This unique volume brings together a selection of the most important texts of Nico Stehr for the first time and puts them in dialogue with original research that draws on his prolific work. Covering five decades of pioneering sociological research on the theory of society and knowledge, the book introduces the reader to Stehr's seminal inquiries into the economic, political and social role of knowledge. Original concepts, such as his groundbreaking studies on the Knowledge Society, are introduced as the volume traces Stehr's pursuit of social scientific research as a source of practical knowledge for modern society. The book comprises three parts devoted to the many facets and the remarkable range of Nico Stehr's oeuvre. Part 1 provides an introduction to the significance of his pioneering work and career. Part 2 demonstrates the practical application of Nico Stehr's research as seen through the eyes of eminent scholars. Part 3 presents a selection of the milestones of his publications.

This book reflects the current state of knowledge on sustainability in a wide range of fields, from engineering to agriculture, to education. Though primarily intended to offer an update for experts and researchers in the field, it can also be used as a valuable educational tool for relevant undergraduate and graduate courses. Key aspects covered include the better and more responsible engineering and management of energy conversion processes, the development of renewable energy technologies, and improvements in conventional energy utilization and food production. In addition, the book addresses green buildings, the green economy, waste and recycling, water, ecopolitics and social sustainability.

This open access book highlights the complexities around making adaptation decisions and building resilience in the face of climate risk. It is based on experiences in sub-Saharan Africa through the Future Climate For Africa (FCFA) applied research programme. It begins by dealing with underlying principles and structures designed to facilitate effective engagement about climate risk, including the robustness of information and the construction of knowledge through co-production. Chapters then move on to explore examples of using climate information to inform adaptation and resilience through early warning, river basin development, urban planning and rural livelihoods based in a variety of contexts. These insights inform new ways to promote action in policy and praxis through the blending of knowledge from multiple disciplines, including climate science that provides understanding of future climate risk and the social science of response through adaptation. The book will be of interest to advanced undergraduate students and postgraduate students, researchers, policy makers and practitioners in geography, environment, international development and related disciplines.

This book reviews recent research and applications of chitin and chitosan, as natural alternatives of fossil fuel products, in medicine and pharmacy, agriculture, food science and water treatment. Chitin and chitosan products are polysaccharides derived from food waste of crustaceans and fungi, and thus are cheap, abundant, sustainable, non-toxic, recyclable and biocompatible. Remarkable applications include food additives and preservation, packaging materials, biopesticides and fertilisers, drug delivery, tissue engineering, bioflocculation and dye removal.

This book answers key questions about environment, people and their shared future in deltas. It develops a systematic and holistic approach for policy-orientated analysis for the future of these regions. It does so by focusing on ecosystem services in the world's largest, most populous and most iconic delta region, that of the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta in Bangladesh. The book covers the conceptual basis, research approaches and challenges, while also providing a methodology for integration across multiple disciplines, offering a potential prototype for assessments of deltas worldwide. Ecosystem Services for Well-Being in Deltas analyses changing ecosystem services in deltas; the health and well-being of people reliant on them; the continued central role of agriculture and fishing; and the implications of aquaculture in such environments.The analysis is brought together in an integrated and accessible way to examine the future of the Ganges Brahmaputra delta based on a near decade of research by a team of the world's leading scientists on deltas and their human and environmental dimensions. This book is essential reading for students and academics within the fields of Environmental Geography, Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy focused on solving the world's most critical challenges of balancing humans with their environments. This book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

There is an invisible army of people deep inside the world's biggest and best-known companies, pushing for safer and more responsible practices. They are trying to prevent the next Rana Plaza factory collapse, the next Deepwater Horizon explosion, the next Foxconn labor abuses. Obviously, they don't always succeed. Christine Bader is one of those people. She worked for and loved BP and then-CEO John Browne's lofty rhetoric on climate change and human rights--until a string of fatal BP accidents, Browne's abrupt resignation under a cloud of scandal, and the start of Tony Hayward's tenure as chief executive, which would end with the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Bader's story of working deep inside the belly of the beast is unique in its details, but not in its themes: of feeling like an outsider both inside the company (accused of being a closet activist) and out (assumed to be a corporate shill); of getting mixed messages from senior management; of being frustrated with corporate life but committed to pushing for change from within. The Evolution of a Corporate Idealist: When Girl Meets Oil is based on Bader's experience with BP and then with a United Nations effort to prevent and address human rights abuses linked to business. Using her story as its skeleton, Bader weaves in the stories of other "Corporate Idealists" working inside some of the world's biggest and best-known companies.

