WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment – serie

Covering the proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Urban Regeneration and Sustainability held in Alicante, Spain, this volume addresses the multidisciplinary aspects of urban planning; a result of the increasing size of cities, the amount of resources and services required and the complexity of modern society.Most of the earth's population live in cities and the process of urbanisation continues generating problems originating from the drift of the population towards them. These problems can be resolved by cities becoming efficient habitats, saving resources in a way that improves the standard of living. The process faces a number of challenges related to reducing pollution, improving main transportation and infrastructure systems and these challenges can contribute to the development of social and economic imbalances and require the development of new solutions.Large cities are probably the most complex mechanisms to manage, nevertheless they represent a productive ground for architects, engineers, city planners, social and political scientists able to conceive new ideas and time them according to technological advances and human requirements.

The 8th International Conference on Sustainable Development and Planning is part of a series of biennial conferences on the topic of sustainable regional development which began in Greece in 2003. The papers included in these proceedings report on the latest advances from scientists specialising in the range of subjects included within sustainable development and planning.Planners, environmentalists, architects, engineers, policy makers and economists have to work together in order to ensure that planning and development can meet our present needs without comprising the ability of future generations.The use of modern technologies in planning gives us new potential to monitor and prevent environmental degradation. Problems related to development and planning, which affect both rural and urban areas, are present in all regions of the world and accelerated urbanisation has resulted in both the deterioration of the environment and quality of life. Urban development can also intensify problems faced by rural areas such as forests, mountain regions and coastal areas, which urgently require solutions in order to avoid irreversible damage.The papers in the book cover the following topics: City Planning; Urban Strategies; Sustainability and the Built Environment; Regional Planning; Environmental Planning and Management; Costal Regions; Sustainable Solutions in Emerging Countries; Policies and Planning; Socio Economic Issues; Community Planning; Culture and Heritage; Energy Resources; Transportation; Mobility and Urban Space; Air Quality; Water Management; Waste Water.

Grouping a selection of papers from the 12th International Conference on Urban Regeneration and Sustainability, this book refers to all aspects of urban environment and provides solutions that lead towards sustainability. The series maintains its strong reputation and a substantial number of contributions have been made from a diverse range of transnational delegates, resulting in a variety of topics and experiences.Urban areas face a number of challenges related to reducing pollution, improving main transportation and infrastructure systems and these challenges can contribute to the development of social and economic imbalances and require the development of new solutions. The challenge is to manage human activities, pursuing welfare and prosperity in the urban environment, whilst considering the relationships between the parts and their connections with the living world. The dynamics of its networks (flows of energy matter, people, goods, information and other resources) are fundamental for an understanding of the evolving nature of today's cities.Large cities represent a productive ground for architects, engineers, city planners, social and political scientists able to conceive new ideas and time them according to technological advances and human requirements. The multidisciplinary components of urban planning, the challenges presented by the increasing size of cities, the amount of resources required and the complexity of modern society are all addressed.The published papers cover the following fields: Urban Strategies; Urban Conservation and Regeneration; Urban Transportation and Planning; Architectural Issues; Spatial Conflicts in the City; Intelligent Environment; Quality of Life; Cultural Heritage Sites; The Community and the City; Environmental Management; Planning, Development and Management; Planning for Risk and Natural Hazards; Waste Management; Water Resources.

Containing papers presented at the 7th International Conference on Energy and Sustainability, this volume includes collaborative research between different disciplines, including materials, energy networks, new energy resources, storage solutions, waste to energy systems, smart grids and many other related subjects.Energy production and distribution matters as well as the need to respond to the modern world's dependency on conventional fuels are topics of growing importance. The use of fossil fuels has generated an increasing amount of interest in renewable energy resources and the search for maintainable energy policies.Energy policies and management are of primary importance to achieve the development of sustainability and need to be consistent with recent advances in energy production and distribution. Challenges lie as much in the conversion from renewable energies such as wind and solar to useful forms like electricity, heat and fuel at an acceptable cost (including environmental damage) as in the integration of these resources into an existing infrastructure.A range of topics are covered, including: Energy Management; Energy Efficiency; Green Buildings; Energy and Transport; Biomass and Biofuels; Environment and Energy: Connection and Opportunities; Renewable Energy Sources; Waste to Energy; CO2 Capturing and Management; Case Studies; Processing of Oil and Gas.

