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Urban Flood Mitigation Strategies Using Geo Spatial Tools: A Practical Approach for Cities and Towns of Developing World
by Narendar KumarThe disastrous effects of floods in urban areas of various Indian cities have been increasing in severity and extent over the past decade. This book explores flood disasters, their impact in world and Indian contexts, assessing vulnerability and risks involved, and systematic use of (GIS)-enabled platforms to map mitigation measures sustainably, with special reference to the metropolitan flood mitigation endeavors. This book balances the theoretical with empirical approaches to form a unique standpoint on the various challenges and possible solutions to urban flooding in India. Through a study of major urban flood incidents, this book analyzes the factors which contribute to the rising risk of flooding with increasing urbanization, population dynamics, growth, and urban sprawl, with particular focus on the cities of Chennai, Mumbai, and Hyderabad in India. It also examines disaster governance on urban floods and legislative prospects of flood disasters through discussions on standing acts, United Nations (UN) directives, and internationally adopted practices and actions, which are applicable in the Indian context. An interdisciplinary study, this book brings together tools and research from various disciplines including geography, urban and regional planning, and GIS. It will be an invaluable resource for researchers, scholars, engineers, students, planners, academicians, and professionals of cross-disciplines to help them resolve the problem of urban flooding. It will also be of interest to the general reader seeking to learn more about disasters, urban flooding, engineering, and GIS.
Urban Inequalities from Space: Earth Observation Applications in the Majority World (Remote Sensing and Digital Image Processing #26)
by Monika Kuffer Stefanos GeorganosRapid transformation processes occur in the Majority World, where most of the global population is living (estimated around ¾ of the global population), often deprived of access to infrastructure, services, exposed to hazards and degrading environmental conditions. The continuous urbanization in many African, Asian and Latin American cities is coupled with rapid socio-economic and demographic changes in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas. These changes often increase socio-economic fragmentation and existing disparities. According to the United Nations, of the 36 fastest growing cities (with an average annual growth rate of more than 6%), seven are located in Africa, while 28 are found in Asia. On top of the socio-economic transformations, the increasing impact of climate change is expected to increase local vulnerabilities. However, data to understand these transformation processes and relationships are either unavailable, scarce or come with high degrees of uncertainty. Earth Observation information and methods have a great potential to fill data gaps, but they are not exploited to their full potential. Most urban remote sensing studies in the Majority World focus on the primary cities, while not much is known about secondary cities, urbanizing zones or peri-urban areas. Attempting to measure and map environmental and socio-economic phenomena through remote sensing is fundamentally different from extracting bio-physical parameters. In general, studies done by researchers of the Minority World do not sufficiently understand the information needs and capacity demands of the Majority World, especially related to user requirements and ethical perspectives. In this book, we aim to provide an outlook on how Remote Sensing can provide tailored solutions to information needs in urban and urbanizing areas of the Majority World, e.g., in terms socio-economic, environmental and demographic transformation processes. We will provide methodological and application pathways insupport of local and national information needs as well as in support of sustainable development, and specifically, supporting the monitoring of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The book combines an overview of innovations in applications, methodologies and data use, showing the capacity of Earth Observation to fill global knowledge gaps.
Urban Infrastructure in Zimbabwe: Departures, Divergences and Convergences (The Urban Book Series)
by Innocent Chirisa Abraham R. MatamandaThe book provides insights into urban infrastructure debates and discourses in Zimbabwe. Through an inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary approach, the book explores the theoretical, conceptual and lived experiences in urban infrastructure. The book focuses on case studies relating to urban transport, public housing, water and sanitation and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) among other substantive issues relating to urban infrastructure and services.
