This multi-disciplinary book presents the most recent advances in exergy, energy, and environmental issues. Volume 1 focuses on fundamentals in the field and covers current problems, future needs, and prospects in the area of energy and environment from researchers worldwide. Based on some selected lectures from the Eleventh International Exergy, Energy and Environmental Symposium (IEEES-11) and complemented by further invited contributions, this comprehensive set of contributions promote the exchange of new ideas and techniques in energy conversion and conservation in order to exchange best practices in "energetic efficiency." Included are fundamental and historical coverage of the green transportation and sustainable mobility sectors, especially regarding the development of sustainable technologies for thermal comforts and green transportation vehicles. Furthermore, contributions on renewable and sustainable energy sources, strategies for energy production, and the carbon-free society constitute an important part of this book.

The textile industry is among the most significant polluters of water owing to the existence of various types of pollution streams generated by printing processes and textile dyeing. The book begins by documenting various types of Poly (vinyl alcohol) PVA-derived adsorbents (gels, fibers, films, composite particles), membranes, and photocatalysts in combination with conventional adsorbents, polymers, carbonaceous and metallic materials and their use in elimination of dyes from contaminated water. It follows by discussing different properties of nanocomposite membranes such as hydrogels, xerogels and aerogels used in this purpose. Also, different polymer - based adsorbents such as ceramic adsorbent, clay, hydrogels, starch, cellulose, chitosan, alginates, etc are presented in this book.

This book is centred around various interwoven topics which are fundamental to policy analysis in agriculture. Key concepts and tools that are fundamental for the analysis of agricultural policies and programmes are presented. Key concepts introduced include, the role of the state in a market economy with examples from the Sri Lankan and other developing economies, the international trade environment, and conceptual frameworks for analysing important domestic and international trade policies. It also highlights interconnections among agriculture, development, policy and illustrates the extent to which the agricultural sector contributes in achieving economic growth objectives, equity and equality objectives and environmental objectives. The book takes the readers through the nature of agricultural markets in developing countries, with special emphasis on Sri Lanka, and illustrates how the degree of competitiveness is measured at various market levels using multiple indices and methods. Several tools, with accompanying case studies, for the analysis of policies and programmes are detailed. These tools include the GTAP model, gravity models, extended benefit cost analysis, and linear programming. Tools and models are applied to the analysis of trade policies and agreements, marketing policies, environmental services, extension programmes, land tenure reforms and climate change adaptations. Case studies in relation to the agri-food policy and strategy response to COVID-19 Pandemic are also covered. This book is of interest to public officials working in agricultural planning and agricultural policy, teachers, researchers, agro-economists, capacity builders and policymakers. Also the book serves as additional reading material for undergraduate and graduate students of agriculture, development studies, and environmental sciences. National and international agricultural scientists, policy makers will also find this to be a useful read.

This book combines issues several critical ones in the energy field (low-energy technologies, renewable energies such as the hydrogen economy, and geothermal energy). Moving towards a more sustainable world requires a complete revolution in the way we manage energy and resources. However, from an academic perspective, this theme is so broad that most educators and researchers tend to focus on just one aspect, and maintaining the broad viewpoint which is necessary for making strategic judgments becomes difficult. Tohoku University addressed this challenge when developing a new education and training program for environmental leaders and brought together the extensive range of expertise available in specific fields into one special course which forms the basis of this book. Now in one volume, both students and educators can be brought up to date on a wide range of critical issues currently being addressed in the field of energy and resources. Chapters on resources include availability (for instance, rare earth metals), extraction and recycling of metals and plastics, and technological solutions to specific waste-disposal problems. In addition, broader strategic issues such as limits to growth and the interaction between the economic system and environmental issues are addressed. Even though each chapter provides topical data and knowledge from disparate and specialized fields, the book is written at a level that is readily understandable by students from all scientific, engineering, and humanities fields.

This edited collection offers educators at all levels a range of practical and theoretical approaches to teaching poetry in the context of environmental sustainability. The contributors are keenly aware of the urgency facing the planet's ecosystems-ecosystems which include all of us-and this volume makes the case that teaching poetry is not a luxury. Each of the book's three sections works from a specific angle and register. Part I focuses on pragmatic approaches to classroom activities and curricular choices; Part II considers policies and politics, including the role of the UN's Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) program; and Part III takes a widescreen view, exploring the philosophical issues that arise when poems are integrated into sustainability curricula. This book exemplifies how poetry empowers readers to think imaginatively about how to sustain-and why to sustain-our world, its resources, and its beauty.

