Environmental Challenges and Solutions – serie

This book will survey past and present efforts to democratize international institutions, and will advance the argument that a new degree of transparency and accountability on a global scale is necessary to address the threat of climate change. The volume will analyse how global governance could become more democratic and consequently more responsive to the challenge of climate change. As economic globalization has accelerated since 1945, international institutions have done a remarkable job in facilitating global communication and commerce but have been far less effective in protecting the global commons.

The novelty of the book is a strong focus on perception, perspectives and prediction by scientists with profound insight into the ecology of ecosystems or into human demands and activity. The challenge is to bridge from empirical data and the knowledge of the past to the possibilities of the performance in the future. We assume that there is scope for more cooperation between the fields of ecology and practical philosophy or other social sciences in organising ecosystems and shaping the cultural future of humankind, and that such collaboration should be accorded considerably more priority. This book deals with environmental processes seen within a framework of the nature of ecosystems and human cultures. The future of the environment, the development of ecosystems and effective nature conservation management are the essentials of this book. Human nature and culture, and in particular their interactions, are interpreted as a set of rules and as given. The aim is not only to assess the significance of human influence on species composition and biodiversity but also to weigh up the subsequent potentials for action. In this book we will analyze the problems independently of one another, even if they are interconnected. This book focuses on perspectives and prognoses for the impacts of anthropogenic activity on ecosystems and thus on species conservation. Its goal is to improve assessments of the impacts of human activity on the environment. We are aware that prognoses have very often proven to be false. It is difficult to impossible to be able to predict with precision how evolution and ecosystems will change in future under anthropogenic influence. This strengthens our resolve to attempt to retain the highest possible degree of scientific integrity and professionalism and not to shy away from expressing the uncertainty of our own ideas and prognoses. We venture prognoses in this book and we will fail. However, we hope that we will be wrong on the right side.

The novelty of the book is a strong focus on perception, perspectives and prediction by scientists with profound insight into the ecology of ecosystems or into human demands and activity. The challenge is to bridge from empirical data and the knowledge of the past to the possibilities of the performance in the future. We assume that there is scope for more cooperation between the fields of ecology and practical philosophy or other social sciences in organising ecosystems and shaping the cultural future of humankind, and that such collaboration should be accorded considerably more priority. This book deals with environmental processes seen within a framework of the nature of ecosystems and human cultures. The future of the environment, the development of ecosystems and effective nature conservation management are the essentials of this book. Human nature and culture, and in particular their interactions, are interpreted as a set of rules and as given. The aim is not only to assess the significance of human influence on species composition and biodiversity but also to weigh up the subsequent potentials for action. In this book we will analyze the problems independently of one another, even if they are interconnected. This book focuses on perspectives and prognoses for the impacts of anthropogenic activity on ecosystems and thus on species conservation. Its goal is to improve assessments of the impacts of human activity on the environment. We are aware that prognoses have very often proven to be false. It is difficult to impossible to be able to predict with precision how evolution and ecosystems will change in future under anthropogenic influence. This strengthens our resolve to attempt to retain the highest possible degree of scientific integrity and professionalism and not to shy away from expressing the uncertainty of our own ideas and prognoses. We venture prognoses in this book and we will fail. However, we hope that we will be wrong on the right side.

This book demonstrates the measurement, monitoring and mapping of environmental contaminants in soil & sediment, surface & groundwater and atmosphere. This book explores state-of-art techniques based on methodological and modeling in modern geospatial techniques specifically focusing on the recent trends in data mining techniques and robust modeling. It also presents modifications of and improvements to existing control technologies for remediation of environmental contaminants. In addition, it includes three separate sections on contaminants, risk assessment and remediation of different existing and emerging pollutants. It covers major topics such as: Radioactive Wastes, Solid and Hazardous Wastes, Heavy Metal Contaminants, Arsenic Contaminants, Microplastic Pollution, Microbiology of Soil and Sediments, Soil Salinity and Sodicity, Aquatic Ecotoxicity Assessment, Fluoride Contamination, Hydrochemistry, Geochemistry, Indoor Pollution and Human Health aspects. The content of this book will be of interest to researchers, professionals, and policymakers whose work involves environmental contaminants and related solutions.

