change our future. As well as exploring our current environmental crisis (and offering some solutions), Gachet gives an account of his extraordinary adventures as a mining engineer both before and since he became an expert in deep groundwater - in Congo; in Libya, where he has an audience with Colonel Gaddafi; in Darfur, where he works alongside refugee agencies to provide water to vast camps, often at risk to his life; in Iraq and in Kurdistan, where he encounters both the Peshmerga and the Yazidi people; and in the Turkana region of Kenya, where his discoveries of vast underground reservoirs have been transformative to the lives of the people in an area plagued by drought and disputes over livestock for generations. Gachet discusses the critical issues of climate change and desertification, melting glaciers and rising sea levels, but this is also a book about the people he meets in some of the world's most challenging zones of conflict and deprivation. Ultimately this is a book of hope as we explore some of the solutions for the future. "If the quest to find high-quality water for millions has a superstar, that person is Alain Gachet. Living a truly adventurous life in a scientific field where underground water is hidden and elusive, he has advanced the science and, at the same time, uniquely served society. This is an exciting story of risk, daring, hydrophilanthropy, and reflection on one of the most important challenges facing humankind." DAVID K. KREAMER, President, International Association of Hydrogeologists

It is a widely held belief that cities must change, or they will wither and die. One of the key problems of urbanization is how to cope with these changes while retaining the structures constructed and maintained by previous generations.
Conservation and the City is a study of conservation and change throughout the built environment - city centres, suburbs and even tiny villages - and how the activities of conservation interact with the planning system. Using detailed case studies from Britain and the Westernised world, the author examines some of the key social, economic and psychological ideas which support conservation, as well as studying the urban landscape and the agents of change.
Conservation and the City seeks to understand urban conservation, and in doing so presents possible solutions for managing change in the built environment of the future.

This major collection examines both the human resource dimensions of environmental management and how environmental management impacts on human resource departments. Contributions from international experts in both academia and business look at current theory and best practice in environmental TQM, education, training and communications. Greening People argues that, if a company is to adopt an environmentally-aware approach to its activities, the employees are the key to success or failure. Realistically, it is only through the energy, performance and personal commitment of each employee within an organisation that business will move towards sustainable industrial development.

It is a widely held belief that cities must change, or they will wither and die. One of the key problems of urbanization is how to cope with these changes while retaining the structures constructed and maintained by previous generations.
Conservation and the City is a study of conservation and change throughout the built environment - city centres, suburbs and even tiny villages - and how the activites of conservation interact with the planning system. Using detailed case studies from Britain and the Westernized world, the author examines some of the key social, economic and psychological ideas which support conservation, as well as studying the urban landscape and the agents of change.
Conservation and the City seeks to understand urban conservation, and in doing so presents possible solutions for managing change in the built environment of the future.

Many areas of the world are arid or semi-arid. This text looks at the problems caused by the loss of water stored in lakes and reservoirs for irrigation and domestic use by evaporation during the summer months.

Energy Policy is a key area in each of the world's economies and the oil shocks of the 1970's empasized how important energy had become. "Models for Energy Policy" analyzes a range of models of energy use. In recent recent years a growing awareness of environomental issues has had a major impact on perceptions of energy use as growing numbers of people express concern at the relationship betweem energy and the greenhouse effect, acid rain and the depletion of the ozone layer.This has created a demand for more and better models of energy.
"Models for Energy Policy" covers short, medium and long term forecasting, regional, national and international impacts and environmental issues. It also covers models of individual sources of energy and the energy sector as a whole as well as formal models and non-formal approaches.
The interaction between energy and the environment is singularly complex, and "Models for Energy Policy" integrates physical, technical, economic and social concerns.

Water Scarcity and Sustainable Agriculture in Semiarid Environment: Tools, Strategies and Challenges for Woody Crops explores the complex relationship between water scarcity and climate change, agricultural water-use efficiency, crop-water stress management and modeling water scarcity in woody crops. Understanding these cause- and effect relationships and identifying the most appropriate responses are critical for sustainable crop production. The book focuses on Mediterranean environments to explain how to determine the most appropriate strategy and implement an effective plan; however, core concepts are translational to other regions. Informative for those working in agricultural water management, irrigation and drainage, crop physiology and sustainable agriculture.

This book presents a comprehensive method by which to determine the proportionate share of the costs and revenues generated by the development of new water, wastewater, and stormwater facilities. It presents a rational, legally defensible approach to assessing charges based on the use of new and existing facilities to support new system development. Written by a consultant who has helped hundreds of communities deal with how to pay for growth, the book is designed for all communities presently engaged in calculating and administering charges for new development, as well as those planning for future growth.