A rigorous and in-depth approach to environmental systems and processesConcern over environmental changes resulting from oversubscription and... exploitation of Earth's resources is mounting. Acid rains from power generation and industrial process emissions to the atmosphere, contamination of water resources by spills and discharges of hazardous chemicals, the greenhouse and global warming effects of carbon dioxide generated by consumption of organic fuels, and the depletion of ecosystem stabilizers such as oxygen in lakes and streams overfertilized by human wastes; these are a few of the considerations facing environmental engineers and scientists today. These are complex and confounding processes and phenomena, and their effects vary widely among the virtually limitless number of environmental systems and subsystems on Earth. Environmental Systems and Processes: Principles, Modeling, and Design is the first book to explain that, although environmental systems are virtually limitless in number, change is controlled by a relatively small set of fundamental processes.Written by one of the initiators and foremost proponents of the "first principles" approach to environmental system characterization and problem solving, this informative volume details how three fundamental issues lie at the base of every environmental process; i.e., the amount and form of available energy, the rate at which that energy can be exercised, and the configuration and dynamics of the system in which the process occurs. The author demonstrates how the mastering of relatively few fundamental principles can provide the reader with the tools necessary to solve a broad range of environmental problems.Topics discussed in Environmental Systems and Processes: Principles, Modeling, and Design include: fluid flow and mass transport; passive and reactive interphase mass transfer; elementary and complex process rates; ideal, hybrid, and nonideal system modeling and design; and multiphase and interfacial process dynamics and design.The unique and highly effective format of presenting several simple but essential fundamentals first, followed by detailed illustrative examples and explanations of how these principles describe various complex specific environmental systems and processes, makes Environmental Systems and Processes: Principles, Modeling, and Design a requisite for environmental sciences and engineering classrooms, and a staple for the bookshelves of all environmental professionals.

Environmental Systems Engineering and Economics emphasizes the application of optimization, economics, and systems engineering to problems in... environmental resources management. This senior level/graduate textbook introduces optimization theory and algorithms that have been successful in resolving water quality and groundwater management problems. Both linear programming and nonlinear optimization are presented. Multiobjective optimization and the linked simulation-optimization (LSO) methodology are also introduced. The basic principles of economics and engineering economics are also discussed to provide a framework for economic decision making. This text contains numerous example problems. Case studies are presented that address water resources management issues in the north China plain, the control of saltwater intrusion in Jakarta, Indonesia, and groundwater resources management in the Yun Lin basin, Taiwan.

(Applause Books). Here are the exercises which began as radical departures from standard actor training etiquette and which stand now as classic means... through which the performer discovers his or her true power of transformation. This expanded edition offers a new generation of theater artists the gospel according to Richard Schechner, the guru whose principles and influence have influenced a quarter century of theater.

The fundamental principles of environmental toxicology are clearly presented here for university students and professionals in related fields. This book... consists of two parts. In the first part basic metabolic, physiological, and pharmacological concepts are used to explain the fate of toxic chemicals in the body, with emphasis on carcinogenesis and mutagenesis. This part also contains a chapter on chemicals disrupting the endocrine system and a chapter on risk assessment and the precautionary principle. The second section deals with specific environmental problems - air pollution, alteration of the earth's atmosphere, water and land pollution, including sections on wetlands, organic agriculture and genetically modified crops. It also deals with health and environmental effects of ionized radiation, and the effect of a rapid population growth on the environmental and human welfare. Chapter on pollution control and regulatory policies are also included.

Although they are two aspects of the same subject, environmental toxicology and environmental chemistry are usually presented as though they are... entirely separate from one another; even their practitioners often seem unaware of the connections. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry is the first text to tie these subjects closely together, demonstrating the immediate relevance of each subject to the other while also providing basic, easily understandable introductions to both areas. This unique work presents their principles and applications through numerous illustrative examples and special topics that highlight current environmental concerns. It provides up-to-date as well as historical examples of both subjects and includes discussions of ecotoxicology, epidemiology, predictive methods, and other topics not covered in similar texts. It also includes invertebrates and nonmammal vertebrates, plants, and microorganisms, as well as humans and other mammals. The first five chapters place chemicals in the environment; the following five provide the biological and toxicological settings; and the remaining six chapters offer examples of specific chemicals, their toxic effects and significance, and predictions of fate and toxicity. Each chapter concludes with a discussion of a related topic of particular public and scientific interest, such as chemical carcinogens, pesticide residues, or hazardous wastes. Ideal for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in environmental toxicology courses, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry offers a timely, comprehensive introduction to the principles of toxicology as they apply to our environment. It is also useful for professionals and practitioners in a wide range of environmentally related fields and businesses.

