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Books > Earth & environment > The environment > Pollution & threats to the environment
In this study, an overview is presented of agricultural policies on manure and minerals, relating to the Nitrate Directive to remedy excessive surface- and groundwater contamination from intensive agricultural practices. Six countries belonging to the European Union were studied: the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. The policies and their legal incorporation were related to agricultural and environmental conditions in each country. In addition, an inventory was made of agricultural mineral poli cies in the United States and Canada. Conditions for livestock farming in North America differ considerably from those in Europe, but their solutions shed a different light on European policies. Research has shown that there are still very considerable mineral surpluses in many countries and regions. In both the Netherlands and in the Flemish part of Belgium, existing problems due to very high levels of manure production are structural rather than local and cannot easily be solved by transport of manure to other regions. To a lesser extent. Germany, Denmark and relatively small parts of France (Brittany) and the United Kingdom, still exceed the norms for an equilibrium fertilization. In Denmark, existing problems can probably be solved within the existing legislative framework. The Netherlands, Flanders. several German Lander (Nordrhein-Westfalen and Schleswig-Holstein) and Brittany."
During recent decades the stirring up of the processes of globalization practically in all spheres of present-day civilization activities has aggravated and brought forth numerous problems resulting from the nature-society (N-S) interaction. It has become apparent that to solve these problems it is necessary to develop new concepts and approaches to the interpretation of global environmental changes that would enable one to select the first-priority directions in studies and to reliably assess the state of the nature-society system (NSS). One of these priorities is to predict global climate change. The growing interest in the problem of global climate change, determined by its practical importance and by available contra dictory estimates of the anthropogenic contribution to climate change, necessitates a systematization of knowledge of and data on the observed climate change and causes of this change. Despite an enormous amount of projects and programmes of studies of past and present climatic trends, the problem of reliable prediction of future climate change remains far from being solved. Emissions to the atmosphere of greenhouse gases (GHGs), mainly carbon dioxide, is considered as one of the main causes of an expected climate warming resulting in sufficiently negative consequences for humankind. Therefore, an attempt has been made in this book to construct a formalized technology to assess the levelof the greenhouse effectdue to anthropogenic sources of carbon dioxide as well as the effects of other gas components."
This volume offers a comprehensive review of the chemical, biological and hydromorphological quality of the Danube. The first part examines the chemical pollution of surface waters, focusing on organic compounds (with special emphasis given to EU WFD priority substances and Danube River Basin specific pollutants), heavy metals and nutrients. Attention is also given to pollution of groundwater and drinking water resources by hazardous substances and to radioactivity in the Danube. The second part highlights the biology and hydromorphology of the Danube. It focuses on benthic macroinvertebrates, phytobenthos, macrophytes, fish, phytoplankton as well as microbiology, with chapters dedicated to gaps and uncertainties in the ecological status assessment and to invasive alien species. Further chapters dealing with the hydromorphology, sediment management and isotope hydrology complete the overall picture of the status of the Danube.
Among the chemical and physical processes involved in the transformation of pollutants between their sources and their ultimate deposition, those associated with clouds, aerosols and precipitation must be rated as the most difficult both to study and to understand. This book presents a variety of recent advances in this field, including the properties and composition of aerosol particles, chemical transformation and scavenging processes, the relationship between liquid-phase chemistry and cloud micro-physics, entrainment, evaporation and deposition, trends in high Alpine pollution, transport processes, and developments in instrumentation. This book is Volume 5 in the ten-volume series on Transport and Chemical Transformation of Pollutants in the Troposphere.
Scientific evidence clearly shows that chlorine and bromine compounds, such as CFCs, released into the atmosphere are responsible for continuous and progressive global ozone losses superimposed by dramatic seasonal ozone depletions first observed over Antarctica, now occurring over Arctic regions as well. Today substitutes are produced and emitted, some of which are highly reactive substances. This handbook volume deals with these reactive halogen compounds and their interactions. It provides a review on the present knowledge of their properties, applications, sources, sinks as well as international regulations.