Governing Arctic Seas introduces the concept of ecopolitical regions, using in-depth analyses of the Bering Strait and Barents Sea Regions to demonstrate how integrating the natural sciences, social sciences and Indigenous knowledge can reveal patterns, trends and processes as the basis for informed decisionmaking. This book draws on international, interdisciplinary and inclusive (holistic) perspectives to analyze governance mechanisms, built infrastructure and their coupling to achieve sustainability in biophysical regions subject to shared authority. Governing Arctic Seas is the first volume in a series of books on Informed Decisionmaking for Sustainability that apply, train and refine science diplomacy to address transboundary issues at scales ranging from local to global. For nations and peoples as well as those dealing with global concerns, this holistic process operates across a 'continuum of urgencies' from security time scales (mitigating risks of political, economic and cultural instabilities that are immediate) to sustainability time scales (balancing economic prosperity, environmental protection and societal well-being across generations). Informed decisionmaking is the apex goal, starting with questions that generate data as stages of research, integrating decisionmaking institutions to employ evidence to reveal options (without advocacy) that contribute to informed decisions. The first volumes in the series focus on the Arctic, revealing legal, economic, environmental and societal lessons with accelerating knowledge co-production to achieve progress with sustainability in this globally-relevant region that is undergoing an environmental state change in the sea and on land. Across all volumes, there is triangulation to integrate research, education and leadership as well as science, technology and innovation to elaborate the theory, methods and skills of informed decisionmaking to build common interests for the benefit of all on Earth.

This ambitious book provides a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative assessment of Jamaica's ties to the International Monetary Fund, focusing on Jamaica's historical relationship with the IMF and reflecting on the domestic and international discourse surrounding the evolution of this relationship. Notably, this volume presents a critical analysis of Jamaica's first engagement with and departure from the IMF and interrogates the political economy of the period. Jamaica's economic experiences are assessed in the context of major global events, including the food price crises of 2007 and the global economic crises of 2008 and 2009. This book also looks at policy implications, and its well-researched analysis will be of great value to practitioners and policymakers as well as academics.

This Palgrave Pivot looks through social, economic, institutional, and environmental lenses to examine sustainable development in India and Bangladesh. The effects of climate change make this comparative study particularly pertinent, as rising sea levels and severe weather events will lead to displacement and migration, exacerbating existing issues. India and Bangladesh share similar cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds and, as a result, face similar challenges: rapid population growth, widespread poverty, food insecurity, and gender inequality. Developing a sustainable future will require policymakers to consider all of these elements in their efforts to create human security.

This book covers the latest in recycling and reuse research focused toward greater sustainability and includes chapters authored by the world's leading thinkers and practitioners in the field. Topics covered include recycling and reuse, solid waste management, renewable energy, environmental studies, and wastewater management. This text contains environmental issues with an experimental focus, making this a useful resource to students, researchers, and professionals working in solid waste management, energy and water sustainability issues within the geoscience, engineering, and chemistry fields.

Food manufacturing generates an incredibly high volume of wastewater. The legume industry is one of the top contributors to this environmental issue, as soaking and boiling are necessary to transform dried legumes into cooked canned products and other legume-based products, such as soymilk, tofu, hummus and flours. Wastewater must be treated prior to disposal into the environment, thus raising production costs for the food industry. In addition, wastewater contains nutrients that are lost from the food chain after disposal. As water and soluble nutrients are becoming a limited resource, it is critical to optimize food manufacturing at all levels. Recycling Legume Wastewater Into Food Ingredients presents a sustainable solution to this increasing demand for food and water. The text analyses the composition of legume wastewater and its physicochemical properties, including its potential applications in emulsifiers, foaming agents, gelling agents and antistaling ingredients. Early chapters discuss the processing of legumes and the wastewater generation involved. Further sections focus on wastewater generated by soaking and cooking, including the composition, functional properties, and food applications involved in each. Sprouting water, bioactives and applications in edible packaging are also discussed. In presenting a sustainable solution for legume wastewater use, this text is an important key to sustainability in food processing and the reduction of waste.

You can grow all the fruit and vegetables your family needs, raise animals for meat and eggs, keep fish and bees, and even produce firewood on a plot of land of just one acre or less - alongside your work and family life. Whether you have a garden, a paddock or perhaps the corner of a field, Sally Morgan guides you through: How to lay out your plot - including fencing and polytunnels or greenhouses Managing soil fertility Growing fruit and vegetables throughout the year Keeping livestock: poultry, pigs, sheep and goats Producing fish with aquaponics Filled with practical advice, this book is essential reading for anyone who wants to be more self-sufficient and live a more sustainable life.

This book brings together interdisciplinary perspectives with the aim of broadening understandings of poverty. It contains both empirical and conceptual chapters, including those by local researchers, on a range of topics highlighting the relationship between poverty and sustainability. It cover themes such as: changes in the environment that pose an existential risk to humans; new concepts in tourism development that consider it as one of the key contributors in the prosperity and well-being of all stakeholders; natural, social and economic aspects of human behaviour and environmental sustainability; the impact of global warming on human well-being; immigration and integration policies and analyses of public discourse on migrants; and overconsumption and its impact on sustainable development. It will be a helpful resource for students and researchers of environmental management, tourism, global justice and sustainable development.

This book highlights what are likely to be the future megatrends in the water sector and why and how they should be incorporated to improve water governance in the coming decades. In this first ever book on megatrends for the water sector, 22 leading world experts from different disciplines representing academia, business, government, national and international organisations discuss what the major megatrends of the future are and how they will radically change water governance in the coming decades.

