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Books > Earth & environment > The environment > Pollution & threats to the environment
Proponents of globalization argue that it protects the global environment from degradation and promotes worldwide sustainable economic growth while opponents argue the exact opposite. Examining the local, national, and international impacts of globalization, the Handbook of Globalization and the Environment explores strategies and solutions that support healthy economic growth, protect the environment, and create a more equitable world. The book sets the stage with coverage of global environmental issues and policies. It explores international sustainable development, the evolution of global warming policy, transborder air pollution, desertification, space and the global environment, and human right to water. Building on this foundation, the editors discuss global environmental organizations and institutions with coverage of the UN's role in globalization, the trade-environment nexus, the emergence of NGOs, and an analysis of the state of global environmental knowledge and awareness from an international and comparative perspective. Emphasizing the effects of increasingly integrated global economy on the environment and society, the book examines environmental management and accountability. It addresses green procurement, provides an overview of U.S. environmental regulation and the current range of voluntary and mandatory pollution prevention mechanisms in use, explores a two-pronged approach to establishing a sustainable procurement model, and examines a collaborative community-based approach to environmental regulatory compliance. The book concludes with an analysis of controversial issues, such as eco-terrorism, North-South disputes, environmental justice, the promotion ofeconomic growth through globalization in less developed countries, and the ability of scientists to communicate ideas so that policy makers can use science in decision making.
As atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases continue to increase, so does the potential for atmospheric warming and associated climate change. In an effort to address the threat of global climate change, 155 countries signed the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. As of the first session of the Conference of the Parties, 128 nations had ratified the Convention. Among their other commitments, Parties to the Convention must develop and periodically update national inventories of net anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions using comparable methodologies, and must develop and implement national programs to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. To further the development of emission inventories and mitigation options within the African context, 64 governmental and non-governmental scientists and policy analysts from 23 nations gathered at a workshop near Johannesburg, South Africa from 29 May to 2 June 1995. The workshop focused on forestry, land-use change, and agriculture, because these sectors not only are responsible for the majority of emissions from the continent and provide promising opportunities for emissions mitigation, but also are a vital component of African economic growth and development. This book presents the workshop's major conclusions and findings, as well as individual papers that were prepared for the workshop, each of which was peer-reviewed and accepted for publication as part of the workshop process. The papers cover four areas: (1) issues are associated with data collection and emission factor determination; (2) problems associated with applying the IPCC inventory methodologies in Africa; (3) results of national inventory assessments in Africa; and (4) possible emissions mitigation options and methods for evaluating their potential viability. As the first book dedicated solely to greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation options in Africa, this will be an invaluable resource to scientists, policymakers, and development specialists interested in global climate change and Africa.
This unique book provides a multidisciplinary review of current, climate-change research projects at universities around the globe, offering perspectives from all of the natural and social sciences. Numerous universities worldwide pursue state-of-the-art research on climate change, focussing on mitigation of its effects as well as human adaptation to it. However, the 2015 Paris 21st Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (COP 21)" demonstrated that there is still much room for improvement in the role played by universities in international negotiations and decision-making on climate change. To date, few scientific meetings have provided multidisciplinary perspectives on climate change in which researchers across the natural and social sciences could come together to exchange research findings and discuss methods relating to climate change mitigation and adaption studies. As a result the published literature has also lacked a broad perspective. This book fills that gap and is of interest to all researchers and policy-makers concerned with global climate change regardless of their area of expertise.
This book presents up-to-date information on the status of water resources in India. It presents an assessment of the surface water and groundwater condition to help stakeholders take the necessary actions to control pollution and make the country's water resources sustainable. The book addresses various topics, including forest-water interactions for governing water quality at catchment scales, water quality status, rainwater harvesting methods, acid-mine drainage, water pollution, management strategies, drinking water quality, and treatment of industrial wastewater. Given its scope, the book offers a valuable tool for policy planners who wish to improve the current situation and move toward sustainable water resources in India.
Industrialized nations are facing a broad range of environmental restoration problems associated with contamination of surface-subsurface soils. Remedial action is assigned a high priority because of possibly dangerous drinking water contamination and non-compliance situations. Numerous technologies, both commercially available or in various stages of development, are examined. This book focuses on recent technological developments for environmental control and clean-up. The book acquaints scientists, government officials and managers with technical issues related to environmental restoration in case of contamination, including accidental pollution release.
