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Books > Earth & environment > The environment > Management of land & natural resources
Originally published in 1994. The energy crisis of the 1970s provided an opportune climate for public sector entrepreneurship to develop. The authors present case studies from six innovative and diverse municipalities in Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden and the United States. The studies document problems these communities encountered while implementing new ideas in energy conservation and changes in energy supply and municipal planning. Each community was selected on the basis of its early, vigorous response to the energy crisis, and then followed up to examine roadblocks along the way to innovation in the public sector. The case studies highlight the challenges policy entrepreneurs face and the tactics they employ, revealing crucial differences between public and private sector entrepreneurship.
Originally published in 1988. In this clear yet stimulating introductory text John Soussan explores the issues and arguments involved using a variety of case studies from across the Third World, including the tin mining industry, Rio Tinto-Zinc and fuelwood in Kenya.
This book offers methods to improve energy access and support social and economic development through the appropriate and reliable design of isolated wind energy systems. The findings reported on wind based isolated power generation show that the proper match of turbine diameter and generator rating is vital, and is governed by the site wind resource and the load profile to be served. The methodology for sizing and selecting appropriate system parameters, taking into account the resource uncertainty, is demonstrated throughout the chapters of this monograph. Readers will discover information on the methodologies for modelling, design and optimization of the systems in terms of safety, functionality, longevity, and practicality. Details are provided on the design space of wind-battery systems, multiple wind generator systems, and wind-PV-battery hybrids to cover all the bases of isolated wind energy systems. This monograph aims to serve as a guide to system developers, manufacturers, and financing institutions on the design aspects of isolated wind energy systems.
Water is an essential element in the future of cities. It shapes cities' locations, form, ecology, prosperity and health. The changing nature of urbanisation, climate change, water scarcity, environmental values, globalisation and social justice mean that the models of provision of water services and infrastructure that have dominated for the past two centuries are increasingly infeasible. Conventional arrangements for understanding and managing water in cities are being subverted by a range of natural, technological, political, economic and social changes. The prognosis for water in cities remains unclear, and multiple visions and discourses are emerging to fill the space left by the certainty of nineteenth century urban water planning and engineering.This book documents a sample of those different trajectories, in terms of water transformations, option, services and politics. Water is a key element shaping urban form, economies and lifestyles, part of the ongoing transformation of cities. Cities are faced with a range of technical and policy options for future water systems. Water is an essential urban service, but models of provision remain highly contested with different visions for ownership of infrastructure, the scale of provision, and the level of service demanded by users. Water is a contentious political issue in the future of cities, serving different urban interests as power and water seem to flow in the same direction. Cities in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and South America provide case studies and emerging water challenges and responses. Comparison across different contexts demonstrates how the particular and the universal intersect in complex ways to generate new trajectories for urban water.
Originally published in 1964 and revised in 1971. This is an examination of the three principal factors which influence energy production and consumption, and the associated trade in fuel and power: market, transport and politics. Topics discussed include the economics of oil pipelines and tankers; the location of electricity generation and of gas manufacture, inter-fuel competition, and national and international energy policies.
This comprehensive collection of previously published material traces the development of thought and research on land use and urban policy over the past 100 years. Through carefully selected readings, Environment, Land Use and Urban Policy charts the evolution of modern urban planning, the development of public health and the survival of the city. Key papers on planning theory and modelling form the heart of the collection together with the debates over rationality, the scientific method, social organization, Marxism and the politics of planning.
Originally published in 1989. This book presents the situation regarding energy provision and policy in developing countries. It looks at Enhanced Oil Recovery, Hydropower and small energy packages suitable for rural areas including renewable energies and the various needs and systems affected such as water pumping and telecommunications. Each section is broken down into salient issues and information is provided on environmental issues, socioeconomic issues, costs and limitatioons and what is considered the state-of-the-art in each area. The final section offers a view of the application of computing technology in energy planning.
