ALBERT

Description / Table of Contents: Global warming and changes in climate will have severe and lasting impacts on national efforts to alleviate poverty and promote sustainable development. Some of the world s poorest countries and communities are the most vulnerable and are already suffering the consequences. Yet often these countries are rich in natural capital, ecosystems, and biodiversity that can contribute to solutions as they can to climate change. Biodiversity is the foundation and mainstay of agriculture, forests, and fisheries. Biological resources provide the raw materials for livelihoods, agriculture, medicines, trade, tourism, and industry. Forests, grasslands, freshwater, and marine and other natural ecosystems provide a range of services, often not recognized in national economic accounts but vital to human welfare: regulating water flows and water quality, flood control, pollination, decontamination, carbon sequestration, soil conservation, and nutrient and hydrological cycling. Current efforts to address climate change focus mainly on reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, mainly through cleaner energy strategies, and on attempting to reduce vulnerability of the communities at risk by improving infrastructure to meet new energy and water needs. This book book sets out a compelling argument for including ecosystem-based approaches to mitigation and adaptation as a third essential pillar in national strategies to address climate change. Such ecosystem-based strategies can offer cost-effective, proven and sustainable solutions contributing to, and complementing, other national and regional adaptation strategies.

Description / Table of Contents: From Challenges to Sustainable Solutions for Upland Agriculture in Southeast Asia --- Beyond the Horizons - Challenges and Prospects for Soil Science and Soil Care in Southeast Asia --- Water and Matter Flows in Mountainous Watersheds of Southeast Asia: Processes and Implications for Management --- Agricultural Pesticide Use in Mountainous Areas of Thailand and Vietnam: Towards Reducing Exposure and Rationalizing Use --- Linkages between Agriculture, Poverty and Natural Resource Use in Mountainous Regions of Southeast Asia --- Mango and Longan Production in Northern Thailand: the Role of Water Saving Irrigation and Water Stress Monitoring --- Soil Conservation on Sloping Land: Technical Options and Adoption Constraints --- Improved Sustainable Aquaculture Systems for Small-scale Farmers in Northern Vietnam --- Participatory Approaches to Research and Development in the Southeast Asian Uplands: Potential and Challenges --- Integrated Modeling of Agricultural Systems in Mountainous Areas --- Rethinking Knowledge Provision for the Marginalized: Rural Networks and Novel Extension Approaches in Vietnam --- Policies for Sustainable Development: The Commercialization of Smallholder Agriculture

Description / Table of Contents: Preface --- Foreword by Keith Solomon and John Giesy --- Foreword by Coordinating Board of Editors --- Ecological Risk Assessment for Chlorpyrifos in Terrestrial and Aquatic Systems in The United States – Overview and Conclusions --- Properties and Uses of Chlorpyrifos in the United States --- Fate in the Environment and Long-Range Atmospheric Transport of the Organophosphorus Insecticide, Chlorpyrifos and its Oxon in the United States --- Exposures of Aquatic Organisms to the Organophosphorus Insecticide, Chlorpyrifos Resulting from Use in the United States --- Risks to Aquatic Organisms from Use of Chlorpyrifos in the United States --- Refined Avian Risk Assessment for Chlorpyrifos in the United States --- Risk to Pollinators from the Use of Chlorpyrifos in the United States --- Index

Description / Table of Contents: Climate events, storms, damage. Dans le monde d'aujourd'hui, presque tous les événements naturels extrêmes pourraient être qualifiés de désastre. Sur les 25 catastrophes les plus couteuses depuis 1970, toutes sont survenues après 1987 et 23 d'entre elles sont liées aux conditions climatiques. Et cela n'arrive pas qu'aux autres. La France, elle non plus, n'est pas épargnée : 88 morts et 9 milliards d'euros de dégats pour les tempêtes de décembre 1999, près de 15000 décès pour la canicule du 1er au 20 aout 2003. La récente tempête Xynthia, avec ses ruptures de digues, a provoqué 53 morts, s'ajoutant à tant d'autres tragédies survenues dans des zones inondables, et nous interrogeant. Sommes-nous prêts par exemple à affronter une crue comparable à celle de 1910 dans le Paris de demain? Dans le contexte actuel de changement climatique, nous savons que nous devons nous préparer à des événements extrêmes plus dangereux, quelquefois inédits. Ces événements voient leurs effets amplifiés par le développement urbain, le surpeuplement des zones littorales et l'anthropisation des milieux naturels. Ils représentent de véritables « trappes à pauvreté » pour les pays les plus pauvres de la Planète. C'est l'objet de ce rapport de l'Académie des Sciences qui analyse la question de ces événements climatiques extrêmes et de leurs conséquences prévisibles sur les systèmes économiques, sociaux, sanitaires et de sécurité.Un réel besoin d'anticipation existe donc : notre pays est-il prêt à y répondre? Participe-t-il suffi samment aux actions internationales visant à réduire les risques? Dispose-t-il d'une information scientifique appropriée?

Description / Table of Contents: Section I: Introduction – migration, gender and social justice: the research and policy agendas --- Section II: Transformation of social reproduction systems and migration: local-global interactions --- Section III: The state and female internal migration: Rights and livelihood security --- Section IV: Complexity of gender: embodiment and intersectionality --- Section V: Liminal legality, citizenship and migrant rights mobilization --- Section VI: Conclusion – the complexities of migration research-policy interactions --- Annex A - Portfolio of Migration Projects, 2006-2009 (21 May 2009) --- Women’s Rights and Citizenship Program --- Annex B - Profile of the Editors

Description / Table of Contents: 1 Marginality—An Overview and Implications for Policy --- Part 1 Concepts and Theory --- 2 Marginality—A Framework for Analyzing Causal Complexities of Poverty --- 3 Exclusion and Initiatives to “Include”: Revisiting Basic Economics to Guide Development Practice --- 4 Marginality from a Socio-ecological Perspective --- Part 2 Dimensions and Prevalence of Marginality --- 5 Mapping Marginality Hotspots --- 6 The Poorest: Who and Where They Are --- 7 Targeting the Poorest and Most Vulnerable: Examples from Bangladesh --- 8 Correlates of Extreme Poverty in Rural Ethiopia --- 9 Examining the Circle of Attachment, Trauma, Shame, and Marginalization: the Unheard Voices of Young Kutchi Girls --- Part 3 Environmental Drivers of Marginality --- 10 Poverty, Agriculture and the Environment: the Case of Sub-Saharan Africa --- 11 The Marginal Poor and their Dependence on Ecosystem Services: Evidence from South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa --- 12 Land Degradation, Poverty, and Marginality --- Part 4     Experiencing Marginality in Africa and Asia --- 13 Tackling Social Exclusion and Marginality for Poverty Reduction: Indian Experiences --- 14 Consumption Behavior of the Poorest and Policy Implications in Indonesia --- 15 Addressing Extreme Poverty and Marginality: Experiences in Rural China --- 16 Experiences in Targeting the Poorest: a Case Study from Bangladesh --- 17 Rural Poverty and Marginalization in Ethiopia: a Review of Development Interventions --- Part 5 Responses to Marginality at Different Levels: State, Business, and Community --- 18 Macro, Fiscal, and Decentralization Options to Address Marginality and Reach the Extremely Poor --- 19 Social Protection, Marginality, and Extreme Poverty: Just Give Money to the Poor --- 20 Innovative Business Approaches for the Reduction of Extreme Poverty and Marginality --- 21 Business Initiatives that Overcome Rural Poverty and Marginality Through Creating Shared Value --- 22 The Marginalized and Poorest in Different Communities and Settings of Ethiopia

Description / Table of Contents: This paper reviews key design features of mandatory emissions trading systems that had been established or were under consideration in 2010, with a particular focus on implications for the energy sector. Putting a price on greenhouse gas emissions is a cornerstone policy in climate change mitigation. To this end, many countries have implemented or are developing domestic emissions trading systems.

Description / Table of Contents: This paper explores the relationships between climate policy and renewable energy policy instruments. It shows that, even where CO2 emissions are duly priced, specific incentives for supporting the early deployment of renewable energy technologies are justified by the steep learning curves of nascent technologies. This early investment reduces costs in the longer term and makes renewable energy affordable when it needs to be deployed on a very large scale to fully contribute to climate change mitigation and energy security. The paper also reveals other noteworthy interaction effects of climate policy and renewable policy instruments on the wholesale electricity prices in deregulated markets, which open new areas for future research.

