The rapid thriving of industries, conversion of agricultural land to residential areas, habitat destruction, deforestation and use of recalcitrant synthetic substances enhanced the rate of degradation of the environment. Although there are various conventional techniques for degradation and cleaning of noxious pollutants from disturbed environs, they are energy inefficient and costly to install. Bioremediation has emerged recently as an alternative and novel approach to manage and control environmental pollutants. This volume focuses explicitly on the remediation of noxious substances in stressed environs. It includes expert-contributed chapters on bio-monitoring by way of evaluating the relationship of biota with the polluted/stressed environs, sustainable plant-based degradation of noxious pollutants, and the application of biotechnologies to achieve tailored responses. Academicians, researchers, scientists and students will find this work essential for sustainable treatment of noxious pollutants. This book also serves as a core guide for training, teaching and research in conservation biology and environmental rehabilitation.

This book offers a meditation on global justice and international political and legal theory. The author assesses positions in the current debate over the moral nature and limits of sovereignty. He also evaluates the normative role sovereignty ought to play in the practical deliberations of states. The discussion moves from theory to practice. Coverage starts with a conceptual analysis and moral critique. It then goes on to consider specific issues. These include global climate change, secession and self-determination, human rights, global distributive justice, and immigration. Readers will learn how states ought to deliberate about and respond to these important topics. They will also discover potential institutional structures better suited to resolving these issues while also respecting state sovereignty. In working through each specific challenge, the author provides insight into how we ought to think about challenges facing the international community and the potential for properly constructed institutions to function as solutions. These analyses also provide a valuable critical lens to assess the actions (and omissions) of our leaders. In the end, the book argues that domestic governments and regional bodies should be responsible for implementing the chosen course of action. This would provide a basis for holding political leaders more accountable.

John Scott develops, describes, and uses new primary data about US industrial firms' research and development (R&D) investments to create innovative products and processes that provide goods and services without the by-product of pollution. New knowledge about environmental R&D is provided by original surveys of industry from 1993 and 2001. The R&D and other firm data are juxtaposed with US Census industry data and with US Environmental Protection Agency data about industrial toxic releases. This book presents hypothesis tests that provide evidence supporting the use of public policies - described in the book - to stimulate industry to use its creative powers to improve environmental performance. Economists and policy makers in the areas of industrial organization, technological change, the economics of R&D and the environment including policy toward R&D and technology; as well as corporate officers of R&D and environmental affairs will find this volume indispensable.

Global climate change cannot be understood without knowing the fundamental principles of science, economics, and politics that condition our policy choices. To that end, the contributors to this volume, experts in their respective fields, take a comprehensive look at the major issues involved. This volume is written for policymakers and informed citizenry who want to understand at a general level the complexities of global climate change without becoming enmeshed in technical minutia. The introduction emphasizes the core fact that climate change issues cut across disciplines. William Schlesinger and Gerald North explain the carbon cycle and how increased greenhouse gases impact temperature. The economics papers deal with the applicability of benefit/cost analysis and then proceed to examine the benefits of avoiding temperature change versus the costs of the various CO2 abatement options. Finally, David Victor, a Stanford political scientist, asks which policies are feasible in a world where the incentives differ dramatically among countries. The book closes with open letters to the President of the United States. Policymakers along with academics, students and any reader interested in a broad look at the important issues in the global climate change story will find this book indispensable.

The Kyoto Protocol has singularly failed to shape international environmental policy-making in the way that the earlier Montreal protocol did. Whereas Montreal placed reliance on the force of science and moralistic injunctions to save the planet, and successfully determined the international response to climate change, Kyoto has proved significantly more problematic. International Environmental Policy considers why this is the case. The authors contend that such arguments on this occasion proved inadequate to the task, not just because the core issues of the Kyoto process were subject to more powerful and conflicting interests than previously, and the science too uncertain, but because the science and moral arguments themselves remained too weak. They argue that 'global warming' is a failing policy construct because it has served to benefit limited but undeclared interests that were sustained by green beliefs rather than robust scientific knowledge. This highly topical book takes a frank look at the political motivations that underpin the global warming debate, and will appeal to political scientists and energy policy analysts as well as anyone with an interest in the future of the environment and in the policies we create to protect it.