Environmental Toxicology is a comprehensive introductory textbook dealing with most aspects of the subject, from the molecular to the ecosystem level.... Early chapters deal with basic to advanced concepts, methods and approaches. The next discusses the environmental toxicology of individual or groups of substances. The third part addresses complex issues, in which many of the concepts, approaches and substances covered in earlier parts are incorporated. The fourth part includes chapters on risk assessment, rehabilitation and regulatory toxicology. The book concludes with a summary of present and future areas of emphasis. Each chapter contains a comprehensive list of references and further reading, case studies from different jurisdictions, and student exercises.

A unique approach to the challenges of complex environmental systems Environmental Transport Processes, Second Edition provides much-needed guidance on... mass transfer principles in environmental engineering. It focuses on working with uncontrolled conditions involving biological and physical systems, offering examples from diverse fields, including mass transport, kinetics, wastewater treatment, and unit processes.This new edition is fully revised and updated, incorporating modern approaches and practice problems at the end of chapters, making the Second Edition more concise, accessible, and easy to use. The book discusses the fundamentals of transport processes occurring in natural environments, with special emphasis on working at the biological–physical interface. It considers transport and kinetics in terms of systems that involve microorganisms, along with in-depth coverage of particles, size spectra, and calculations for particles that can be considered either spheres or fractals. The book's treatment of particles as fractals is especially unique and the Second Edition includes a new section on exoelectrogenic biofilms. It also addresses dispersion in natural and engineered systems unlike any other book on the subject. Readers will learn to tackle with confidence complex environmental systems and make transport calculations in heterogeneous environments with mixtures of chemicals.

How do Americans view environmental issues? From EarthFirst! members to sawmill workers, this study by a team of cognitive anthropologists offers both... good and bad news for those addressing environmental issues in the public arena. On the one hand it reveals surprising similarities in the way different groups of Americans view long-term global environmental change, and on the other it shows that Americans have serious misunderstandings about these issues, which skews public support for policies.Using research techniques developed in the study of other cultures, Environmental Values in American Culture explores the reasons for the recent increase in environmental sentiments among Americans, and shows that current views attributing public environmentalism to a single cause are greatly oversimplified. It investigates the components of public environmentalism: beliefs (what people think the world is like), values (what is moral or desirable), and cultural models (the organization of beliefs or values into explanations or justifications).The authors document how scientific information on such issues as global warming, ozone depletion, and species extinctions is interpreted and transformed by the public, and how underlying beliefs and values influence preferences for or against environmental policies.The interviews with and surveys of groups such as EarthFirst!, Sierra Club members, the general public, congressional staff, coal miners, and sawmill workers yield rich insights about how people conceptualize - and misconceptualize - major environmental issues. They also reveal public beliefs and values that differ sharply from those of environmental scientists and economists, identify what is shared by Americans and what is idiosyncratic to extreme groups, and show that religious and spiritual values concerning the environment and concerns for one's descendants are as important as economic tradeoffs.

We live in a world confronted by mounting environmental problems; increasing global deforestation and desertification, loss of species diversity,... pollution and global warming. In everyday life people mourn the loss of valued landscapes and urban spaces. Underlying these problems are conflicting priorities and values. Yet dominant approaches to policy-making seem ill-equipped to capture the various ways in which the environment matters to us. Environmental Values introduces readers to these issues by presenting, and then challenging, two dominant approaches to environmental decision-making, one from environmental economics, the other from environmental philosophy. The authors present a sustained case for questioning the underlying ethical theories of both of these traditions. They defend a pluralistic alternative rooted in the rich everyday relations of humans to the environments they inhabit, providing a path for integrating human needs with environmental protection through an understanding of the narrative and history of particular places. The book examines the implications of this approach for policy issues such as biodiversity conservation and sustainability. Written in a clear and accessible style for an interdisciplinary audience, this volume will be ideal for student use in environmental courses in geography, economics, philosophy, politics and sociology.

Environment and Ecology is concerned with the interrelationships among components of the natural and human-made world. These components incorporate the... disciplines of ecology, resource management, agriculture diversity, government and the impact of human actions on natural systems. This book is about the study of watersheds, threatened and endangered species, pest management and the development of laws and regulations that protect, control and manage the environment to meet societal needs for long term sustainability.