Description / Table of Contents: The main message of this paper is that while carbon pricing is a prerequisite for least-cost carbon mitigation strategies, carbon pricing is not enough to overcome all the barriers to cost-effective energy efficiency actions. Energy efficiency policy should be designed carefully for each sector to ensure optimal outcomes for a combination of economic, social and climate change goals. The main message of this paper is that while carbon pricing is a prerequisite for least-cost carbon mitigation strategies, carbon pricing is not enough to overcome all the barriers to cost-effective energy efficiency actions. Energy efficiency policy should be designed carefully for each sector to ensure optimal outcomes for a combination of economic, social and climate change goals. This paper aims to examine the justification for specific energy efficiency policies in economies with carbon pricing in place. The paper begins with an inventory of existing market failures that attempt to explain the limited uptake of energy efficiency. These market failures are investigated to see which can be overcome by carbon pricing in two subsectors – electricity use in residential appliances and heating energy use in buildings. This analysis finds that carbon pricing addresses energy efficiency market failures such as externalities and imperfect energy markets. However, several market and behavioural failures in the two subsectors are identified that appear not to be addressed by carbon pricing. These include: imperfect information; principal-agent problems; and behavioural failures. In this analysis, the policies that address these market failures are identified as complementary to carbon pricing and their level of interaction with carbon pricing policies is relatively positive. These policies should be implemented when they can improve energy efficiency effectively and efficiently (and achieve other national goals such as improving socio-economic efficiency).

Description / Table of Contents: The power sector carries a considerably great burden of the CO2 emission reductions required to address climate change, a feature common to many scenarios of emissions abatement. These reductions will only be possible if existing plants are replaced with more efficient and less-emitting types of plants over the coming decades. This report identifies the investments needed in the power sector, and their related risk factors.

Description / Table of Contents: Electricity use is growing worldwide, providing a range of energy services: lighting, heating and cooling, specific industrial uses, entertainment, information technologies, and mobility. Because its generation remains largely based on fossil fuels, electricity is also the largest and the fastest-growing source of energy-related CO2 emissions, the primary cause of human-induced climate change. Forecasts from the IEA and others show that “decarbonising” electricity and enhancing end-use efficiency can make major contributions to the fight against climate change. Global and regional trends on electricity supply and demand indicate the magnitude of the decarbonisation challenge ahead. As climate concerns become an essential component of energy policy-making, the generation and use of electricity will be subject to increasingly strong policy actions by governments to reduce their associated CO2 emissions. Despite these actions, and despite very rapid growth in renewable energy generation, significant technology and policy challenges remain if this unprecedented essential transition is to be achieved. The IEA Climate and Electricity Annual 2011 provides an authoritative resource on progress to date in this area, with statistics related to CO2 and the electricity sector across ten regions of the world. It also presents topical analyses on meeting the challenge of rapidly curbing CO2 emissions from electricity, from both a policy and technology perspective.

Description / Table of Contents: In 2010 the Panton Principles for Open Data in Science were published. These principles were founded upon the idea that "Science is based on building on, reusing and openly criticising the published body of scientific knowledge" (http://pantonprinciples.org) and they provide a succinct list of the fundamentals to observe when making your data open. Intended for a broad audience of academics, publishers and librarians, Issues in Research Data explores the implications of the Panton Principles through a number of perspectives on open research data in the sciences and beyond. The book features chapters by open data experts in a range of academic disciplines, covering practical information on licensing, ethics, and advice for data curators, alongside more theoretical issues surrounding the adoption of open data. As the book is open access, each chapter can stand alone from the main volume so that communities can host, distribute, build upon and remix the content that is relevant to them. Readers can access the online version via the QR code or DOI link at the front of the book.

Description / Table of Contents: The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that 100 carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects must be implemented by 2020 and over 3 000 by 2050 if CCS is to fully contribute to the least-cost technology portfolio for CO2 mitigation. To help countries address the many legal and regulatory issues associated with such rapid deployment, the IEA launched the Carbon Capture and Storage Legal and Regulatory Review (CCS Review) in October 2010. The CCS Review gathers contributions by national and regional governments, as well as leading organisations engaged in CCS regulatory activities, to provide a knowledge-sharing forum that supports national-level CCS regulatory development. Each contribution provides a short summary of recent and anticipated developments and highlights a particular regulatory theme (such as financial contributions to long-term stewardship). To introduce each edition, the IEA provides a brief analysis of key advances and trends. Produced bi-annually, the CCS Review provides an up-to-date snapshot of global CCS regulatory developments. The theme for the second edition of the CCS Review, released in May 2011, is long-term liability for stored CO2. Other key issues addressed include: national progress towards implementation of the EU CCS Directive; developments in marine treaties relevant to CCS; international climate change negotiations; and the development process for CCS regulation.

Description / Table of Contents: Like a star chart this volume orientates the reader to the key issues and debates in Pacific and Australasian biogeography, palaeoecology and human ecology. A feature of this collection is the diversity of approaches ranging from interpretation of the biogeographic significance of plant and animal distributional patterns, pollen analysis from peats and lake sediments to discern Quaternary climate change, explanation of the patterns of faunal extinction events, the interplay of fire on landscape evolution, and models of the environmental consequences of human settlement patterns. The diversity of approaches, geographic scope and academic rigor are a fitting tribute to the enormous contributions of Geoff Hope. As made apparent in this volume, Hope pioneered multidisciplinary understanding of the history and impacts of human cultures in the Australia- Pacific region, arguably the globe’s premier model systems for understanding the consequences of human colonization on ecological systems. The distinguished scholars who have contributed to this volume also demonstrate Hope’s enduring contribution as an inspirational research leader, collaborator and mentor. Terra Australis leave no doubt that history matters, not only for land management, but more importantly, in alerting settler and indigenous societies alike to their past ecological impacts and future environmental trajectories.

Description / Table of Contents: Part I  - The Theory of Rewilding --- 1. Rewilding Abandoned Landscapes in Europe --- 2. European Wilderness in a Time of Farmland Abandonment --- 3. Ecosystem Services: the Opportunities of Rewilding in Europe --- Part II - Rewilding and Biodiversity --- 4. Bringing Large Mammals Back: Large Carnivores in Europe --- 5. Top Scavengers in a Wilder Europe --- 6. Rewilding: Pitfalls and Opportunities for Moths and Butterflies --- 7. Vegetation Restoration and Other Actions to Enhance Wildlife in European Agricultural Landscapes --- 8. Maintaining Disturbance-dependent Habitats.- Part III - Rewillding in Practice --- 9. Rewilding Europe: A New Strategy for an Old Continent --- 10. Preparing a New Generation of Wilderness Entrepreneurs --- 11. Towards a European Policy for Rewilding --- Index

Description / Table of Contents: The pervasive relevance of geospatial information and the development of emerging geospatial technologies offer new opportunity for bridging the gap between remote sensing scientific know-how and end users of products and services. Geospatial technology comprises tools and techniques dealing with the use of spatially referenced information, for the description and modeling of spatial and dynamic phenomena related to the Earth's environment. This book addresses environmental and social applications of geospatial technologies, thus also providing a multidisciplinary perspective on emerging geospatial techniques and tools. It consists of ten chapters offering insight into geospatial technology progress and trends. Authors present several application-oriented studies from various parts of the world, including applications in collaborative geomatics, geospatial statistics, GIS, agriculture, and natural hazard monitoring.

Description / Table of Contents: The book 'Applied Studies of Coastal and Marine Environments' is a collection of a number of high-quality and comprehensive work on coastal and marine environment. This book has an Introductory Chapter, followed by 15 chapters. Chapters 2 and 3 are devoted to coastal geological sedimentation and its impacts on marine environment. Consequently, Chapter 4 investigates neo-tectonic movement in the Pearl River Delta. Different aspects of the coastal pollution and its impacts are addressed in Chapter 5 through Chapter 13. Furthermore, coastal management is also discussed in Chapter 14, and monitoring the coastal environment using remote sensing and GIS techniques is reported in Chapter 15. Finally, Chapter 16 addresses the human history of maritime exploitation and adaptation process to coastal and marine environments. It is important to investigate the history of maritime exploitation and adaptation to environment coastal zone to learn how to explore the oceans.

Description / Table of Contents: Aerosols have a significant impact on technological processes and human activities. In many cases, aerosols are at the core of human health, environmental and technological problems (climate change and air quality). However, aerosols can be successfully used in industry and technology (new materials, fire suppression and fuel delivery). The current scientific status of aerosol modelling and simulation and measurements and some advances in computational techniques, particle measurement technologies and practical applications of aerosols are reviewed and considered in this book. This book also includes a number of case studies focused on analysis of optical thickness and air quality in various regions.

Description / Table of Contents: This edited book, Soil Contamination - Current Consequences and Further Solutions, is intended to provide an overview on the different environmental consequences of our anthropogenic activities, which has introduced a large number of xenobiotics that the soil cannot, or can only slower, decompose or degrade. We hope that this book will continue to meet the expectations and needs of all interested in diverse fields with expertise in soil science, health, toxicology, and other disciplines who contribute and share their findings to take this area forward for future investigations.