Containing papers presented at the 9th International Conference on Sustainable Development and Planning this volume brings together the work of academics, policy makers, practitioners and other international stakeholders and discusses new academic findings and their application in planning and development strategies, assessment tools and decision making processes.Problems related to development and planning are present in all areas and regions of the world. Accelerated urbanisation has resulted in both the deterioration of the environment and quality of life. Taking into consideration the interaction between different regions and developing new methodologies for monitoring, planning and implementation, new strategies can offer solutions mitigating environmental pollution and non-sustainable use of available resources.Energy saving and eco-friendly buildings have become an important part of modern day progress with emphasis on resource optimisation. Planning is a key part in ensuring that these solutions along with new materials and processes are efficiently incorporated. Planners, environmentalists, architects, engineers and economists have to work collectively to ensure that present and future needs are met.The papers in the book cover a number of topics, including: City planning; Urban architecture; Regional planning; Sustainability and the built environment; Environmental management; Cultural heritage; Quality of life; Sustainable solutions in emerging countries; Sustainable tourism; Transportation; Community planning; Timber structures; Governance; Socio-economic issues; Mobility in the city; Energy efficiency; Education for sustainable development; Case studies; Sustainable development indicators.

Dealing with issues related to the modelling, monitoring and management of air pollution, this book includes papers presented at the 26th International Conference on Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Air Pollution. The papers from this conference continue a wide ranging collection of high quality research works that develop the fundamental science of air pollution.Air pollution issues remain one of the most challenging problems facing society. The scientific knowledge derived from well-designed studies needs to be allied with further technical and economic studies in order to ensure cost effective and efficient mitigation. Increasingly, it is being recognised that the outcome of such research needs to be contextualised within well formulated communication strategies that help policy makers and citizens to understand and appreciate the risks and rewards arising from air pollution management. Details of the wide spread nature of the air pollution phenomena and in depth explorations of their impacts on human health and the environment are covered in this book.

This volume contains research from the 10th International Conference on Sustainable Development and Planning. The papers included in this volume form a collection of research from academics, policy makers, practitioners and other stakeholders from across the globe who discuss the latest advances in the field.Problems related to development and planning, which affect rural and urban areas, are present in all regions of the world. Accelerated urbanisation has resulted in deterioration of the environment and loss of quality of life. Urban development can also aggravate problems faced by rural areas such as forests, mountain regions and coastal areas, amongst many others. Taking into consideration the interaction between different regions and developing new methodologies for monitoring, planning and implementation of novel strategies can offer solutions for mitigating environmental pollution and non-sustainable use of available resources.Energy saving and eco-friendly building approaches have become an important part of modern development, which places special emphasis on resource optimisation. Planning has a key role to play in ensuring that these solutions as well as new materials and processes are incorporated in the most efficient manner.The application of new academic findings to planning and development strategies, assessment tools and decision-making processes are all covered in this book.

Containing papers from the 3rd International Conference on Energy Production and Management: The Quest for Sustainable Energy, this book discusses the future creation and use of energy resources. It also examines the issue of converting new sustainable sources of energy into useful forms, while finding efficient methods of storage and distribution.An important objective of the book is discussing ways in which more efficient use can be made of conventional as well as new energy sources. This relates to savings in energy consumption, reduction of energy losses, as well as the implementation of smart devices and the design of intelligent distribution networks.This volume provides a comparison of conventional energy sources, particularly hydrocarbons, with a number of other ways of producing energy, emphasising new technological developments, based on renewable resources such as solar, hydro, wind and geothermal.In many cases the challenges lie as much with production of such renewable energy at an acceptable cost, including damage to the environment, as with integration of those resources into the existing infrastructure.The changes required to progress from an economy based mainly on hydrocarbons to one taking advantage of sustainable energy resources are massive and require considerable scientific research as well as the development of advanced engineering systems. Such progress demands close collaboration between different disciplines in order to arrive at optimum solutions.