and used in munitions. Rather the requirements for the agent's military effects took precedence. In addition, the interaction among the political, technical, and legal challenges connected with the known or possible risks posed by CW agents is complex and sometimes not well understood. This is usually because technical considerations, when acted on, are almost invariably informed by political ones, such as various legal requirements. The book contains nine chapters covering different aspects of the research on environmental consequences of war and its aftermath and covers in one additional chapter more general issues such as prevention of war and its environmental c- sequences, the legal, political, and technical background to selected environmental and human health effects of CW agents, and the atmospheric transport and depo- tion of persistent organic pollutants under warfare conditions to more specific ones related to two main tragic examples: the war in the Balkans and the Gulf War. Aspects of the war in the Balkans cover contamination by heavy metals in Serbian national parks, the impact of NATO strikes on the Danube river basin, and the problems associated with transuranium elements. The Gulf War in Kuwait covers other problems related to the impact of oil contamination, the impact on grou- water resources, and the soil damage of ground fortifications among other envir- mental and health problems.
The environmental impact of industrial waste is one of the most
serious challenges facing the chemical process industries. From a
focus on end-of-pipe treatment in the 1970s, chemical manufacturers
have increasinglyimplemented pollution prevention policies in which
pollutants are mitigated at the source or separated and recovered
and then reused or sold.
Climate change and other global environmental changes deserve attention by the the humanities - they are caused mainly by human attitudes and activities and feed back to human societies. Focussing on religion allows for analysis of various human modes of perception, action and thought in relation to global environmental change. On the one hand, religious organizations are aiming to become "greener"; on the other hand, some religious ideas and practices display fatalism towards impacts of climate change. What might be the fate of different religions in an ever-warming world? This book gathers recent research on functions of religion in climate change from theological, ethical, philosophical, anthropological, historical and earth system analytical perspectives. Charting the spread from regional case studies to global-scale syntheses, the authors demonstrate that world religions and indigenous belief systems are already responding in highly dynamic ways to ongoing and projected climate changes - in theory and practice, for better or for worse. The book establishes the research field "religion in climate change" and identifies avenues for future research across disciplines. >
The sixth EUROTRAC Symposium was held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, th st Gennany from 27 - 31 March 2000. Some 375 scientists from 28 different countries (from the USA to Uzbekistan) gathered together and contributed to a lively week. Symposium 2000 was the second Symposium of the second phase, EUROTRAC- 2 which is EUREKA environmental project number 1489, and also the ftrst one organised by the new team at the International Scientiftc Secretariat (ISS). We stayed with the tried and tested EUROTRAC format, giving ample time for poster sessions as well as side meetings and workshops. The invited talks, over 35 in all, contributed breadth and depth. The Symposium had the focal points of "Shaping the Future" and "Scientiftc Research and Environmental Policy". The "Highlights from the Subprojects" were well represented by a series of talks and of course by the ca 300 posters. Guest poster contributions added to the spectrum of scientiftc coverage. An innovation for 2000 is the publication of these Proceedings in a book containing the extended abstracts of the lectures and a companion CD-ROM with the extended abstracts of the posters as well as the lectures. The availability of the Proceedings on a CD will enable us to distribute them more widely.
The coast can no longer be left to nature to determine its fate. Wealth, property, economic interests, recreation, tourism and wildlife are all threatened. Coasts are an administrative battle ground and one of the most important and widely examined topics in environmental management. This volume examines the issues surrounding the human use and abuse of estuarine and coastal environments. Emphasizing the importance and significance of this natural resource, the uses and conflicts which occur and the results of human activity, this book explains the ways in which conservation and management policies and practices can protect this productive and diverse ecosystem. Examples and real-life case studies illustrate the effect of human intervention, both from an historic and contemporary perspective. Exposing the environmental consequences of estuarine pollution, Peter French highlights the need for management strategies to promote a sustainable development ethic for estuaries.
Following the success of the first edition, this pioneering study of pharmaceuticals in the environment has been updated and greatly extended. It includes the status of research on pharmaceuticals in soil, with attention to terrestrial and aquatic environments as well as new substance categories such as tetracylines and chinolones and the latest results concerning contamination of the environment and risk reduction.