This volume discusses how environmental pollutants are involved in the pathogenesis of neurological disorders, and covers specific mechanisms and risk factors, as well as the necessary strategies to reduce the adverse impacts of environmental pollutants on the human nervous system. With a collection of contributions from experts in environmental pollution, neurology and pharmaceutical chemistry, the book provides both an introduction to the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration, including the types and different classes of neurological disorders, and studies demonstrating the clear link between environmental contaminants (e.g. pesticides, smoking, mycotoxins, persistent organic pollutants (POP's), polychlorinated biphenyls, phthalates, nanomaterials) and the development of neurological disorders in vulnerable populations. The book fills in a gap in research on the topic by also covering state-of-the-art treatment strategies and mitigation measures for each type of pollutant. The book will be of interest to environmental scientists, pharmacologists, toxicologists, biochemists, biotechnologists, and food and drug regulatory organizations.

Bringing together scholars from across the globe, this timely book astutely untangles the climate-food web and critically explores the nexus between climate change, agriculture and law, upon which food security and climate resilient development depends. Focusing through the lens of various domestic and international legal systems, this book addresses conceptual notions such as 'systems thinking' and climate change governance, as well as practical matters such as payments for ecosystem services and government subsidies for biofuels. Concerning itself with the vulnerability and resilience of both people and agro-ecosystems, it shows how climate action can yield high returns for agriculture as the primary source of economic activity for poor populations. Far reaching, this book also explores under-researched areas, including the linkages between invasive species law, climate change and agricultural law and the underlying dynamics of agroecosystem vulnerability. Assessing the strengths and weaknesses in existing agricultural laws and policies, it assesses new and innovative tools for addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation in the agricultural sector, before laying out a future research agenda. Scholars in the fields of climate change law, land use and agricultural law will find this key publication essential reading, as will practitioners desiring a deeper understanding of the agriculture and climate change nexus. Contributors include: R.W. Adler, M.J. Angelo, R.M. Bratspies, A. Cosby, L.H. Gunderson, C. Haberli, K.H. Hirokawa, A. Kennedy, R. Kibugi, E. Le Gal, P. Martin, M. Nowlin, A. Odoemene, J.P. Pietrafesa , P.A. Pietrafesa, J.B. Ruhl, S. Sauer, E. Spiegel, J. Verschuuren

Global warming is widely considered to be one of the most serious environmental problems for current and future generations. Moreover, the apparent failure of the Kyoto Protocol to effect a meaningful reduction in greenhouse gas emissions has increased the importance of economic research into new ways to control global warming. In this exhaustive study, the authors break new ground by integrating cutting edge insights on global warming from three different perspectives: game theory, cost-effectiveness analysis and public choice. For each perspective the authors provide an overview of important results, discuss the theoretical consistency of the models and assumptions, highlight the practical problems which are not yet captured by theory and explore the different applications to the various problems encountered in global warming. They demonstrate how each perspective has its own merits and weaknesses, and advocate an integrated approach as the best way forward. They also propose a research agenda for the future which encompasses the three methods to create a powerful tool for the analysis and resolution of global pollution problems. Surveying a large amount of literature and providing plentiful examples of potential applications, this extensive book combines three branches of economic research on global warming into one accessible volume. It will be widely read by students and scholars in environmental courses, environmental and resource economists, and those working in governmental and non-governmental organisations concerned with international environmental problems.

This book reviews principles, techniques and applications of metal, metal oxides, metal sulfides and metal-organic frameworks for removal and degradation of pollutants. Natural materials are often much more advanced than synthetic materials in terms of circularity and are functional, often biodegradable, recyclable and generate little waste. They are, therefore, a source of inspiration for new synthetic materials. In particular, recent research has focused on various types of functional materials such as organic, inorganic, nanostructured and composites for the remediation of environmental pollution.