The background This volume contains the proceedings of the first International symposium on "Non-C0 Greenhouse Gases: Why and How to 2 Control?" held in Maastricht, The Netherlands from 13-15 Decem ber 1993. Of the known greenhouse gases, political attention to date has been primarily focused on carbon dioxide (C0 ) and the 2 CFCs - the latter because of their interaction with stratospheric ozone. The other greenhouse gases, notably methane (CH ), nitrous 4 oxide (N 0), HCFCs, HFCs and tropospheric ozone and its precur 2 sors nitrogen oxides (NO), carbon monoxide (CO) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), may appear collectively to be of equal importance for global warming but have attracted less attention. Nevertheless, a comprehensive approach to climate change respon se, taking into account all sources and sinks of all greenhouse gases, is explicitly allowed in the Framework Convention on Clima te Change. The Netherlands' policy on climate already addresses all greenhouse gases. In order to stimulate the development of international climate policy on this subject, the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Physical Planning and Environment supported the initative of organizing an international symposium on the science and policy of the non-C0 greenhouse gases. An important rationale behind 2 this initative was recognizing that for the non-C0 greenhouse 2 gases, abatement options are available that do not only address other environmental problems but that also do not require the major structural changes in society that an effective CO policy 2 may."
This book offers multidisciplinary perspectives on renewable economies in the Arctic and how these are being supported scientifically, economically, socially, and politically by Arctic states. The economic development of the Arctic region is witnessing new, innovative trends which hold promise for the sustainable development of the region. This book discusses the emerging forms of renewable economies to understand where intellectual and technological innovations are being made. It draws on the expertise of scholars from across the Arctic and provides the reader with a foundation of knowledge to identify the unique challenges of the region and explore opportunities to unlock the immense potential of renewable resources to boost the region's economy. This book offers a holistic Arctic perspective against the backdrop of prevailing social, economic, and climatic challenges. With critical insights on the economic state of play and the role of renewable resources in the development of the Arctic region, this book will be a vital point of reference for Arctic scholars, communities, and policy makers.
From a new perspective, namely focusing on the interaction of selenium and mercury, this thesis provides new insights into traditional research on biogeochemical cycles of mercury in soil-plant interaction and associated human exposure and risks. The subject of this thesis is both valuable and timely, providing essential information not only on selenium-mercury interaction in the soil-plant system but also on how to assess the combined benefits and risk of co-exposure to mercury and selenium. This work also sheds light on future aspects regarding prevention, remediation and risk management for environmental mercury contamination. Presenting high-quality papers published in leading international SCI journals such as Environmental Health Perspectives and Environmental Science & Technology and having been recognized with the Special Award of Presidential Scholarship Award and Excellent Doctoral Dissertations Prize of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), this thesis offers a valuable resource for scientific communities, policy-makers and non-experts who are interested in this field. Dr. Hua Zhang works at the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Oslo, Norway.
The book provides a comprehensive overview of the hydrology of the Nile River, especially the ecohydrological degradation and challenges the basin is facing, the impact of climate change on water availability and the transboundary water management issues. The book includes analysis and approaches that will help provide different insights into the hydrology of this complex basin, which covers 11 countries and is home to over 300 million people. The need for water-sharing agreements that reflect the current situations of riparian countries and are based on equitable water- sharing principles is stressed in many chapters.This book explores water resource availability and quality and their trends in the basin, soil erosion and watershed degradation at different scales, water and health, land use and climate change impact, transboundary issues and water management, dams, reservoirs and lakes. The link between watershed and river water quantity and quality is discussed pointing out the importance of watershed protection for better water resource management, water accessibility, institutional set-up and policy, water demand and management. The book also presents the water sharing sticking points in relation to historical treaties and the emerging water demands of the upstream riparian countries. The need for collaboration and identification of common ground to resolve the transboundary water management issues and secure a win-win is also indicated. "
Political elites have been evading the causes of climate change through deceptive fixes. Their market-type instruments such as carbon trading aim to incentivise technological innovation which will supposedly decarbonize or replace dominant high-carbon systems. In practice this techno-market framework has perpetuated climate change and social injustices, thus provoking public controversy. Using this opportunity, social movements have counterposed low-carbon, resource-light, socially just alternatives. Such transformative mobilisations can fulfil the popular slogan, 'System Change Not Climate Change'. This book develops key critical concepts through case studies such as GM crops, biofuels, waste incineration and Green New Deal agendas.
