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Books > Earth & environment > The environment > Environmental economics > Sustainability
This book analyses the role of the university in working towards the Sustainable Development Goals. In contrast to the previous Millennium Development Goals, higher education is seen to have a crucial role in this new agenda. Yet how can the university fulfil these weighty expectations, and are the dominant trends in higher education supporting or undermining this vision? This book draws on the idea of the 'developmental university', a model characterised by its porous boundaries with society and commitment to teaching, research and community engagement in the public interest. The author examines case studies from Latin America, Africa and other regions to analyse how this model can be revived, countering recent trends of marketisation, status competition and unbundling. The book also considers alternatives to the developmental model drawing on indigenous knowledge systems, looking beyond the SDG framework to the creation of a new form of society. This timely volume will be of interest and value to those working in the field of sustainable development, and to students and scholars of comparative education, international development and higher education studies.
This book contains an introduction and 20 studies, each describing a recent research investigation in the area of sustainable and resilient buildings, built environment infrastructure and renewable energy. Contributions are from many different countries of the world and on a range of topics, representing a sample of research within the 'sustainable energy and buildings' field. The book begins with chapters on the sustainable design of buildings, followed by descriptions of issues relating to the renovation, restoration and reconstruction of existing buildings, or in one case a railway wagon. The next part of the book covers factors that form barriers or impediments to low or zero carbon buildings, followed by studies of issues relating to policy and certification. There then follow four chapters on various topics related to sustainable buildings - undergraduate courses, insurance issues, biophilia relating to buildings and thermal conductivity measurement. There are several chapters relating to renewable energy, followed by two chapters with a sustainable transport theme, one relating to electric vehicles, and the other about a sustainable road infrastructure. The final chapter is on the manufacture of sustainable building components for the UK housing sector. The book is of use to engineers, scientists, researchers, practitioners, academics and all those who are interested to develop and use sustainability science and technology for the betterment of our planet and humankind, and to mitigate climate change reality.
This volume examines the importance of leadership in developing an effective sustainability strategy. It defines the sustainability mindset and surveys the primary motivations, conditions, or environment(s) that cause leaders to embrace sustainable practices. As described in the UN Sustainable Development Goal 8, embracing the sustainability mindset will lead to greater productivity and promote economic growth. Organized into themes of organizational operations, leadership competencies, and leadership practices, the chapters, written by contributors representing global perspectives, tackle topics such as strategy, culture, and leadership styles in developing a new form of mindfulness for leaders as well as organizations. Recognizing the need for accelerated change in organizations as well as society at large, this book presents scholars with a framework for establishing a mindset for sustainability to foster much-needed transformative leadership.
This book explores sustainability within manufacturing enterprises and examines the concepts and principles of this field. It also reviews the quantitative and qualitative tools available for analytic assessment. It presents a new framework for sustainable manufacturing requirements and discusses the implementation of sustainable manufacturing in terms of practices, indicators, and sustainability level assessments. The book also details the important conditions necessary for the conversion of existing traditional plants to ones with more sustainable processes. Chapters explore topics including the assessment of economic sustainability, social sustainability, environmental sustainability, sustainable manufacturing practices, and sustainability optimization. Serving as a reference for engineers, managers, and practitioners involved in manufacturing, this book will also be a valuable resource to students and researchers of industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering, systems engineering, and operations management.
In the ongoing effort to combat global climate catastrophe, animal agriculture has long been a subject of contention. On the one hand, most agree that across the world increasing meat and dairy consumption are accelerating anthropogenic climate change. On the other hand, proponents of the livestock industry argue that modern advancements reduce greenhouse gas emissions from efficient livestock production to negligible quantities. Some even maintain that grass-based livestock production has a net positive impact on the environment, due to the carbon sequestration caused by grazing. Whom are we to believe? This book shows us that the answer is not so clear-cut. Beginning with the implications of the UN's Livestock's Long Shadow report, it breaks down the blind spots and highlights the insights of the most prominent pro-meat arguments, as well as of the push for a global switch to vegetarianism. While advances in efficiency might reduce greenhouse gas emissions per unit of meat or milk produced, attendant decreases in cost can enable overconsumption and thus produce more waste. And while carbon sequestration is beneficial, it is not a reliable cure-all for the industry. Due to the economics of farming, however, eliminating meat consumption may not even reduce emissions at all. The truth about livestock production is much more nuanced but, luckily, also far more holistic. The future of agricultural policy will have to take into consideration factors such as human health and economics, as well as climate. Eschewing ideology for empirical rigor, this book paves an actionable path forward for both consumers and producers, offering unique solutions for each livestock system and simple, everyday adjustments for the average omnivore.