This book presents the latest research on plant phenolics, offering readers a detailed, yet comprehensive account of their role in sustainable agriculture. It covers a diverse range of topics, including extraction processes; the role of plant phenolics in growth and development; plant physiology; post-harvesting technologies; food preservation; environmental, biotic and abiotic stress; as well as nutrition and health. Further the book provides readers with an up-to-date review of this dynamic field and sets the direction for future research. Based on the authors' extensive experience and written in an engaging style, this highly readable book will appeal to scholars from various disciplines. Bringing together work from leading international researchers, it is also a valuable reference resource for academics, researchers, students and teachers wanting to gain insights into the role of plant phenolics in sustainable agriculture.

This book provides in-situ phytoremediation strategies that are particularly well suited for developing nations. Its goal is to promote the use of field-tested phytoremediation methods for removing soil and water pollutants from agricultural, industrial, military, and municipal sources. These strategies include using algae and a variety of aquatic and terrestrial plants. The book subsequently discusses the use of crops and native plants for phytoremediation, and how phytoremediation efforts impact the rhizosphere. After having finished the book, readers will be able to directly adapt the strategies described here for their specific purposes.

In this thoughtful and original book, social scientist Olivier Godard considers the ways in which arguments of justice cling to international efforts to address global climate change. Proposals made by governments, experts and NGOs as well as concepts and arguments born of moral and political philosophy are introduced and critically examined. Godard contributes to this important debate by showing why global climate justice is still controversial, despite it being a key issue of our times. Godard first points out the huge differences between the foundations of conflicting proposals, for instance between a cosmopolitan viewpoint and an international one. He then explores controversies over climate justice proposals and provides a rigorous criticism of those based on historical responsibility. Finally, he demonstrates how issues of justice are reconfigured by instrumental regimes of coordination, such as a global carbon market. Inspired by the French school of justification, this book shines an insightful light on the failure of climate change debates to develop a convincing standard moral and political theory. Including elements from systems theory, economics and law, this book will be of interest to scholars and students of moral and political philosophy, economics and social sciences, as well as experts working on climate negotiations and concerned stakeholders.

This is an extraordinary book that tackles the requirement, as laid down in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, to save our climate for future generations. By approaching this requirement from various angles (international law, human rights, ethics, economics, etc.), Lawrence achieved a unique result: he succeeded in turning a vague aspirational norm into concrete actions that need to be taken by us today.' - Jonathan Verschuuren, Tilburg Sustainability Center and Tilburg Law School, The NetherlandsJustice for Future Generations breaks new ground by discussing what ethical obligations current generations have towards future generations in addressing the threat of climate change and how such obligations should be embodied in international law. Peter Lawrence uses an interdisciplinary approach, involving discourse theory, international relations theory, and philosophical concepts of ethics and justice to inform discussion of international law. Recent political science theories are used to show why the current global climate change treaties are so weak in addressing intergenerational justice concerns. The book draws on contemporary theories of justice to develop a number of principles used to critique the existing global climate change treaties. These principles are also used as a blueprint for suggestions on how to develop a much-needed global treaty on climate change. The approach is pragmatic in that the justice-ethics argument rests on widely shared values. Moreover, the book is informed by the author's extensive experience in the negotiation of global environmental treaties as an Australian diplomat. With its interdisciplinary approach and focus on intergenerational justice, this detailed study will be of particular interest to academics and policymakers in international environmental law and climate law, as well as to those in international law with an interest in ethics and justice issues. Contents: 1. Introduction: The Climate Change Problem and Solutions Part 1: Theory 2. The Basis of an Obligation Towards Future Generations in Justice and Ethics in the Context of Climate Change 3. Content of Justice-based Obligations Towards Future Generations in the Context of Climate Change Part II: International Law and Politics 4. Current International Law, Intergenerational Justice and Climate Change 5. International Human Rights Law, Intergenerational Justice and Climate Change 6. Climate Change Discources and Intergenerational Justice Part III: The Way Forward and Conclusion 7. The Way Forward - Incorporating Intergenerational Justice Principles into International Climate Law 8. Conclusion Bibliography Index