Urban Mobility Development in Northeast India: Sustainable City with Green and Inclusive Transportation (Routledge Contemporary South Asia Series)
by Tumbenthung Y. HumtsoeUrban Mobility Development in Northeast India theoretically and empirically explores the interrelationship between and among city, transportation, economic growth and environment to contribute towards engendering green urbanization for green growth.In a time of aggravating environmental crisis, the book recognizes the duality of contrasting impact of city and transport to economic development and environmental degradation. To serve as a guide for policy research, the book accessibly presents a contextual study blending qualitative as well as quantitative methodology in the context of a highland as well as a frontier capital city of the Northeastern Indian state of Nagaland, Kohima, towards creating a sustainable city with an inclusive and green mobility. The book underscores that management of urbanization and urban mobility challenges should go beyond supply side management and demand side management by democratizing policy making as well as considering efficiency, equity, welfare and practicality concerns and suchlike rationales.By traversing from abstraction to everyday life, from global context to frontier context and from macro level to micro level, the book makes significant theoretical as well as empirical contribution. The book will be of use to students, researchers, policy practitioners as well as general readers interested in Urban Studies, Transport Economics, Growth Economics, Development Studies, Environmental Studies and Asian Studies, especially in relation to highland and frontier regions in developing economies in general and Northeastern Region of India in particular.
Urban Planning During Socialism: Views from the Periphery (Routledge Research in Historical Geography)
by Jasna Mariotti Kadri LeetmaaUrban Planning During Socialism delves into the evolution of cities during the period of state socialism of the 20th century, summarizing the urban and architectural studies that trace their transformations. The book focuses primarily on the periphery of the socialist world, both spatially and in terms of scholarly thinking. The case study cities presented in this book draw on cultural and material studies to demonstrate diverse and novel concepts of ‘periphery’ through transformations of socialist cityscapes rather than homogenous views on cities during the period of state socialism of the 20th century. In doing so the book explores the transversalities of political, economic, and social phenomena; the places for everyday life in socialist cities; the role of professional communities on production and reproduction of space and ecological thinking. This book is aimed at scholarly readership, in particular scholars in architecture, urban planning, and human geography, as well as undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students in these disciplines studying the urban transformation of cities after World War II in socialist countries. It will also be of interest for planning officials, architects, policymakers and activists in former socialist countries.
Urban Resilience and Climate Change in the MENA Region (Routledge Focus on Environment and Sustainability)
by Nuha Eltinay Charles EgbuThis book provides an overview of the geopolitical context and climate change risk profile of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region. Mapping existing scientific literature and key reports on MENA climate change impacts and future projections, Nuha Eltinay and Charles Egbu establish links between the Conference of the Parties (from COP26, COP27 to COP28) Glasgow–Sharm el-Sheikh Work Program for Progress on the Global Goal on Adaptation, and regional climate adaptation financing targets, national government investments, and human security in local case studies. They also address gaps in disaster risk reduction institutional governance for sustainable development in the region. The authors move beyond the existing theoretical understanding of urban resilience to investigate how it is being measured and assessed in MENA in alignment with the IPCC’s climate change adaptation indicators. Finally, they explore how disasters and conflict displacement vulnerabilities and fragility affecting the communities most in need are being measured and integrated into cities’ resilience action plans and national disaster risk policies. Providing guidance and policy recommendations based on empirical research and key stakeholder engagement observations, this book will be of great interest to students, scholars, and professionals who are researching and working in the areas of climate change, urban planning, and environmental policy and governance. As this book comes out just after the closure of The United Nations Climate Change Conference COP28 negotiations, it sets the scene for pre-COP regional context, and paves the way for researchers and practitioners to undertake post-COP28 key takeaways and multi-level government commitments into action, for better climate mitigation and adaptation investments, resilient and sustainable future for all.
The US Housing Crisis: Home and Trust in the Real Estate Economy (The Urban Book Series)
by Judith KellerThis book aims to draw careful distinctions between the various forms of housing insecurity and personal circumstances research participants experience. While the urgency of the housing crisis in the US has produced a lot of scholarly work on housing, it often fails to recount the real life struggles that the housing crisis is causing. This is where the book provides a distinct contribution to housing studies and urban geography. The author use of trust as an analytical lens, her qualitative approach, and her work with people on the ground aim to move away from a quantitative understanding of the crisis by giving it a human face. The author seeks to bring to light the human costs of the destruction of home as well as the political reactions and day-to-day strategies that residents apply to make ends meet in times of the US housing crisis.