The Geography of Nowhere traces America's evolution from a nation of Main Streets and coherent communities to a land where every place is like no place in particular, where the cities are dead zones and the countryside is a wasteland of cartoon architecture and parking lots. In elegant and often hilarious prose, Kunstler depicts our nation's evolution from the Pilgrim settlements to the modern auto suburb in all its ghastliness. The Geography of Nowhere tallies up the huge economic, social, and spiritual costs that America is paying for its car-crazed lifestyle. It is also a wake-up call for citizens to reinvent the places where we live and work, to build communities that are once again worthy of our affection. Kunstler proposes that by reviving civic art and civic life, we will rediscover public virtue and a new vision of the common good. "The future will require us to build better places," Kunstler says, "or the future will belong to other people in other societies."
Divided into four sections, this work presents the proceedings of an international symposium on monitoring of gaseous pollutants by tunable diode lasers. Focusing on atmospheric trace gas detection, the presentations demonstrate the impressive capabilities of the diode laser technique. Reports on IV-VI mid-infrared diode lasers stress those properties - radiation noise and emission linewidth - which are essential for application to ultra-high sensitivity pollution monitoring. Two reports on III-V systems emitting at wavelengths shorter than 3 mu-m show that the less severe cooling requirements can lead to more compact equipment which can be used to detect pollutants via overtone absorption bands. The presentations on IV-VI physics and devices stress the physical and technological aspects of mid-infrared diode lasers. Laterally structured diode lasers are discussed in detail. There is also extensive material which compares traditional AM and the more recent FM techniques. The reports on special applications point to new directions for research, thus rounding off an expert discussion of a vital research area.
Atmospheric pollution has many different detrimental impacts on air quality at urban, regional and global scales. Large volume photoreactors (often referred to as smog or simulation chambers) have been used very effectively to investigate and understand many varied aspects of atmospheric chemistry related to air pollution problems. Photochemical smog formation, which was first observed around 1945 in Los Angeles, is now a major environmental problem for all industrialised and densely populated regions of the world. Over the years many different modelling and experimental tools have been developed to analyse and simulate the complex chemical processes associated with tropspheric photooxidant formation. Work in environmental chambers has played a key role in the development of our understanding of the atmospheric chemistry associated with pollution problems on local, regional and global scales. Chamber observations have also been used in connection with environmental policy issues. In general they are used for validation of atmospheric chemical models, studies of chemical reaction mechanisms and as a direct means to test the possible impact of specific chemical compounds on air quality under simulated ambient conditions New large smog chamber installations have been recently developed in the US (Riverside, California), Europe (Julich, Germany) and Japan, and a large number of smaller scale laboratory chambers are in operation around the world. Over the years there have been numerous new technical developments related to environmental chamber facilities such as the design of the chambers (e. g."
This volume investigates the challenges facing the Egyptian Northern coastal lakes, focusing on the impact of climate change, their biodiversity and sustainable management. Presenting up-to-date research, it covers the following topics: climate change and water quality modeling and their impacts on the sustainability of the lakes; the economic role of the lakes; the use of remote sensing in monitoring; and the biodiversity of the lakes with detailed discussions. Further, management strategies for the sustainable development of these valuable resources are proposed to maintain the lakes sustainability. The book closes with a concise summary of the conclusions and recommendations presented in the preceding chapters. As such, it offers an invaluable resource for the academic community and postgraduate students, as well as for environmental managers and policymakers.