Description / Table of Contents: Part I The Road to Reconstruction from the Tsunami and Radioactive Contamination: Two and a Half Years On --- 1 Dealing with Disasters of Unprecedented Magnitude: The Local Government’s Tribulations and the Road to Reconstruction (Hidekiyo Tachiya) --- 2 Tokyo University of Agriculture East Japan Assistance Project Assisting with Reconstruction: Guiding Principles, Planning, and Propagation of Benefits (Toshiyuki Monma) --- 3 Characteristics of the Agricultural and Forestry Industries in the Soma Area and Damage Sustained as a Result of the Great East Japan Earthquake (Takahiro Yamada, Puangkaew Lurhathaiopath, and Toshiyuki Monma) --- Part II Reconstruction from Tsunami Damage --- 4 Reconstruction Support for the Farmland Struck by Tsunami (Itsuo Goto and Kaisei Inagaki) --- 5 Tsunami Damage to Farming Operations and the New Generation of Farmers and Farm Management (Yukio Shibuya, Takahiro Yamada, Nyamkhuu Batdelger, Puangkaew Lurhathaiopath, Gentaro Suzumura, and Toshiyuki Monma) --- 6 Presenting a Model for Revival of Rural Communities in Japan’s Disaster Zones (Shigeyuki Miyabayashi, Yasushi Takeuchi, Hiromu Okazawa, Tomonori Fujikawa, and Yutaka Sasaki) --- 7 Contributing to Restoration of Tidal Flats in Miyagi Prefecture’s Moune Bay Following the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (Susumu Chiba, Takeshi Sonoda, Makoto Hatakeyama, and Katsuhide Yokoyama) --- Part III Reconstruction from Radioactive Contamination --- 8 Initiatives by the Soil Fertilization Team to Develop Agricultural Technologies for Paddy Fields with Radioactive Contamination (Itsuo Goto and Kaisei Inagaki) --- 9 The Potential for Producing Rice for Feed and Whole Crop Rice Silage in Radiation-Contaminated Areas (Seiji Nobuoka) --- 10 Developing and Trialing a System to Monitor Radionuclide in Individual Plots of Farmland to Help Reconstruction Farming in Contaminated Areas (Toshiyuki Monma, Puangkaew Lurhathaiopath, Youichi Kawano, Dambii Byambasuren, Yuta Ono, and Quar Evine) --- 11 New Decontamination Methods for Parks and Other Areas in Which Radionuclide Have Accumulated (Mitsuo Kondo and Chizuko Mizuniwa) --- 12 Forest Restoration (Takahisa Hayashi) --- 13 Nuclear Radiation Levels in the Forest at Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture (Iwao Uehara, Tomoko Seyama, Fumio Eguchi, Ryuichi Tachibana, Yukito Nakamura, and Hiroya Obayashi ) --- 14 Radioactive Contamination of Ostriches in a Potentially Permanent Evacuation Zone (Hiroshi Ogawa, Hidehiko Uchiyama, Koji Masuda, Takeshi Sasaki, Tadao Watanabe, Toshiaki Tomizawa, and Schu Kawashima) --- 15 The Radioactive Contamination in Some Arthropod Species in Fukushima (Tarô Adati and Sota Tanaka) --- 16 A Consumer Survey Approach to Reputation-Based Damage Affecting Agricultural Products and How to Overcome It (Puangkaew Lurhathaiopath, Shizuka Matsumoto, Makoto Hoshi, Sayaka Yamaguchi, and Toshiyuki Monma) --- Part IV Activities and Impressions of Students and Farmers Who Supported the Project --- 17 Staking Recovery Hopes on Soma Revival Rice (Kaisei Inagaki, Tomoko Ninagi, Saburo Sasaki, and Akiko Sato) --- 18 Impression of the Students Participated in the Radioactivity Monitoring System of Farmland (Volodymyr Ganzha, Keiji Kanamori, Hana Fujimoto, and Ryo Itakura) --- 19 Impression of the Forestry managers and students participated in the Radioactivity Damage Investigation of Forests (Eihachi Horiuchi, Kiyoaki Sasaki, Masaaki Itakura, Chisato Yasukawa, and Chihiro Kinoshita)

Description / Table of Contents: Part I Wind Turbine Blades --- Part II Enabling Technologies for Drivetrain and Gearbox Analysis --- Part III Tower and Support Structure --- Part IV Reliability and Preventive Maintenance of Offshore Wind Turbines --- Part V CFD Analysis of a Complete Offshore Wind Turbine --- Part VI Offshore Wind Farm Design --- Part VII Offshore Wind Decommissioning

Description / Table of Contents: Introduction.-Components of the Climate System --- Climate Change and Global Warming --- Essence of a Climate Model --- Simulating the Atmosphere --- Simulating the Ocean and Sea Ice --- Simulating Terrestrial Systems --- Bringing the System Together: Coupling and Complexity --- Model Evaluation --- Predictability --- Results of Current Models --- Usability of Climate Model Projections by Practitioners --- Summary and Final Thoughts

Description / Table of Contents: Inhalt --- Abkürzungsverzeichnis --- Glossar --- Zusammenfassung --- 1. Einleitung --- 1.1 Ressourceneffizienz --- 1.2 Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der Ressourceneffizienz-Bewertung mit der ESSENZ-Methode --- 2. Ablauf der Ressourceneffizienz-Bewertung mit der ESSENZ-Methode --- 3. Modellierung des Produktsystems --- 3.1 Ziel und Untersuchungsrahmen --- 3.2 Sachbilanz --- 4. Methodik zur Bewertung der Ressourceneffizienz-Dimensionen --- 4.1 Methodik zur Bewertung der Verfügbarkeit von Metallen und fossilen Rohstoffen --- 4.2 Methodik zur Bewertungen der gesellschaftlichen Akzeptanz --- 4.3 Methodik zur Bewertung der Umweltauswirkungen --- 4.4 Bewertung des Nutzen --- 5. Berechnung der Ressourceneffizienz --- 5.1 Allgemeines Vorgehen --- 5.2 Berechnung der Verfügbarkeit für Metalle und fossile Rohstoffe --- 5.3 Berechnung der gesellschaftlichen Akzeptanz --- 5.4 Berechnungen der Umweltauswirkungen --- 5.5 Ermittlung der Ressourceneffizienz --- 6. Interpretation der Ergebnisse --- 6.1 Unsicherheiten in der Bewertung --- 6.2 Interpretation der Verfügbarkeit --- 6.3 Interpretation der gesellschaftlichen Akzeptanz --- 6.4 Interpretation der Umweltbewertung --- 6.5 Interpretation der ermittelten Ressourceneffizienz --- 6.6 Interpretation des Gesamtergebnisses --- 7. Aggregation zum Vergleich von Produktalternativen --- 8. Fazit und Ausblick --- 9. Referenzen --- Anhang 1 – Charakterisierungsfaktoren für Metalle und fossile Rohstoffe --- Anhang 2 - Wirkungsindikatorbeträge --- Anhang 3 – Distance-to-Target-Werte --- Anhang 4 – Globale Produktionsdaten --- Anhang 5 – Maximale normalisierte Distance-to-Target-Werte --- Anhang 6 – Normalisierte Distance-to-Target-Werte --- Anhang 7 – Auswertung der Stakeholder-Befragung --- Anhang 8 – Darstellung der Berechnung der Charakterisierungsfaktoren am Beispiel Silber

Description / Table of Contents: The reversible elimination of hydrogen from metal hydrides serves as the basis for unique methods of energy transformation. This technology has found widespread practical utilization in applications such as hydrogen compressors, storage, and sensors, as well as batteries. Moreover, it is plausible that metal hydride technology could be utilized to provide practically viable solutions to the challenges of energy storage. For nearly two decades, an extensive, worldwide research effort has been devoted to complex metal hydrides possessing high volumetric and/or gravimetric hydrogen densities with the goal of their practical utilization as onboard hydrogen storage materials. Additionally, a significant and growing number of efforts have been devoted to developing metal hydrides as advanced sensors and ionic conductors, and for electrochemical and stationary energy storage. This Special Issue will provide a sampling of on-going, state-of-art research on metal hydrides, ranging from fundamental investigations to practical applications with a concentration on topics which are currently of high interest.

Description / Table of Contents: As the fields of organometallic and coordination chemistry of the transition metals has grown more mature, the under-explored chemistry of the rare-earths and actinides has drawn the attention of research groups from across the globe looking for new fundamental discoveries and access to compounds with unique properties. The rare earths – the group 3 metals and the 4f lanthanide series – have long shown many interesting properties in the solid state which exploit their unique electronic configurations. However, it is the molecular chemistry of these metals that has expanded dramatically in recent years as researchers identify the differences between – and unique features of – their molecular compounds. Recent highlights include the identification of new oxidation states and patterns of reactivity as well as applications in medical imaging and health care which represent new and exciting areas of research. The actinides show a wide range of different properties as a consequence of their radioactivity and radiochemistry, but this has not stopped recent rapid progress into the exploration of their unique chemistry. Uranium, in particular, shows huge potential with its transition metal like range of oxidation states (+2 to +6), and in specialised laboratories, the heavier actinides are also beginning to show their unique chemistry as well. This Special Issue aims to bring together these strands of research in an openly-accessible way to allow better communication of these advances to a wider audience. This is necessary as despite these exciting advances, the rare earths and actinides are still much neglected topics in both school and undergraduate curriculums.