As environmental issues move to the centre of the political debate, more attention is being focused on the role our economy has played in creating the... ecological crisis, and what a sustainable economy might look like. In spite of the success of the environmental movement in drawing attention to the crisis facing us, there has been comparatively little attention focused on the way the operation of the global economy contributes to this crisis. Environment and Economy provides a stimulating introductory insight into the history of thinking that has linked the economy and the environment. It begins by introducing readers to the pioneers of this field, such as Fritz Schumacher and Paul Ehrlich, who first drew attention to the disastrous consequences for our environment of our ever-expanding economy. Part two of the book describes the main academic responses to the need to resolve the tension between economy and environment: environmental economics, ecological economics, green economics, and anti-capitalist economics. Part three is structured around key themes including an introduction to economic instruments such as taxes and regulation; pollution and resource depletion; growth; globalization vs. localization and climate change. Each key issue is approached from a range of different perspectives, and working policies are presented in detail. Written in an accessible style, this introductory text offers students with an engaging account of the way that the various traditions of economic thought have approached the environment, bringing them together for the first time in one volume. The text is complimented by boxes, case studies and recommended reading for each theme addressed. It will be of value to students interested in environmental sciences, geography, green issues and economics.

Mounting evidence suggests that GDP growth is damaging the natural environment and unlikely to be ecologically sustainable in the long-run. At the same... time, an annual GDP growth rate of around three percent is regarded as the minimum necessary to prevent unemployment from escalating. Clearly, a trade-off exists between environmental goals and employment goals, yet this trade-off has been largely ignored or denied. This book aims to resolve the environment-employment dilemma by suggesting ways and means to achieve low rates of unemployment, or preferably full employment, in the context of a low-growth or steady-state economy. In search of a solution to this dilemma, this book seeks to answer the following questions: What existing paradigms offer a possible foundation for further investigation into issues dealing with both the environment and employment? What specific initiatives can be implemented to deal with unemployment given that any potential solution must be consistent with responsible macroeconomic policy? To what extent can ecological tax reform provide a solution to the environment-employment dilemma? Under what circumstances is it clear that certain forms of employment generation are antithetic to the goal of ecological sustainability? How can more favourable employment-generating opportunities be exploited in ways which lower unemployment or achieve full employment without the need for ecologically-destructive GDP growth? This book will no doubt stimulate a broader discussion on the issue, and it may just begin a process that leads to the eventual emergence of a viable policy strategy to generate a sustainable, full employment future. This book will be of interest to decision-makers, civil servants, researchers, and NGO employees as well as students of environmental and ecological economics and issues related to employment and unemployment.

This timely book provides a thorough introduction to the inter-relationship of food and the environment. Its primary purpose is to bring to our... attention the multiplicity of linkages and interconnections between what we eat and how this impacts on the earth’s resources. Having a better idea of the consequences of our food choices might encourage us to develop more sustainable practices of production and consumption in the decades ahead. Although human societies have, over time, brought under control a large proportion of the earth’s resources for the purpose of food production, we remain subject to the effective functioning of global ecosystem services. The author highlights the vital importance of these services and explains why we should be concerned about the depletion of freshwater resources, soil fertility decline and loss of biological diversity. The book also tackles some of the enormous challenges of our era: climate change – to which the agri-food system is both a major contributor and a vulnerable sector – and the prospect of significantly higher energy prices, arising from the peaking of oil and gas supplies which will reveal how dependent the food system has become upon cheap fossil fuels. Such challenges are likely to have significant implications for the long-term functioning of global supply chains and raise profound questions regarding the nutritional security of the world’s population. Taken together the book argues that a re-examination of the assumptions and practices underpinning the contemporary food system is urgently required. Environment and Food is a highly original, inter-disciplinary and accessible text that will be of interest to students and the wider public genuinely interested in and concerned by the state of the world’s food provisioning system. It is richly illustrated with figures and makes extensive use of boxes to highlight relevant examples.

The influence of human economies and cultures on ecosystems is particularly striking in the new worlds into which Europeans have expanded over the past... five hundred years. Using a comparative and multidisciplinary approach, Beinart and Coates examine this neglected aspect of the history of settler incursion and dominance in two frontier nations, the USA and South Africa. They also seek to explain change in indigenous ideas and practices towards the environment, and discuss the rise of popular environmentalism up to the present day.