Containing the proceedings from the 9th International Conference on Waste Management and the Environment, this book is a collection of research on current waste disposal methods, as well as highlighting better practices and safer solutions for the future.Waste Management is one of the key problems of modern society due to the ever-expanding volume and complexity of discarded domestic and industrial waste. Society is increasingly aware of the need to establish better practices and safer solutions for waste disposal. This requires further investigation into disposal methods and recycling as well as new technologies to monitor landfills, industrial mining wastes and chemical and nuclear repositories.This creates a need for more research on current disposal methods such as landfills, incineration, chemical and effluent treatment, as well as recycling, clean technologies, waste monitoring, public and corporate awareness and general education.The papers contained in this title form a collective record of scientific information and work on the current situation of waste management amongst professionals, researchers, government departments and local authorities.

Forming the 10th volume from this successful international conference series, this book features research from scientists, practitioners and other experts working across the field of water resources management.Water is essential for sustaining life on our planet and its uneven distribution is a source of permanent conflict. The growth of human population combined with the irregularity in precipitation and water availability may restrict even further the access to water in certain regions of the world. This problem is made more severe by anthropogenic activities that affect its quality.Moreover, changes in the landscape, use of the land and climate conditions lead to a continuous revaluation of river basin management objectives. This requires the development of better measuring tools as well as the use of increasingly accurate computer software.This volume provides an insight into the state of the art in the current technology, techniques and solutions in sustainable water resources management as they have been developed and applied in different countries. Themes related to water resources include: Water management and planning; Water rights and accessibility; Water markets economics and policies; Climate change; Irrigation; Water resources in arid regions; Ground water; Hydraulic engineering; Trans-boundary water management; Water, food and energy; Water and the community; Integrated water analysis; Wetlands as water sources.

Papers presented at the 10th in a series of conferences on River Basin Management are contained in this book. The included works mark a growing global interest in the planning, design and management of river basin systems and take in to account all aspects of Hydrology, Ecology, Environmental Management, Flood Plains and Wetlands. Catastrophic events such as floods and associated landslides, erosion and sedimentation can have serious effects not only on life and property but also on the basin ecology. Frequently these problems are aggravated by the unforeseen consequences of man made changes in the river basin. This has led in recent years to work on river restoration and rehabilitation with various degrees of success.Changes in the landscape, use of the land and climate conditions leads to a continuous revaluation of river basin management objectives requiring the development of better measuring tools in conjunction with accurate computer technology.Specific themes covered in this volume include: Water resources management; Flood risk management; Ecological and environmental impact; Erosion and sediment transport; Hydrological modelling; River restoration and rehabilitation; Hydropower issues and development; River and watershed management; Water quality issues; Organic contamination management; Agricultural pollution; Transboundary water issues; Estuaries and deltas; Climate change; Remote sensing; Hydraulic structures; Rain water management; Water energy nexus; Drought assessment and management; Ecosystem services.

In its 27th edition the conference on Air Pollution continues to produce valuable research on issues related to the modelling, monitoring and management of air pollution. The papers included in this book continue a wide ranging collection of high quality research works that develop the fundamental science of air pollution.Air pollution issues remain one of the most challenging problems facing society. The scientific knowledge derived from well-designed studies needs to be allied with further technical and economic studies in order to ensure cost effective and efficient mitigation. Increasingly, it is being recognised that the outcome of such research needs to be contextualised within well formulated communication strategies that help policy makers and citizens to understand and appreciate the risks and rewards arising from air pollution management. Details of the wide spread nature of the air pollution phenomena and in depth explorations of their impacts on human health and the environment are covered in this book.Topics covered include: Air pollution modelling; Aerosols and particles; Air pollutant emission studies; Air quality health effects; Indoor air pollution; Air data quality; Air pollution control technologies; Industrial air pollution; Climate change effects; Emerging pollutants; Air pollution management, policy and legislation.