This book demonstrates the measurement, monitoring and mapping of environmental contaminants in soil & sediment, surface & groundwater and atmosphere. This book explores state-of-art techniques based on methodological and modeling in modern geospatial techniques specifically focusing on the recent trends in data mining techniques and robust modeling. It also presents modifications of and improvements to existing control technologies for remediation of environmental contaminants. In addition, it includes three separate sections on contaminants, risk assessment and remediation of different existing and emerging pollutants. It covers major topics such as: Radioactive Wastes, Solid and Hazardous Wastes, Heavy Metal Contaminants, Arsenic Contaminants, Microplastic Pollution, Microbiology of Soil and Sediments, Soil Salinity and Sodicity, Aquatic Ecotoxicity Assessment, Fluoride Contamination, Hydrochemistry, Geochemistry, Indoor Pollution and Human Health aspects. The content of this book will be of interest to researchers, professionals, and policymakers whose work involves environmental contaminants and related solutions.

Medicinal plants supply the ever-growing needs of humankind for natural chemicals, such as pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, agrochemicals, and chemical additives. These plants contain bioactive secondary metabolites, which possess antimalarial, anthelminthic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antimicrobial, antiarthritic, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, anticancer, antifungal, antispasmodic, cardioprotective, antithyroid, and antihistaminic properties. Secondary metabolites play a major role in the adaptation of plants to the changing environment and stress condition as they are affected by both biotic and abiotic stress. Humans rely on medicinal plants for various needs since ancient time, and their population still seems enough for fulfilling our demands. However, in the foreseeable future, we will be forced to think about the accessibility of resources for future generations. For these reasons, we must look for alternative sustainable options of resources which can protect these immensely important medicinal plants from various stresses induced by challenging environment. Evolving eco-friendly methodologies and mechanisms to improve these plants’ responses to unfavorable environmental circumstances is important in creating significant tools for better understanding of plant adaptations to various abiotic stresses and sustaining the supply of pharmaceuticals as global climate change intensifies.One of the great challenges in the near future will be the sustainable production of medicinal plants under increasing adverse effects of climate change. A combination of adverse demographic factors and climatological perturbations is expected to impact food and pharmaceutical production globally. Despite the induction of several tolerance mechanisms, medicinal plants often fail to survive under environmental extremes. To ensure their sustainable production under adverse conditions, multidisciplinary approaches are needed, and useful leads are likely toemerge. However, improving plants' performance under restrictive growth conditions requires a deep understanding of the molecular processes that underlie their extraordinary physiological plasticity. This edited volume emphasizes the recent updates about the current research on medicinal plants covering different aspects related to challenges and opportunities in the concerned field. This book is an attempt to bring together global researchers who have been engaged in the area of stress signaling, crosstalk, and mechanisms of medicinal plants. The book will provide a direction towards implementation of programs and practices that will enable sustainable production of medicinal plants resilient to challenging environmental conditions. Moreover, this book will instigate and commence readers to state-of-the-art developments and trends in this field.