Description / Table of Contents: The success of the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) brings us into a new era of global daily Earth observations, ranging from the faintest light of human settlements and air glows to the dramatic events of hurricanes and forest fires, as well as the subtle changes in the planet Earth which we call home. At the heart of all satellite applications, calibration/validation of the measurements and derived products is the key. Satellite product calibration and validation have become increasingly more important and challenging in order to meet the stringent requirements for accurate quantitative data for climate change detection, numerical weather prediction, and environmental intelligence. Validation is required not only for the satellite measurements, but also for all geophysical retrievals, including aerosols, cloud properties, radiation budget, sea surface temperature, ocean color, active fire, albedo, snow and ice, vegetation, as well as nightlights from human settlements. Active validation research includes but not limited to, comparisons with similar products from other satellites, with in situ, aircraft measurements, or observations from other platforms. Validation results not only help users and decision makers but also serve as feedback to calibration, which in turn improves the products. This Special Issue of Remote Sensing aims at exploring recent results in the calibration and validation of the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite (Suomi NPP)/JPSS radiometers.

Description / Table of Contents: 1.Introduction --- 2. What Political Economy adds to Transformation Research --- 3. Why the Mainstream Economic Paradigm Cannot Inform Sustainability Transformations --- 4. Mapping an Emerging New Economic Paradigm in Practice --- 5. How to Work a Great Mindshift for Sustainability Transformations

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Developing Tree Biomass Models for Eight Major Tree Species in China by WeiSheng Zeng --- Chapter 2: Methods of Estimating Forest Biomass: A Review by Lei Shi and Shirong Liu --- Chapter 3: Above-Ground Biomass Estimation with High Spatial Resolution Satellite Images by Adélia M. O. Sousa, Ana Cristina Gonçalves and José R. Marques da Silva --- Chapter 4: Fatal Accidents During Marine Transport of Wood Pellets Due to Off-Gassing: Experiences from Denmark by Frank Huess Hedlund and Øssur Jarleivson Hilduberg --- Chapter 5: Biomass Valorization: Agricultural Waste in Environmental Protection, Phytomedicine and Biofuel Production by Inyinbor Adejumoke Abosede, Oluyori Abimbola Peter and Adelani-Akande Tabitha Adunola --- Chapter 6: Modeling Biomass Substrates for Syngas Generation by Using CFD Approaches by Nuno Couto and Valter Silva --- Chapter 7: Sustainability of the Biowaste Utilization for Energy Production by Thorsten Ahrens, Silvia Drescher-Hartung and Olga Anne --- Chapter 8: Effects of Fertilizers on Biomass, Sugar Content and Ethanol Production of Sweet Sorghum by Tran Dang Xuan, Nguyen Thi Phuong and Tran Dang Khanh --- Chapter 9: Biomass as Raw Material for Production of High-Value Products by Sibel Irmak --- Chapter 10: Catalytic Biomass Valorization by Aiguo G. Wang, Danielle Austin and Hua Song --- Chapter 11: Biomass Compositional Analysis for Conversion to Renewable Fuels and Chemicals by C. Luke Williams, Rachel M. Emerson and Jaya Shankar Tumuluru --- Chapter 12: Modeling the Calorific Value of Biomass from Fruit Trees Using Elemental Analysis Data by Borja Velázquez-Martí, Isabel López-Cortés, Domingo Salazar- Hernández and Ángel Jesús Callejón-Ferre --- Chapter 13: Microalgal Biomass: A Biorefinery Approach by Luis C. Fernández Linares, Kevin Á. González Falfán and Citlally Ramírez-López --- Chapter 14: Biomass Production on Reclaimed Areas Tailing Ponds by Martin Bosák --- Chapter 15: Biomass Blending and Densification: Impacts on Feedstock Supply and Biochemical Conversion Performance by Allison E. Ray, Chenlin Li, Vicki S. Thompson, Dayna L. Daubaras, Nicholas J. Nagle and Damon S. Hartley --- Chapter 16: Metal Removal by Seaweed Biomass by Claudia Ortiz-Calderon, Héctor Cid Silva and Daniel Barros Vásquez --- Chapter 17: Valorisation of Lignocellulosic Biomass Wastes for the Removal of Metal Ions from Aqueous Streams: A Review by Carlos Escudero-Oñate, Núria Fiol, Jordi Poch and Isabel Villaescusa --- Chapter 18: Progress Towards Engineering Microbial Surfaces to Degrade Biomass by Grace L. Huang and Robert T. Clubb --- Chapter 19: Determination of the Biomass Content of End-of-Life Tyres by Leticia Saiz Rodríguez, José M. Bermejo Muñoz, Adrien Zambon and Jean P. Faure --- Chapter 20: Reaction Behaviors of Bagasse Modified with Phthalic Anhydride in 1-Allyl-3-Methylimidazolium Chloride with Catalyst 4-Dimethylaminopyridine by Hui-Hui Wang, Xue-Qin Zhang, Yi Wei and Chuan-Fu Liu --- Chapter 21: Review of Biomass Thermal Gasification by Mohammed Abed Fattah Hamad, Aly Moustafa Radwan and Ashraf Amin

Description / Table of Contents: Hydrogen is one of the abundant elements on earth majorly in the form of water (H2O) and mainly as hydrogen gas (H2). Catalytic hydrogenation is a key reaction that has versatile applications in different industries. The main objective of this book is to bring together various applications of hydrogenation through the perspective of leading researchers in the field. This book is intended to be used as a graduate-level text book or as a practical guide for industrial engineers.

Description / Table of Contents: Frontiers in Bioenergy and Biofuels presents an authoritative and comprehensive overview of the possibilities for production and use of bioenergy, biofuels, and coproducts. Issues related to environment, food, and energy present serious challenges to the success and stability of nations. The challenge to provide energy to a rapidly increasing global population has made it imperative to find new technological routes to increase production of energy while also considering the biosphere's ability to regenerate resources. The bioenergy and biofuels are resources that may provide solutions to these critical challenges. Divided into 25 discreet parts, the book covers topics on characterization, production, and uses of bioenergy, biofuels, and coproducts. Frontiers in Bioenergy and Biofuels provides an insight into future developments in each field and extensive bibliography. It will be an essential resource for researchers and academic and industry professionals in the energy field.

Description / Table of Contents: Part I: Introduction --- 1. Balanced Urban Development: Is it a myth or reality? - Part II: Peri-Urbansation --- 2. Re-Ruralising the Urban Edge: Lessons from Europe, USA & the Global South --- 3. Nimbyism and Nature – Whose Backyard is it Anyway? - 4. Connecting Urban and Rural Futures Through Rural Design --- 5. Archaeology and Contemporary Dynamics for More Sustainable, Resilient Cities in the Peri-Urban Interface --- 6. Decontamination of Urban Run-off: Importance and Methods --- Part III: Peri-Urban Culture and Socio-Economy --- 7. Socio-economy of Peri-Urban Areas: The Case of Lisbon Metropolitan Area --- 8. Changing Economic Scenario of the Peri-Urban Area of Udaipur City, India --- 9. Community Stakeholder Viewpoints on Issues of Urbanisation along the River Ma Oya, Sri Lanka --- Part IV: Peri-Urban Landuse Planning --- 10. The role of peri-urban land use planning in resilient urban agriculture: a case study of Melbourne, Australia --- 11. Engaging Peri-Urban Landholders in Natural Resources Management.-12. Urban Farming Master Plan in Western Sydney - From Planning to Reality --- Part V: Urban Water Security --- 13. Study of urban water bodies in view of potential for micro-climatic cooling and natural purification of waste water --- 14. Groundwater Crisis in a Mega City – A Case Study of New Delhi, India --- 15. Safe Water Supply Determinants in Peri-Urban Communities of South-East Nigeria --- 16. Risks of Coal Seam and Shale Gas Extraction on Groundwater and Aquifers in Eastern Australia --- Part VI: Wastewater and Irrigation --- 17. Use of recycled water for irrigation of open spaces: Benefits and Risks --- 18. Global Experiences on Wastewater Irrigation: Challenges and Prospects --- 19. Impacts of Wastewater Reuse on Peri-Urban Agriculture: Case Study in Udaipur City, India --- Part VII: Urban Agriculture and Food Security --- 20. Urban Agriculture in Cuba: Alternative Legal Structures, Crisis and Change --- 21. High quality agricultural land in Western Australia – A new decision tool for planning --- 22. Food Efficient Planning and Design for Peri-urban Neighbourhoods --- 23. Role of Peri-urban Areas in the Food System of Kampala, Uganda --- Part VIII: Climate Change Impacts and Adaptations --- 24. Climate Change Adaptation Planning with Peri-Urban Local Government in Victoria, Australia --- 25. Awareness of Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation at Local Level in Punjab, Pakistan --- 26. Urbanisation, Nutrition and Food Security: A Climatological Perspective --- 27. Coastal Urban and Peri-Urban Indigenous People’s Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change --- Part IX: Legal, Policy and Institutional Challenges --- 28. Effect of Social and Institutional Fragmentation on Collective Action in Peri-urban Settings --- 29. Gentrification versus Territorialisation: The Peri-Urban Agriculture Area in Beirut --- 30. Reimagining the “Peri-Urban” in the Mega-Urban Regions of Southeast Asia --- Part X: Integrated Urban Development --- 31. Sustainability of Water Resources in Peri-urban Landscapes: Learning from the Journey of Engagement --- 32. Development of Future Management Options for the Hawkesbury River --- 33. Planning Development to Reduce Mosquito Hazard in Coastal Peri-Urban Areas: Case Studies in NSW, Australia --- 34. An Integrated Simulation and Visualisation Platform for the Design of Sustainable Urban Developments in a Peri-Urban Context --- 35. Options and Strategies for Balanced Development for Liveable Cities: An Epilogue

