This book investigates the main vegetable biomass types, their chemical characteristics and their potential to replace oil as raw material for the chemical industry, according to the principles of green chemistry. Authors from different scientific and technical backgrounds, from industry and academia, give an overview of the state of the art and ongoing developments. Aspects including bioeconomy, biorefineries, renewable chemistry and sustainability are also considered, given their relevance in this context. Furthermore, the book reviews green chemistry principles and their relation to biomass, while also exploring the main processes for converting biomass into bioproducts. The need to develop renewable feedstock for the chemical industry to replace oil has been identified as a major strategic challenge for the 21st century. In this context, the use of different types of vegetable biomass - starch, lignocellulosic, oleaginous, saccharide and algae - can be seen as a viable alternative to the use of non-renewable, more expensive raw materials. Furthermore, it offers a model for adding economic value to the agro industrial chains such as soybean, sugarcane, corn and forests, among others. This will in turn contribute to the sustainability of a wide range of chemicals, mainly organics and their transformation processes, which are widely used by modern society.

A new economic theory, rather than a new public policy based on old theory, is needed to guide humanity toward sustainability. Institutions are a critical dimension of sustainability and sustainable forest management, and economic analysis of institutional dimension requires an inclusionist rather than an exclusionist approach. This book provides a systematic critique of neoclassical economic approaches and their limitations with respect to sustainability. Leading institutional economists discuss theoretical perspectives about appropriate institutions for sustainable forest management, markets for environmental services, deforestation and specialization, and some country experiences about Kyoto Protocol, international trade, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable forest management in general. The book includes the ideas from old as well as new institutional economics and discusses the main features of Post-Newtonian economics.

Arid-semiarid regions have suffered from sharp conflicts among water resource utilization, mining, and the environmental protection. Sustainable development in these regions requires a close coordination between economy, society and the environment. Based on systematic hydrogeological investigations, laboratory and in-situ tests, and application of innovative methodologies including theoretical analysis modeling and prediction to study water resource distribution (including surface water, groundwater, mine water and coal mine domestic water) in mining areas, this dissertation provides detailed analysis of the current situation and trend of water uses in domestic supply, agriculture and industry. It evaluates the status development and utilization, evolution trend, exploitation and utilization potential of water resources in Shen-Dong Coal Mine area, one of China's extra-large coal bases. Incorporated with the long and intermediate terms' development strategies of this area, the dissertation lays out a scientific allocation scheme of water resources in different hydrological years and proposes a planning mode of water resources development and utilization and a technical scheme for comprehensive water resources utilization to provide technical supports for the optimal allocation, rational exploitation, comprehensive utilization and scientific management of water resources. This dissertation is one of the best in Chang'an University because of the volume of reliable data, defensible scientific analysis, and world significance of the research results.

This book puts great emphasis on the importance of Integrated Water Resources Management IWRM as the way forward towards food, water, and energy security. It offers better ways and means of managing the limited water resources; using water more efficiently; adopting new policies in order to cope with climate change and drought; increase water supply through the use of non conventional water resources, especially waste water; inducing stakeholders participation and information exchange and raise public awareness to the value of water. It is an important book for all those involved in all aspects of water resources and contains valuable information for scientists, researchers, farmers, extension services and students.

Containing papers presented at the 7th International Conference on Energy and Sustainability, this volume includes collaborative research between different disciplines, including materials, energy networks, new energy resources, storage solutions, waste to energy systems, smart grids and many other related subjects. Energy production and distribution matters as well as the need to respond to the modern world's dependency on conventional fuels are topics of growing importance. The use of fossil fuels has generated an increasing amount of interest in renewable energy resources and the search for maintainable energy policies. Energy policies and management are of primary importance to achieve the development of sustainability and need to be consistent with recent advances in energy production and distribution. Challenges lie as much in the conversion from renewable energies such as wind and solar to useful forms like electricity, heat and fuel at an acceptable cost (including environmental damage) as in the integration of these resources into an existing infrastructure. A range of topics are covered, including: Energy Management; Energy Efficiency; Green Buildings; Energy and Transport; Biomass and Biofuels; Environment and Energy: Connection and Opportunities; Renewable Energy Sources; Waste to Energy; CO2 Capturing and Management; Case Studies; Processing of Oil and Gas.