Originating from the 8th edition of the Energy and Sustainability conference, the research included in this volume contributes to the increasing amount of interest in renewable energy resources and the search for maintainable energy policies. Energy production and distribution need to respond to the modern world's dependency on conventional fuels.This volume includes collaborative research between different disciplines, including materials, energy networks, new energy resources, storage solutions, waste to energy systems, smart grids and many other related subjects. Energy policies and management are of primary importance to achieve the development of sustainability and need to be consistent with recent advances in energy production and distribution. Challenges lie as much in the conversion from renewable energies such as wind and solar to useful forms like electricity, heat and fuel at an acceptable cost (including environmental damage) as in the integration of these resources into an existing infrastructure.A range of topics are covered, including: Energy efficiency, Energy storage and distribution, Sustainable buildings, Energy policies, Biomass and biofuels, Environmental risk management, Case studies and Ecosystem modelling.

Containing papers presented at the 13th International Conference on Urban Regeneration and Sustainability, this volume includes latest research providing solutions that lead towards sustainability. The series maintains its strong reputation and contributions have been made from a diverse range of delegates, resulting in a variety of topics and experiences.Urban areas face a number of challenges related to reducing pollution, improving main transportation and infrastructure systems and these challenges can contribute to the development of social and economic imbalances and require the development of new solutions. The challenge is to manage human activities, pursuing welfare and prosperity in the urban environment, whilst considering the relationships between the parts and their connections with the living world. The dynamics of its networks (flows of energy matter, people, goods, information and other resources) are fundamental for an understanding of the evolving nature of today's cities.Large cities represent a productive ground for architects, engineers, city planners, social and political scientists able to conceive new ideas and time them according to technological advances and human requirements. The multidisciplinary components of urban planning, the challenges presented by the increasing size of cities, the amount of resources required and the complexity of modern society are all addressed.The published papers cover the following fields: Urban strategies; Planning, development and management; The community and the city; Infrastructure and society; Eco-town planning; Spatial conflicts in the city; Urban transportation and planning; Conservation and regeneration; Architectural issues; Sustainable energy and the city; Environmental management; Flood risk; Waste management; Urban air pollution; Health issues; Water resources; Landscape planning and design; Intelligent environment; Planning for risk and natural hazards; Waterfront development; Case studies.

Encompassing papers form the 2019 Water and Society Conference, this book is a collection of latest trans-disciplinary research on issues related to the nature of water, and its use and exploitation by society. This book demonstrates the need to bridge the gap between specialists in physical sciences, biology, environmental sciences and health. Over the centuries, civilisations have relied on the availability of clean and inexpensive water. This can no longer be taken for granted as the need for water continues to increase due to the pressure from growing global population demanding higher living standards. Agriculture and industry, major users of water, are at the same time those that contribute to its contamination. Water distribution networks in urban areas, as well as soiled water collection systems, present serious problems in response to a growing population as well as the need to maintain ageing infrastructures.Many technologically feasible solutions, such as desalination or pumping systems are energy demanding but, as costs rise, the techniques currently developed may need to be re-assessed. The research contained in this book addresses the interaction between water and energy systems.The socio-political implications of a world short of clean, easily available water are enormous. It will lead to realignments in international politics and the emergence of new centres of power in the world.The following list covers some of the subjects included in this book: Water resources management; Agribusiness; Water as a human right; Water quality; Water resources contamination; Sanitation and health; Water and disaster management; Policy and legislation; Future water demands; Irrigation and water management; Management of catchments; Groundwater management and conservation.

As urban populations continue to increase it is essential to consider ways of reducing their impact in terms of the use of natural resources, waste production and climate change.The increasing number of people in cities requires new strategies to supply the necessary food with limited provision of land and decreasing resources. This will become more challenging unless innovative solutions for growing and distributing food in urban environments are considered.The scale of modern food production has created and exacerbated many vulnerabilities and the feeding of cities is now infinitely more complex. As such, the food system cannot be considered secure, ethical or sustainable.In the last few years, there has been a rapid expansion in initiatives and projects exploring innovative methods and processes for sustainable food production. The majority of these projects are focused on providing alternative models that shift the power back from the global food system to communities and farmers improving social cohesion, health and wellbeing. It is therefore not surprising that more people are looking towards urban farming initiatives as a potential solution.These initiatives have demonstrated that urban agriculture has the potential to transform our living environment towards ecologically sustainable and healthy cities. Urban agriculture can also contribute to energy, natural resources, land and water savings, ecological diversity and urban management cost reductions.The impact urban agriculture can have on the shape and form of our cities has never been fully addressed. How cities embed these new approaches and initiatives, as part of new urban developments and a city regeneration strategy is critical.The 2nd International Conference on Urban Agriculture and City Sustainability addressed these challenges and the search for new solutions. The presented papers which form this volume detail research works looking at how urban agriculture can contribute to achieving sustainable cities.