In 1972, three scientists from MIT created a computer model that analyzed global resource consumption and production. Their results shocked the world and created stirring conversation about global 'overshoot, ' or resource use beyond the carrying capacity of the planet. Now, preeminent environmental scientists Donnella Meadows, Jorgen Randers, and Dennis Meadows have teamed up again to update and expand their original findings in "The Limits to Growth: The 30 Year Global Update,"Meadows, Randers, and Meadows are international environmental leaders recognized for their groundbreaking research into early signs of wear on the planet. Citing climate change as the most tangible example of our current overshoot, the scientists now provide us with an updated scenario and a plan to reduce our needs to meet the carrying capacity of the planet.Over the past three decades, population growth and global warming have forged on with a striking semblance to the scenarios laid out by the World3 computer model in the original "Limits to Growth," While Meadows, Randers, and Meadows do not make a practice of predicting future environmental degradation, they offer an analysis of present and future trends in resource use, and assess a variety of possible outcomes.In many ways, the message contained in "Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update" is a warning. Overshoot cannot be sustained without collapse. But, as the authors are careful to point out, there is reason to believe that humanity can still reverse some of its damage to Earth if it takes appropriate measures to reduce inefficiency and waste.Written in refreshingly accessible prose, "Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update" is a long anticipated revival ofsome of the original voices in the growing chorus of sustainability. "Limits to Growth: The 30 Year Update" is a work of stunning intelligence that will expose for humanity the hazy but critical line between human growth and human development.

In recent years, there has been a rise in the demand of alternative agricultural commodities, specifically camel milk-based products. Camel products have become highly coveted items in today's commercial market due to their environmental and health advantages. However, there is a lack of research and literature on camel milk and related camel goods. Up-to-date information is needed to give researchers a better understanding of the compositional and functional properties of camel milk production. Health and Environmental Benefits of Camel Products is an essential reference source that discusses the nutritional, physical, and chemical factors of camel milk in comparison to other animal and plant-based milks and introduces benefits attributed to camel meat. The up-to-date potential health benefits of fresh and fermented camel milk in vitro and in vivo will be also covered in addition to the link between functional constituents and the functional properties of milk. The authors will review the recent research on the functional properties of camel milk such as the angiotensin converting enzyme, antimicrobial, anticancer, and hypocholesterolimic effects. Featuring research on topics such as colostrum composition, meat production, and nutritional value, this book is ideally designed for health professionals, environmentalists, dieticians, food industry professionals, researchers, academicians, and students seeking coverage on the compositional and physiological aspects of camel products.

This third volume in the set of books is dedicated to various sustainable approaches in textiles and fashion sector with a focus on fibres and raw materials employed. Sustainability is one of the important aspects in today's industrial context, which is followed by every industrial sector with no exception to textiles and fashion. Sustainability and strict adherence to the principles of sustainability has become as one of the essential needs again for any industrial sector including textiles and fashion. There are countless measures in terms of various approaches to make the textiles and fashion sector sustainable. These measures, but not limited to, ranging from innovating and implementing new fibres and raw materials, introducing innovative manufacturing methods, chemicals, processes to focus on all the possible stages of a textile product's life cycle from cradle to grave. These approaches include making the textiles and fashion sector circular and also development of new products from sustainable raw materials/processes or combination of both.

This book presents research related to smart devices and Internet of Things (IoT) that are intended to advance environmental sustainability. With sustainability as the focus, the topics covered include designing and controlling of smart systems, networking and machine learning, monitoring and controlling the environment, smart metering, authentication and authorization, and software and systems solution. The authors discuss how IoT can aid in sustainability through its implementation of systems interconnecting several objects, whether in the physical or in the virtual worlds. The chapters also present several applications including in smart homes, transportation, and healthcare. The book pertains to researchers, academics, and professionals.