The Value of Values: How Leaders Can Grow Their Businesses and Enhance Their Careers by Doing the Right Thing (Management on the Cutting Edge)
by Daniel AronsonHow business leaders can grow profits and competitive advantage by doing the right thing.Acting on values—doing good for the benefit of all—can substantially benefit the bottom line, but many business leaders mistakenly believe that doing the right thing lowers profits. This belief is the greatest barrier holding businesses back from being more financially and competitively successful—and delivering more good for the world. Not only can it be a winning business strategy to act on values, as Daniel Aronson suggests in The Value of Values, but it is also a savvy choice, increasing a company&’s power, profit, and competitive advantage—in many cases with little additional investment or risk.It starts with seeing what others miss. Using extensive research and real-world calculations, Aronson demonstrates that the &“submerged value&” of initiatives such as taking bold action to combat climate change, helping people find jobs, or creating an open, inclusive work environment is normally 4 to 10 times more than initially believed. Calculating and capturing the true business benefit of acting on values provides a much-needed update to the sustainability and responsibility playbook. Even more important, it shows executives how to harness the value of values to improve profitability, acquire customers, and turbocharge their own careers.Written by a measurement pioneer and one of the world&’s foremost experts on making ethical business count, The Value of Values trains leaders to respond smartly and credibly to today&’s challenges, transforming how business can and should be done.
The Variscan Belt of Western Europe, Volume 2: Late Magmatic, Metamorphic and Tectonic Events and the Sedimentary Record
by Yoann Denèle Julien BergerThis book deals with the geological record and the evolution of ideas concerning the Variscan orogenic belt in France and neighboring regions. Volume 1 is based on a general introduction concerning the imprint of the Variscan period on the geology of France, as well as on the particularities of the study of this ancient orogen. A history of the concepts applied to the Variscan belt is proposed in order to consider this orogen in the history of Earth Sciences. A paleogeodynamic analysis of the Variscan cycle sets the general framework for the evolution of the orogen, which is then tackled through the prism of the magmatic, metamorphic and tectonic record of the early phases (from Cambrian to Lower Carboniferous). Volume 2 proposes an analysis of the late evolution of the Variscan orogenic belt, reflecting its dismantling in a high-temperature context during the Upper Carboniferous and Permian. The sedimentary archives are described, as well as the questions raised by the specificities of this ancient orogen.
Vegetable Seeds: Production and Technology
by Gregory E WelbaumMost food and fiber crops are produced from seed. This means that the world's population is dependent on annual seed production for its food supply. Vegetable seed production is much different and more challenging than production of grain crops. This book explains the biology and technology behind producing, maintaining, and enhancing the quality of vegetable seeds from breeding through to the marketed product. It begins with six chapters on a broad range of seed-related topics: the importance of seeds, reproductive biology of plants, genetic improvement strategies, quality assurance of seed production, post-harvest seed enhancement, and organic production. The remaining chapters cover seed production in eleven important vegetable families. Each chapter provides a description of the botany, types and cultivars, genetic improvement, pollination, soil fertility management, pest management, crop production, harvesting, post-harvest handling, and seed yields. The aim of this book is to educate how to produce high-quality vegetable seeds. Incorporating both current methodologies and recent research results, it is suitable for students, researchers, and professionals in the seed industry.
Vegetation and Landscape Dynamics of the Iberian Pyrenees During the Last 3000 Years: The Montcortès Palynological Record (Ecological Studies #251)
by Valentí Rull Teresa Vegas-VilarrúbiaThe high-resolution palynological study of the varved sediments of Lake Montcortès has provided a unique record of the regional vegetation shifts over the last 3000 years and of the natural and anthropogenic drivers of ecological change, unparalleled in the Mediterranean. This book shows in detail how the terrestrial ecosystems of Montcortès have responded to climatic events such as the Medieval Climate Anomaly or the Little Ice Age, as well as to varying intensities of anthropogenic pressure from the Bronze Age to the present. The knowledge gained from this palaeoecological study is useful not only for understanding how the modern landscapes of the Pyrenees were shaped, but also for conserving biodiversity and ecosystems in the face of future environmental changes related to ongoing global change. The book is aimed at researchers, university teachers and advanced graduate students in a wide range of disciplines including ecology, palaeoecology, environmental science, biodiversity, geography, sedimentology, archaeology, anthropology, and biodiversity conservation.