Environmental problems caused by the increase of pollutant loads discharged into natural water bodies requires the formation of a framework for regulation and control. This framework needs to be based on scientific results that relate pollutant discharge with changes in water quality. The results of these studies allow the industry to apply more efficient methods of controlling and treating waste loads, and water authorities to enforce appropriate regulations regarding this matter.Water pollution problems are essentially interdisciplinary. Engineers and scientists working in this field must be familiar with a wide range of issues including the physical processes of mixing and dilution, chemical and biological processes, mathematical modelling, data acquisition and measurement, to name but a few. In view of the scarcity of available data, it is important that experiences are shared on an international basis. Thus, a continuous exchange of information between scientists from different countries is essential.Papers presented at Water Pollution 2020, the 15th International Conference in the series of Monitoring, Modelling and Management of Water Pollution, are contained in this volume and highlight research works from scientists, managers and academics from different areas of water contamination.

Waste Management is one of the key problems of modern society due to the ever-expanding volume and complexity of discarded domestic and industrial waste.Society is increasingly aware of the need to establish better practices and safer solutions for waste disposal. This requires further investigation into disposal methods and recycling as well as new technologies to monitor landfills, industrial mining wastes and chemical and nuclear repositories.This creates a need for more research on current disposal methods such as landfills, incineration, chemical and effluent treatment, as well as recycling, clean technologies, waste monitoring, public and corporate awareness and general education.Unfortunately, many of the policies adopted in the past were aimed at short term solutions without due regard to the long term implications on health and the environment, leading in many cases to the need to take difficult and expensive remedial action.The desired direction of Waste Management is towards sustainable strategies. The approach that has emerged as the most promising has been called 4Rs, where reduction, reuse, recycling and recovery are seen as the best actions. This largely decreases the volume of waste that needs final disposal. Recovery refers to the establishment of two new classifications, those of Secondary Raw Materials (SRM) and of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF). They both relate to useful products obtained from waste and make a shift from the mere recycle or reuse – mostly seen as a way to reduce dumping – to the valuable employment of such matter within the production cycle.Another aspect of this revolution is happening subtly and gradually by people buying waste; particularly eWaste and some types of plastic, the so-called technical waste. This is happening due to the strong demand and high price of certain new materials and the possibility of sorting out waste in developing regions of the world. As a result, a market in Secondary Raw Materials (SRM) has developed.Covering various areas under the topic of Waste management, this volume contains a selection of papers presented at the 10th International Conference on Waste Management and the Environment.

Today, tourism is an important component of development, not only in economic terms but also for knowledge and human welfare. Tourism today is an activity accessible to a growing number of people.The phenomenon has many more advantages than disadvantages. New forms of economic development and increasing wealth of human societies depend on tourism. Our knowledge of the world now includes a strong component due to tourism. Human welfare has physiological and psychological elements, which tourism promotes, both because of the enjoyment of knowing new territories and increasing contacts with near or far away societies and cultures.The tourism industry has nevertheless given rise to some serious concerns, including social costs and ecological impacts. Many ancient local cultures have practically lost their identity. Their societies have orientated their economy only to this industry. Both the natural and cultural – rural or urban - landscapes have also paid a high price for certain forms of tourism. These problems will persist if the economic benefit is the only target, leading to economic gains that eventually become ruinous. It is also important to consider that visitors nowadays are increasingly demanding in cultural and environmental terms.Never before have transport and communication links been so important as today. Natural ecosystems are now a rarity on the planet and ecologists talk today about ‘socio-ecosystems’. Given this, tourism and environmental education are facing a major challenge.The 9th International Conference on Sustainable Tourism had the aim of finding ways to protect the natural and cultural landscape through the development of new solutions which minimise the adverse effects of tourism. A selection of the papers presented at the meeting form this volume.