This book discusses bioavailability concepts and methods, summarizing the current knowledge on bioavailability science, as well as possible pathways for integrating bioavailability into risk assessment and the regulation of organic chemicals. Divided into 5 parts, it begins with an overview of chemical distribution in soil and sediment, as well as the bioavailability and bioaccumulation of chemicals in plants, soil, invertebrates and vertebrates (including humans). It then focuses on the impact of sorption processes and reviews bioavailability measurement methods. The closing chapters discuss the impact of bioavailability studies on chemical risk assessment, and highlights further research needs. Written by a multi-disciplinary team of authors, it is an essential resource for scientists in academia and industry, students, as well as for authorities.
"Business, Ethics and the Environment" explores the public policy debate surrounding the issue of business and its role in environmental matters. Unlike other discussions on this subject, the major focus here is not the monetary cost/benefit of environmental protection, but instead, the ethical obligations businesses may have for protecting the environment. A variety of questions are addressed by the contributors, including: Are businesses obligated to protect the environment? Should private enterprises take an active and leading role in solving a national problem? Should the solution be entirely a matter of public policy, involving business only to the extent that businesses are bound by law? The work begins with a brief foreword by W. Michael Hoffman and an introduction by Robert Fredrick that outlines a framework for the debate and the major questions it entails. The essays are grouped in three separate sections, covering business and government interaction, public attitudes and involvement in environmental issues, and environmental problems and solutions. The first of these sections addresses a variety of topics and case studies, including hazardous waste management, low-level radioactive waste facilities, lessons from CPC regulation, and a Massachusetts solid waste dispute. The second section features a range of issues involving the public, such as the world-wide response to the environmental crisis, customers as environmentalists, and community-corporate conflict and the new environmentalism. Finally, the third section highlights such problems as the dolphin-tuna controversy, the use of animals by business, and international toxic waste trade. The work concludes with a comprehensive index. As a companion to "The Corporation, Ethics, and the Environment," this volume of essays will be an important resource for courses in business, public policy, and environmental issues, as well as a useful addition to business, academic, and public libraries.
This book reviews health hazards associated with wastewater use and water pollutants. Chapters present applications of green materials made of agricultural waste, activated carbon and magnetic materials for wastewater treatment. The removal of toxic metals using algal biomass and the removal of toxic dyes using chitosan composite materials are also discussed. The book includes reviews on the removal of phenols, pesticides, and on the use of ionic liquid-modified activated carbon for the treatment of textile wastewater.
The Handbook on Climate Change and Human Security is a landmark publication which links the complexities of climate change to the wellbeing and resilience of human populations.It is written in an engaging and accessible way but also conveys the state of the art on both climate change research and work into human security, utilizing both disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches. Organized around thematic sections, each chapter is written by an acknowledged expert in the field, and discusses the key concepts and evidence base for our current policy choices, and the dilemmas of international policy in the field. The Handbook is unique in addressing sophisticated ethical and moral questions as well as new information and data from different geographical regions. It is a timely volume that makes the case for acting wisely now to avert impending crises and global environmental problems. The Handbook is international in scope and provides an assessment that will be of value to academics, students and policy professionals alike. NGOs and policy institutes which need a grasp of the specificity and range of the issues and problems will also find this book insightful. Contributors: K. Bickerstaff, H.G. Brauch, S. Dalby, G. Edwards, G. Feola, D. Gasper, N.P. Gleditsch, M. Grasso, C.M. Hall, E. Hinton, C.D. Klose, M. Mason, R. Matthew, R. Nordas, M. Nuttall, U. Oswald Spring, M.R. Redclift, E. Remling, J. Ribot, J.T. Roberts, J. Scheffran, D. Simon, S. Srinivasan, S. Vanderheiden, E.E. Watson, C. Webersik
This book explores the relevance of Japanese ethics for the field of ethics of technology. It covers the theories of Japanese ethicists such as Nishida Kitaro, Watsuji Tetsuro, Imamichi Tomonobu, Yuasa Yasuo, as well as more contemporary ethicists, and explores their relevance for the analysis of energy technologies, ICT, robots, and geoengineering. It features contributions from Japanese scholars, and international scholars who have applied Japanese ethics to problems in the global condition. Technological development is considered to cause new ethical issues, such as genetically modified organisms fostering monocultures, nanotechnologies causing issues of privacy, as well as health and environmental issues, robotics raising issues about the meaning of humanity, and the risks of nuclear power, as witnessed in the Fukushima disaster. At the same time, technology embodies a hope for mankind, such as ICT improving relationships between human beings and nature, and smart systems assisting humans in leading a more ethical and environmentally friendly life. This book explores these ethical issues and their impact from a Japanese perspective.