Description / Table of Contents: 1. Supershear Earthquake Ruptures --- Theory, Methods, Laboratory Experiments and Fault Superhighways: An Update.- 2. Civil Protection Achievements and Critical Issues in Seismology and Earthquake Engineering Research.- 3. Earthquake Risk Assessment: Certitudes, Fallacies, Uncertainties and the Quest for Soundness.- 4. Variability and Uncertainty in Empirical Ground-Motion Prediction for Probabilistic Hazard and Risk Analyses.- 5. Seismic Code Developments for Steel and Composite Structures.- 6. Seismic Analyses and Design of  Foundation Soil Structure Interaction.- 7. Performance-based Seismic Design and Assessment of Bridges.- 8. An Algorithm to Justify the Design of Single Story Precast Structures.- 9. Developments in Seismic Design of Tall Buildings: Preliminary Design of Coupled Core Wall Systems --- 10. Seismic Response of  Underground Lifeline Systems.- 11. Seismic Performance of Historical Masonry Structures Through Pushover and Nonlinear Dynamic Analyses.- 12. Developments in Ground Motion Predictive Models and Accelerometric Data Archiving in the Broader European Region --- 13. Towards the “Ultimate Earthquake-proof” Building: Development of an Integrated Low-damage System.- 14. Archive of Historical Earthquake Data for the European-Mediterranean Area --- 15. A Review and Some New Issues on the Theory of  the H/V Technique for Ambient Vibrations.- 16. Macroseismic Intervention Group: The Necessary Field Observation.- 17. Bridging the Gap Between Nonlinear Seismology as Reality and Earthquake Engineering --- 18. The Influence of Earthquake Magnitude on Hazard Related to Induced Seismicity.- 19. On the Origin of Mega-thrust Earthquakes.  

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Introductory Chapter: Synchrotron-Based X-Ray Characterization of Nanomaterials by Mehdi Khodaei and Luca Petaccia --- Chapter 2: Nanocrystallization of Metallic Glasses Followed by in situ Nuclear Forward Scattering of Synchrotron Radiation by Marcel B. Miglierini and Vít Procházka --- Chapter 3: Operando Structural Characterization of the E-ALD Process Ultra-Thin Films Growth by Andrea Giaccherini, Roberto Felici and Massimo Innocenti --- Chapter 4: X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy Study of Battery Materials by Marco Giorgetti and Lorenzo Stievano --- Chapter 5: Synchrotron Radiation-Based X-Ray Study on Energy Storage Materials by Shoaib Muhammad, Hyunchul Kim and Won-Sub Yoon --- Chapter 6: Studies of Lithium-Oxygen Battery Electrodes by Energy- Dependent Full-Field Transmission Soft X-Ray Microscopy by Dino Tonti, Mara Olivares-Marín, Andrea Sorrentino and Eva Pereiro

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Treatment of Organic Recalcitrant Contaminants in Wastewater by Asmita Gupta and Indu Shekhar Thakur --- Chapter 2: Application of Macrobiological Methods in the Settlement Wastewater Treatment by Dragan Milićević, Slaviša Trajković and Milan Gocić --- Chapter 3: Microbe-Based Strategy for Plant Nutrient Management by Shaon Ray Chaudhuri, Madhusmita Mishra, Sonakshi De, Biswajit Samal, Amrita Saha, Srimoyee Banerjee, Abhinandan Chakraborty, Antara Chakraborty, Sonali Pardhiya, Deepak Gola, Joyeeta Chakraborty, Sourav Ghosh, Kamlesh Jangid, Indranil Mukherjee, Mathummal Sudarshan, Rajib Nath and Ashoke Ranjan Thakur --- Chapter 4: Mitigating Environmental Risks of Wastewater Reuse for Agriculture by Ahmed Al-Busaidi and Mushtaque Ahmed --- Chapter 5: Spreading of Antibiotic Resistance with Wastewater by Sadik Dincer and Esra Sunduz Yigittekin --- Chapter 6: Comparative Assessment of Pharmaceutical Removal from Wastewater by the Microalgae Chlorella sorokiniana, Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus obliquus by Carla Escapa Santos, Ricardo Nuno de Coimbra, Sergio Paniagua Bermejo, Ana Isabel García Pérez and Marta Otero Cabero --- Chapter 7: Pulp Mill Wastewater: Characteristics and Treatment by María Noel Cabrera --- Chapter 8: Molecular Biomonitoring of Microbial Communities in Tannery Wastewater Treatment Plant for the Removal of Retanning Chemicals by Adey Feleke Desta, Joyce Nzioki, Solomon Maina and Francesca Stomeo --- Chapter 9: Application of Mixed Microbial Culture Biofilms for Manganese (II), Cobalt (II), and Chromium (VI) Biosorption by Horizontal Rotating Tubular Bioreactor by Tonči Rezić, Iva Rezić, Michaela Zeiner and Božidar Šantek --- Chapter 10: Electrocoagulative and Biological Treatment of Laundry Wastewater by Terelle Ramcharan and Ajay Bissessur --- Chapter 11: Biohydrogen Production from Wastewaters by Periyasamy Sivagurunathan, Gopalakrishnan Kumar, Arivalagan Pugazhendhi, Guangyin Zhen, Takuro Kobayashi and Kaiqin Xu --- Chapter 12: Valorization of Glucose-Based Wastewater Through Production of Hydrogen, Volatile Fatty Acids and Alcohols by Eduardo Lucena Cavalcante de Amorim, Leandro Takano Sader, Lucas Rodrigues Ramos and Edson Luiz Silva --- Chapter 13: Production of Biogas and Performance Evaluation of Ultrasonic Membrane Anaerobic System (UMAS) for Palm Oil Mill Effluent Treatment (POME) by Abdurahman Hamid Nour and Azhari Hamid Nour

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Energy Challenges for ICT by Giorgos Fagas, John P. Gallagher, Luca Gammaitoni and Douglas J. Paul --- Chapter 2: Fundamentals on Energy in ICT by Luca Gammaitoni --- Chapter 3: Measuring Energy by Steve Kerrison, Markus Buschhoff, Jose Nunez-Yanez and Kerstin Eder --- Chapter 4: An Energy-Efficient Design Paradigm for a Memory Cell Based on Novel Nanoelectromechanical Switches by Azam Seyedi, Vasileios Karakostas, Stefan Cosemans, Adrian Cristal, Mario Nemirovsky and Osman Unsal --- Chapter 5: Energy-Aware Software Engineering by Kerstin Eder and John P. Gallagher --- Chapter 6: Energy-Aware High Performance Computing by Martin Wlotzka, Vincent Heuveline, Manuel F. Dolz, M. Reza Heidari, Thomas Ludwig, A. Cristiano I. Malossi and Enrique S. Quintana-Orti --- Chapter 7: Energy-Efficient Communication in Wireless Networks by David Boyle, Roman Kolcun and Eric Yeatman --- Chapter 8: Globally Optimised Energy-Efficient Data Centres by Dirk Pesch, Susan Rea, J. Ignacio Torrens, Vojtech Zavrel, J.L.M. Hensen, Diarmuid Grimes, Barry O'Sullivan, Thomas Scherer, Robert Birke, Lydia Chen, Ton Engbersen, Lara Lopez, Enric Pages, Deepak Mehta, Jacinta Townley and Vassilios Tsachouridis --- Chapter 9: Thermoelectrics, Photovoltaics and Thermal Photovoltaics for Powering ICT Devices and Systems by Lourdes Ferre Llin and Douglas J. Paul

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Comparison of Evapotranspiration Methods Under Limited Data by Hsin-Fu Yeh --- Chapter 2: Assessment and Prediction of Evapotranspiration Based on Scintillometry and Meteorological Datasets by Antonin Poisson, Angel Fernandez, Dario G. Gomez, Régis Barillé and Benoit Chorro --- Chapter 3: Sensitivity of Evapotranspiration Models to Onsite and Offsite Meteorological Data for a Poderosa Pine Forest by Wonsook Ha, Abraham E. Springer, Frances C. O'Donnell and Thomas E. Kolb --- Chapter 4: Evapotranspiration in Northern Agro-Ecosystems: Numerical Simulation and Experimental Comparison by Watcharee Ruairuen, Gilberto J. Fochesatto, Marco Bittelli, Elena B. Sparrow, Mingchu Zhang and William Schnabel --- Chapter 5: Moisture Evaporation from Granular Biopesticides Containing Quiescent Entomopathogenic Nematodes by Carlos Inocencio Cortés-Martínez, Jaime Ruiz-Vega and Gabino Alberto Martínez-Gutiérrez