This book introduces important reflections on understanding the meaning of cultural-religious heritage in an international context and their relationship with issues of sustainability at the local community level. Through a holistic approach, the book charts new courses in analyzing different cultural policies and methods for preserving and enhancing cultural heritage. Stemming from an intercultural seminar promoted by the International Scientific Committee Places of Religion and Ritual (ICOMOS PRERICO) under the theme of "Reuse and regenerations of cultural-religious heritage in the world: Comparison among cultures," the book examines the scientific diplomacy and cultural strategies promoted by countries in dialogue with the UN 2030 Agenda, as well as Agenda 21 for Culture. The book seeks to reinforce the value of local cultural policies for supporting and enhancing cultural-religious heritage through specific programs and collaborations in dialogue with government policies. This collection is relevant to scholars working in areas relating to cultural heritage, religious heritage, architectural restoration, protection of the local inheritances, law, and management of the cultural sites.

Of the global population of more than 7 billion people, some 800 million do not have enough to eat today. By 2050, the population is expected to exceed 9 billion. It has been estimated that some 15% of food production is lost to plant diseases; in developing countries losses may be much higher. Historically, plant diseases have had catastrophic impact on food production. For example: potato blight caused the Irish famine in 1845; brown spot of rice caused the Great Bengal Famine of 1943; southern corn leaf blight caused a devastating epidemic on the US corn crop in 1970. Food security is threatened by an ongoing sequence of plant diseases, some persistent for decades or centuries, others more opportunistic. Wheat blast and banana xanthomonas wilt are two contrasting examples of many that currently threaten food production. Other emerging diseases will follow. The proposed title aims to provide a synthesis of expert knowledge to address this central challenge to food security for the 21st century. Chapters [5] and [11] are available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Worldwide demand for sand and gravel is increasing daily, as the need for these materials continues to rise, for example in the construction sector, in land filling and for transportation sector based infrastructural projects. This results in over-extraction of sand from channel beds, and hampers the natural renewal of sediment, geological setup and morphological processes of the riverine system. In India, illegal sand mining (of alluvial channels) and gravel mining (of perennial channels) are two anthropogenic issues that negatively affect the sustainable drainage system. Along the Kangsabati River in India, the consequences of sand mining are very serious. The construction of Mukutmonipur Dam (1958) on the river causes huge sediment deposition along the middle and downstream areas, these same areas are also intensely mined for sand (instream and on the flood plain). Geospatial models are applied in order to better understand the state and the resilience of stream hydraulics, morphological and river ecosystem variables during pre-mining and post-mining stages, using micro-level datasets of the Kangsabati River. The book also includes practicable measures to minimize the environmental consequences of instream mining in respect to optimum sand mining. It discusses the threshold limits of each variable in stream hydraulics, morphological and river ecological regime, and also discusses the most affected variables. Consequently, all outputs will be very useful for students, researchers, academicians, decision makers and practitioners and will facilitate applying these techniques to create models for other river basins.

In order to yield the expected benefits, sustainability initiatives need to be undertaken by means of a close cooperation between universities on the one hand, and societal partners on the others. The principle of co-creation and co-execution of sustainability initiatives increases the value for all by mutual learning, and the sharing of expertise and resources. But pursuing sustainability initiatives with a community and societal involvement is not simple. There is a perceived need for a better understanding of how universities can interact with society, in order to support the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This book is an attempt to address this need, by a novel approach which focuses on current potentials and challenges, across a wide range of fields and expertise. The book focuses on how the theory and practice of sustainable development interact and shows the need for a continuation of the dialogue among sustainability academics and practitioners, so as to address the issues, matters and problems at hand. The spectrum of themes addressed on this book also entails how environmental values and ethics are applied and the relationship between social, biological and cultural diversity. It also includes a broad disciplinary approach to sustainability, including education, research and case studies, and the links with human-environment relations in a sustainable development context.

Presenting the best papers of the 3rd EPFL-UNESCO Chair Conference on Technologies for Development, this publication offers a valuable collection of innovative case studies exploring access to energy and renewable energy technologies in the Global South. It investigates the key determinants for successfully providing energy to resource-poor communities and examines a wide range of technologies for energy production, distribution, storage and efficient use. Taken together, these case studies deal with the entire life cycle of products and solutions, as well as the complete value chain including all relevant stake holders. The collection also draws upon empirical research conducted in Africa and South America to present critical perspectives on women's access to technologies in the renewable sector. This publication serves as a bridge between engineers, economists and other scientists involved in research on the interface between technology and human, social and economic development. It also provides a valuable resource to academics and researchers of the natural sciences, computer science, information management, quantitative social sciences and business studies.