Over the centuries, civilisations have relied on the availability of clean and inexpensive water. This can no longer be taken for granted as the need for water continues to increase due to the pressure from a growing global population demanding higher living standards. Agriculture and industry, major users of water, are at the same time those that contribute to its contamination. Water distribution networks in urban areas, as well as soiled water collection systems, present serious problems in response to a growing population as well as the need to maintain ageing infrastructures.Many technologically feasible solutions, such as desalination or pumping systems are energy demanding but, as costs rise, the techniques currently developed may need to be re-assessed. The socio-political implications of a world short of clean, easily available water are enormous. It will lead to realignments in international politics and the emergence of new centres of power in the world.Policymakers need to be educated and advised on developing policies and regulations that will support the water systems of tomorrow. The role of society and its involvement with water is paramount. To meet the future demands for water, new standards, new training and additional support roles will best be delivered by those knowledgeable of the new technologies and direction of the industry.This volume highlights research on issues related to the nature of water, and its use and exploitation by society.

Discussing many important air pollution issues, the included contributions were presented at the 29th annual meeting in a successful series of international conferences dealing with the Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Air Pollution.The scientific knowledge derived from well-designed studies needs to be allied with further technical and economic studies to ensure cost-effective and efficient mitigation. In turn, the science, technology and economic outcomes are necessary but not sufficient. Increasingly, it is being recognised that the outcome of such research needs to be contextualised within well-formulated communication strategies that help policymakers and citizens to understand and appreciate the risks and rewards arising from air pollution management. Consequently, this volume comprises a wide range of high-quality papers that develop the fundamental science of air pollution and that place these new developments within the frame of mitigation and management of air pollution.Air pollution issues remain one of the most challenging problems facing the international community. The varied research published in this book covers topics such as Air pollution modelling; Indoor air pollution; Emission studies; Air pollution management, policy and legislation; Monitoring, measuring and data; Global, regional and local studies.

Consisting of presented papers from the 15th International Conference on Urban Regeneration and Sustainability, the included works address various aspects of the urban environment and provide solutions leading towards sustainability.Urban areas result in a series of environmental challenges varying from the consumption of natural resources and the subsequent generation of waste and pollution, contributing to the development of social and economic imbalances. As cities continue to grow all over the world, these problems tend to become more acute and require the development of new solutions.The challenge of planning sustainable contemporary cities lies in considering the dynamics of urban systems, exchange of energy and matter, and the function and maintenance of ordered structures directly or indirectly supplied and maintained by natural systems. The task of researchers is to improve the capacity to manage human activities, pursuing welfare and prosperity in the urban environment. Any investigation or planning on a city ought to consider the relationships between the parts and their connections with the living world. The dynamics of its networks (flows of energy matter, people, goods, information and other resources) are fundamental for an understanding of the evolving nature of today’s cities.Large cities represent a fertile ground for architects, engineers, city planners, social and political scientists, and other professionals able to conceive new ideas and time them according to technological advances and human requirements.Coastal areas and coastal cities are an important area covered in this volume as they have some specific features. Their strategic location facilitates transportation and the development of related activities, but this requires the existence of large ports, with the corresponding increase in maritime and road traffic and all its inherent negative effects. This requires the development of well-planned and managed urban environments, not only for reasons of efficiency and economics but also to avoid inflicting environmental degradation that causes the deterioration of natural resources, quality of life and human health.These research papers put a focus on sustainability across the multidisciplinary components of urban planning, the challenges presented by the increasing size of cities, the number of resources required and the complexity of modern society.