This book provides current information on coal, oil shale, and uranium resources in Colorado, as well as on the potential impact of the technology associated with their development and utilization for the production of energy.
Scarcity of water, floods and erosion caused by climate change have made the management of water resources a challenge to national and international actors worldwide. States have also initiated water projects to improve social welfare, often with significant impacts on the environment. This book combines close analysis of the legal structures of water rights with consideration of the modes of water management projects to illustrate current water-related problems in terms of practical solutions in a global context. The book begins by surveying the current categories of water-related rights to clarify the role of public and private law in water allocation. Many important watercourses cross state borders, so the book pays close attention to transboundary water management including the legal and economic approaches of the European Union. Human rights and participation are also shown to play an increasingly important role in terms of both law and financing of water projects. Case studies illustrate the development of practical strategies for environmentally friendly and socially acceptable solutions, notably through the concept of adaptive water management. This book will appeal to academics in environmental law, as well as researchers and project groups in organisations dealing with water management and human rights. Contributors include: N. Bankes, A. Belinskij, H. Coetzee, E. Couzens, M. Couzens, D. Curran, L. Dai, D. Fisher, E.J. Hollo, I. Kornfeld, L. Kotze, T. Kuokkanen, S. Mascher, E.N. Nyanchaga, M. Onestini, T. Paloniitty, M. Reese, B. Schmidt, M. van Rijswick, P. Vihervuori
This book is a primer for those interested in a career in this dynamic, multidisciplinary field as well as a handy reference for practicing consultants. Combining theory and practice advice into a concise, readable format, the book is an accessible introduction to the types of projects you will encounter as an environmental consultant and lays the groundwork for what you'll need to know in this challenging and rewarding profession. Also available with this book, under the Additional Resources tab, are PowerPoint lectures that correspond with each chapter. New in the Second Edition Covers the latest environmental issues, including emerging contaminants, and the latest technological advances in environmental investigation and remediation New chapters dedicated to vapor intrusion investigation and mitigation and to Brownfields redevelopment and project financing. An expanded chapter describing the staffing, budgeting, and execution of environmental projects. Descriptions of the remediation processes under RCRA and Superfund Descriptions on how each chapter's subject matter applies to the job of the environmental consultant. Dozens of new figures, photographs, and tables designed to enhance the reader's understanding of the subject matter. Problems and questions to be used for homework assignments or classroom discussions.
On Petrocultures brings together key essays by Imre Szeman, a leading scholar in the field of energy humanities and a critical voice in debates about globalization and neoliberalism. Szeman's most important and influential essays, in dialog with exciting new pieces written for the book, investigate ever-evolving circuits of power in the contemporary world, as manifested in struggles over space and belonging, redefinitions of work and individual autonomy, and the deep links between energy use and climate change. These essays explore life lived in the twenty-first century by examining critically the vocabulary through which capitalism makes sense of itself, focusing on concepts like the nation, globalization, neoliberalism, creativity, and entrepreneurship. At the heart of the volume is the concept of "petrocultures," which demands that we understand a fundamental fact of modern life: we are shaped by and through fossil fuels. Szeman argues that we cannot take steps to address global warming without fundamentally changing social, cultural, and political norms and expectations developed in conjunction with the energy riches of the past century. On Petrocultures maps the significant challenge of our dependence on fossil fuels and probes ways that we might begin to leave petrocultures behind.
This book assesses the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) and identifies lessons learned for governance and policy through this new and innovative approach to collaborative forest management. Unlike anything else in US public land management, the CFLRP is a nationwide program that requires collaboration throughout the life of national forest restoration projects, joining agency partners and local stakeholder groups in a kind of decade-long restoration marriage. This book provides a comprehensive assessment of the governance dynamics of the program, examining: questions about collaborative governance processes and the dynamics of trust, accountability and capacity; how scientific information is used in making decisions and integrated into adaptive management processes; and the topic of collaboration through implementation, an underdeveloped area of collaborative governance literature. Bringing together chapters from a community of social science and policy researchers who have conducted studies across multiple CFLRP projects, this volume generates insights, not just about the program, but also about dynamics that are central to collaborative and landscape approaches to land management and relevant for broader practice. This volume is a timely and important contribution to environmental governance scholarship. It will be of interest to researchers and students of natural resource management, environmental governance, and forestry, as well as practitioners and policy makers involved in forest and ecosystem restoration efforts, and collaborative natural resource management more broadly.