"Chemical Contamination and Its VictimS" is a comprehensive analytical study of three major problems surrounding chemical pollution: the medical and scientific aspects of chemical hazards; the legal responses to chemical intoxication; and the role of the insurance industry and federal mechanisms like the Superfund in matters related to chemical contamination. The contributors are united in their belief that reform is necessary in each of these areas if victims are to be appropriately compensated for the effects of increasingly frequent chemical pollution. The book begins by discussing medical and scientific advances in the field of chemical hazards. The contributors draw from the disciplines of toxicology, epidemiology, pathology, and environmental health to show the extent to which medicine is limited in dealing with chemical hazards and their human and environmental side-effects. A middle section, written by legal experts, defines toxic torts, explores the courts' responses to actions brought by chemical victims, and examines the less than satisfactory attempts of Congress to compensate these victims. In the final section, the contributors look at the three different insurance plans that carry the burden of compensating victims of environmental disasters. They conclude that the present systems neither adequately protect industry nor adequately compensate victims and that the federal government may need to play a more active role in ensuring that the polluter pays and equitable compensation is granted. Ideal as supplemental reading for courses in business law, environmental medicine, public health, and public policy, this book offers a cogent statement of the dimensions and dynamics of the chemical victims problem.
This volume, proceedings of a symposium on global warming and energy policy, explores two major environmental concerns that arise from fuel use: the prospect that the globe will become warmer as a result of emissions of carbon dioxide, and the effect upon health of the fine particles emitted as combustion products. In regards to the former, in the second half of the 20th century there were major increases in anthropogenic CO2 emissions, and it is generally agreed that these were responsible for an increase in CO2 concentrations. However, the relationship between global temperature and CO2 is unclear. It is known, though, that water vapor is a more important greenhouse gas than CO2 and that the concentrations of water vapor vary widely in time and space. It is generally believed that as temperature increases so does the water vapor, leading to further temperature increases. Some scientists agree with this model, and some disagree with it. This volume (a) outlines the situation of predicting temperature rise, (b) outlines the present situation on the effect of temperature on economic activity, (c) discusses what steps can be taken to clarify this situation, and (d) discusses what society might do while waiting for these steps to produce results. In regards to the effect of combustion products on health, the situation in this case is less global, although many parts of the world are affected. Depending on epidemiological study alone, it is hard to be sure about a risk caused by a substance unless it at least doubles the frequency of an outcome which occurs naturally. The scientific uncertainties, therefore, remain almost as large as those for global warming.
This book presents a new and innovative approach to understanding the dynamics of international climate change negotiations using India as a focal point. The authors consider India's negotiating position at multilateral climate negotiations and its focus on the notion of 'equity' and its new avatar 'climate justice'. This book delves into the media's representation of India as a rural economy, a rising industrial power, a developing country, a member of the 5 emerging economies (BRICS), and a country with severe resource security issues, in order to examine the diverse and at time divergent narratives on India's national identity in the context of policy formulation. Those researching such diverse fields as international development, politics, economics, climate change, and international law will find this book offers useful insights into the motivations and drivers of a nation's response to climate change imperatives.
single toxicant before it, yet one that has now been brought under effective control-at least in estuaries and the nearshore environment. The problem with TBT and its cause was first recognized in France, then in the United Kingdom and the United States of America; and in these and other countries legislation is now in place (see Abel, Chapter 2; Champ and Wade, Chapter 3), but in many countries the hazard is only now being identified. This volume has the important function of making available to all a summary of the results of work on TBT and the main conclusions. It will help to minimize the duplication of research and speed the introduction of legislation around the world to control organotin pollution. It is the more valuable because research on TBT has often been published in less accessible journals and symposium proceedings. This volume brings together accounts of these findings by the major contributors to the TBT story, providing the most comprehensive account to date. The TBT problem has proved to be instructive in a number of different ways beyond the bounds of the specific issue (Stebbing, 1985). Most important is that TBT can be seen as a challenge to monitoring systems for nearshore waters, by which it can be judged how effective monitoring has been in fulfilling its purpose, and what improvements should be made. Most instructive was the time it took to bring TBT under control.