This book, the second volume in the series, continues to raise contextual issues and presents perspectives regarding multifaceted challenges in management and governance of water in India. This volume attempts to broad base and expand the dialogue started in the first volume and would touch upon issues that need immediate discussion but have been left unattended like politics and management of groundwater, efficient utilization of water in agriculture (irrigation) and improving water use efficiency and building resilience. As in the first volume, this book presents a set of suggestions and recommendations in each chapter that can help frame policy guidelines in the country.
A comprehensive resource for higher education professionals interested in sustainability pedagogy In The Wiley Handbook of Sustainability in Higher Education Learning and Teaching, a team of distinguished researchers delivers an insightful reference for higher education professionals seeking to embed sustainability in learning and teaching. The book offers a way for higher education institutions to implement sustainability goals in their curricula and provides comprehensive guidance to educators, researchers and practitioners. The authors discuss recent developments in technological innovations, best practices, lessons learned, current challenges, and reflections in the area of sustainability teaching in higher education. They also examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sustainability education. With contributors from a variety of disciplines, including engineering, medicine, urban design, business, environmental science, and social science, the book considers the embedding of sustainability in regenerative learning ecologies, living laboratories, and transgressive forms of learning. It also includes: A thorough introduction to activist learning for sustainability and outcome-based education towards achieving sustainable goals in higher education Comprehensive explorations of factors that hinder the implementation of sustainability initiatives in higher education institutions Practical discussions of developing stakeholder agency in higher education sustainability initiatives In-depth examinations of global trends and country-specific initiatives in sustainability teaching Perfect for education developers seeking to incorporate sustainability, The Wiley Handbook of Sustainability in Higher Education Learning and Teaching is also ideal for academics, researchers, policymakers, and accreditation personnel working in the area of sustainability.
A key feature of the tourism system is its ability to adapt to new demands while generating others. Tourism's capacity for renewal is based largely on a balance between competitiveness and opportunity to transform places and objects or even people into socioeconomic resources. The modern tourist has become more aware of the pitfalls of mass tourism, leading to a growing demand for variety. As a consequence of environmental awareness, tourism has been shown to be one of the economic activities that contribute most to the deterioration of the landscape. Today a reinterpretation of the negative effects of conventional tourism has emerged, resulting in the gradual appearance of prestigious tourism offers based largely on demand for authentic 'nature' and 'culture' experiences. This type of tourism is often associated with responsibility, participation and sustainability. Tourism planners are aware of this fact and have therefore adapted their products and destinations to new market demands. All this can affect the identity of the local people and the landscape of the destination; the challenge entails studying ways to preserve the natural and cultural heritage while avoiding the undesirable effects of new forms of tourism. The selection of papers presented in this book deal with cultural tourism, and comprises case studies and theoretical contributions. The volume addresses issues of cultural tourism management, demand analysis, post-tourism, new forms of tourism, cultural effects on destinations and products of sustainable cultural tourism.
This book examines the processes for the inclusion of women, and the role of women employees in Nepal's forestry bureaucracy. The book adopts a "gender lens" drawn from feminist institutionalism and is framed around the following four objectives: evaluating the effectiveness of current legislative and policy frameworks for the inclusion of women in the Nepalese forest bureaucracy; examining the dynamics of organizational culture, formal and informal institutions, and structure and agency in and around forest bureaucracy in Nepal; assessing power relations in forestry institutions focusing on influential participation of women forestry professionals in the bureaucratic structure; and gaining insights about the alternative space of feminist institutionalism in connection with women inclusive forest bureaucracy. Findings in the book inform and extend feminist institutionalism perspectives by applying it to a context which remains under explored, providing insights on the efficacy of public sector cultural change, especially as it relates to those areas within bureaucracies less in a position to adopt the changes mandated by society and principles of good governance.
This book explores how technological progress accelerates the transformation of economic development by adopting a fundamental logical approach to technological progress, intensive inputs, and promotion of productive efficiency to transformation of economic development. It investigates the internal mechanisms and the choice of corresponding modes that initiate technological progress to accelerate the transformation of economic development at three basic research levels: micro-enterprise level, mid-industry level and macro-economy level. Based on the above research, the book summarizes four dimensions facilitating the transformation: agricultural intensification, new industrialization, modernization of the service industry and the advanced manufacturing industry, and linkage of the modern service industry. This book is especially valuable in its hierarchical categorization covering theoretical, empirical, industrial and strategic exploration. On one hand, it analyzes the mechanisms and approaches influencing the transformation of economic development driven by technological progress from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. On the other hand, based on the introduction of advanced international experiences, it probes into the guarantee basis for the strategic implementation and the corresponding mode choices of the transformations. Furthermore, it offers specific policy proposals from both the macro level of how technological progress promotes the transformation of economic development and the micro level covering the agricultural, industrial and service industries.