In an era of climate change, the need to manage our water resources effectively for future generations has become an increasingly significant challenge. Indigenous management practices have been successfully used to manage inland water systems around the world for thousands of years, and Indigenous people have been calling for a greater role in the management of water resources. As First Peoples and as holders of important knowledge of sustainable water management practices, they regard themselves as custodians and rights holders, deserving of a meaningful role in decision-making. This book argues that a key (albeit not the only) means of ensuring appropriate participation in decision-making about water management is for such participation to be legislatively mandated. To this end, the book draws on case studies in Australia and New Zealand in order to elaborate the legislative tools necessary to ensure Indigenous participation, consultation and representation in the water management landscape.
At least fifty years of projects aimed at the rural poor in Africa have had very little impact. Up to half of the children of these countries are still suffering from stunting and malnutrition. Soil degradation and poor crop yields are ubiquitous. Projects are almost always aimed at helping local people to solve their problems by growing for the market. In some countries, projects link poor villagers into cooperatives to produce a commercial output. In other countries, projects target more competent entrepreneurial villagers. Almost all these projects fail after several years. Even those that are successful make few inroads into the problems. While the slogan 'feeding the farmers first' comes from the Philippines, it is particularly applicable to much of Africa, where household food security can come from household production. This book explains how projects can be designed that increase food security through subsistence production. Focusing on particular people and projects, it gives a sociological analysis of why this is so difficult to manage. This book challenges the models promoted by academics in the field of development studies and argues against the strategies adopted by most donor organizations and government bodies.It explains why commercial projects have been so ubiquitous even though they rarely work. It gives practical tips on how to set up villages and farms to achieve sustainable solutions that also provide plenty of nutritious food. The book is written to be accessible and engaging. For anyone planning to work in the rural areas of Africa, this book is required reading.
How are different concepts of nature and time embedded into human practices of landscape and environmental management? And how can temporalities that entwine past, present and future help us deal with challenges on the ground? In a time of uncertainty and climate change, how much can we hold onto ideals of nature rooted in a pristine and stable past? The Scandinavian and Australian perspectives in this book throw fresh light on these questions and explore new possibilities and challenges in uncertain and changing landscapes of the future. This book presents examples from farmers, gardens and Indigenous communities, among others, and shows that many people and communities are already actively engaging with environmental change and uncertainty. The book is structured around four themes; environmental futures, mobile natures, indigenous and colonial legacies, heritage and management. Part I includes important contributions towards contemporary environmental management debates, yet the chapters in this section also show how the legacy of older landscapes forms part of the active production of future ones. Part II examines the challenges of living with mobile natures, as it is acknowledged that environments, natures and people do not stand still. An important dimension of the heritage and contemporary politics of Australia, Sweden and Norway is the presence of indigenous peoples. As is clear in part III, the legacies of the colonial past both haunt and energise contemporary land management decisions. Finally, part IV demonstrates how the history and heritage of landscapes, including human activities in those landscapes, are entwined with contemporary environmental management. The rich empirical content of the chapters exposes the diversity of meanings, practices, and ways of being in nature that can be derived from cultural environmental research in different disciplines. The everyday engagements between people, nature and temporalities provide important creative resources with which to meet future challenges.