This book profiles various cases that are emerging in addressing global challenges in the context of SDGs for society in the era of climate change and covers case studies of projects being undertaken to tackle biodiversity, food security, climate change, energy and water security. The book is written by 37 authors, and will appeal to various stakeholders including academics working within the identified thematic areas, policy planners, development agencies, governments and United Nations agencies. The adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 ushered a new era in the global development agenda as the world transitioned from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The new era of SDGs that are all-inclusive, unlike the MDGs with the focus now being on ensuring human success that is predicated on environmental protection. The year 2020 marked five years post the adoption of the SDGs with increased calls for stock-taking of progress made amid strong calls for a decade of action to accelerate the delivery of the SDGs by 2030. These calls have been louder now given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which reset the global economy and increased intensity of extreme weather events across the world. Since climate change has emerged as one of the biggest threats to the achievement of the SDGs, there has been growing concerns on its impact on biodiversity loss and the extinction of some species. There are also concerns regarding increased food insecurity at the household level in some parts of the world, particularly in Asia and Africa. With the demand for climate change action on the increase, there have also been growing calls for the big carbon emitters to drastically cut their emissions and invest in clean energy to save the planet by following development pathways making emissions stay under the 1.5 DegreesC increase in temperature.

This book applies a range of theories that focus on current concerns in rural Africa. The contributors lay out the conceptualization, analysis, methods, assumptions, perceptions, and ideas considered in each individual case. Specifically, this project inspires research in the field of rural development in Africa through multi-faceted endeavors that promote the ability of planning to uplift people's well-being and quality of life.

This book highlights the significance of urban agricultural production, the technologies and methods for supplying organic materials to the farmland, recovering plant nutrients and energy in cities, and systems for sustaining farmlands in order to produce agricultural crops and supply safe food to citizens. Focusing on the effective recycling of biomass waste generated in cities for use in organic farming, it discusses alternatives to traditional composting, such as carbonizing organic waste, which not only produces recyclable materials but also converts organic waste into energy. Recycling discarded organic matter appropriately and reusing it as both material and energy is the basis of new urban organic farming, and represents a major challenge for the next generation of urban agriculture. As such, the book presents advanced research findings to facilitate the implementation of safe, organic agricultural production with only a small environmental load.

This book focuses on the role of higher education institutions in addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation challenges, contributing to the development of this fast-growing field. Further, it includes the results of empirical research and offers ideas regarding on-going and future research initiatives. The contributions also * showcase the research and projects on issues pertaining to climate change at universities from across the globe; * document and promote ideas and experiences acquired in the execution of research projects, especially successful initiatives and best practices; and * introduce methodological approaches and projects that offer a better understanding of climate change across society and economic sectors. The book is structured around two parts: lessons learned from climate change research, education, studies and projects. Each part focuses on mitigation and adaptation respectively, with many responses of the two modalities overlapping. This book is a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners in the fields of environment, human geography, business and economics, as well as academics and students, as it presents education, communication and awareness-raising projects on matters related to climate change at universities in both industrialised and developing countries, often in cooperation with government bodies, NGOs and other stakeholders.

This multidisciplinary book focuses on best practices in sustainability research in the Asia-Pacific Region. Drawing links between research, practice, education for sustainability and the needs of industry, it addresses the sustainable development goals (SDGs). The book also presents research undertaken by a wide range of universities on matters related to sustainable development, in order to promote research in this area across multiple disciplines. Four key themes are explored: (1) Education for Sustainability. (2) Sustainable Cities. (3) Sustainable Buildings. (4) Sustainable Infrastructure. This unique book documents and disseminates the wealth of know-how on sustainable development research in the Asia-Pacific Region today. It presents lessons learned and comparative case studies from various countries, including India, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, New Zealand and Australia.

This book includes papers on intelligent expert systems and sustainability applications in the areas of data science, image processing, wireless communication, risk assessment, healthcare, intelligent social network mining, and energy. The recent growth of sustainability leads to a progressively new era of computing, where its design and deployment leverages significant impact on the intelligent systems research. Moreover, the sustainability technologies can be effectively used in the progressive deployment of various network-enabled technologies like intelligent sensors, smart cities, wearable technologies, robotics, web applications and other such Internet technologies. The thrust of this book is to publish the state-of-the-art research articles that deals with the design, development, implementation and testing of the intelligent expert systems and also to provide an overview of the sustainable management of these systems.

"Design as Politics" confronts the inadequacy of contemporary politics to deal with unsustainability. Current "solutions" to unsustainability are analysed as utterly insufficient for dealing with the problems but, further than this, the book questions the very ability of democracy to deliver a sustainable future. "Design as Politics" argues that finding solutions to this problem, of which climate change is only one part, demands original and radical thinking. Rather than reverting to failed political ideologies, the book proposes a post-democratic politics. In this, design occupies a major role, not as it is but as it could be if transformed into a powerful agent of change, a force to create and extend freedom. The book does no less than position design as a vital form of political action.