Venture Meets Mission: Aligning People, Purpose, and Profit to Innovate and Transform Society
by Arun Gupta Gerard George Thomas FewerThe world is facing dramatic geopolitical, environmental, and technological shifts. Venture Meets Mission argues that if Business, Government, and Society come together, rebuild trust, and collaborate, we have a generational opportunity to address societal challenges—climate change, cybersecurity, disease outbreaks, food insecurity, and education. The book explains, with hope and passion, how our existing entrepreneurial ecosystem, with the ideals of democracy, can be the foundation for a new mission-driven capitalism. The good news is the components of this problem-solving ecosystem already exist. The authors explain what is required to join people, purpose, and profit together for world-changing impact—starting with rebuilding trust among Business, Government, and Society. The authors draw on their leadership experience with Silicon Valley innovation, venture capital, and work at the highest levels of the federal government. The book tells engaging stories of successful entrepreneurs, with diverse perspectives and intersectional experiences, who combine mission and venture to solve critical societal problems. This book seeks to inspire a generation of students, young professionals, and entrepreneurial executives to pursue mission-driven ventures that can make the world a better place. Venture Meets Mission also explains why and how forward-thinking government officials and policymakers can harness private sector entrepreneurship and innovation to solve society's problems.
Vibration Engineering: Modeling, Simulation, Experimentation, and Applications
by Nitesh P. Yelve Susmita NaskarVibration Engineering presents recent developments in the field of engineering, encompassing industrial norms, applications within the finite element method, infrastructure safety assessment, and active vibration control strategies. It offers a study in seismic vibration control and analysis for building structures and liquid storage tanks.Spanning across the multiple domains of vibration engineering, the book highlights machinery diagnostics, modal analysis, energy harvesting, balancing, vibration isolation, and human-vibration interaction. It discusses experimental fault identification in journal bearings using vibration-based methods. This book also considers advances in vibration-based structural health monitoring of civil infrastructures.This book will be a useful reference for industry professionals and engineers facing challenges while dealing with the vibrations in the fields of mechanical, aerospace, structural, and civil engineering.
Volunteered Geographic Information: Interpretation, Visualization and Social Context
by Dirk Burghardt Elena Demidova Daniel A. KeimThis open access book includes methods for retrieval, semantic representation, and analysis of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI), geovisualization and user interactions related to VGI, and discusses selected topics in active participation, social context, and privacy awareness. It presents the results of the DFG-funded priority program "VGI: Interpretation, Visualization, and Social Computing" (2016-2023).The book includes three parts representing the principal research pillars within the program. Part I "Representation and Analysis of VGI" discusses recent approaches to enhance the representation and analysis of VGI. It includes semantic representation of VGI data in knowledge graphs; machine-learning approaches to VGI mining, completion, and enrichment as well as to the improvement of data quality and fitness for purpose. Part II "Geovisualization and User Interactions related to VGI" book explores geovisualizations and user interactions supporting the analysis and presentation of VGI data. When designing these visualizations and user interactions, the specific properties of VGI data, the knowledge and abilities of different target users, and technical viability of solutions need to be considered. Part III "Active Participation, Social Context and Privacy Awareness" of the book addresses the human impact associated with VGI. It includes chapters on the use of wearable sensors worn by volunteers to record their exposure to environmental stressors on their daily journeys, on the collective behavior of people using location-based social media and movement data from football matches, and on the motivation of volunteers who provide important support in information gathering, filtering and analysis of social media in disaster situations.The book is of interest to researchers and advanced professionals in geoinformation, cartography, visual analytics, data science and machine learning.
Wallace Stegner's Unsettled Country: Ruin, Realism, and Possibility in the American West
by Mark Fiege Michael J. Lansing Leisl Carr ChildersWallace Stegner is an iconic western writer. His works of fiction, including the Pulitzer Prize–winning Angle of Repose and Big Rock Candy Mountain, as well as his nonfiction books and essays introduced the beauty and character of the American West to thousands of readers. Wallace Stegner&’s Unsettled Country assesses his life, work, and legacy in light of contemporary issues and crises. Along with Stegner&’s achievements, the contributors show how his failures offer equally crucial ways to assess the past, present, and future of the region. Drawing from history, literature, philosophy, law, geography, and park management, the contributors consider Stegner&’s racial liberalism and regional vision, his gendered view of the world, his understandings of conservation and the environment, his personal experience of economic collapse and poverty, his yearning for community, and his abiding attachment to the West. Wallace Stegner&’s Unsettled Country is an even-handed reclamation of Stegner&’s enduring relevance to anyone concerned about the American West&’s uncertain future.