This book explores sustainable mining knowledge, assessing researchers on the impacts of waste and new approaches to negotiating these impacts. Mining has always been a profitable venture; however, it comes with several boons and banes. The significant advantages of mining include employment generation, the establishment of townships and trade centers, and socio-economic growth. However, the mining activity is a significant cause of environmental degradation, including soils, atmosphere, water, solid wastes, changed topography, and health hazards. This book emphasizes value-added products from mining wastes and innovations for balancing environment, ecology, and economy. This book is designed for miners, policymakers, professionals, researchers, scientists, industrialists, and environmental agencies.

Global population by 2050 is predicted to be over 9 billion and accordingly, the production systems will demolish about 140 billion tons per year of minerals, ores, fossil fuels and biomass, i.e., thrice of the current need, and the food production itself has to be doubled. Optimized resource usage, lifecycle management, and reduced carbon emission have become a priority for agri-food businesses today, and circular economy (CE) helps for a sustainable and flexible way to grow without exhausting primary materials, and it thinks beyond recycling and resource usage. The word CE best relates to the resource and efficiency management, 6Rs, closed-loop production systems, zero waste and lifecycle engineering, reduced overconsumption of resources and waste generation, enriched system redesign and business model innovation, thereby leading to sustainable development goals. In this light, the book calls for theoretical and empirically sound contributions that are focused on the different aspects of the circular economy, 6R's, sustainable production and consumption, closed-loop systems, etc. in the agri-food sector.

This book includes 15 works by scientists of the Eurasian region, which reveal the various stages of the life cycle of digital transformation The creation of value propositions and their distribution chains is important for the sustainable development of society. This view of sustainable value chains on the part of public administration and business, considering modern scientific research, reveals the problems of education and science in the formation of chains sustainability and their infrastructure. Modern views on the actual problems of the digital service in the creation of value propositions with the participation of development institutions, new educational technologies, and state regulation both at the level of the world community and at the level of individual countries are revealed. The problems of digital transformation of economic actors and industries at different stages of the chain of value creation from a position of sustainable development, innovation in the infrastructure of public administration markets are considered. This book is useful to the academic community and a new generation of infrastructure creators to identify vectors to support the innovative development of value chains.

By means of multidisciplinary research on urban and rural planning, construction engineering, environmental engineering and engineering sociology, this book conducts pioneering research on the construction theory, construction methods, evaluation technology and application of demonstration projects in China's green villages and towns. The book is divided into three parts and eleven chapters. Part I is about the theory and development of green village and town construction, including the theory and innovation, the evolution and development, the patterns and mechanisms, and the community of green village and town construction. Part II is about the planning and construction methods of green villages and towns, including the plan compilation, the environmental infrastructure construction, and the construction and renovation of green buildings in villages and towns. Part III is about the evaluation of the planning and construction of green villages and towns, including the evaluation of plans, the evaluation of environmental infrastructure construction, the evaluation of green building construction, and the comprehensive evaluation of the planning and construction of green villages and towns. Today, 564 million farmers live in 28,500 towns and 2.452 million villages in China. In 2018 alone, 820 million m2 of new houses were built in rural areas. This proves that China's green village and town construction has great significance and can provide enlightenment to developing countries and even to the world. The book describes new theories, new perspectives and new methods of green village and town sustainable construction in China for overseas experts and readers.

Addressing the unprecedented international interest in China's high-speed railways, this book adopts a global perspective to examine the success of the system and probes into its going-global strategy in the context of the "Belt and Road" initiative, providing readers around the world a better understanding of infrastructure construction under the "Belt and Road" plan, as well as the global vision of communication and mutual exchange and prosperity among the countries along the Belt and Road route. The previous American President, Barack Obama, once told President Xi Jinping that there were two things about China that he particularly admired: the high-speed railway system, and the mathematics education. "The Belt and Road, and the Global Strategy of China's High-speed Rail" provides scholarly researchers and those generally interested in China's High-speed rail excellent insight into this impressive and rapid development.