This book discusses the need for entrepreneurship for sustainable development from the perspective of Asia, the fastest growing region in the world. The world is now witnessing a spectacular rise of technology entrepreneurship, involving mobile phones, artificial intelligence, geospatial information systems and social media. On the other hand, governments all over the world, particularly those in low and medium income countries, are facing severe resource constraints in developing the livelihood and well-being of citizens. Although many non-government organizations (NGOs) have worked on various development projects in a number of social sectors such as health, education, disabilities, poverty alleviation and environment, there is still substantial scope for technological innovation, including more efficient, effective and user-friendly solutions in different parts of the world. This book is organized into 2 parts and consists of 17 chapters. The first part explores education and well-being, and the second part discusses the climate, environment and disaster management.
This book carefully considers hydrological models which are essential for predicting floods, droughts, soil moisture estimation, land use change detection, geomorphology and water structures. The book highlights recent advances in the area of hydrological modelling in the Ganga Basin and other internationally important river basins. The impact of climate change on water resources is a global concern. Water resources in many countries are already stressed, and climate change along with burgeoning population, rising standard of living and increasing demand are adding to the stress. Furthermore, river basins are becoming less resilient to climatic vagaries. Fundamental to addressing these issues is hydrological modelling which is covered in this book. Integrated water resources management is vital to ensure water and food security. Integral to the management is groundwater and solute transport, and this book encompasses tools that will be useful to mitigate the adverse consequences of natural disasters.
Global consumption of raw materials currently goes beyond the earth's regenerative capacity, but the circular economy offers a more sustainable model which also provides new business opportunities. Mastering the Circular Economy is an introduction to circularity from a business and value chain management perspective. With many reflections and exercises throughout, the book draws a direct link between relevant recent theory and practice and offers students and practitioners a deeper understanding of the topic. It looks at both the macro and micro context of the circular economy, from the government and societal view to the impact of new business models in an individual company. Starting from the corporate imperative of moving from linear to circular business models, Mastering the Circular Economy covers the associated opportunities and challenges for organizations, from regulation and risk to value chain collaboration, reverse logistics and product quality. Part two of the book helps students to pull together everything they've learned and see how the concepts play out in the real world by guiding them through application in the online business simulation game The Blue Connection (free basic access is included with the book). Readers are continuously asked to reflect on the choices they would make in different roles to demonstrate a full understanding of the strategic and operational implications of the circular economy.
Environmental contaminants are chemicals that accidentally or deliberately enter the environment, often, but not always, as a result of human activities. Some of these contaminants may have been manufactured for industrial use, and because they are very stable, they do not break down easily. If released to the environment, these contaminants may enter the food chain. Other environmental contaminants are naturally occurring chemicals, but industrial activity may increase their mobility or increase the amount available to circulate in the environment, allowing them to enter the food chain at higher levels than would otherwise occur. Environmental contaminants influence the physiological cell reactions at different and heterogeneous basics and lead to altering in normal cell function primarily at the molecular and biochemical level. Molecular responses to such common environmental stresses have been studied intensively over the last few years, in which there is an intricate network of signaling pathways controlling perception of these environmental stress signals, the generation of second messengers and signal transduction. Recent advances in many areas of plant and microbial research, including genotyping, make scientists optimistic that valuable solutions will be found to allow deployment/commercialization of strategies better able to tolerate these environmental stresses. Environmental remediation was historically viewed as an inherently sustainable activity, as it restores contamination; however, researchers and practitioners are increasingly recognizing that there can be substantial environmental footprints and socioeconomic costs associated with remediation. Sustainability is an imperative in the emerging green and sustainable remediation movement, which is reshaping the entire remediation industry. Understanding the significant roles of sustainable or eco-friendly approaches in mitigating environmental contaminants, the current subject has recently attracted the attention of scientists from across the globe. This comprehensive volume "Sustainable Management of Environmental Contaminants: Eco-friendly Remediation Approaches" highlights the various prospects involved in current scenario. The current volume comprises the chapters from diverse areas dealing with biotechnology, microbial technology, nanotechnology, molecular biology, green and sustainable remediation, etc. I am hopeful that this volume will furnish the requisite of all those who are working or have interest in the current topic.
