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This is one of a series of regional reviews of multi-sectoral strategies for sustainability at the national, provincial and local levels, complementing the volume on Strategies for National Sustainable Development. They have been prepared with the assistance of the World Bank, UNDP, UNSO, IIED and WRI.
Each volume summarizes the status of strategies in the region, reviews and analyzes case studies to provide an analytical history and status report on each strategy. The information has not hitherto been available, and will be very valuable for practitioners and policy makers, as well as for students of development and of the regions ... Read more

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Until recently, the development of building materials has focused on producing cheaper and more durable construction materials. Now more attention is given to the environmental issues. Sustainability of Construction Materials brings together a wealth of recent research on the subject. It provides a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the sustainability of these materials: aggregates, wood, bamboo, vegetable fibers, masonry, cement, concrete and cement replacement materials, metals and alloys, glass, and engineered wood products. Final chapters cover the use of recycled tire rubber in civil engineering works, the durability of sustainable materials, and nanotechnology in sustainable construction. ... Read more

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Between fiscal years 2002 and 2007, the refuge system experienced funding and staffing level fluctuations, the introduction of several new policy initiatives, and the increased influence of external factors such as extreme weather that threaten wildlife habitat and visitor infrastructure. Although core funding - measured as obligations for refuge operations, maintenance, and fire management - increased each year, inflation-adjusted core funding peaked in fiscal year 2003 at about 391 million dollars - 6.8 percent above fiscal year 2002 funding. Inflation-adjusted core funding ended the period 2.3 percent below peak levels, but 4.3 percent above fiscal year 2002 levels by fiscal year 2007. Core refuge staffing levels peaked in fiscal year 2004 at 3,610 full-time equivalents - 10.0 percent above the fiscal year 2002 level - and then declined more slowly than funding levels. By fiscal year 2007, staffing levels fell to 4.0 percent below peak levels, but 5.5 percent above fiscal year 2002 levels. Through fiscal year 2007, the number of permanent employees utilised by the refuge system declined to 7.5 percent below peak levels.During this period, refuge system officials initiated new policies that: reduced staff positions and reallocated funds and staff among refuges to better align staff levels with funding; required refuge staff to focus on a legislative mandate to complete refuge conservation plans by 2012; shifted to constructing a larger number of smaller visitor structures, such as informational kiosks, and fewer large visitor centres to spread visitor service funds across more refuges; increased the number of full-time law enforcement officers and their associated training and experience requirements; and, resulted in additional administrative work. During this period, external factors that complicate refuge staffs' ability to protect and restore habitat quality also increased, including severe storms and development around refuges. ... Read more

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National parks and protected areas offer a wealth of ecological and social contributions or services to humans and life on earth. This book describes the strengths of national parks and protected areas in different parts of Europe and North America and the challenges to the full realization of their goals. It shows that they are useful not only in conserving rare species and biodiversity, but also in protecting water supply and other resources necessary to tourism and to economic and social development generally. Ideas and information on useful planning, management and decision-making arrangements are presented, and research needs are identified. ... Read more

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In the 20th century, cheap and abundant energy brought previously unimaginable advances in health, wealth, and technology, and fed an explosion in population and consumption. But this growth came at an incredible cost. Climate change, peak oil, freshwater depletion, species extinction, and a host of economic and social problems now challenge us as never before. The Post Carbon Reader features articles by some of the world's most provocative thinkers on the key drivers shaping this new century, from renewable energy and urban agriculture to social justice and systems resilience. This unprecedented collection takes a hard-nosed look at the interconnected threats of our global sustainability quandary--as well as the most promising responses. The Post Carbon Reader is a valuable resource for policymakers, college classrooms, and concerned citizens. ... Read more

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Industrialization, urbanization, agriculture, and resource exploitation are activities associated with a developing society. Geoenvironmental Sustainability focuses on such a society's geoenvironment and the natural capital that defines it. The book explains these elements in systematic detail, particularly with respect to their relationship to five thematic areas known as WEHAB: water and sanitation, energy, health, agriculture, and biodiversity - all factors identified as key areas of concern by the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD).