The chapters in this volume are peer reviewed editions of the papers presented at the 7th meeting of the Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy which was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina on November 15-17, 2010. The theme for Forum VII was Water for the Americas: Challenges and Opportunities. This Forum was unique in examining the water problems of the Americas and identifying water management experience gleaned in other parts of the world that might be useful in addressing the problems of the Americas. The sessions illustrated how the water problems of the Americas are common problems, differing only in degree from basin to basin. There was unanimity among the participants about the need for all inhabitants of the Americas to work together to ensure that everyone has access to adequate quantities of healthy water supplies and to appropriate sanitation services. This volume's approach is to identify different responses and policies that address common issues and learn from contrasts and experiences. The value and potential that this approach affords is that it provides critical judgments about what has worked well and what needs to be done to gain a better future for the Americas' water resources and society. Some issues covered in the volume are so pressing and urgent, chief among them is serving the unserved, that any delays putting out new facilities in many a rural areas of Central America may cost lives and reduce the outlook for children. Additionally, the volume makes clear that the outlook for the poorest and the future of hundreds of growing cities are threatened by climate change. This book looks into the future by analyzing present and relevant data and gains insight from the different developmental stages of the hemisphere.
The contemporary state is not only the main force behind environmental change, but the reactions to environmental problems have played a crucial role in the modernisation of the state apparatus, especially because of its mediatory role. The Political Ecology of the State is the first book to critically assess the philosophical basis of environmental statehood and regulation, addressing the emergence and evolution of environmental regulation from the early twentieth century to the more recent phase of ecological modernisation and the neoliberalisation of nature. The state is understood as the result of permanent socionatural interactions and multiple forms of contestation, from a critical politico-ecological approach. This book examines the tension between pro- and anti-commons tendencies that have permeated the organisation and failures of the environmental responses put forward by the state. It provides a reinterpretation of the achievements and failures of mainstream environmental policies and regulation, and offers a review of the main philosophical influences behind different periods of environmental statehood and regulation. It sets out an agenda for going beyond conventional state regulation and grassroots dealings with the state, and as such redefines the environmental apparatus of the state.
The Millennium Development Goals, adopted at the UN Millennium Summit in 2000, are the world's targets for dramatically reducing extreme poverty in its many dimensions by 2015 income poverty, hunger, disease, exclusion, lack of infrastructure and shelter while promoting gender equality, education, health and environmental sustainability. These bold goals can be met in all parts of the world if nations follow through on their commitments to work together to meet them. Achieving the Millennium Development Goals offers the prospect of a more secure, just, and prosperous world for all. The UN Millennium Project was commissioned by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to develop a practical plan of action to meet the Millennium Development Goals. As an independent advisory body directed by Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, the UN Millennium Project submitted its recommendations to the UN Secretary General in January 2005. The core of the UN Millennium Project's work has been carried out by 10 thematic Task Forces comprising more than 250 experts from around the world, including scientists, development practitioners, parliamentarians, policymakers, and representatives from civil society, UN agencies, the World Bank, the IMF, and the private sector. In this report the UN Millennium Project Task Force on Water and Sanitation outlines the bold yet practical actions that are needed to increase access to water and sanitation. The report underscores the need to focus on the global sanitation crisis, which contributes to the death of 3900 children each day, improve domestic water supply, and invest in integrated development and management of water resources, all of which are necessary for countries to reduce poverty and hunger, improve health, advance gender equality and ensure environmental sustainability. Implementing the recommendations of this report will allow all countries to halve the proportion of people without access to safe water and sanitation by 2015
This book covers diverse environmental issues such as climate change; biodiversity preservation; prevention of air, water, and soil pollution; and resource recycling. Readers can acquire these four practical interdisciplinary abilities: 1. knowledge; 2. technology; 3. evaluation; and 4. strategy in the diverse issues related to the environment. These abilities are fundamental to identifying the core essence of economic and ecological interdependence, to look at and analyze problems from an overarching perspective, and to consider countermeasures to be taken. Each chapter of this book corresponds to a lecture in the East Asia Environmental Strategist Training Program at Kyushu University and is excellent reading as a sourcebook.