This book provides a comprehensive overview of Ireland's response to the climate crisis. The contributions, written by leading scholars across a range of disciplines in the social sciences, humanities and beyond, shed light on diverse aspects of the climate crisis, the factors shaping Ireland's response, and prospects for the future. Long regarded as a 'climate laggard', Ireland's response to the urgent societal challenge of climate change has seen new momentum in recent times. The volume will serve as a key reference point for academics, students, policymakers, and a wide range of stakeholders. It will be of interest to readers within Ireland, as well as further afield, who wish to gain a deeper understanding of the constraints on, and opportunities for, successful climate action in Ireland.

In recent decades, scientific insight into the chemistry of water has increased enormously, leading to the development of advanced wastewater and water purification technologies. However, the quality of freshwater resources has continually deteriorated worldwide, both in industrialized and developing countries. Although traditional wastewater technologies focus on the removal of suspended solids, nutrients and bacteria, hundreds of organic pollutants occur in wastewater and urban surface waters. These new pollutants are synthetic or naturally occurring chemicals that are not often monitored in the environment but have the potential to enter the environment and cause known or suspected adverse ecological and / or human health effects. Collectively referred to as the "emerging contaminants," they are mostly derived from domestic use and occur in trace concentrations ranging from pico to micrograms per liter. Environmental contaminants are resistant to conventional wastewater treatment processes and most of them remain unaffected, leading to the contamination of the receiving water. As such, there is a need for advanced wastewater treatment process that is capable of removing environmental contaminants to ensure safe fresh water supplies. This book explains the biological and chemical wastewater treatment technologies. The biological wastewater treatment processes presented include: (1) bioremediation of wastewater such as aerobic and anaerobic treatment; (2) phytoremediation of wastewater using engineered wetlands, rhizofiltration, rhizodegradation, phytodegradation, phytoaccumulation, phytotransformation and hyperaccumulators; and (3) mycoremediation of wastewater. The chemical wastewater treatment processes discussed include chemical precipitation, ion exchange, neutralization, adsorption and disinfection. In addition, the book describes wastewater treatment plants in terms of plant size, layout and design as well as installation location. Also presenting the latest, innovative effluent water treatment processes, it is a valuable resource for biochemical and wastewater treatment engineers, environmental scientists and environmental microbiologists.

This book provides a comprehensive, systematic overview of original theoretical, experimental, and numerical studies in the building services engineering domain. It brings together different strands of the topic, guided by the two key features of energy savings and reduction of the pollutant emissions. Technical, economic, and energy efficiency aspects related to the design, modelling, optimisation, and operation of diverse building services systems are explored. This book includes various theoretical studies, numerical and optimisation models, experiments, and applications in this field, giving an emphasis to: indoor environment quality assurance; energy analysis, modelling, and optimisation of heating systems; improving the energy performance of refrigeration and air-conditioning systems; valorising the solar and geothermal energies; analysis of thermal energy storage technologies; hydraulic simulation and optimisation of water distribution systems; and improving the energy efficiency of water pumping. With 11 pedagogically structured chapters, containing numerous illustrations, tables, and examples, this book provides researchers, lecturers, engineers, and graduate students with a thorough guide to building service engineering.

This book reviews the latest water quality protection and water resources development strategies in Algeria. It covers topics such as the assessment and prediction of water quality, salt-water intrusion, treatment of wastewater for reuse, and desalination as an alternative source of water. The methods presented in this book can also be applied in other regions with similar climate conditions. Together with the companion volume Water Resources in Algeria - Part I: Assessment of Surface and Groundwater Resources, this book provides researchers with essential reference material on tools and techniques for water quality assessment, treatment, reuse, desalination, protection, and development, and offers a valuable resource for engineers, graduate students and policymakers who are interested in sustainable water resources.