This significant reference addresses topics that include land environment sustainability pertaining to its interaction with the impacts generated by industrial and urbanization activities - in particular with various waste discharges; the magnitude of the problem of urbanization and industries; nonrenewable natural resources, typical case histories, and examples of sustainability actions; and the geoenvironmental perspective of the present status of where we are in the geoenvironmental sustainability framework, with a view that points toward where we need to go.

Providing a geoenvironmental perspective on the sustainability of the environment, Geoenvironmental Sustainability is an essential resource for those who are poised to meet the challenge of mitigating manmade threats associated with development. ... Read more

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An All-Inclusive Guide to Efficient, Cost-Effective Management ofGroundwater Resources

Groundwater Sustainability is a reliable, one-stop guide containing all the information you'll need to succeed in your groundwater management and development projects. It covers virtually every aspect of the subject, from how to characterize groundwater and evaluate its resources to determining the interactions between surface water and groundwater.

Packed with hundreds of illustrations, this expansive guide reviews both established and innovative aquifer restoration techniques and technologies, including the control and remediation of contaminant sources and groundwater contaminant plumes. You'll also find valuable information regarding resource augmentation, the engineering necessary for resource development, and building comprehensive databases for efficient, cost-effective assessment.

Written in an inviting-to-read style by a recognized expert in the field, Groundwater Sustainability provides the last word on the all-important subject of how to maintain and manage the most precious natural resource.

Inside:

• In-depth coverage of groundwater availability and sustainability
• Treatment options for groundwater contaminants
• Tools and techniques for effectively managing aquifers
• Proven tactics for protecting and restoring groundwater resources
• Case studies, figures, graphs, and photographs
• Tips on building assessment models using a GIS platform

This all-in-one guide covers:

• Global Freshwater Resources
• Aquifer Evaluation
• Groundwater Resource Development
• Groundwater Recharge
• Climate Change and Its Impact on Groundwater
• Groundwater Chemistry
• Drinking Water Treatment Options
• Managing & Restoring Groundwater Resources

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This is your first point of reference in understanding the future direction of sustainable technology. It introduces the very latest in practical sustainability techniques and illustrates the diverse technologies being developed to create optimum eco-efficiency in our built environment.


Peter F. Smith takes you through the current research and prototypes which will affect every feature of the evolution of building design. As sustainable building becomes increasingly essential - with the advent of climate change, government legislation and international treaties - this is valuable knowledge for every architect, engineer and designer who wishes their designs to be both responsive and cutting edge.

With information from the leaders in their fields, this book is a comprehensive reference to the emerging technologies for this innovative approach to design.

* Learn about the future of sustainable technology
* Gain a knowledge about the newest designs and details of the built environment
* Benefit from the inside knowledge and expertise of the author ... Read more

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This digital document is a journal article from Resources, Conservation & Recycling, published by Elsevier in 2005. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
This paper presents a systems analysis perspective that extends the traditional process design framework to green process design and industrial ecology leading to sustainability. For green process design this involves starting the design decisions as early as chemical and material selection stage on one end, and managing and planning decisions at the other end. However, uncertainties and multiple and conflicting objectives are inherent in such a design process. Uncertainties increase further in industrial ecology. Combining AI approaches with optimization methods, and constraining the system using thermodynamics and physics can provide a way to address this problem. The concept of overall sustainability goes beyond industrial ecology and brings in time dependent nature of the ecosystem and multi-disciplinary decision making. Optimal control methods and theories from financial literature can be useful in handling the time dependent uncertainties in this problem. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is a journal article from Resources, Conservation & Recycling, published by Elsevier in 2005. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Green chemistry is an important tool in achieving sustainability. The implementation of green chemistry, the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances, is essential if the expanding global population is to enjoy an increased standard of living without having a negative impact on the health of the planet. Cleaner technologies will allow the chemical enterprise to provide society with the goods and services on which it depends in an environmentally responsible manner. Green chemistry provides solutions to such global challenges as climate change, sustainable agriculture, energy, toxics in the environment, and the depletion of natural resources. A collaborative effort by industry, academia, and government is needed to promote the adoption of the green chemistry technologies necessary to achieve a sustainable society. ... Read more

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Investing in Natural Capital presents the results of a workshop held following the second biannual conference of the International Society for Ecological Economics. It focuses on the relation of human development to natural capital, and the relation of natural capital to environmental processes.