The world’s economy is fuelled by energy. Depletion of resources and severe environmental effects resulting from the continuous use of fossil fuels has motivated an increasing amount of interest in renewable energy resources and the search for sustainable energy policies. This volume contains research papers presented at the 9th International conference on Energy and Sustainability.The changes required to progress from an economy mainly focussed on hydrocarbons to one taking advantage of sustainable renewable energy resources require considerable scientific research, as well as the development of new engineering systems. Energy policies and management are of primary importance to achieve the development of sustainability and need to be consistent with recent advances in energy production and distribution.In many cases, the challenges lie as much in the conversion from renewable energies (wind, solar, etc.) to useful forms (electricity, heat, fuel) at an acceptable cost including damage to the environment as in the integration of these resources into the existing infrastructure.The diverse topics covered by the papers in this book involve collaboration between different disciplines in order to arrive at optimum solutions, including studies of materials, energy networks, new energy resources, storage solutions, waste to energy systems, smart grids and many others.These research papers put a focus on sustainability across the multidisciplinary components of urban planning, the challenges presented by the increasing size of cities, the number of resources required and the complexity of modern society.

The future of energy production, operation and management in a changing world was the focus of the 5th International Conference on Energy Production and Management. Papers presented at the meeting form this volume.A focus is placed on the comparison of conventional energy sources, particularly hydrocarbons, with a number of other ways of producing energy, emphasising new technological developments, based on renewable resources such as solar, hydro, wind and geothermal.Key to sustainability is the need to convert new sustainable sources of energy into useful forms (electricity, heat, fuel), while finding efficient ways of storage and distribution. In many cases, the challenges lie as much with the production of such renewable energy at an acceptable cost, including damage to the environment, as with the integration of those resources into the existing infrastructure.The changes required to progress from an economy based mainly on hydrocarbons to one taking advantage of sustainable energy resources are massive and require considerable scientific research as well as the development of advanced engineering systems. Such progress demands close collaboration between different disciplines in order to arrive at optimum solutions.Also discussed is the energy use of industrial processes, including the embedded energy contents of materials, such as those in the built environment. Energy production, operation, distribution and usage, result in environmental risks that need to be better understood. They are part of energy economics and relate to human environmental health as well as ecosystems behaviour.An emphasis is placed on the ways in which more efficient use can be made of conventional as well as new energy sources. This relates to savings in energy consumption, reduction of energy losses, as well as the implementation of smart devices and the design of intelligent distribution networks.

The tenth volume from the successful international conference series on sustainable tourism. Tourism is an important component of development, not only in economic terms but also for knowledge and human welfare. Today, tourism is an activity accessible to a growing number of people.The phenomenon has many more advantages than disadvantages. New forms of economic development and increasing wealth of human societies depend on tourism. Human welfare has physiological and psychological elements, which tourism promotes, both because of the enjoyment of knowing new territories and increasing contacts with near or far away societies and cultures.The tourism industry has nevertheless given rise to some serious concerns, including social costs and ecological impacts. Many ancient local cultures have practically lost their identity. Their societies have orientated their economy only to this industry. Both the natural and cultural – rural or urban – landscapes have also paid a high price for certain forms of tourism. These problems will persist if the economic benefit is the only target, leading to economic gains that eventually become ruinous. It is also important to consider that visitors nowadays are increasingly demanding in cultural and environmental terms.The research papers included in this book focus on finding ways to protect the natural and cultural landscape through the development of new solutions that minimise the adverse effects of tourism.

Resulting from a merger of two successful events, this book contains papers presented at the 11th International Conference on Waste Management and Environmental and Economic Impact on Sustainable Development. To prevent emerging threats to environmental and ecological systems we must learn from past failures to avoid repeating similar mistakes.Waste management is one of the key problems of modern society due to the ever-expanding volume and complexity of discarded domestic and industrial waste and its implications on health and the environment. Society is increasingly aware of the need to establish better practices and safer solutions for waste disposal. This creates a need for more research on current disposal methods such as landfills, incineration, chemical and effluent treatment, as well as recycling, clean technologies, waste monitoring, public and corporate awareness and general education.The desired direction of waste management is towards sustainable strategies that avoid the short term solutions applied in the past. The approach which has emerged as the most promising has been called 4Rs, where reduction, reuse, recycling and recovery are seen as the best actions. More recently these concepts have given rise to the new model of the 'Circular Economy', which is based on the reuse of what up to now has been considered waste, reintroducing them into the production cycle. Further steps are required towards the improvement of current technologies, increased collaboration between the public, government and private sectors and increased involvement of all stakeholders.The included research works put a focus on the impact of economic constraints on the environment, taking into account the social aspects as well as the over-use of natural resources, contamination and toxicity. Problems of great importance are addressed, with the goal of finding constructive and progressive approaches to ensure sustainability.

