This volume builds on an international workshop held in 2019, inspired by James Lovelock's "The Revenge of Gaia - Why the Earth Is Fighting Back, and How We Can Still Save Humanity". It, therefore, understands the Gaia concept as an umbrella term for the living world that planet Earth is hosting for nearly 4 billion years. Humankind has intervened in this ecosystem since its emergence on the planet about 2.5 million years ago, often with painful consequences for itself. In its reactions, t...

The authors of this book, who represent a broad range of scientific disciplines, discuss the issue of centralized versus decentralized control and regulation in the context of sustainable development. The stability and resilience of complex technical, economic, societal and political systems are commonly assumed to be highly dependent on the effectiveness of sophisticated, mainly centralized regulation and control systems and governance structures, respectively. In nature, however, life is...

Here, expert authors delineate approaches that can support both decision makers as well as their concerned populations in overcoming unwarranted fears and in elaborating policies based on scientific evidence. Four exemplary focus areas were chosen for in-depth review, namely:- The scientific basis of risk management- Risk management in the area of environmental and ecological policy- Risk management in radiation medicine- Risk management in context with digi...

Water quality and management are of great significance globally, as the demand for clean, potable water far exceeds the availability. Water science research brings together the natural and applied sciences, engineering, chemistry, law and policy, and economics, and the Treatise on Water Science seeks to unite these areas through contributions from a global team of author-experts. The 4-volume set examines topics in depth, with an emphasis on innovative research and technologies fo...

During recent years, environmental debate worldwide has been dominated by climate change, carbon emissions and the greenhouse effect. But a number of academic, technical, political, business and NGO initiatives indicate the emergence of a new wave of environmental attention focused on “natural capital,†“ecosystem services†and “biodiversity,†things nature does for us. In What Has Nature Ever Done for Us? British environmentalist Tony Juniper points out that as a species we th...

The definitive water quality and treatment resource--fully revised and updatedComprehensive, current, and written by leading experts, Water Quality & Treatment: A Handbook on Drinking Water, Sixth Edition covers state-of-the-art technologies and methods for water treatment and quality control. Significant revisions and new material in this edition reflect the latest advances and critical topics in water supply and treatment. Presented by the American Water Works Associat...

The MBR Book covers all essential aspects of membrane bioreactors in water and wastewater treatment, including the working principles of MBR technologies. The book aims to separate science from engineering, in an attempt to avoid confusion and to help readers understand the ideas of MBR. The text is divided into five chapters; the membrane and biological aspects are discussed in chapter 2 along with scientific studies. The third chapter covers the design, operation, and maintenance of MBR,...

This book is part of a series on sustainability. Specifically, it deals with the issue of sustainable water use. Fresh sources of potable water are being depleted across the world. Pure water is the goal of water utilities as well as several industries. Well past the experimental stage, membrane processes are now a proven and reliable method of providing high-quality, cost-effective water. Membrane technologies have immediate applications to treatment of fresh, brackish and sea waters, as ...

At 170 billion barrels, Canada's Oil Sands are the third largest reserves of developable oil in the world. The Oil Sands now produce about 1.6 million barrels per day, with production expected to double by 2025 to about 3.7 million barrels per day. The Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR) in northeastern Alberta is the largest of the three oil sands deposits. Bitumen in the oil sands is recovered through one of two primary methods – mining and drilling. About 20 per cent of the reserves are c...

This work provides those involved in water purification research and administration with a comprehensive resource of methods for analyzing water to assure its safety from contaminants, both natural and human caused. The book first provides an overview of major water-related issues in developing and developed countries, followed by a review of issues of sampling for water analysis, regulatory considerations and forensics in water quality and purity investigations. The subsequent chapters co...

Monitoring Water Quality is a practical assessment of one of the most pressing growth and sustainability issues in the developed and developing worlds: water quality. Over the last 10 years, improved laboratory techniques have led to the discovery of microbial and viral contaminants, pharmaceuticals, and endocrine disruptors in our fresh water supplies that were not monitored previously. This book offers in-depth coverage of water quality issues (natural and human-related), monitoring of c...

Twenty years on from the first edition of Pollution and the topic remains high in the public awareness. Environmental pollution is now a major area of research, consultancy and technological development and is a priority for the political agendas of both the developed and developing worlds.The fifth edition of this book is fully updated, and includes an entirely new chapter on Climate Change, presenting an authoritative view on this topic. Chapters in fast moving areas hav...