First published in 1992. In 1972, the UN Conference on the Human Environment initiated the process of world environmental cooperation. This study is about GEMS (the Global Environment Monitoring System) which the Conference recommended be set up to generate data and information necessary for worldwide environmental assessment. This book examines the genesis and evolution of GEMS, and the complex task involved in establishing GEMS and making it perform its functions. It relates GEMS to the factors which have shaped the international environmental agenda and cooperation since 1972. In particular, it highlights North-South differences and the problems inherent in the international organizations belonging to the UN system, vis-a-vis the novel and multifaceted challenges involved in dealing with systemic, cross-sectoral nature of global environmental problems. The lessons of GEMS and other issues presented in this book are highly relevant to the continuing efforts to set up effective programmes for 'earthwatching' and to promote international environmental cooperation. They also relate more broadly to the challenges of managing global interdependence and to the need to devise supporting organizational structures through reform and strengthening of the UN system. The comprehensive nature of the political and institutional analyses presented in this book make it an academic reference work of lasting value. Its frank tone and willingness to derive prescriptive conclusions will appeal in particular to the many actors engaged in the processes and structures of global multilateral cooperation. The book will be of special use to those interested in environmental issues and international organization
Combining the ethical clarity of Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals with the disquieting vision of Alan Weissman's bestseller The World Without Us, a thought-provoking, entertaining exploration of a future where animal consumption is a thing of the past. Though increasing numbers of people know that eating meat is detrimental to our planet's health, many still can't be convinced to give up eating meat. But how can we change behavior when common arguments and information aren't working? Acclaimed anthropologist Roanne Van Voorst changes the dialogue. In Once Upon a Time We Ate Animals, she shifts the focus from the present looking forward to the future looking back-imagining a world in which most no longer use animals for food, clothing, or other items. By shifting the viewpoint, she offers a clear and compelling vision of what it means to live in a world without meat. A massive shift is already taking place-everything van Voorst covers in this book has already been invented and is being used today by individuals and small organizations worldwide. Hopeful and persuasive, Once Upon a Time We Ate Animals offers a tantalizing vision of what is not only possible but perhaps inevitable.
This comprehensive Handbook explores the role that economics plays in water resource use, management, and policy. The contributors cover a continuum of topics that individually and jointly represent the state of the art of water economics.Leading scholars demonstrate ways in which economic theory, tools, and analyses have been used to address a variety of water-related issues over the years and, subsequently, to create better-informed policy and management decisions. Acknowledging and building upon the seminal research related to water economics, this book offers a current and provocative exploration of a variety of topics, including: the role of institutions in developing sound water policy and water sustainability extraction, production, and use of surface water, groundwater, and recycled water, including the conjunctive use of these resources the use of water in industrial, residential, agricultural, and hydropower sectors as well as for the environment and ecosystems the role of experimental economics; methods to address climate change effects and adaptation; developments in the field of nonmarket valuation; approaches to nonpoint source pollution control and salinity pollution; issues related to water in the developing world; water and economic growth; and management of international water. The Handbook of Water Economics will prove to be an enlightening, thought-provoking, and practical read for PhD students, researchers in water economics and management, water-related agency staff, and professionals interested in water-related economic issues at the local, state, national, and international levels. Contributors: E. Ansink, K.A. Baerenklau, E.B. Barbier, R. Bark, H. Bejarano, K. Burnett, R.T. Carson, J. Connor, O.G. Davila, A. Dinar, D.P. Dupont, B. Franklin, R.Q. Grafton, K. Hansen, F. Hernandez-Sancho, H. Houba, B.H. Hurd, W.K. Jaeger, P.-O. Johansson, S. Kaplan, V. Kerry Smith, K.C. Knapp, P. Koundouri, B. Kristroem, A. Loch, M. Molinos-Senante, S.K. Pattanayak, S. Pongkijvorasin, S. Renzetti, J. Roumasset, K. Schwabe, J. Shortle, V.K.Smith, D. Squires, Y. Tsur, C.A. Wada, J. Wang, F.A. Ward, S.A. Wheeler, D. Whittington, M.-Q. (Kent) Zhao, D. Zilberman