This book offers an overview of salt stress, which has a devastating effect on the yields of various agricultural crops around the globe. Excessive salts in soil reduce the availability of water, inhibit metabolic processes, and affect nutrient composition, osmotic balance, and hydraulic conductivity. Plants have developed a number of tolerance mechanisms, such as various compatible solutes, polyamines, reactive oxygen species and antioxidant defense mechanisms, ion transport and compartmentalization of injurious ions. The exploitation of genetic variation, use of plant hormones, mineral nutrients, soil microbe interactions, and other mechanical practices are of prime importance in agriculture, and as such have been the subject of multidisciplinary research. Covering both theoretical and practical aspects, the book provides essential physiological, ecological, biochemical, environmental and molecular information as well as perspectives for future research. It is a valuable resource for students, teachers and researchers and anyone interested in agronomy, ecology, stress physiology, environmental science, crop science and molecular biology.

This second volume in this set of books discusses various sustainable approaches in textiles and the fashion sector with a focus on consumerism and the supply chain. Sustainability is one of the important aspects in today's industrial context, and is no exception to textiles and fashion. Sustainability and strict adherence to the principles of sustainability has become as one of the essential needs again for any industrial sector including textiles and fashion. There are countless measures in terms of various approaches to make the textiles and fashion sector sustainable. These measures, but not limited to, ranging from innovating and implementing new fibres and raw materials, introducing innovative manufacturing methods, chemicals, processes to focus on all the possible stages of a textile product's life cycle from cradle to grave. These approaches include making the textiles and fashion sector circular and also development of new products from sustainable raw materials/processes or combination of both.

More than ten years after the adoption of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, this book critically reviews the achievements, limits and next frontiers of business and human rights following the 'protect, respect, remedy' trichotomy. The UN Guiding Principles acted as a catalyst for hitherto unprecedented regulatory and judicial developments. The monograph by Macchi proposes a functionalist reading of the state's duty to regulate the transnational activities of corporations in order to protect human rights and adopts a holistic approach to the corporate responsibility to respect, arguing that environmental and climate due diligence are inherent dimensions of human rights due diligence. In the volume emerging legislations are assessed on mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence, as well as the potential and limitations of a binding international treaty on business and human rights. The book also reviews groundbreaking litigation against transnational corporations, such as Lungowe v. Vedanta or Milieudefensie v. Shell, for their human rights and climate change impacts. The book is primarily targeted at academic and non-academic legal experts, as well as at researchers and students looking at business and human rights issues through the lenses of legal studies (particularly international law and European law), political sciences, business ethics, and management. Additionally, it should also find a readership among practitioners working in the public or private sector (consultants, CSR officers, legal officers, etc.) willing to familiarize themselves with the expanding areas of liability, financial and reputational risks connected to the social and environmental impacts of global supply chains. Chiara Macchi is currently Lecturer in Law at Wageningen University & Research in The Netherlands.

This text offers a holistic approach to the two topics of the highest interest in the current and future food industry: sustainability and nutrition. The current knowledge is narrow and specific to individual topics focusing on either one nutrient or one discipline. Food is part of a wide circle of disciplines: nutrition, technology, sensory, environmental aspects, psychology, economy, culture and society. In the recent years, the sales of innovative foods such as meatless burgers, allergen-free products and personalized nutrition have skyrocketed. Sustainable Food Innovation presents the big picture on each nutrient: industrial and natural sources (ingredients, food products), consumer acceptability (price, sensory quality) and nutritional properties (quantity and quality) with each chapter focusing on a specific essential nutrient. Further chapters illustrate the role of other elements of interest such as bioactive. In addition, experimental data is added to enrich the book. Online discussions on current food trends are analyzed and presented to the reader in the effort to understand consumers' psychology. This will be the first publication to combine literature review and research data and the first to offer a comprehensive discussion on sustainable food innovation. The ultimate goal is to educate consumers and experts, providing technical and socioeconomic knowledge in a multidisciplinary context. Ultimately, informed technologists will develop healthier, sustainable food products and informed consumers will make informed decisions on nutrition and food choices.

This book presents novel research that represents a multidimensional approach to green energy. Each chapter addresses its subject from diverse perspectives, including financial, technological, and social. The results shown also consider various approaches to the collection and processing of data on green energy. The book also reports on analyses of data from official records and databases, as well as the analysis of primary data obtained directly. The book will be of interest to those working in green energy as well as researchers interested in the methods of scientific research.