Because we are capable of understanding our impact on the environment and the importance of managing it sustainably, humans play a special role in our ecosystem. The book emphasizes the essential connections between natural ecosystems and human socioeconomic systems, and the importance of insuring that both remain resilient. Specific chapters deal with methodology, case material, and policy questions, and offer a thorough exploration of this provocative and important alternative to conventional economics. ... Read more

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How serious are Australia's environmental problems andwhat do we need to do to fix them? Governments at all levels arepreparing the state of the environment reports. Few of them, however,take the next step and set out the actions that are required to dealwith the problems they have identified.

Resetting the Compass: Australia's Journey Towards Sustainability setsout Australia's environmental problems in their global context andexplains what is now needed to fix them. It also illustrates howecological sustainability can be achieved together with economic,social and cultural sustainability.

The book examines the pressures on our environment from populationgrowth, consumption patterns and technological change. It looks at theimpacts on human settlements, atmosphere, biodiversity, land andinland waters and the marine environment. The specific actions neededto deal with each of the problems identified are described in detail.

With a provocative foreword by Nobel Laureate Professor Peter Doherty,this book is essential reading for politicians and public servants;business leaders and managers; environmentalists; academics andstudents in environmental courses; and all those interested inenvironmental issues. ... Read more

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In recent years landscape and wildlife conservation has attracted increased attention from environmentalists and policy-makers. There have been policies within the European Union aimed at conserving wildlife and landscape in Europe for more than a decade and appraisal of these policies is opportune. A workshop was therefore held at the University of Hohenheim in September 1996 to examine critical issues associated with these policies. This workshop was one of a series, each focusing on a key theme as part of the EU Concerted Action, Policy measures to control environmental impacts from agriculture. This book presents a selection of revised papers from this workshop. The overall perspective is an economic one, with several chapters reviewing analytical methods, economic valuation of the benefits of agricultural landscapes and the costs and benefits of wildlife conservation. These are set in the context of the Common Agricultural Policy and environmental policies in the EU. The book represents important reading for agricultural and environmental economists, as well as those concerned with ecology and conservation. ... Read more

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Describes America in its primeval state, traces the destruction and plundering of its resources, and discusses the history, continuing growth, and accomplishments of the conservation movement. ... Read more

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This book examines and decodes some of the basic elements of sustainability; food, water and energy. Current resource uses and human development strategies are discussed that can help maintain resilient environments and societies at a country level. It explores how a range of countries make decisions regarding their energy and bio-resource consumption and procurement and how these choices impact not only their societies and environments, but the world in general.

Sustainability Unpacked reviews the merits of various sustainability and environmental metrics and applies these to 27 countries that are ranked low, medium or high on the human development index. It assesses their resource capacities and the environmental impacts, both within and outside their country boundaries, from consuming food, water, and energy. It explores how well the available country-level indices enlighten us regarding our ability to accurately measure the continued sustainability of food, water, and energy for future generations. The authors discuss both the commonality and uniqueness of several countries' food, water, and energy stories as a process to identify the links between resource uses and sustainability at a country level. The final section uses the lessons derived from the earlier analyses of resource consumption to explore the importance of geography, climates and sustainable management of forests and other natural resources for building resilient societies in the future. ... Read more

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With the environment, climate change, and global warming taking center stage in the national debate, the issues seem insurmountable and certainly unsolvable at the local level. Written by Chris Maser, international consultant on forest ecology, sustainable forestry practices, and sustainable development, Social-Environmental Planning: The Design Interface Between Everyforest and Everycity focuses on community based solutions, emphasizing how the heavy lifting of sustainability will always be done inside existing cities and communities. Based on the author’s forty years of experience, the book covers the sustainability of the planet and its population when dealing with climate change.

The book provides an in-depth understanding of the commonalities of pattern between Everyforest and Everycity. Maser suggests that before changes can be made, society must adapt to the circumstances of global climate change as they already are, and then determine what we can do to stabilize global climate as effectively and quickly as possible. He explores the reciprocal interface between communities and the landscape and how, when this interface is recognized and understood, it can create solutions that work. With this comprehension, people can adapt to the present and begin determining what they can do now to leave the planet a little better for each generation.

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