Description / Table of Contents: 1. Foreword --- 2. Preface --- 3. Human Marine Resource Use --- 4 Species, Techniques and System Design, Environmental Impact --- 5. Aquaculture Governance --- 6. Aquaculture Economics --- 7. Case Studies --- 8. Synthesis – Pathways Towards Sustainable Ocean Food Production

Description / Table of Contents: 1. Conceptual development toward a rangeland systems framework --- Part: 1 Processes --- 2. Woody plant encroachment --- 3. Ecohydrology: processes and implications for rangelands --- 4. Soil and belowground processes --- 5. Structural heterogeneity as the basis for rangeland management --- 6. Non-equilibrium ecology and resilience theory --- 7. Ecological consequences of climate change on rangelands --- Part: 2 Management --- 8. Rangelands as social-ecological systems --- 9. State and transition models: theory, applications, and challenges --- 10. Livestock production systems --- 11. Adaptive management of rangeland systems --- 12. Managing the livestock-wildlife interface on rangelands --- Part: 3 Challenges --- 13. Invasive plant species and novel rangeland systems --- 14. Rangeland ecosystem services: nature´s supply and humans´ demand --- 15. Managing climate change risks in rangeland systems --- 16. Monitoring protocols: options, approaches, implementation, benefits --- 17. Rangeland systems in developing nations: conceptual advances and societal implications

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Biotechnology Processes for Scalable, Selective Rare Earth Element Recovery by Lynne E. Macaskie, Sayo Moriyama, Iryna Mikheenko, Sarah Singh and Angela J. Murray --- Chapter 2: Hydrometallurgical Recovery Process of Rare Earth Elements from Waste: Main Application of Acid Leaching with Devised τ-T Diagram by Namil Um --- Chapter 3: Optimisation of Parameters for Spectroscopic Analysis of Rare Earth Elements in Sediment Samples by Martin Makombe, Charlton van der Horst, Bongiwe Silwana, Emmanuel Iwuoha and Vernon Somerset --- Chapter 4: Theoretical Spectroscopy of Rare-Earth Elements: Spectra and Autoionization Resonances by Andrey A. Svinarenko, Alexander V. Glushkov, Olga Yu. Khetselius, Valentin B. Ternovsky, Yuliya V. Dubrovskaya, Anna A. Kuznetsova and Vasily V. Buyadzhi --- Chapter 5: Thermodynamic Property Study on the Complexes of Rare- Earth Elements with Amino Aids by Zhi Cheng Tan, Quan Shi, Xue Chuan Lv and Bei Ping Liu --- Chapter 6: The Effects of Lanthanum Dopant on the Structural and Optical Properties of Ferroelectric Thin Films by Irzaman, Hendradi Hardhienata, Akhiruddin Maddu, Aminullah and Husin Alatas

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Energy Recovery from the LNG Regasification Process by Roberto Bruno, Piero Bevilacqua and Natale Arcuri --- Chapter 2: Concepts for Regasification of LNG in Industrial Parks by Tatiana Morosuk, Stefanie Tesch and George Tsatsaronis --- Chapter 3: Improvement of Hydraulic Fracture Conductivity Using Nanoparticles by Reza Barati and Charles Chempakathinal Bose --- Chapter 4: Experiment and Evaluation of Natural Gas Hydration in a Spraying Reactor by Wenfeng Hao --- Chapter 5: Gas Well Testing by Freddy Humberto Escobar --- Chapter 6: Catalytic Natural Gas Utilization on Unconventional Oil Upgrading by Peng He and Hua Song --- Chapter 7: Compressed Natural Gas Direct Injection: Comparison Between Homogeneous and Stratified Combustion by Shahrir Abdullah, Wan Mohd Faizal Wan Mahmood, Saad Aljamali and Azhari Shamsudeen --- Chapter 8: Biomass as an Alternative for Gas Production by Liliana Pampillón-González and José Ramón Laines Canepa --- Chapter 9: Shale Gas in Poland by Jadwiga A. Jarzyna, Maria Bała, Paulina I. Krakowska, Edyta Puskarczyk, Anna Strzępowicz, Kamila Wawrzyniak-Guz, Dariusz Więcław and Jerzy Ziętek --- Chapter 10: An Overview of Principles and Designs of Hydraulic Fracturing Experiments and an Inquiry into the Influence of Rock Permeability and Strength on Failure Mode by Kenneth Imo-Imo Eshiet and Yong Sheng

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Introductory Chapter - Aspects of Renewable Hydroelectric Power Generation by Basel I. Ismail --- Chapter 2: Prospects of Small Hydropower Technology by Jacson Hudson Inácio Ferreira and José Roberto Camacho --- Chapter 3: Design of Zero Head Turbines for Power Generation by Edwin Chica and Ainhoa Rubio-Clemente --- Chapter 4: Planning Hydropower Production of Small Reservoirs Under Resources and System Knowledge Uncertainty by Divas Karimanzira, Thomas Rauschenbach, Torsten Pfuetzenreuter, Jing Qin and Zhao Yun --- Chapter 5: Hydropower Development in Nepal - Climate Change, Impacts and Implications by Ramesh Prasad Bhatt

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Membrane Thermodynamics for Osmotic Phenomena by Albert S. Kim and Heyon-Ju Kim --- Chapter 2: Pulsating Flow Effects on Hydrodynamics in a Desalination Membrane Filled with Spacers by Armando A. Soares, João Silva, Eliseu Monteiro and Abel Rouboa --- Chapter 3: Desalination: A Means of Increasing Irrigation Water Sources for Sustainable Crop Production by OrevaOghene Aliku --- Chapter 4: Application of Multilayer Thin Film Technology in Desalination Membrane by Syed Javaid Zaidi and Farid Fadhillah --- Chapter 5: Phase Equilibria and Phase Separation of the Aqueous Solution System Containing Lithium Ions by Long Li, Yafei Guo and Tianlong Deng --- Chapter 6: Marmara Seawater Desalination by Membrane Distillation: Direct Consumption Assessment of Produced Drinking Water by Coskun Aydiner, Derya Y. Koseoglu Imer, Salim Oncel, Esra Can Dogan, Ali Oguzhan Narci, Serif Cakmak, Tugba Nur Yilmaz, Emin Ender Celebi and Yasemin Melek Tilki --- Chapter 7: On the Purification of Agro-Industrial Wastewater by Membrane Technologies: The Case of Olive Mill Effluents by Javier Miguel Ochando-Pulido and Antonio Martinez-Ferez --- Chapter 8: Solar Thermal-Driven Desalination Pursuing Products of Pure Water and Salts and Leaving Minimum Impact to Environment by Ben Xu, Peiwen Li and Penghua Guo --- Chapter 9: Responding to Water Challenges Through Desalination: Energy Considerations by George Arampatzis, Avraam Kartalidis and Dionysis Assimacopoulos --- Chapter 10: Importance and Significance of UF/MF Membrane Systems in Desalination Water Treatment by Iqbal Ahmed, Khaled S. Balkhair, Muhammad H. Albeiruttye and Amer Ahmed Jamil Shaiban --- Chapter 11: NEREU Project: Construction of a Plasma Reactor for Reform of Greenhouse Gases for Treatment of Wastewater of the Marine Farms by André Pedral S. de Sena --- Chapter 12: Low-Cost Multi-Effect Solar Still: Alternative Appropriate Technology for Personal Desalination by Pak Hunkyun

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Introductory Chapter: Rural Waste Management Issues at Global Level by Florin-Constantin Mihai and Mohammad J. Taherzadeh --- Chapter 2: Household’s Willingness to Accept Waste Separation for Improvement of Rural Waste Bank’s Effectivity by Christia Meidiana, Harnenti Afni Yakin and Wawargita Permata Wijayanti --- Chapter 3: The Role of the Informal Sector in a Rurbanised Environment by Petra Schneider, Le Hung Anh, Jan Sembera and Rodolfo Silva --- Chapter 4: Decentralized Composting of Organic Waste in a European Rural Region: A Case Study in Allariz (Galicia, Spain) by Iria Villar Comesaña, David Alves, Salustiano Mato, Xosé Manuel Romero and Bernardo Varela --- Chapter 5: Solid Waste in Agricultural Soils: An Approach Based on Environmental Principles, Human Health, and Food Security by Cácio Luiz Boechat, Adriana Miranda de Santana Arauco, Rose Maria Duda, Antonny Francisco Sampaio de Sena, Manoel Emiliano Lopes de Souza and Ana Clecia Campos Brito --- Chapter 6: Home Composting Using Facultative Reactor by Sandro Xavier de Campos, Rosimara Zittel, Karine Marcondes da Cunha and Luciléia Granhern Tavares Colares --- Chapter 7: Enhanced Anaerobic Digestion of Organic Waste by Abbass Jafari Kang and Qiuyan Yuan --- Chapter 8: Palm Oil Mill Solid Waste Generation and Uses in Rural Area in Benin Republic: Retrospection and Future Outlook by Tatiana W. Koura, Gustave D. Dagbenonbakin, Valentin M. Kindomihou and Brice A. Sinsin --- Chapter 9: The Solid Wastes of Coffee Production and of Olive Oil Extraction: Management Perspectives in Rural Areas by Maria Cristina Echeverria, Elisa Pellegrino and Marco Nuti