This book reviews recent research and applications, developments, research trends, methods and issues related to the applications of industrial hemp for fundamental research and technology.
The purpose of this book is to study the association of corporate environmental responsibility (CER) with financial performance, capital structure, innovative activities, corporate risk, working capital management and accounting quality. Undoubtedly, CER has been developed into a crucial corporate issue around the world. CER has been incorporated within various sectors, countries and includes many types of activities and dimensions. A fundamental issue that is addressed in this book, is how corporate finance and accounting are affected by CER activities and how it impacts company performance. In order to analyse this interrelation, the authors focus on a sample of firms from 28 EU member countries. The purpose of this book is to study the association of CER with financial performance, capital structure, innovative activities, corporate risk, working capital management and accounting quality. The book also intends to provide useful policy recommendations as well as to offer constructive impulses for future research.
This book explores how environmental urban design can benefit from established and emerging representation and simulation techniques that meet the need for a multisensory approach. Bringing together contributions by researchers and practicing professionals that approach the topics discussed from both theoretical and practical perspectives and draw on case-study applications, it addresses important themes including digital modeling, physical modeling, mapping, and simulation. The chapters are linked by their relevance to simple but crucial questions: How can representational solutions enhance an urban design approach in which people's well-being is considered the primary goal? How can one best represent and design the ambiance of places? What kinds of technologies and tools are available to support multisensory urban design? How can current and future environments be optimally represented and simulated, taking into account the way in which we experience places? Shedding new light on these key questions, the book offers both a reference guide for those engaged in applied research, and a toolkit for professionals and students.
This book provides a solid foundation for a comprehensive, systemic and water-centric approach to water management. Said approach integrates two performance principles essential for sustainable water use systems, namely equity and efficiency. Further, it decreases the policy space for decision-making encountered by water managers and makes it easier to arrive at reasonable solutions because of the bounded rationality inherent in its development. By combining the distributive and aggregative principles, the approach offers a transparent and autonomous structure for gathering water data and enabling stakeholder involvement. Lastly, it employs and promotes a unifying language for all types of water use systems, e.g. urban, agricultural and industrial.
This book highlights the Eco-design or Sustainable design in textiles and fashion, aimed at reducing their environmental impact throughout their life cycle. Sustainable design is one of the core elements practiced in various industrial sectors. The textiles and fashion sector, is also creating a huge environmental brunt in terms of various fibres, processes, consumption of various resources including dyes, chemicals and auxiliaries, etc,. Thus, sustainable design is the key to reduce the environmental impacts made out of textiles and fashion products. This book includes seven informative chapters to decipher the concept and applications of sustainable design in textiles and fashion.
Recently, there have been public concerns about the impact of emerging market multinationals. The expansion of China's multinationals to Europe and the Belt and Road Initiative is a prominent example that has kindled hope but also started to increase awareness of the long-term implications. Based on a systematic analysis of internationalization theories, the role of foreign direct investment and multinational companies combined with in-depth empirical research using case studies in Turkey, Russia, Latin America, Asia and Europe, this timely edited volume addresses opportunities and concerns related to this new trend. It also provides new insights that are highly relevant for scholars, policy makers, regional business agencies and students, as well as the public at large. By focusing on the (potential) impact of the expansion of emerging market multinationals on Europe and by including a long-term perspective, the book offers a fresh perspective on a highly controversial issue.
Through research and proven practice, the aim of the International Conference of Sustainable Ecological Engineering Design for Society (SEEDS) is to foster ideas on how to reduce negative impacts on the environment while providing for the health and well-being of society. The professions and fields of research required to ensure buildings meet user demands and provide healthy enclosures are many and diverse. The SEEDS conference addresses the interdependence of people, the built and natural environments, and recognizes the interdisciplinary and international themes necessary to assemble the knowledge required for positive change.
Marine plant life is an abundant source of nutrients that enhance the daily diet. In recent years, consuming diets rich in seaweeds or their extracts have been shown to provide health benefits due to being rich in macronutrients, micronutrients and nutraceuticals. The commercial value of seaweeds for human consumption is increasing annually, and some countries harvest several million tons annually. The seaweeds industry is valued at around $12 billion in 2017, and supports millions of families worldwide. Seaweeds production grew globally by 30 million tons in 2016. Seaweeds have seen increasing usage in the food industry due to their abundance of beneficial nutrients, vitamins and -3 fatty acids. To date there have been no books that comprehensively cover up-to-date information on seaweeds cultivation, processing, extraction and nutritional properties. This text lays out the properties and effects of seaweeds from their use as bioresources to their use in the feed industry to their applications in wastewater management and biofuels. Sustainable Global Resources Of Seaweeds Volume 1: Industrial Perspectives offers a complete overview of seaweeds from their cultivation and processing steps to their bioactive compounds and Industrial applications, while also providing the foundational information needed to understand these plants holistically. Chapters in this volume focus on seaweeds bioresources, ecology and biology, composition and cultivation, plus usage of seaweeds extracts for the feed industry. An entire section is dedicated to waste water treatment, bioremediation, biofuel and biofertilizer application of seaweeds. For any researcher in need of a comprehensive and up-to-date single source on seaweeds cultivation, this volume provides all the information necessary to gain a thorough understanding of this ever-important product.