Medicinal plants supply the ever-growing needs of humankind for natural chemicals, such as pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, agrochemicals, and chemical additives. These plants contain bioactive secondary metabolites, which possess antimalarial, anthelminthic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antimicrobial, antiarthritic, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, anticancer, antifungal, antispasmodic, cardioprotective, antithyroid, and antihistaminic properties. Secondary metabolites play a major role in the adaptation of plants to the changing environment and stress condition as they are affected by both biotic and abiotic stress. Humans rely on medicinal plants for various needs since ancient time, and their population still seems enough for fulfilling our demands. However, in the foreseeable future, we will be forced to think about the accessibility of resources for future generations. For these reasons, we must look for alternative sustainable options of resources which can protect these immensely important medicinal plants from various stresses induced by challenging environment. Evolving eco-friendly methodologies and mechanisms to improve these plants’ responses to unfavorable environmental circumstances is important in creating significant tools for better understanding of plant adaptations to various abiotic stresses and sustaining the supply of pharmaceuticals as global climate change intensifies.One of the great challenges in the near future will be the sustainable production of medicinal plants under increasing adverse effects of climate change. A combination of adverse demographic factors and climatological perturbations is expected to impact food and pharmaceutical production globally. Despite the induction of several tolerance mechanisms, medicinal plants often fail to survive under environmental extremes. To ensure their sustainable production under adverse conditions, multidisciplinary approaches are needed, and useful leads are likely toemerge. However, improving plants' performance under restrictive growth conditions requires a deep understanding of the molecular processes that underlie their extraordinary physiological plasticity. This edited volume emphasizes the recent updates about the current research on medicinal plants covering different aspects related to challenges and opportunities in the concerned field. This book is an attempt to bring together global researchers who have been engaged in the area of stress signaling, crosstalk, and mechanisms of medicinal plants. The book will provide a direction towards implementation of programs and practices that will enable sustainable production of medicinal plants resilient to challenging environmental conditions. Moreover, this book will instigate and commence readers to state-of-the-art developments and trends in this field.

Marine environments represent an underexplored source for numerous biotechnological applications. Of particular interest are organisms that can provide various valuable molecules and are potential candidates for bioremediation strategies. Fungi, algae, bacteria, yeasts, and sponges are some unique resources in marine ecosystems. But these must be preserved and protected from irreversible damage. Sustainable exploitation through farming systems is the alternative to prevent pressure on harvesting wild marine organisms. Written by an international team of experts, this book provides a broad overview of the possible approaches and technologies that can be applied in bioremediation processes and the possibilities to add value to the biomass produced. It provides a comprehensive state-of-the-art of current research and practice in bioremediation technology and bio-based materials. New processing technologies, and recent technical advances in molecular biology such as gene mining, omics techniques, and metabolic engineering are highlighted. The exciting possibilities that artificial intelligence can bring to the future of the biotechnology industry are also approached.The multidisciplinary nature of this book makes it of interest to a wide range of readers, including researchers, students, consulting professionals, engineers, governmental entities, and institutions working in environmental biotechnology, pollution control and prevention, and chemical processes.

Marine environments represent an underexplored source for numerous biotechnological applications. Of particular interest are organisms that can provide various valuable molecules and are potential candidates for bioremediation strategies. Fungi, algae, bacteria, yeasts, and sponges are some unique resources in marine ecosystems. But these must be preserved and protected from irreversible damage. Sustainable exploitation through farming systems is the alternative to prevent pressure on harvesting wild marine organisms. Written by an international team of experts, this book provides a broad overview of the possible approaches and technologies that can be applied in bioremediation processes and the possibilities to add value to the biomass produced. It provides a comprehensive state-of-the-art of current research and practice in bioremediation technology and bio-based materials. New processing technologies, and recent technical advances in molecular biology such as gene mining, omics techniques, and metabolic engineering are highlighted. The exciting possibilities that artificial intelligence can bring to the future of the biotechnology industry are also approached.The multidisciplinary nature of this book makes it of interest to a wide range of readers, including researchers, students, consulting professionals, engineers, governmental entities, and institutions working in environmental biotechnology, pollution control and prevention, and chemical processes.