Recent assessment of progress in coastal management at the national level shows an impressive growth of efforts after the 1992 Earth Summit, particularly in Europe and the Mediterranean. This book contains regional surveys of coastal management progress in Europe and the Mediterranean since 1992, discussion regional trends, development sin decision making, and cooperative activities. It then goes on to assess national progress towards coastal management, including the development of national coastal management systems, efforts at coordinated planning and management, and the development and use of environmental codes of practice. It then examines selected priority issues in the Northern Adriatic: economic integration and regional economic development, international scientific and technological cooperation in marine affairs and coastal tourism. Finally, the book covers the use of GIS in coastal environments and coastal engineering, the role played by scientific information in coastal policy, and the importance of free trade agreements.

This book provides a comprehensive discussion of the public policy and management issues that are encountered in the regulation of infrastructure and utilities. Drawing from theoretical arguments and several case studies, the book is divided into three parts, namely devising regulation, installing regulation, and making regulation work. The first part covers theories of regulation, regulatory policies, strategies and tools, and regulatory reforms. The second part deals with the politics of regulation and regulatory capacity. The third part discusses regulatory commitment and investments, the performance of regulated industries, and the design of regulatory systems. Case studies pay attention to various sectors (including water, electricity, telecommunications, highways, railways, district heating, and airports) from countries in every region of the world. ; ;

This edited volume provides a variety of insights into the context in which ocean and wetlands policy is placed at the sub-continental level. The governments of Mexico, Canada, and United States of America have recognized the importance of conserving, protecting, and enhancing the environment in their territories. As a result, they have developed an institutional structure aimed at furthering environmental cooperation. However, marine environment has played a secondary role, characterized by scientific cooperation that does not develop into regional policies. This project analyzes how ocean and wetlands preservation is omitted from the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation, meaning that collaborative efforts under-perform or remain largely sidelined from mainstream issues. As contributors come from a mix of the social and natural sciences (politics, international relations, law studies, sociology, oceanology, and oceanography), this book presents diverse viewpoints on how to address wetlands protection, deep ocean research collaboration, and the marine context of the Sustainable Development Goals.

These proceedings of a NATO Advanced Research Workshop on "Environmental Reconstruction in Headwater Areas" provide a landmark in the evolution of a distinctive movement, perhaps an emerging new philosophy, within the practice of headwater management. The Headwater Control movement traces its history back to the First International Conference on Headwater Control, Prague, 1989. Throughout this brief history, Headwater Control has remained a typical environment movement 'ad hocracy'. At its meetings, for every convert to the multidisciplinary, integrative, practical, interventionist, and above-all 'green' ideals of the group, there have been several delegates who have found the whole concept both new and slightly incomprehensible. One reason for this has been the Headwater Control practice of trying to bring together scientists, practitioners, policy-makers and non-government environmentalist organisations. The group's larger meetings have always been federal gatherings. Sponsorship has been shared with invited participation from associations representing hydrological science, soil conservation, erosion control, forestry, environmental activism and so forth. These delegations may have included fellow travellers in the work to protect headwater environments, but their main concerns have not necessarily coincided with the Headwater Control group's prescriptions for the environmental regeneration of headwater regions. The Liberec Workshop, whose proceedings are distilled into this volume, provided a first opportunity for the scattered supporters of Headwater Control to talk among themselves and fmd out to what degree there really is a shared vision of the way forward in headwater management, restoration and protection.

leading to an overall decrease in the world's forest cover. The forests of Asia, in particular, have been strongly impacted. A number of initiatives have suggested forest policy reforms, and the need for the sustainable management of forests has been widely recognized and encouraged. But because implementation of reforms at the local level has been insufficient, it is imperative that local people begin to effectively participate in forest planning and management as well as in protected-area management. The Forest Conservation Project, launched in April 1998 by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), has carried out research activities on forest strategies, including policy analysis and on-site surveys. This book gives an overview of the project's research activities in its first three-year phase (April1998-March 2001). Since viable forest strategies work best when based on the involvement of local people, this report is addressed to stakeholders in the communities of the relevant countries, including local people and authorities, community-based organizations, experts, national agencies, and international institutions.

After the sovjet era and since their independence the new Central Asian countries are rebuilding a system of water resources management: an important challenge for the development of the whole region. The NATO workshop held on 25-27 August 2003 by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, Germany and the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Science, attended by experts from five Central Asian countries, Russia, six Western European countries, the US and the UNEP offered water engineers and nature scientists as well as economic and political scientists and practitioners from water administrations and international river commissions to meet in Novosibirsk and develop sustainable approaches in the management of Central Asian water resources. This book presents important aspects of transboundary water resources, i.e. the global water crisis: problems and perspectives; regional experiences in solving water problems in Central Asia; problems and management of transboundary water resources; ecological and economic aspects of water management; scientific analysis and tools of water changes; strategic implications of water access arisen during the workshop. A final recommendation in the area of equitable sharing of benefits, monitoring and data collection as well as proposals for Central Asia transboundary waters programme were set in the book as the main result of the meeting.