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Introductory Chapter: Plant Ecology by Zubaida Yousaf and Habiba Ramazan --- Chapter 2: Detection of Environmental Mutagens Through Plant Bioassays by Özlem Aksoy --- Chapter 3: Ecology of Woody Plants in African Savanna Ecosystems by Allan Sebata --- Chapter 4: Modification in Grassland Ecology under the Influence of Changing Climatic and Land Use Conditions by Jimin Cheng, Chengcheng Gang, Liang Guo, Wei Li, Jingwei Jin, Jishuai Su and Lin Wei --- Chapter 5: Leaf Ecology and Radiocesium Contamination in Trees/Forests by Toshihiro Yoshihara --- Chapter 6: Plant-Microbe Ecology: Interactions of Plants and Symbiotic Microbial Communities by Ying-Ning Ho, Dony Chacko Mathew and Chieh-Chen Huang --- Chapter 7: Phytosociological Surveys in Weed Science: Old Concept, New Approach by Germani Concenço, Patrícia Menegaz de Farias, Néstor Fabio Alzate Quintero, Fábio Schreiber, Leandro Galon, Michely Tomazi, Ivana Santos Moisinho, Mariane Camponogara Coradini, William Christofari Ceolin and André Andres --- Chapter 8: Ecological Response to Global Change: Changes in C:N:P Stoichiometry in Environmental Adaptations of Plants by Renato de Mello Prado and Gilmara Pereira da Silva --- Chapter 9: Biogeographical Areas of Hispaniola (Dominican Republic, Republic of Haiti) by Ana Cano Ortiz, Carmelo María Musarella and Eusebio Cano Carmona

Description / Table of Contents: In the face of climate change and resource scarcity, energy supply systems are on the verge of a major transformation, which mainly includes the introduction of new components and their integration into the existing infrastructures, new network configurations and reliable topologies, optimal design and novel operation schemes, and new incentives and business models. This revolution is affecting the current paradigm and demanding that energy systems be integrated into multi-carrier energy hubs. It is greatly increasing the interactions between today’s energy systems at various scales (ranging from the multinational, national, community scales down to the building level) and future intelligent energy systems, which are able to incorporate an increasing amount of often fluctuating, renewable energy sources (RESs). It is also increases the need for the integration of energy storage options into the energy mix, not only to reduce the need for increased peak generation capacity, but also to enhance grid reliability and support higher penetration of RESs. Moreover, this transformation is accommodating active participation of end-users as responsive prosumers at different scales, which in turn help to reduce energy costs to all consumers, increase reliability of service and mitigate carbon footprints. However, this plan of action necessitates regulatory frameworks, strategic incentives and business models for efficient deployment. This Special Issue will cover these promising and dynamic areas of research and development, and will allow gathering of contributions in design, control and optimization of integrated energy systems. This Special Issue also seeks papers to report advances in any aspect of these developments. The manuscripts should be unpublished and report significant advancement.

Description / Table of Contents: The global energy scene is in a state of flux. Understanding the dynamic interplay of energy markets, technology and policy has never been more critical. The World Energy Outlook (WEO), widely regarded as the gold standard of energy analysis, provides strategic insight on what today’s policy and investment decisions mean for long-term trends. The 2017 edition of the WEO, which will be released on 14 November, will contain a full update of energy demand and supply projections through 2040 under different scenarios, and their consequences for energy security, investment, energy industries and the environment. It will also include in-depth analysis of: China’s energy outlook. China’s influence has long been felt in coal, oil and gas, as well as in nuclear power, but the country is also now firmly established as a global leader in renewable energy, efficiency and innovation. The WEO will examine China’s economic and energy transitions in detail, and consider how the country’s policy choices can shape not just national prospects, but also global outcomes. Natural gas. The outlook for gas markets is evolving rapidly under pressure from two revolutions: the shale revolution, led by the United States, and the LNG revolution that is testing traditional gas business and pricing models. It will also investigate the wider opportunities and uncertainties for gas in the transition to a cleaner energy system, including its role in tackling local pollution as well as the risk of methane emissions. In addition, the WEO-2017 series will feature two special analyses, to be released in October. The close links between energy and development, assessing today’s global picture for access to modern energy, the strategies and technologies that can enable countries to achieve energy for all by 2030, and the ways in which reliable energy can move communities from poverty towards prosperity. Prospects for energy in Southeast Asia, where infrastructure and investment have to keep up with rapid, sustained growth in energy demand. The report will cover the particular challenge of providing secure, clean and affordable energy to small island systems and remote settlements.

