Palgrave Studies in Environmental Sustainability – serie

Environmental Sustainability in a Time of Change is the first book in a new Palgrave series on Environmental Sustainability.

Environmental Sustainability in a Time of Change is the first book in a new Palgrave series on Environmental Sustainability.

This book will provide a comprehensive discussion of groundwater sustainability, including what it is, how its definition has changed over time, why traditional assessments of it are wrong, how assessments of it are ideally multidisciplinary efforts recognizing that policy is more controlling of outcomes than science, and why achieving it is difficult once pumping exceeds sustainable levels of pumping. The book will provide a nontechnical background of hydrogeology relevant to groundwater sustainability and present several case studies from around the United States and the world.The book has been designed to appeal to academics, students, and practitioners. Academics, particularly those just getting into the subject, will find the book a useful entry in terms of management concepts and political realities of attempting to achieve groundwater sustainability. It will also be useful to academics in that the book will include discussions on the history and development of groundwater sustainability and the practical aspects of aspiring to and achieving sustainable production. Although not a textbook, the book could be used as the basis for teaching a course or as a supplement to a hydrogeology or groundwater management class. Accordingly, the book will include questions and additional reading materials at the end of each chapter. This book will also be useful to practitioners through non-technical explanations of the sciences, discussions of the nuances of defining sustainability in aquifers, and the presentation of case studies where sustainable management has failed and succeeded.

This book will provide a comprehensive discussion of groundwater sustainability, including what it is, how its definition has changed over time, why traditional assessments of it are wrong, how assessments of it are ideally multidisciplinary efforts recognizing that policy is more controlling of outcomes than science, and why achieving it is difficult once pumping exceeds sustainable levels of pumping. The book will provide a nontechnical background of hydrogeology relevant to groundwater sustainability and present several case studies from around the United States and the world.The book has been designed to appeal to academics, students, and practitioners. Academics, particularly those just getting into the subject, will find the book a useful entry in terms of management concepts and political realities of attempting to achieve groundwater sustainability. It will also be useful to academics in that the book will include discussions on the history and development of groundwater sustainability and the practical aspects of aspiring to and achieving sustainable production. Although not a textbook, the book could be used as the basis for teaching a course or as a supplement to a hydrogeology or groundwater management class. Accordingly, the book will include questions and additional reading materials at the end of each chapter. This book will also be useful to practitioners through non-technical explanations of the sciences, discussions of the nuances of defining sustainability in aquifers, and the presentation of case studies where sustainable management has failed and succeeded.

This book provides an overview of interdisciplinary approaches that have applied social science to research focused on issues around food, agriculture and natural resource management. The book demonstrates that those who work in rural sociology either as researchers or practitioners apply community development and participatory techniques to socio-environmental interaction. The book discusses how the evolving concept of interconnected social and ecological systems (SES) emerged, recognizing the inherent complexity, adaptive nature, and resilience of such systems. This book engages with contemporary theory, as well as new cutting-edge transdisciplinary research evidenced in case studies from three continents.

This book provides an overview of interdisciplinary approaches that have applied social science to research focused on issues around food, agriculture and natural resource management.

This book investigates the deep economic causes of environmental unsustainability and offers a new vision to rebuild sustainability economics.

This book investigates the deep economic causes of environmental unsustainability and offers a new vision to rebuild sustainability economics.

This book examines rural landscapes as dynamic social‑ecological systems shaped by accelerating environmental change, shifting livelihoods, and evolving governance. It brings together interdisciplinary perspectives to show how rural regions function through the interplay of ecology, society, culture, and policy.The volume moves from core conceptual frameworks—including integrated social‑ecological models —to empirical studies spanning Indigenous knowledge systems, land abandonment, pastoralism, sacred groves, climate vulnerability, geo‑hazards, gendered livelihoods, biodiversity conservation, infrastructure expansion, and environmental law. These cases illustrate the diverse pressures and adaptive strategies that characterise contemporary rural environments.Further chapters explore governance innovations, resilience building, adaptation pathways, agroforestry systems, and the possibilities of more just and sustainable rural futures. Across these contributions, the book highlights how ecological integrity and social equity must be addressed together to strengthen rural resilience, support climate adaptation, and sustain biodiversity and livelihoods.Designed for researchers in ecology, geography, environmental social science, sustainability studies, and rural development, this book offers integrative frameworks and actionable insights for analysing and shaping rural change in an era of global transformation.