When water is used once and is no longer fit for human consumption or any other use, it is considered liquid waste. Proper disposal, treatment and reuse of wastewater wherever possible will help in combating diseases as well as meeting water scarcity. The selection and adoption of appropriate technologies plays a very important role in this whole exercise and has far-reaching implications on the success in achieving a circular water economy. The selection of technologies is even more important. New concepts are continuously being added to achieve a sustainable society, focusing on the new tool of circular economy. Various reuse options of waste; either water or solids (e.g., agricultural irrigation, industrial process recycling, resource recovery, biogas production etc.) as part of a circular economy, are being identified and tested. This book caters to the role of nature-based solutions in a circular water economy and includes chapters on how to tackle wastewater treatment with the help of sustainable bio-based technologies. This may include Bio-based technologies for the treatment of domestic/municipal/industrial/agro-industrial wastewater/sludges including but not limited to: Leach pit, Soak pit, Magic Pits, Kitchen Garden, and Community Soak pits etc.Waste Stabilization PondsDuck Weed Pond systemConstructed WetlandsSoil Bio TechnologyDEWATSReed bed SystemAnaerobic Baffled Reactor (ABR)Moving Bed Bio-Film Reactor (MBBR)Urine treatment technologiesThe book covers increased efficiency of treatment for example by using process modification, integration of technologies or selectively enriched biota. Investigation of pollutant removal processes/transformations, to better understand and optimize the design and improve the performance of these wastewater treatment systems are also included.

Environmental pollutants are posing a threat to ecological balance, human health and climate. Early detection and efficient remediation of these pollutants is important to prevent further damage. Various natural and synthetic materials have been studied and applied for detection and remediation of environmental pollutants. Biomaterials have gained importance to tackle challenges pertaining to environmental issues owing to advantages like biocompatibility, specificity, ease of manufacturing, biodegradability, economical and environment friendly nature.This book discusses current techniques based on various biomaterials for detection of environmental pollutants. This includes advancement in various biomolecules used in biosensors for pollutant detection. The book covers basics as well as recent trends in bioremediation using biomolecules such as chitosan, alginate, pectin, peptides, biochar etc. Nanomaterial synthesized using bacterial, fungus, algae and plants are also discussed in the book. Advanced conversion techniques to synthesize biomaterials, application strategies for detection and remediation of pollutants, challenges in application, economic and environmental impact are also discussed in the book.

This open access book examines how science education can respond meaningfully to the challenges of sustainability in a world marked by uncertainty, value conflicts, and contested knowledge. Rather than treating sustainability as an additional topic to be inserted into existing curricula, the volume explores how sustainability invites not only a deeper reconsideration of the purposes, practices, and responsibilities of science education, but also on education in a larger perspective. Across diverse educational contexts, the chapters illuminate how scientific knowledge, ethical reflection, and civic engagement intersect when learners are prepared not only to understand the world, but also to deliberate and act within it.Addressing philosophical questions, curriculum innovation, learner perspectives, and classroom practices, the book offers critical and constructive insights into how science education can foster agency, critical judgment, and informed participation in sustainability-related decision-making. It is particularly attentive to tensions between disciplinary knowledge and interdisciplinary demands, between evidence and values, and between knowledge acquisition and action.This volume will be of interest to researchers, teacher educators, graduate students, and advanced practitioners in science education and sustainability education, as well as policy-oriented readers concerned with the future role of education in addressing global environmental and societal challenges. It provides a rich resource for those seeking to rethink science education as an essential contributor to sustainable futures.

Divided into three sections, this book explores the three main pillars of sustainable development, namely economy, environment and society, and their interlinkages at the regional level. The first section, Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) for sustainable development, focuses on international agreements and national legislation, as well as the challenges in implementing ABS in e.g. India. In turn, the second section examines the process of forming Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) at the Local Self Government (LSG) level to promote environmental sustainability, highlighting local and community-level conservation initiatives that have led to the conservation of habitats and species. The third section addresses poverty eradication and food security. The case studies included demonstrate how the combination of traditional knowledge and modern techniques can enhance the productivity of traditional crop varieties, yielding greater benefits for communities. The aim of this volume is to disseminate the lessons learned from these case studies, as well as the findings from projects already in place, which can offer recommendations that can be applied to similar problems elsewhere in an attempt to find environmental solutions for sustainable development. Further, it introduces readers to new approaches to inclusive development, demonstrating that participation and grass root empowerment are key drivers of equitable and sustainable development.