This open access book reframes sustainable energy transitions as being a matter of resolving accountability crises. It demonstrates how the empirical study of several practices of legitimation can analytically deconstruct energy transitions, and presents a typology of these practices to help determine whether energy transitions contribute to sustainability. The real-world challenge of climate change requires sustainable energy transitions. This presents a crisis of accountability legitimated through situated practices in a wide range of cases including: solar energy transitions in Portugal, urban energy transitions in Germany, forestland conflicts in Indonesia, urban carbon emission targets in Norway, transport electrification in the Nordic region, and biodiversity conservation and energy extraction in the USA. By synthesising these cases, chapters identify various dimensions wherein practices of legitimation construct specific accountability relations. This book deftly illustrates the value of an analytical approach focused on accountable governance to enable sustainable energy transitions. It will be of great use to both academics and practitioners working in the field of energy transitions.
This book analyzes the implementation of CSR reporting and codes of business conduct and ethics in the legal systems of the USA, Austria and China and their enforcement in international supply chain arbitrations. The book demonstrates that long-term profit maximization is increasingly intertwined with corporate ethics and CSR policies. In order to prevent window-dressing and greenwashing, certain control mechanisms and legal standards are required along the entire supply chain. This book introduces an ethics and CSR system recommending a reward-based whistleblowing mechanism, internal oversight by a CSR and Ethics Committee comprised of independent board members and at least one sustainability expert, and an external, independent and comprehensive assurance of CSR reports provided by auditing firms or newly formed governmental agencies consisting of certified CSR experts. The author emphasizes the significance for supply chain leaders to ensure contractual enforcement of their codes of business ethics and conduct along the supply chain. Against this background, the author created a comprehensive fictitious case scenario covering a supply chain dispute arising from the breach of the supply chain leader's code of business conduct and ethics by a lower-tier supply chain member. The author acknowledges the fact that in most of the cases the governing law of international supply chain contracts is English law or law based on English law. Thus, the author discusses potential contractual claims for damages arising from a loss of profits caused by a loss of reputation resulting from violations of core provisions of the chain leader's supplier code of conduct pursuant to English law. As international supply chain disputes usually involve more than two parties, and international arbitration is the ideal means for the resolution of these disputes, the book compares the arbitration rules for consolidations and joinders of some of the most significant international arbitration institutions: SIAC, ICC, AIAC, ICDR, VIAC, CIETAC and HKIAC. The book is directed at legal practitioners, legislators of various jurisdictions, board members of corporations, ethics and compliance officers, academics, researchers and students. It is the author's main goal that the book serves as an inspirational source for the establishment or the improvement of a corporate ethics and CSR system preventing window-dressing and greenwashing and covering the entire supply chain. Furthermore, it is intended that students develop a deeper understanding for the enforcement of corporate ethics and CSR policies.
The title of this book, "Traditional Wisdom and Modern Knowledge for the Earth s Future," is from the theme of the 2013 Kyoto Regional Conference of the International Geographical Union. Over the past few decades, globalization has strengthened connections among countries and regions of the world and has greatly changed existing geographies. However, this trend has also fostered various problems on a regional or global scale, such as economic imbalance, social fragmentation, political conflicts, and environmental crises. While acknowledging the world s diversity, geography as a discipline must endeavor to resolve these problems by devising plans for cooperation and symbiotic existence of the different peoples of the world. An old Japanese proverb, "On-ko chi-shin," taken from a Chinese one, "Wengu Zhixin," says that only by exploring the old can one understand the new. People should first understand how traditional ideas, linked to interaction between society/culture and the environment, were formed in different countries and regions. Traditional wisdom, in harmony with the environment, remains prevalent. This book examines how we can mold the earth s future through such traditional wisdom and modern knowledge from the nine keynote speeches of the Kyoto Regional Conference focusing on three topics: traditional wisdom, the environment, and the Great East Japan Earthquake." |
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