The Water, Climate, and Food Nexus: Linkages, Challenges and Emerging Solutions
by Mohamed Behnassi Abdulmalek A. Al-Shaikh Ameenah Gurib-Fakim Mirza Barjees Baig Mohammed BahirThis contributed book, as a part of a series of CERES publications, provides a multi-regional and cross-sectoral analysis of the interlinkages, challenges, and emerging responses in the areas of water security, climate change, and food systems, especially in a context marked by severe implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, increased climate vulnerability of many regions already water stressed, and an ambitious global action aiming at curbing climate change and restoring ecosystem. In the first set of chapters, the water, food, and environmental/climate security nexus is explored theoretically and by reference to empirical research covering many regions and sectors. In another set of chapters, the impacts of climate change on water resources and water-stressed regions are identified along with their implications for food systems and security. Other chapters of the volume identify the emerging solutions to the nexus challenges, mainly adaptation and mitigation options, governance and management approaches, technological and economic solutions, innovative farming and water management practices, etc. Most chapters scheduled for publication address timely and future-oriented topics, are based on empirical research particularly done in water-constrained and climate vulnerable countries from Asia, Africa, and the MENA region, and provide policy-oriented inputs and recommendations to guide change processes at multiple scales.
The Water, Energy, and Food Security Nexus in Asia and the Pacific: The Pacific (Water Security in a New World)
by Andrew Dansie Heidi K. Alleway Benno BöerThis open access book considers the water, energy, food (WEF) nexus in the Pacific region. The region comprises seventeen sovereign countries and seven territories spread across the Pacific Ocean, a blue expanse that covers a fifth of the world’s surface area but contains only 0.5% of the population—or 44.5 million people. The uniqueness of the Pacific and the need for a Pasifika-led approach to sustainability across environmental, societal and economical spheres requires this blue continent to be considered in a separate volume under the ‘Water Security in a New World’ series.This Pacific volume is focussed on water, energy and food security in Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) and the challenges produced by the impacts of anthropogenic climate change and human population pressures. The diversity of culture, traditional knowledge and ways of life across the Pacific are united by similar geographies and opportunities to apply a ‘Pacific specific’ WEF nexus approach; a coordinated approach to manage water, energy and food that is centred on active decision making across the three sectors to increase the security of each. Importantly, a WEF nexus approach builds on national and international efforts to date in the Pacific which include Integrated Water Resource Management, Ridge to Reef, Source to Sea, UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, Integrated Coastal Zone Management and other similar approaches.In this book, contributions by authors from governments, regional bodies, multilateral agencies, and academia describe water security and its intersectionality with both the energy and food sectors, highlighting the significance of both land and marine food systems and connectivity between water and energy in a Pacific-focussed context. It is demonstrated that these systems cannot be separated from the challenges associated with healthy environments and functioning ecological services, transport, and waste that are unique to this vast archipelagic region. To achieve meaningful change, it is essential that solutions are cognizant of the world’s colonial past and the global inequalities that persist today. The path forward for water and food systems is one that is Pasifika-led and builds on traditional knowledge and local capacity. National energy demands must consider the future with solutions comprising both WEF-integrated approaches and new energy technologies to hasten the transition away from fossil fuels. Globally, major greenhouse gas emitters both past and present need to step up for the environmental and economic benefit of all by rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and supporting Pasifika leadership on highly ambitious net zero goals.This book is a highly recommended source of information and inspiration for policy makers, decision makers, research communities and practitioners dealing with any aspect of water, energy, or food security in the Pacific.
Water Management in Developing Countries and Sustainable Development (Water Resources Development and Management)
by David Jenkins S. Suriyanarayanan H. P. ShivarajuThis book provides information on sustainable water resource management strategies that present innovative ways to conserve both quality and quantity of water in developing countries. The book comprises of 24 chapters contributed by authors from 14 countries, namely, Cameroon, China, Cyprus, India, Indonesia, Italy, Namibia, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Zimbabwe. This book will be of great interest to researchers, practitioners, water resource managers, policy and decision makers, international institutions, governmental and non-governmental organizations, educators, as well as students.