This book consists of select peer-reviewed papers from the International Conference on Sustainable Environmental Engineering and Science (SEES) 2019. The main focus of the book is to propose sustainable technologies to address the growing environmental challenges. The contents cover several topics of relevance such as air pollution, solid waste management, wastewater treatment, industrial pollution, and suggests eco-friendly and cost-effective techniques to tackle them. Given the range of topics covered, the book will be useful to researchers and professionals working in the multidisciplinary area of sustainability.

Our realisation of how profoundly glaciers and ice sheets respond to climate change and impact sea level and the environment has propelled their study to the forefront of Earth system science. Aspects of this multidisciplinary endeavour now constitute major areas of research. This book is named after the international summer school held annually in the beautiful alpine village of Karthaus, Northern Italy, and consists of twenty chapters based on lectures from the school. They cover theory, methods, and observations, and introduce readers to essential glaciological topics such as ice-flow dynamics, polar meteorology, mass balance, ice-core analysis, paleoclimatology, remote sensing and geophysical methods, glacial isostatic adjustment, modern and past glacial fluctuations, and ice sheet reconstruction. The chapters were written by thirty-four contributing authors who are leading international authorities in their fields. The book can be used as a graduate-level textbook for a university course, and as a valuable reference guide for practising glaciologists and climate scientists.

In Iran, climate change combined with low adaptation capacity has an unparalleled impact on eco-systems as well as human livelihoods. The Roodasht region, in the lower part of the Zayandeh Rud basin in Central Iran, is severely affected by water scarcity, desertification and land degradation. This book describes the effects this has on the environment and society, analyzes the degree of vulnerability and suggests possible ways to improve land and water management. This book provides comprehensive and interdisciplinary insights into the environmental and social situation in the region, as well as possible solutions to deal with the current challenges. Written by German and Iranian scientists, NGO staff and government officials and bridging the gap between research and practical implementation, the book not only enhances our understanding of climate change and desertification, but also raises public awareness and promotes knowledge transfer between disciplines.

This book reviews the current status of water resources management in Central Asian countries, and outlines the history, policies and cross-border cooperation regarding water resources management in the region. Particular attention is paid to the evolution of water resources management in Central Asia, past and future water transfer projects, specific problems concerning water use and pollution, and national approaches to water management in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, as well as to related conflicts between the Central Asian countries. Together with the companion volumes on Water Resources in Central Asia: International Context and Water Bodies and Climate Change in Central Asia, it offers a valuable source of information for a broad readership, from students and scientists interested in the environmental sciences, to policymakers and practitioners working in the fields of water resources policy and management, international relations, and environmental issues.

With the rapid increase of world population, the global water shortage is set to be the major crises of the twenty-first century; that is, population dynamics (growth, age distribution, urbanization and migration) create pressures on freshwater resources due to the increased water demands and pollution. Moreover, water resources management faces a new uncertainty- i.e. the potential for longer-term and more persistent climate change nowadays, which, in coming years, may significantly affect the availability of supply and patterns of water demand. This book mainly focuses on the impact of climate change and human activities on water quality and water resources in Asia Countries. It begins by describing the characteristics of water related disasters in the world. Then, the book analyzes the changes of floods and associated socio-economic damages for whole China over the last century, and assesses water quality and pollution source for the Yangtze River Basin, suggesting water-related disasters would become more intense, longer lasting, and/or more frequent in a future warmer climate. Then, after investigating spatiotemporal trends and causes of water quality and water quality incidents (Chapter 4) and precipitation extreme events (Chapter 5) in Japan, subsequent two chapters mainly evaluate the climate and human impacts on precipitation variations, water quality and water resources in the Hokkaido area. The final chapter comprehensively analyzes climate change impacts on water resources in the Aral Sea Basin, and then estimate the water requirements and water deficits for irrigation, future agricultural yields of seven major crops, and land and water productivity in four provinces of Turkmenistan considering climate change, population growth, and three socio-economic development scenarios. All results obtained from this book may provide a means to reduce water quality incidents and mitigate future negative impacts by adapting water management. Furthermore, the improved methods for water quality modeling in data scarce regions are transferable to other study areas and applicable in future research.