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The influence of landscapes - topography, soil, vegetation, geology
- on water quality is an inherent part of the global water cycle.
Land use has adverse impacts for example when soils are exposed,
significant quantities of pollutants are released (including
anthropogenic materials added to those naturally present), or
pollutants are added directly to the water environment. Those
impacts range from industrial development to farming and
urbanisation. Whilst inefficient polluting industrial effluents are
still tolerated in some countries, and poorly treated sewage
globally remains a huge challenge for sanitation and public health,
as well as the water environment, diffuse pollution is relatively
poorly recognised or understood. The operator of a sewage or trade
effluent treatment plant is consciously discharging effluent to the
local river. But a farmer is simply growing crops or farming
livestock, a city commuter driving to work is unlikely to be
thinking how brake pad wear has released copper to the water (and
air) environment and hydrocarbons and particulates too; no one is
intending to cause pollution of the water environment. The same
applies to industrial chemists creating fire-proofing chemicals,
solvents, fertilisers, pesticides, cosmetics and many more
substances which contaminate the environment. Understanding and
ultimately minimising diffuse pollution is in that sense the
science of unintended consequences. And the consequences can be
severe, for water resources and ecosystems. It's a global problem.
This book comprises 18 papers from experts around the globe,
presenting evidence from tropical as well as temperate regions, and
rural as well as urban land use challenges. The book explores the
nature of diffuse pollution and exemplifies the issues at various
scales, from high-level national overviews to particular catchment
and pollutant issues. By contrast, natural or semi-natural forest
cover has long been recognised as safeguarding water quality in
reservoirs (examples from Australia to Thailand and UK). The final
chapter looks at how landscapes generally, can be designed to
minimise pollution risks from particular land-uses, arguing for a
more widespread catchment approach to water-aware landscape design,
allied with flood risk resilience, place-making for people, and
biodiversity opportunities too.
The development of eco-industrial parks and associated 'ecological
industry' concepts offer progressive integrated approaches to
resolve pollution problems from effluents and wastes of all kinds.
Most industry however is now located in business parks and
industrial estates, with relatively few industries having direct
discharges of process effluents to the water environment. But that
does not mean no pollution. Many of these estates are very large,
with many companies of all kinds spread over extensive areas. All
have surface water drainage and stormwater runoff is often
contaminated by many diffuse sources. Wealth Creation without
Pollution is the culmination of several years of deliberations by
academics and regulators, engaging with industrial and commercial
sectors to characterise and quantify environmental problems and
identify best practice solutions. Equally important have been
efforts to explore sufficiently flexible regulatory regimes that
offer effective means to prevent pollution and achieve good working
environments in which industry and commerce can flourish. This book
explores how modern industries are striving towards more
sustainable practices, with case studies of impacts and of greener
industry practices, as well as philosophical and policy papers. The
role of regulators, planners and government in fostering a greener
industrial base is also examined. Wealth Creation without Pollution
is a valuable text book for environmental science and engineering
students, and a useful resource for industrial architects,
developers and practitioners.
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