Water Politics: The Fragmentation of Western Water Policy
by Thomas T. HolyokeThis book is about the enactment, adaption, and ultimately fragmentation of government policy regarding the use of water in the American west. It describes its origins, how it became about building big projects, and how it was fragmented by pressures from environmental activism. The book also explores the western water crisis in the United States. The case studies used in here will help readers understand water development and the political battles around it in most of the western states to show here how and why the policy changed and even broke down. The book is divided into two parts and describes the different eras of water policy. While most books on water policy focus on its deficiencies for meeting future challenges, Water Politics: The Fragmentation of Western Water Policy attempts to explore why those deficiencies occurred in the first place. The book is intended for undergraduate and graduate students in political science and policy studies who are interested in how public policies are enacted, how they change, and how they fall apart over time and why. The book will also be of particular interest to students in other disciplines that deal with water such as environmental studies, geology, sociology, hydrology, and civil engineering.
Water Politics and the On-Paper Hydropower Boom: Power, Corruption, and Sustainability in Emerging Economies (Earthscan Studies in Water Resource Management)
by Özge Can DogmusThis book examines how the on-paper hydropower boom impacts the safe and fair access to water and energy in emerging economies.The global hydropower boom is largely made up of small hydropower plants located in emerging economies, but a lack of funding, over-ambitious planning, and corruption have halted the production of these projects. Describing this state as the ‘on-paper’ hydropower boom, this book shifts attention to the hydrosocial problems arising from hydropower projects that remain on paper. It examines how these proposed but unbuilt projects can lead to disruptions in the control and governance of water resources and increase the international dependence of emerging countries due to deep problems in their sustainable development planning and how all this can affect both ecosystems and the communities that depend on them. In doing so, it critically examines the dominant discourses on energy security and sustainable development, emphasises the extent to which the effects of global imperialism are at play, and examines the effects of international power relations in the hydrosocial context and their implications for perpetuating international relations of dependency. Further, this book provides a unique perspective on the global hydropower boom by highlighting that although the global hydropower boom largely remains on paper, it can still have a significant impact on human–water systems. Contributing to the debate on hydrosocial relationships, each chapter offers an insightful examination of the social, cultural, and political interactions that humans have with water and uses these insights to provide a nuanced understanding of the challenges and issues associated with on-paper plans.This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of water politics, water governance, political ecology, corruption and environmental economics, as well as sustainable development policymakers.
Water Resources in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin: Impact of Climate Change and Human Interventions
by Qiuhong Tang Deliang Chen Junguo LiuThis open access book provides a comprehensive, up-to-date picture of the current state of knowledge covering climate change, surface water change, arsenic pollution, water utilization, water-food-energy nexus, water related hazards, water management, and water governance in the Lancang-Mekong River Basin. Considering the widely concerned fact that the climate change and human intervention induced impacts on water will bring unprecedented threats to human societies and ecosystems, the book intends to support UN’s sustainable development goals through sustainable use of water by providing the most accurate and updated information on climate and water changes in a consistent way. Underlying all aspects of the book is a strong commitment to assessing the science comprehensively, without bias and in a way that is relevant to policy but not policy prescriptive. It can provide implications to support decision-makers and stakeholders for integrated water resources management and sustainable development at all levels.
Water Resources Management and Water Pollution Control: Conference Proceeding of 2023 the 6th International Symposium on Water Pollution and Treatment (ISWPT 2023) (Environmental Science and Engineering)
by Zhanhong WanThis book features select peer-reviewed proceedings from the 6th International Symposium on Water Pollution and Treatment (ISWPT 2023). It comprises articles written by researchers, practitioners, policymakers and entrepreneurs that examine recent advancements in water pollution and treatment. The book covers a range of topics, including the impact of climate change on water pollution and technologies for reducing greenhouse emissions in water and wastewater treatment. Additionally, it explores water resources planning and management, water quality protection and technologies and processes that control water pollution. This book is useful for beginners, researchers and professionals working in the area of water pollution management, policy and governance.