Planners, environmentalists, architects, engineers, policymakers and economists have to work together to ensure that planning and development can meet our present needs without compromising the ability of future generations. This collaboration was the aim of the 12th International Conference on Sustainable Development and Planning, from which the papers in this volume originate.Problems related to development and planning, which affect rural and urban areas, are present in all regions of the world. Accelerated urbanisation has resulted in the deterioration of the environment and loss of quality of life. Urban development can also aggravate problems faced by rural areas such as forests, mountain regions and coastal areas, amongst many others. Taking into consideration the interaction between different regions and developing new methodologies for monitoring, planning and implementation of novel strategies can offer solutions mitigating environmental pollution and non-sustainable use of available resources.Energy-saving and eco-friendly building approaches have become an important part of modern development, which places special emphasis on resource optimisation. Planning has a key role to play in ensuring that these solutions, as well as new materials and processes, are incorporated in the most efficient manner.The included papers feature new academic findings and their applications in planning and development strategies, assessment tools, and decision-making processes.

The merger of two successful events to form the 30th International Conference on Modelling, Monitoring and Management of Air and Water Pollution provided the papers that are published in this volume.Many important air pollution issues are discussed, demonstrating the widespread nature of the air pollution phenomena and the in-depth exploration required to address their impacts on human health and the environment.In addition, the topic of Water Pollution is discussed in a number of contexts across different areas of water contamination. The environmental problems caused by the increase of pollutant loads discharged into natural water bodies requires the formation of a framework for regulation and control. This framework needs to be based on scientific results that relate pollutant discharge with changes in water quality. The results of these studies allow the industry to apply more efficient methods of controlling and treating waste loads, and water authorities to enforce appropriate regulations regarding this matter.Environmental problems are essentially interdisciplinary. Engineers and scientists working in this field must be familiar with a wide range of issues including the physical processes of mixing and dilution, chemical and biological processes, mathematical modelling, data acquisition and measurement, to name but a few. In view of the scarcity of available data, it is important that experiences are shared on an international basis. Thus, a continuous exchange of information between scientists from different countries is essential.

Various aspects of the urban environment, with an emphasis on solutions leading towards sustainability, are the focus of the research contained in this volume. The included papers were presented at the 15th International Conference on Urban Regeneration and Sustainability.The task of researchers is to improve the capacity to manage human activities, pursuing welfare and prosperity in the urban environment. Any investigation or planning in a city ought to consider the relationships between the parts and their connections with the living world. The dynamics of its networks (flows of energy-matter, people, goods, information and other resources) are fundamental for an understanding of the evolving nature of today’s cities.Coastal areas and coastal cities are an important area covered by this book, as they have some specific features. Their strategic location facilitates transportation and the development of related activities, but this requires the existence of large ports, with the corresponding increase in maritime and road traffic and all of the inherent negative effects, and can be directly affected by the rise in sea level. This requires the development of well-planned and managed urban environments, not only for reasons of efficiency and economics but also to avoid inflicting environmental degradation that causes the deterioration of natural resources, quality of life and human health.Urban agriculture and food sovereignty are crucial issues that are included due to their impact on city life. The scale of modern food production has created and exacerbated many vulnerabilities and the feeding of cities is now infinitely more complex. In recent years, there has been a rapid expansion in initiatives and projects exploring innovative methods and processes for sustainable food production. These projects are mainly focused on providing alternative models that shift the power back from the global food system to communities and farmers improving social cohesion, health and wellbeing. These initiatives have demonstrated that urban agriculture has the potential to transform our living environment towards ecologically sustainable and healthy cities.