Get cutting-edge agroforestry research and data Deforestation and the rampant use of fossil fuels are major contributors to increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide and are enormous influences on global warming. Agroforestry systems and tree plantations can help mitigate the resulting climate change and degradation of biodiversity and accelerating climate change. Environmental Services of Agroforestry Systems addresses these global concerns with an essential collection of presentations on biodiversity and climate change from the First World Congress in Agroforestry (Orlando, Florida, 2004). Respected experts discuss the latest research and data on how agroforestry systems can help solve environmental problems through carbon sequestration and biodiversity conservation. Years ago, agroforestry's environmental benefits were mainly seen as being soil amelioration, erosion control, microclimate control, and the alleviation of the effects of drought in semiarid areas. Environmental Services of Agroforestry Systems goes beyond the regional considerations of years past to focus on the challenges of today's most pressing global environmental concerns. The contributors describe the latest research and concepts in agroforestry systems, reforestation efforts, soils, vegetation, and agriculture while reviewing their economic aspects. Incentives for reforestation and agroforestry are explored in detail. Each chapter is carefully referenced and includes tables to clarify ideas and data. Environmental Services of Agroforestry Systems addresses: advantages of mixed-species plantations tropical pasture and silvo-pastoral systems tropical forest ecosystem management research on the economic feasibility of various land-use systems socio-economic considerations of coffee-growing ecosystems agroforestry systems in Costa Rica Environmental Services of Agroforestry Systems is essential reading for researchers and scientists, as well as professionals in agroforestry, forestry, soils, global change, climate change, and environmental studies, educators, and graduate and undergraduate students.
The book offers a review of the work of the Polish Research Group on selected topics of environmental magnetism: the application of magnetic methods to study pollution of outdoor and indoor air, street dust, polluted soil, air filters and indoor dust; the use of magnetic properties to study pedogenic processes in soils and soil structure; as well as deposition processes in recent sediments. The authors focus on detailed cases and provide in-depth explanations of the causes of and relations between physical processes. The examples of different studies demonstrate how to apply magnetometry to solve problems in related disciplines, how to better understand the complexity of the magnetic structure of substances and mediums as well as how to trace interactions between the environment and natural and anthropogenic factors.
Terrestrial carbon balance is uncertain at the regional and global scale. A significant source of variability in mid-latitude ecosystems is related to the timing and duration of phenological phases. Spring phenology, in particular, has disproportionate effects on the annual carbon balance. However, the traditional phenological indices that are based on leaf-out and flowering times of select indicator species are not universally amenable for predicting the temporal dynamics of ecosystem carbon and water exchange. Phenology of Ecosystem Processes evaluates current applications of traditional phenology in carbon and H2O cycle research, as well as the potential to identify phenological signals in ecosystem processes themselves. The book summarizes recent progress in the understanding of the seasonal dynamics of ecosystem carbon and H2O fluxes, the novel use of various methods (stable isotopes, time-series, forward and inverse modeling), and the implications for remote sensing and global carbon cycle modeling. Each chapter includes a literature review, in order to present the state-of-the-science in the field and enhance the book's usability as an educational aid, as well as a case study to exemplify the use and applicability of various methods. Chapters that apply a specific methodology summarize the successes and challenges of particular methods for quantifying the seasonal changes in ecosystem carbon, water and energy fluxes. The book will benefit global change researchers, modelers, and advanced students.
This volume discusses the general physics of debris flows and various approaches to modeling - including the SEGMENT-Landslide approach - as well as the pros and cons of these approaches and how other approaches are sub-sets of the SEGMENT-Landslide approach. In addition, this volume will systematically unify the concepts of vadose zone hydrology and geotechnical engineering, with special emphasis on quantifying ecosystem consequences of storm-triggered landslides in a warmer climate setting. The reader will find a comprehensive coverage of concepts ranging from hillslope hydrology, porous granular material rheology and the fundamentals of soil properties, to state-of-the-art concepts of enhanced hydrological cycle with climate warming and a discussion of new approaches for future research.
This book identifies four key forms of air pollution: indoor, urban, regional and global. It discusses how these four types of pollution are manifest in today's society and examines the scientific and policy challenges that stand in the way of progress. Written in a style that balances scientific underpinnings with accessible language, Pearson and Derwent examine the sources and historical context of air pollutants, before dedicating a chapter to each of the key forms. Armed with these basics, they begin to address the challenges faced by improving indoor, urban and regional air quality, whilst reducing global warming in the years ahead. This leads to a greater understanding of the challenges of global climate change, with new proposals for reducing global warming. However, the authors conclude that it is only when we have a scenario of reforestation combined with reductions in emissions of all greenhouse gases that real progress will be made in the fight against climate change. Then, air pollution will also be consigned to history. With a foreword written by Professor James Lovelock, this book will be of great interest to students and scholars of climate change and environmental policy, as well as air quality professionals working in this important field. |
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