This book poses the question of whether identifiable individual-level attributes (e.g., values, interests, knowledge, demographic characteristics) lead to support for or opposition to the development and implementation of alternative energy technologies.  In recent years, attempts to site alternative energy technologies (e.g., wind, solar, wave) have been met by intense opposition from a variety of sources, including many environmentalists from whom one might expect support for non-carbon based renewable energy initiatives.  This volume argues that there are indeed such discernible attributes, and moreover that the identification and exploration are important for the development of support strategies for the well-informed and achievable siting of such technologies.

Divided into three sections, this book explores the three main pillars of sustainable development, namely economy, environment and society, and their interlinkages at the regional level. The first section, Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) for sustainable development, focuses on international agreements and national legislation, as well as the challenges in implementing ABS in e.g. India. In turn, the second section examines the process of forming Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) at the Local Self Government (LSG) level to promote environmental sustainability, highlighting local and community-level conservation initiatives that have led to the conservation of habitats and species. The third section addresses poverty eradication and food security. The case studies included demonstrate how the combination of traditional knowledge and modern techniques can enhance the productivity of traditional crop varieties, yielding greater benefits for communities. The aim of this volume is to disseminate the lessons learned from these case studies, as well as the findings from projects already in place, which can offer recommendations that can be applied to similar problems elsewhere in an attempt to find environmental solutions for sustainable development. Further, it introduces readers to new approaches to inclusive development, demonstrating that participation and grass root empowerment are key drivers of equitable and sustainable development.

This book poses the question of whether identifiable individual-level attributes (e.g., values, interests, knowledge, demographic characteristics) lead to support for or opposition to the development and implementation of alternative energy technologies.  In recent years, attempts to site alternative energy technologies (e.g., wind, solar, wave) have been met by intense opposition from a variety of sources, including many environmentalists from whom one might expect support for non-carbon based renewable energy initiatives.  This volume argues that there are indeed such discernible attributes, and moreover that the identification and exploration are important for the development of support strategies for the well-informed and achievable siting of such technologies.

This book will survey past and present efforts to democratize international institutions, and will advance the argument that a new degree of transparency and accountability on a global scale is necessary to address the threat of climate change. The volume will analyse how global governance could become more democratic and consequently more responsive to the challenge of climate change. As economic globalization has accelerated since 1945, international institutions have done a remarkable job in facilitating global communication and commerce but have been far less effective in protecting the global commons.

Modern industrial agriculture is not sustainable because of its heavy reliance on petroleum, a non-renewable source of the energy used in farming, and because of pollution caused by petroleum products such as fertilizers and pesticides. A systems analysis of farming suggests that agriculture will be more sustainable when services of nature, such as nutrient recycling by soil micro-organisms and natural controls of insects, replace the services now provided by energy from petroleum. Examples are drawn from the Southeastern USA, but lessons learned can be applied worldwide.

Modern industrial agriculture is not sustainable because of its heavy reliance on petroleum, a non-renewable source of the energy used in farming, and because of pollution caused by petroleum products such as fertilizers and pesticides. A systems analysis of farming suggests that agriculture will be more sustainable when services of nature, such as nutrient recycling by soil micro-organisms and natural controls of insects, replace the services now provided by energy from petroleum. Examples are drawn from the Southeastern USA, but lessons learned can be applied worldwide.

This book examines the need for a new way of describing sustainable tourism and also looks at the frameworks needed to rethink how to apply this to communities, private operators and protected area managers.It makes it clear that tourism is just one of many human activities that affects host communities. The work includes informative and provocative case studies with realistic applications. References included in the book will help graduate students formulate new hypotheses and suggest literature for them. Tools and techniques useful to tourism practitioners suggest innovative approaches to marketing, management and community development.