Nolberto Munier - Böcker

The purpose of this book is to analyze, with actual examples, different techniques that have been developed to tackle the complex task of making an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of a project. A project may influence the lives of many people, can change the physical environment temporarily or forever, and creates benefits or losses, not only for the people who promoted it, but also for those not related whatsoever with the project. Thus, its assessment is not only a commercial evaluation of gains and losses, but it goes far beyond that, for it also has to appraise: Even though, in many cases, the different techniques can be used standalone, this procedure appears to be unsatisfactory, because none of them can give a complete answer to our problem. For that reason this book explains each technique separately, but whenever possible, and through examples, links them in order to obtain the maximum benefit from each one.This book is subtitled A Practical Guide, precisely because it tries to guide the practitioner in this labyrinth of techniques, by suggesting the best tools to use in each case, complementing this with abundant Internet references that provide a fast way to get more information about specific concepts, and facilitating the examination of actual EIA in many different fields. Audience: This book will help the practitioner, the student, and the public in general on how best to understand and evaluate the effects of new projects on our environment. Worksheets to prepare an EIA are included.

The purpose of this book is to analyze, with actual examples, different techniques that have been developed to tackle the complex task of making an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of a project. A project may influence the lives of many people, can change the physical environment temporarily or forever, and creates benefits or losses, not only for the people who promoted it, but also for those not related whatsoever with the project. Thus, its assessment is not only a commercial evaluation of gains and losses, but it goes far beyond that, for it also has to appraise: Even though, in many cases, the different techniques can be used standalone, this procedure appears to be unsatisfactory, because none of them can give a complete answer to our problem. For that reason this book explains each technique separately, but whenever possible, and through examples, links them in order to obtain the maximum benefit from each one.This book is subtitled A Practical Guide, precisely because it tries to guide the practitioner in this labyrinth of techniques, by suggesting the best tools to use in each case, complementing this with abundant Internet references that provide a fast way to get more information about specific concepts, and facilitating the examination of actual EIA in many different fields. Audience: This book will help the practitioner, the student, and the public in general on how best to understand and evaluate the effects of new projects on our environment. Worksheets to prepare an EIA are included.

The purpose of this book is to analyze, with actual examples, different techniques that have been developed to tackle the complex task of making an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of a project. A project may influence the lives of many people, can change the physical environment temporarily or forever, and creates benefits or losses, not only for the people who promoted it, but also for those not related whatsoever with the project. Thus, its assessment is not only a commercial evaluation of gains and losses, but it goes far beyond that, for it also has to appraise: Even though, in many cases, the different techniques can be used standalone, this procedure appears to be unsatisfactory, because none of them can give a complete answer to our problem. For that reason this book explains each technique separately, but whenever possible, and through examples, links them in order to obtain the maximum benefit from each one.This book is subtitled A Practical Guide, precisely because it tries to guide the practitioner in this labyrinth of techniques, by suggesting the best tools to use in each case, complementing this with abundant Internet references that provide a fast way to get more information about specific concepts, and facilitating the examination of actual EIA in many different fields. Audience: This book will help the practitioner, the student, and the public in general on how best to understand and evaluate the effects of new projects on our environment. Worksheets to prepare an EIA are included.

Sustainability relates with Economics, Society, and Environment. However, one common fact that links them all is the generation of waste. This chapter is divided into two: The first part analyses the current generation of waste as well as its treatment. The second intends to establish policies for the future treatment of waste or, better yet, for ceasing the generation of waste. This first part begins by raising some capital questions: What is waste? Which are the components of waste? Where is waste generated? and How is waste treated? The second part will deal with: Why is waste produced? and What is society doing to correct this problem? 2. 2 First part: Current generation and treatment of waste 2. 2. 1 What is waste? The dictionary defines ‘waste’ as something useless, unwanted, or defective and the word ‘by-product’ as something produced in an industrial or biological process in addition to the principal product. From the point of view of sustainability, the word ‘waste’ does not have that meaning as, though it may be unwanted, it is not something useless and is certainly not defective. Even if in a manufacturing process a product or part of it does not conform to the manufacturer’s quality specs, it does not thereby become waste, but is, rather scrap material that is usually brought back to its original state and then processed again.

Sustainability relates with Economics, Society, and Environment. However, one common fact that links them all is the generation of waste. This chapter is divided into two: The first part analyses the current generation of waste as well as its treatment. The second intends to establish policies for the future treatment of waste or, better yet, for ceasing the generation of waste. This first part begins by raising some capital questions: What is waste? Which are the components of waste? Where is waste generated? and How is waste treated? The second part will deal with: Why is waste produced? and What is society doing to correct this problem? 2. 2 First part: Current generation and treatment of waste 2. 2. 1 What is waste? The dictionary defines ‘waste’ as something useless, unwanted, or defective and the word ‘by-product’ as something produced in an industrial or biological process in addition to the principal product. From the point of view of sustainability, the word ‘waste’ does not have that meaning as, though it may be unwanted, it is not something useless and is certainly not defective. Even if in a manufacturing process a product or part of it does not conform to the manufacturer’s quality specs, it does not thereby become waste, but is, rather scrap material that is usually brought back to its original state and then processed again.