International experts in the field of oil spill response, including reprsentatives from 26 NATO countries, participated in a workshop in Canada to discuss their experience in the development and application of current and emerging technologies for oil spill response in the marine environment. These presentations which form the basis of chapters in this book provide a practical viewpoint of methods used to deal with oil spills under the variety of environmental conditions found in the marine environment. In particular, focus is given to the evaluation of oil spill countermeasures for use under arctic conditions in light of anticipated regional increases in marine traffic (e.g. Northwest Passage) and industrial activities (e.g. offshore oil and gas exploration) in the future. This book provides a timely international perspective on applied research and development, technology transfer, and lessons learned from field trials and actual case studies associated with recent spill events. Topics include Preparedness/Contingency Planning, (Eco-terrorism); Oil Spill Fate and Transport (Environmental Persistence, Remote Sensing, modelling, Biodegradation), Biological Effects (Environmental Effects Monitoring and Environmental Risk Assessment); and Operational Response (Containment/Recovery Treating Agents, Shoreline Cleanup, In-situ Burning, Emerging Response Strategies). This book provides a synopsis as to the methods currently employed to deals with spills and an insight on future technologies under development. "
The poles undergo climate changes exceeding those in the rest of the world in terms of their speed and extent, and have a key role in modulating the climate of the Earth. Ecosystems adapted to polar environments are likely to become vulnerable to climate changes. Their responses allow us to analyse and foresee the impact of changes at lower latitudes. We need to increase our knowledge of the polar marine fauna of continental shelves, slopes and deep sea, as identifying the responses of species and communities is crucial to establishing efficient strategies against threats to biodiversity, using international and cross-disciplinary approaches. The IPY 2007-2009 was a scientific milestone. The outstanding contribution of Marine Biology is reflected in this volume and the next one on "Adaptation and Evolution in Marine Environments - The Impacts of Global Change on Biodiversity" from the series "From Pole to Pole", making these volumes a unique and invaluable component of the scientific outcome of the IPY.
The natural microporous materials include several types of minerals such as zeolites, clay minerals, micas, Fe-lMn- oxides/hydroxidesloxyhydroxides present in various geo- logical environments and soil formations. Their crystal structure is characterised by the presence of intra crystal micropores (channels or interlayer void spaces) providing high microporosity/surface area and distinguished physico-chemical properties such as cata- lytic and sorptivelion-exchange ones. This volume includes the key- lectures and participant contributions delivered at the NATO-funded Advanced Research Workshop on the Application of Natural Microporous Materials for Environmental Technology, which was held in the th Smolenice Castle, Slovakia, from the 2()1h to 30 of October 1998 and was attended by 55 participants from 17 countries. The purpose of the workshop was the critical assessment of the current developments and discussion of the future perspectives in the field of utilisation of natural microporous materials (zeolites, clays, oxides) for the solution of problems related to the toxic and nuclear waste management, water pollution control and decontamination, the environmental catalysis associated with atmospheric pollution, the creation of new materials for energy storage and agricultural management including the development of artificial soils for plant growth in the space. Of especial importance for this meeting was the exchange of information and know-how among specialists working in institutions of NATO and Cooperation Partner countries aiming towards the development of common strategies for the solution of environmental problems and the promotion of further scientific and technological collaboration in the field.
As it becomes clear that climate change is not easily within the boundaries of the 1990 s, society needs to be prepared and needs to anticipate future changes due to the uncertain changes in climate. So far, extensive research has been carried out on several issues including the coastal defence or shifting ecozones. However, the role spatial design and planning can play in adapting to climate change has not yet been focused on. This book illuminates the way adaptation to climate change is tackled in water management, ecology, coastal defence, the urban environment and energy. The question posed is how each sector can anticipate climate change by creating spatial designs and plans. The main message of this book is that spatial design and planning are a very useful tool in adapting to climate change. It offers an integral view on the issue, it is capable in dealing with uncertainties and it opens the way to creative and anticipative solutions. Dealing with adaptation to climate change requires a shift in mindset; from a technical rational way of thinking towards an integral proactive one. A new era in spatial design and planning looms on the horizon."