This book describes a pathway for sustainable phosphorus management via the Global Transdisciplinary Processes for Sustainable Phosphorus Management project (Global TraPs). Global TraPs is a multi-stakeholder forum in which scientists from a variety of disciplines join with key actors in practice to jointly identify critical questions and to articulate what new knowledge, technologies and policy processes are needed to ensure that future phosphorus use is sustainable, improves food security and environmental quality and provides benefits for the poor. The book offers insight into economic scarcity and identifies options to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impacts of anthropogenic phosphorus flows at all stages of the supply and use chain.

This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This volume presents an Empirical Model of Global Climate developed by the authors and uses that model to show that global warming will likely remain below 2C, relative to preindustrial, throughout this century provided: a) both the unconditional and conditional Paris INDC commitments are followed; b) the emission reductions needed to achieve the Paris INDCs are carried forward to 2060 and beyond. The first section of the book provides a short overview of Earth's climate system, describing and contrasting climatic changes throughout the planet's history and anthropogenic changes post-Industrial Revolution. The second section describes the climate model developed by the authors (Canty et al., Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2013) and contrasts the model with climate models used in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2013 Report. Chapter 3 examines both the unconditional (i.e., firm commitments) and conditional Paris INDCs (commitments contingent on financial flow and/or technology transfer) through the lens of their climate model and concludes that if all of the Paris INDCs are followed, then they are indeed a beacon of hope for Earth's climate. The fourth part of the book offers a perspective of energy needs and subsequent emissions reductions required to meet the Paris temperature goals, illuminating challenges faced both in the developing world and the developed world. Throughout the book, easy-to-understand charts and graphics illustrate concepts. The scientific basis of Chapters 2 and 3 was first presented in a keynote session of the 96th Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society in January, 2016.

by Peter J. Roussopoulos, Director, Southern Research Station The world and its ecosystems are repeatedly punctuated by natural disturbances, and human societies must learn to manage this reality Often severe and unp- dictable, dynamic natural forces disrupt human welfare and alter the structure and composition of natural systems Over the past century, land management ag- cies within the United States have relied on science to improve the sustainable management of natural resources Forest economics research can help advance this scientifc basis by integrating knowledge of forest disturbance processes with their economic causes and consequences As the twenty-frst century unfolds, people increasingly seek the goods and services provided by forest ecosystems, not only for wood supply, clean water, and leisure pursuits, but also to establish residential communities that are removed from the hustle and bustle of urban life As vividly demonstrated during the past few years, Santa Ana winds can blow wildfres down from the mountains of California, incinerating homes as readily as vegetation in the canyons below Hurricanes can fatten large swaths of forest land, while associated foods create havoc for urban and rural residents alike Less dramatic, but more insidious, trees and forest stands are succumbing to exotic insects and diseases, causing economic losses to private property values (including timber) as well as scenic and recreation values As human demands on public and private forests expand, science-based solutions need to be identifed so that social needs can be balanced with the vagaries of forest disturbance processes

The authors describe the status of water resource use and water quality in Canada, the US and Mexico at the start of the third millenium. The book summarizes future water use and supply projections, plus the primary challenges currently facing water resource managers. The analysis regarding resource projections and management needs are derived from government reports and position papers published by private resource advocacy organizations. The report is organized to provide general information about North America, its water management infrastructure, water use by sector, water quality, and future infrastructure needs.

Global trends such as urbanization, demographic and climate change that are currently underway pose serious challenges to sustainable development and integrated resources management. The complex relations between demands, resource availability and quality and financial and physical constraints can be addressed by knowledge based policies and reform of professional practice. The nexus approach recognizes the urgent need for this knowledge and its interpretation in a policy- relevant setting that is guided by the understanding that there is a lack of blueprints for development based on integrated management of water, soil and waste resources in the Member States. Generation and application of knowledge is both a priority for individual but also institutional capacity development.

Sustainable development and rural policies have pursued strategies where farming has been often regarded as a factor deteriorating the ecosystem. But the current economic, social and environmental problems of the Earth probably call for examples of a positive integration between human society and nature. This research work presents more than a hundred case studies where the historical relationships between man and nature have generated, not deterioration, but cultural, environmental, social and economic values. The results show that is not only the economic face of globalization that is negatively affecting the landscape, but also inappropriate environmental policies. The CBD-UNESCO program on biocultural diversity, the FAO Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems and several projects of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations, as well as European rural policies acknowledge the importance of cultural values associated to landscape. This research intends to support these efforts.