Water Treatment in Urban Environments: Examples from South/Southeast Asia (Applied Environmental Science and Engineering for a Sustainable Future)
by Veeriah Jegatheesan Perlie Velasco Nevelina PachovaThe value of implementing nature-based solutions (NbS) for water treatment in urban environments is increasingly recognized due to the multiple ecosystem services and societal benefits they provide. The successful implementation of NbS for urban water treatment, however, depends on a range of diverse technical and societal factors that need to be taken into account. Those vary by the type of NbS implemented, the societal challenges the NbS are designed to address and the local ecological, socio-economic and political context, in which the solutions are implemented. This book provides a collection of guidelines for the implementation of three types of NbS for water treatment in urban environments across cities in South/Southeast Asia, namely constructed wetlands, green roofs and floating treatment wetlands. The guides were developed based on existing experiences with the establishment, operation, and maintenance of those three types of NbS in three different countriesin South/Southeast Asia and the lessons learnt from their implementation. They provide detailed outlines of suggested steps for ensuring successful implementation in the respective local contexts. Those include overall planning schemes, surveys for socio-economic evaluations, suggested methods for construction and associated costs, required maintenance as well as a range of operational monitoring parameters. It also includes examples of approaches for the scaling of the three types of NbS discussed in the book in their respective local contexts. This book is expected to benefit local government units and contractors, and other stakeholders involved in NbS implementation and up-scaling, as well as researchers and postgraduate students who plan to conduct pilot-scale studies on NbS.
Watershed: Herman Murrah and the Pascagoula River Swamp
by Davy MurrahThe Pascagoula River is the largest unobstructed river in the contiguous United States. Because of this lack of restraint, the river has been left to rise and fall naturally with the seasons, overflowing annually into the adjoining bottomland forest. This phenomenon makes the Pascagoula River one of the wildest rivers, surrounded by some of the most ecologically diverse woodlands, in North America.Herman Murrah (1935–2002) lived his entire life on the banks and in the swamp surrounding this river in southeast Mississippi. Watershed: Herman Murrah and the Pascagoula River Swamp recounts pivotal moments in Herman’s life and in Mississippi’s conservation history more broadly. In this book, Herman’s eldest son, Davy, details the adventures that continue to inspire young conservationists in the fight to protect our remaining natural ecosystems.As a young adult, Herman worked as a game warden in the Pascagoula River Swamp. When the Pascagoula Hardwood Company, then owners of the swamp, decided to sell the vast tract of forest for clearcutting, Herman was incensed. Determined to protect this natural wonder, Herman teamed up with other visionaries to persuade the State of Mississippi to purchase the land and preserve it in perpetuity to the benefit of future generations of humans and wildlife alike. Eventually, the state agreed and finalized the purchase. Herman was appointed area manager for the upper portion of the newly designated Pascagoula River Wildlife Management Area. He dedicated the remainder of his life to preserving, protecting, and improving the swamp for the good of south Mississippi.
Watery Planet: How a water crisis is impacting our world
by Anna ClaybourneWatery Planet offers young readers a clear, insightful look at Earth's ongoing water challenges.Water makes our life on Earth possible. We need water not just to drink and keep clean, but also for agriculture, industry, transport and much, much more. But despite having an enormous amount of water on Earth, only 1 per cent of it is available for us to use and it's at increasing risk.Watery Planet looks at the reasons behind our looming water crisis - from uneven distribution to water wastage, pollution and climate change. It explores how floods, droughts and rising sea levels are becoming a stark reality as the world warms and describes how we are adapting to these challenges. It also looks at some positive, practical solutions to our water problems and explains how we can all do our part to help save Earth's most precious resource.Contents:A WHOLE WORLD OF WATER WE ALL NEED WATER! HOW WE GET WATER IS THERE ENOUGH WATER? WATER AND HEALTH CASE STUDY: COLLECTING WATER IN ETHIOPIA WATER POLLUTION WATER AND GLOBAL WARMING FLOODS AND DROUGHTS CASE STUDY: PAKISTAN FLOODS RISING SEA LEVELS WATER AND NATURE WATER AND WILDLIFE CASE STUDY: THIRSTY AVOCADOS DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY WATER FOR THE WORLD CASE STUDY: THE ARAL SEA WATERY HOMES WHAT CAN YOU DO? THE FUTURE OF WATER GLOSSARY FURTHER READING INDEX Titles in this series:Plastic PlanetHot PlanetRecycled PlanetSustainable PlanetExtinction PlanetPeaceful Planet?Unequal Planet