This book provides an introduction to the critical role of ecosystem-based disaster risk resilience (Eco-DRR) for building community resilience to multiple environmental risks such as rising heat, water stress, and pollution. Blue-green infrastructure (BGI) is an Eco-DRR tool that is an under-explored paradigm and can respond as one common strategy to targets set by the Sustainable Development Goals (UNDP), Climate Agreements (UNEP), the Sendai Framework (UNISDR), and the New Urban Agenda (UNCHS). Highlighted here in a systematic way is the importance of blue-green infrastructures in resilience building. The purpose is to introduce readers to the challenging context of development and opportunity creation for Eco-DRR. The roles of policy, scientific research, and implementation are presented cohesively. An attractive proposition of the book is a collection of case studies from different parts of the world where integration of BGI is experimented with at various levels of success. It envisages that shared tacit experiences from the realm of practice will further strengthen explicit knowledge. The focus in this book is on need and context building, policy and science (investigation, analysis, and design), case studies, and a road map for the future in four successive parts. Each part is self-sufficient yet linked to its predecessor, successor, or both, as the case may be.
Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology attempts to provide concise, critical reviews of timely advances, philosophy and significant areas of accomplished or needed endeavor in the total field of xenobiotics, in any segment of the environment, as well as toxicological implications.
Sustainable Automotive Energy System in China aims at identifying and addressing the key issues of automotive energy in China in a systematic way, covering demography, economics, technology and policy, based on systematic and in-depth, multidisciplinary and comprehensive studies. Five scenarios of China's automotive energy development are created to analyze the possible contributions in the fields of automotive energy, vehicle fuel economy improvement, electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles and the 2nd generation biofuel development. Thanks to this book, readers can gain a better understanding of the nature of China's automotive energy development and be informed about: 1) the current status of automotive energy consumption, vehicle technology development, automotive energy technology development and policy; 2) the future of automotive energy development, fuel consumption, propulsion technology penetration and automotive energy technology development, and 3) the pathways of sustainable automotive energy transformation in China, in particular, the technological and the policy-related options. This book is intended for researchers, engineers and graduates students in the low-carbon transportation and environmental protection field. China Automotive Energy Research Center (CAERC), Tsinghua University, established in 2008, is a university-wide interdisciplinary automotive energy research institution affiliated to Laboratory of Low Carbon Energy (LCE), Tsinghua University. More than 30 researchers are working at CAERC, including six full professors. CAERC's mission is to create and disseminate sustainable automotive energy knowledge, research and development of integrated automotive energy system assessment methodologies and models, and provide technological and policy options for sustainable automotive energy system transformation in China and the world.
This proceedings volume contains the invited and a selection of the contributed papers of the 8th International Workshop on Sulfur Metabolism in Higher Plants, which was held at Department of Forest and Ecosystem Science, University of Melbourne, Water Street, Creswick, Victoria 3363, Australia from November 22-27, 2010. Content of the volume shows that the understanding of sulfur metabolism in plants and the interaction of the environment are rapidly progressing. This volume covers various aspects of the regulation of sulfate uptake and assimilation in plants, from a cellular to a whole plant level, and additionally emphasizes interactions with other minerals. Moreover the significance of sulfur metabolism in biotic and abiotic stress responses, in food security and quality, and in relation to interactions with global change factors is discussed in detail.
The human footprint on the global environment now touches every corner of the world. This book explores the myriad ways that environmental archives can be used to study the distribution and long-term trajectories of chemical contaminants. The volume first focuses on reviews that examine the integrity of the historic record, including factors related to hydrology, post-depositional diffusion, and mixing processes. This is followed by a series of chapters dealing with the diverse archives and methodologies available for long-term studies of environmental pollution, such as the use of sediments, ice cores, sclerochronology, and museum specimens. |
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