This book examines India's transboundary river water disputes with its South Asian riparian neighbours - Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. It explores the history of disputes and cooperation over the transboundary river water in this region as well as discusses current disputes and future concerns. It analyses how and why existing transboundary river water sharing treaties between India and its South Asian riparian neighbours are confronted with challenges. The book indicates that India's transboundary river water disputes with its South Asian riparian neighbours are likely to escalate in coming years due to the widening of the demand-supply gap in the respective countries. It further shows the impact of bilateral relations on the resolution of transboundary river water disputes, even as cordial relationships do not always guarantee the absence of river water disputes between riparian states. The book looks at some key questions: How political are India's transboundary rivers water disputes in South Asia? Why do the roots of India's river water disputes with Bangladesh and Pakistan lie in the partition of the British India in 1947? Why are there reservations against India's hydroelectricity projects or allegations of water theft? Is it possible to resolve transboundary river water disputes among these South Asian countries? This book will greatly interest scholars and researchers working in the areas of river management, environmental politics, transnationalism, water resources, politics and international relations, security studies, peace and conflict studies, geopolitics, development studies, governance and public administration, and South Asian studies in addition to policymakers and journalists.
Indoor Air Quality: The Latest Sampling and Analytical Methods, Third Edition is a practical, user-friendly guide to the identification and assessment of the indoor air contaminants that contribute to building-related illness in commercial buildings, institutions, and residences. It covers the basic concepts of indoor air quality assessment, including its historic evolution. The book describes the most common substances encountered in an indoor air quality investigation, their health effects, and their occurrence in the environment. Drawing from the author's experience, observations, and extensive research, this easy-to-read guide provides readers with a working knowledge of the latest approaches to sampling protocols and cutting-edge trends as well as suggested sampling strategies, helpful experience related tips, and a means for interpreting results. Additionally, in the later part of the book, there is considerable discussion of failure modes of building materials and systems-sources of many indoor air quality problems! This third edition details up-to-date strategies and analytical methods and addresses some of the more recent, as well as less common, concerns on indoor air pollutants. All chapters in the third edition have been updated to adhere to the more recent developments in indoor air quality. Also a new chapter on the illusive data and sampling approaches on ozone has been added. New in the Third Edition Revised and updated standards and guidelines Updated U.S. EPA NAAQS Updated LEEDv4 Standard Updated ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 189.1 Latest approaches to sampling and analytical methods Expanded discussion on controversial inhalable airborne particulate sampling methods Updated and expanded tables and data Updated and expanded figures and schematics Inclusion of a new chapter on ozone
This book undertakes a scholarly assessment of the state of the art of law and policy perspectives on groundwater and climate change at the international, regional and national levels. A particular focus is given to India, which is the largest user of groundwater in the world, and where groundwater is the primary source of water for domestic and agricultural uses. The extremely rapid rise in groundwater use in many Indian states has led to a growing groundwater crisis that they must address. The existing regulatory framework has not adapted to the challenges and fails to address any environmental concerns. On climate change, India has adopted a policy framework that makes the link with water, but no legislation has followed up to make the link operational. The subject matter of this book has been widely debated with regard to each of its main two components separately. Bringing these two domains together is what makes this book unique. The link between climate change and groundwater has been acknowledged to some extent, and there is growing interest in studying the impacts of climate change on (ground)water. Similarly, in water and environmental law and policy, increasing attention has been given to the study of climate change and groundwater legal and policy frameworks but generally separately. This book contributes to filling this knowledge gap by drawing on contributions from leading experts in the field of environmental and water law and policy who have been involved in climate change and/or groundwater research. The chapters in this book were originally published in a special issue of Water International. |
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