This book highlights the application of nature-based algorithms in natural resource management. The book includes the methodologies to apply what natural flora or fauna do to optimize their survival. The same technique was used to optimize renewable energy generation from water resources, maximization of profit from crop harvesting, forest resource management and decision-making studies. These studies can be used as an example for finding solutions of the other maximization or minimization problems which are common in natural resource management.

This book examines in detail key aspects of sustainability in the textile industry, especially environmental, social and economic sustainability in the textiles and clothing sector. It highlights the various faces and facets of sustainability and their implications for textiles and the clothing sector.

"The Global Water System in the Anthropocene "provides the platform to present global and regional perspectives of world-wide experiences on the responses of water management to global change in order to address issues such as variability in supply, increasing demands for water, environmental flows and land use change. It helps to build links between science and policy and practice in the area of water resources management and governance, relates institutional and technological innovations and identifies in which ways research can assist policy and practice in the field of sustainable freshwater management.Until the industrial revolution, human beings and their activities played an insignificant role influencing the dynamics of the Earth system, the sum of our planet s interacting physical, chemical, and biological processes. Today, humankind even exceeds nature in terms of changing the biosphere and affecting all other facets of Earth system functioning. A growing number of scientists argue that humanity has entered a new geological epoch that needs a corresponding name: the Anthropocene.Human activities impact the global water system as part of the Earth system and change the way water moves around the globe like never before. Thus, managing freshwater use wisely in the planetary water cycle has become a key challenge to reach global environmental sustainability."

On the eve of the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD), held in autumn 2002 in Johannesburg, South Africa, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan recommended five specific areas as focal points of discussion for the global forum: Water, energy, health, agriculture and biodiversity. In his address, "Towards a Sustainable Future," delivered just four months before the WSSD, Secretary General Annan contended that concrete progress in each of these areas, often referred to by their acronym WEHAB, would be key to improving the quality of life not only in the developing world but across the globe. For most people, I think it is fair to say that the inclusion of biodiversity in a list that focuses on basic human needs may not be self-evident. Water, energy, health and agriculture, yes. But why biodiversity? The truth is that biodiversity is just as critical to global well-being as water, energy, agriculture and health. This is because biodiversity both drives and shapes nature's intricate and dynamic structure in an enduring form and force that enables both current and future generations to enjoy its bounty.

This book provides an in-depth analysis of the wheat production developments in the Eurasian region and assesses the potential contribution of the region to domestic and international food security. In particular, the book covers policy and institutional developments of the agricultural sector in Eurasia with a special focus on the horizontal issues relevant to the current and future potential growth of the wheat production, such as land policy, credit and finance, privatization, farm restructuring, and environmental challenges. Global food security is a major societal concern in the light of an increasing population, which is projected to grow from around seven billion today to almost 10 billion in 2050. Two most likely ways to achieve the much needed food production growth are: expansion of land cultivation or increase in crop yields and total factor productivity. The only region with a significant amount of uncultivated arable land that is at the same time experiencing rising agricultural productivity is the "Eurasian wheat belt," comprising of Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and the Central Asian countries (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Kirgizstan). This makes the region a potential hotspot for driving the future growth of global agriculture. Such prospects require a detailed investigation of Eurasia's future perspectives in terms of food production (with a focus on wheat) and its potential contribution to regional and global food security.

This book constitutes a pioneering and unique work on Lake Victoria. It is the world 's second largest fresh-water lake and supports the livelihood of more than 30 million people. Surprisingly, there has been no comprehensive book addressing its problems and potentials. Ecology, environmental pollution and resource management are some of the issues addressed by this comprehensive insight into the limitations, challenges and opportunities facing Lake Victoria.

Water is the source of life and the building block of all civilisation. The control of water has shaped politics, health, population growth, city planning, technology and religion. Controlling water has driven progress, through the growth of intensive farming and industrial revolution. It has also become a symbol of our civilisation - evidence that we have mastered nature.From the hanging gardens of Babylon and the ancient myth of the Nile to the fountains in Las Vegas, water is the one constant. We are fed by irrigated fields, live in plumbed cities, and turn on a tap without a moment's thought. Yet, this simple technology that underpins everything is at bursting point. There are too many people for the available water, and war may follow. How did we get here, and what can we do about it?