A PARAMOUNT CONCEPT The following article, authored by Mathis Wackernagel et al, illustrates the Ecological Footprint concept developed by William Rees and Mathis Wackernagel (1996). This is a fundamental concept to measure sustainability and the unequal use of land resources on the planet. The Ecological Footprint is mentioned many times in this book in different chapters, showing its importance. For this reason it is believed that the inclusion of this paper as a preface to this handbook will not only enhance the reader’s understanding of the concept but will also aid in understanding further chapters. Nolberto Munier Editor THE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT OF CITIES AND REGIONS: COMPARING RESOURCE * AVAILABILITY WITH RESOURCE DEMAND By Mathis Wackernagel, Justin Kitzes, Dan Moran, Steven Goldfinger and Mary Thomas SUMMARY: Cities and regions depend on resources and ecological services from distant ecosystems. The well-being of city and region residents is affected by both the health and availability of these ecosystems, especially in today’s ecologically strained world. *Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications Ltd. from: Wackernagel, Mathis et al, “The ecological footprint of cities and regions: comparing resource availability with resource demand”, Environment and Urbanization, Vol. 18, No. 1, in press. (©Sage Publications Ltd., 2006). 1 © Sage Publications, 2006 2 Preface The management of a city or region’s resource metabolism, including the natural capital that supports these flows, is becoming increasingly a central concern to cities and regions that want to succeed.

This book examines the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method, its varied uses, as well as its limitations for solving real-world scenarios.

This book examines the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method, its varied uses, as well as its limitations for solving real-world scenarios.

This book is intended as a guide to and manual on modeling complex problems in Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM). Once this matrix has been constructed, the Decision Maker (DM) can select from more than a hundred MCDM methods the one that best fits the requirements and conditions of the matrix.

This book is intended as a guide to and manual on modeling complex problems in Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM). Once this matrix has been constructed, the Decision Maker (DM) can select from more than a hundred MCDM methods the one that best fits the requirements and conditions of the matrix.

This book examines multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) and presents the Sequential Iterative Modelling for Urban Systems (SIMUS) as a method to be used for strategic decision making. Part 3 proposes the SIMUS method as a strategic procedure to deal with MCDM problems, and addressing how to approach complicate scenarios.

This book examines multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) and presents the Sequential Iterative Modelling for Urban Systems (SIMUS) as a method to be used for strategic decision making. Part 3 proposes the SIMUS method as a strategic procedure to deal with MCDM problems, and addressing how to approach complicate scenarios.

Covers the entire process of risk management by providing methodologies for determining the sources of engineering project risk, and once threats have been identified, managing them through: identification and assessment (probability, relative importance, variables, risk breakdown structure, etc.); implementation of measures for their prevention, reduction or mitigation; evaluation of impacts and quantification of risks and establishment of control measures. It also considers sensitivity analysis to determine the influence of uncertain parameters values on different project results, such as completion time, total costs, etc. Case studies and examples across a wide spectrum of engineering projects discuss such diverse factors as: safety; environmental impacts; societal reactions; time and cost overruns; quality control; legal issues; financial considerations; and political risk, making this suitable for undergraduates and graduates in grasping the fundamentals of risk management.

Covers the entire process of risk management by providing methodologies for determining the sources of engineering project risk, and once threats have been identified, managing them through: identification and assessment (probability, relative importance, variables, risk breakdown structure, etc.);

This book develops a whole strategy for decision-making, with the full participation of the decision-maker and utilizing continuous feedback. It introduces the use of the very well-known and proven methodology, linear programming, but specially adapted for this purpose. For this, it incorporates a method to include subjective concepts, as well as the possibility of working with many different and even contradictory objectives. The book is liberally populated with diverse case studies to illustrate the concepts. This practical guide will be of interest to anyone undertaking analysis and decision-making, on both simple and complex projects, and who is looking for a strategy to organize, classify, and evaluate the large amount of information required to make an informed decision. The strategy includes methods to analyze the results and extract conclusions from them.

As a companion to books on project-management theory, this book illustrates, in a down-to-earth, comprehensive style, how to put that theory into practice. In addition to the many examples that illustrate procedures, the book includes over 25 case studies, each one addressing a specific theme. Key topics, such as project selection, negotiations, planning and scheduling, cost and budgeting, project control, human resources, environmental impacts, risk management, and financial evaluation, are discussed, using a step-by-step approach. Beginning at the grassroots level, some cases are solved by hand to illustrate the mechanics of a procedure, while others are solved using advanced computer programs. In this way the reader has a clear idea of the problem, how and when to raise the issue, information needed (and who can provide it), how to solve it by hand, when possible, and also its resolution using the latest informatics tools.

As a companion to books on project-management theory, this book illustrates, in a down-to-earth, comprehensive style, how to put that theory into practice. In addition to the many examples that illustrate procedures, the book includes over 25 case studies, each one addressing a specific theme. Key topics, such as project selection, negotiations, planning and scheduling, cost and budgeting, project control, human resources, environmental impacts, risk management, and financial evaluation, are discussed, using a step-by-step approach. Beginning at the grassroots level, some cases are solved by hand to illustrate the mechanics of a procedure, while others are solved using advanced computer programs. In this way the reader has a clear idea of the problem, how and when to raise the issue, information needed (and who can provide it), how to solve it by hand, when possible, and also its resolution using the latest informatics tools.

Nolberto Munier Editor THE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT OF CITIES AND REGIONS: COMPARING RESOURCE * AVAILABILITY WITH RESOURCE DEMAND By Mathis Wackernagel, Justin Kitzes, Dan Moran, Steven Goldfinger and Mary Thomas SUMMARY: Cities and regions depend on resources and ecological services from distant ecosystems.