Description / Table of Contents: Fish Immunotoxicology: Research at the Crossroads of Immunology, Ecology and Toxicology / H. Segner, A. M. Möller, M. Wenger and A. Casanova-Nakayama / pp. 1-12 --- Homology Modeling of the Mysid Ecdysone Receptor and Docking Simulation with Ecdysteroids / M. Hirano, H. Ishibashi, E.-Y. Kim, K. Arizono and H. Iwata / pp. 13-18 --- Effects of 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin (TCDD) on the Peripheral Nervous System in Developing Red Seabream (Pagrus major) Embryos / M. Iida, E.-Y. Kim, Y. Murakami, Y. Shima and H. Iwata / pp. 19-24 --- Evaluation of Quantitative-Extra Long PCR to Assess Levels of DNA Damage in an Estuarine Fish Population / N. K. Roy and I. Wirgin / pp. 25-34 --- The Synthesis and Role of Taurine in the Eel Spermatogenesis / M. Higuchi, F. T. Celino, C. Miura and T. Miura / pp. 35-40 --- Establishment of the Protocol for Developmental Analysis and Observation of Embryogenesis and Axonogenesis in a Freshwater Goby, Rhinogobius flumineus / M. Kawaguchi, J. Shibata, R. Kawanishi, A. Sogabe, T. Kawanaka, K. Matsumoto, K. Omori and Y. Murakami / pp. 41-48 --- Transgenic Medaka, Small Fresh Water Teleost (Oryzias latipes), is Now Available for Environmental Science / M. Kinoshita / pp. 49-54 --- Physiological Effects of 3 Non-PBDE Brominated Flame Retardants on Pimephales promelas (Fathead Minnow) Exposed in Outdoor Mesocosms / B. de Jourdan, K. Oakes, M. Hanson, P. Sibley, M. Servos, D. Muir and K. Solomon / pp. 55-66 --- Use of Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic (PBPK) Models in Marine Mammal Toxicology / L. Weijs, R. S. H. Yang, K. Das, R. Blust and A. Covaci / pp. 67-72 --- Applicability of Human Hair as a Bioindicator for Trace Elements Exposure / T. Noguchi, T. Itai, M. Kawaguchi, S. Takahashi and S. Tanabe / pp. 73-77 --- Application of Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis as an Ecotoxicological Tool to Investigate the Effects of aqu-Fullerene on a Bacterial Community / R. A. Kanaly, A. H. Maeda, M. Kunihiro and N. Hamamura / pp. 79-88 --- Iodide Oxidizing Activity of Bacteria from Subsurface Sediments of the Savannah River Site, SC, U.S.A. / H.-P. Li, R. Brinkmeyer, W. L. Jones, S. Zhang, C. Xu, Y.-F. Ho, K. A. Schwehr, D. I. Kaplan, P. H. Santschi and C. M. Yeager / pp. 89-97 --- Identification of Bacterial Community and Arsenate-Reducing Bacteria Associated with a Soda Lake in Khovsgol, Mongolia / N. Hamamura, Y. Liu and W. P. Inskeep / pp. 99-107 --- Arsenic Contamination of Paddy Fields through Groundwater Irrigation in Bangladesh: Risks for Rice Production and Mitigation Perspectives / L. C. Roberts, S. J. Hug, J. Dittmar, A. Voegelin, R. Kretzschmar, B. Wehrli, G. C. Saha, M. A. Ali and A. B. M. Badruzzaman / pp. 109-115 --- Arsenic Release and Transport in Sediments of the Mekong Delta / B. D. Kocar and S. Fendorf / pp. 117-124 --- Exposure, Metabolism, and Effects of Arsenic in Residents from Arsenic-contaminated Groundwater Areas of Southeast Asia / T. Agusa, T. Kunito, R. Kubota, S. Tanabe and H. Iwata / pp. 125-132 --- Mobilization of Manganese and Arsenic under Hypoxia in the Bottom of Lake Biwa / Y. Hyobu, T. Itai, D. Hayase, M. Kumagai and S. Tanabe / pp. 133-140 --- Spatial Profile of Trace Elements in Marine Sediments from Jakarta Bay, Indonesia / A. S. Riyadi, T. Itai, T. Isobe, M. Ilyas, A. Sudaryanto, I. E. Setiawan, S. Takahashi and S. Tanabe / pp. 141-150 --- A Comparative Study on Temporal Trends of Trace Elements in Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) from Coastal Waters of North Japan / Y. Yasuda, S. Hirata, T. Itai, T. Isobe, T. Matsuishi, T. K. Yamada, Y. Tajima, S. Takahashi and S. Tanabe / pp. 151-159 --- Trace Element Contamination around the E-waste Recycling Site at Agbogbloshie, Accra City, Ghana / M. Otsuka, T. Itai, K. A. Asante, M. Muto and S. Tanabe / pp. 161-167 --- Bioaccumulation of Trace Elements in Marine Organisms from Deep-Waters of Off-Sanninn and Off-Hokuriku, Japan / H. Adachi, T. Itai, S. Takahashi, T. Kubodera, S. Haruta and S. Tanabe / pp. 169-176 --- Organohalogen Compounds and Their Metabolites in the Blood of Japanese Amberjack and Scalloped Hammerhead Shark from Japanese Coastal Waters / K. Nomiyama, Y. Uchiyama, S. Horiuchi, A. Eguchi, C. Kanbara, S. Horai-Hirata, R. Shinohara and S. Tanabe / pp. 177-185 --- Accumulation of Halogenated Phenolic Compounds in Small Toothed Whales / M. Ochiai, K. Nomiyama, T. Isobe, T. K. Yamada, Y. Tajima, T. Matsuishi, M. Amano and S. Tanabe / pp. 187-192 --- Accumulation Features of Halogenated Phenolic Compounds in the Blood of Pinnipeds from Japanese Coastal Waters / C. Kanbara, K. Nomiyama, H. Mizukawa, A. Eguchi, T. Isobe, T. K. Yamada and S. Tanabe / pp. 193-202 --- Accumulation Features of Organohalogen Metabolites in the Blood of Japanese Terrestrial Mammals / H. Mizukawa, K. Nomiyama, S. Nakatsu, S. Yachimori, T. Hayashi, Y. Tashiro, M. Yamamoto and S. Tanabe / pp. 203-210 --- Contamination Status and Accumulation Features of Organohalogen Compounds in Raccoon Dog and Masked Palm Civet / M. Yamamoto, T. Isobe, T. Hayashi, S. Yachimori, K. Nomiyama and S. Tanabe / pp. 211-219 --- Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers in Fishes Collected from Tam Giang-Cau Hai Lagoon, Vietnam / P. T. Hien, N. M. Tue, G. Suzuki, S. Takahashi and S. Tanabe / pp. 221-227 --- Contamination of Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs) in Human Hair from E-waste Recycling Site in Vietnam / M. Muto, T. Isobe, K. Ramu, N. M. Tue, P. H. Viet, S. Takahashi and S. Tanabe / pp. 229-237 --- Determination of Perfluoroalkyl Compounds in Aqueous Samples from Northern Vietnam / T. Isobe, J.-W. Kim, N. M. Tue, K. Misaki, S. Takahash, P. H. Viet and S. Tanabe / pp. 239-244 --- Concentrations of Perfluorinated Compounds in Tap Water and Human Serum from Osaka, Japan / S. Takagi, J. Yoshida and F. Adachi / pp. 245-251 --- Hexabromocyclododecane Levels in Foodstuff and Human Breast Milk in Osaka, Japan / K. Kakimoto, K. Akutsu, Y. Konishi, A. Toriba and K. Hayakawa / pp. 253-259 --- Analysis of Benzotriazole UV Stabilizers in House Dust Using an UHPLC-MS/MS / J.-W. Kim, T. Isobe, G. Malarvannan, A. Sudaryanto, K.-H. Chang, M. Prudente and S. Tanabe / pp. 261-267 --- Contamination Status of Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Brominated Flame Retardants in Environmental and Biota Samples from India / G. Devanathan, T. Isobe, A. Subramanian, K. A. Asante, S. Natarajan, P. Palaniappan, S. Takahashi and S. Tanabe / pp. 269-277 --- Fireworks Displays and Production as a Perchlorate Emission Source / R. Sugimoto, T. Isobe, K. Ramu, G. Malarvannan, G. Devanthan, A. Subramanian and S. Tanabe / pp. 279-284 --- Atmospheric Deposition of Polychlorinated Naphthalenes in Dongjiang River Basin of Guangdong Province, South China / Y. Wang, Z. N. Cheng, J. Li, C. L. Luo, X. Liu and G. Zhang / pp. 285-293 --- Changes of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Atmospheric Concentration and Soil Load in the UK and Norway over 10 Years / J. K. Schuster, R. Gioia, C. Moeckel, T. Agarwal, T. D. Bucheli, K. Breivik, E. Steinnes and K. C. Jones / pp. 295-302 --- Inter-Congener Variability in the Global Dynamics of Polychlorinated Biphenyls: A Message from Finely-Advanced Transboundary Environmental Model (FATE) / T. Kawai, N. Suzuki and I. C. Handoh / pp. 303-309 --- Modeling of Suspended Particulate Matter in the East China Sea / J. Ono and X. Guo / pp. 311-319 --- Toxic Metals Derived from Plastic Litter on a Beach / E. Nakashima, A. Isobe, S. Kako, T. Itai and S. Takahashi / pp. 321-328 --- Radon and Radium Isotopes, Groundwater Discharge and Harmful Algal Blooms in Little Lagoon, Alabama / N. Su, W. C. Burnett, K. T. Eller, H. L. MacIntyre, B. Mortazavi, J. D. Liefer and L. Novoveská / pp. 329-337 --- Seasonal Variation of the 222Rn Concentration in the Central Part of the Seto Inland Sea, Japan / M. Saito, S. Onodera, X. Guo, K. Onishi, Y. Shimizu, M. Yoshikawa, G. Jin, M. Tokumasu and H. Takeoka / pp. 339-344 --- Development of an On-site Simplified Determination Method for Hydrogen Sulfide in Marine Sediment Pore Water Using a Shipboard Ion Electrode with Consideration of Hydrogen Sulfide Oxidation Rate / S. Asaoka, T. Yamamoto, Y. Takahashi, H. Yamamoto, K. H. Kim and K. Orimoto / pp. 345-352 --- The Effect of Microphytobenthic Resuspension on Suspended Particulate Matter Dynamics in a Shallow Lagoon in Hokkaido, Japan / N. Suga and S. Montani / pp. 353-365 --- Occurrence of Tetracycline Resistant Bacteria and tet(M) Gene in Seawater from Korean Coast / S.-j. Kim, M. Ogo, M.-J. Oh and S. Suzuki / pp. 367-375 --- Vertical Community Structure of Bacteria and Phytoplankton in Lake Biwa Using Respiratory Quinone and Pigment Analysis / H. Takasu, T. Kunihiro and S. Nakano / pp. 377-385 --- Deterioration of Soft Bottom Macroinfaunal Communities in a Milkfish Mariculture Zone off Bolinao-Anda, Pangasinan (NW Philippines) / H. M. E. Nacorda, J. M. Obliosca, M. C. L. Tentia, G. S. Jacinto and M. L. C. San Diego-McGlone / pp. 387-395 --- Relative Biomass of Bacteria and Microphytobenthos in Surface Sediments of the Seto Inland Sea of Japan / T. Kunihiro, J. Shibata, H. Hamaoka, A. Sogabe, K. Moriya, M. Kuwae, K. Ito, A. Katayama, H. Tsutsumi and K. Omori / pp. 397-406 --- Bacterial Community should be Considered in Ecosystem Model in the Ocean?—Comparison between Community-Based Model, Black Box Model, and Exponential Decay Model / T. Miki / pp. 407-418 --- A Mini-Review of Spatial Segregation of Aquatic Food Webs: Stable Isotope Technique and Human Impact / H. Doi / pp. 419-425 --- Contribution of Pelagic and Benthic Grazing and Detritus Food Chains to the Coastal Ecosystem of the Western Seto Inland Sea: A Stable Isotope and Bayesian Mixing Model Analysis Approach / J. Shibata, K. Matsumoto, H. Hamaoka, A. Sogabe, T. Nanko, T. Kunihiro, H. Onishi and K. Omori / pp. 427-435 --- Contamination Status and Geographical Distribution of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers, Hexabromocyclododecanes and Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Fish and Shellfish from the Seto Inland Sea, Japan / H. Hamada, T. Isobe, K.-H. Chang, J. Shibata, A. Sogabe, K. Ohmori and S. Tanabe / pp. 437-445 --- Applying Trophic Tracers to Study Contaminant Levels and Trends in Arctic Marine Wildlife and Food Webs: A Review / M. A. McKinney / pp. 447-454 --- Comparison of Marine Food Webs across Environmental Gradients—A Tool for Unraveling Environmental Factors Driving Trophic Structure / T. W. Miller / pp. 455-461 --- Depth Profiles of δ13C and Trace Element Concentrations in Mangrove Ecosystem of Tien Hai Natural Reserve, Vietnam / N. T. Tue, T. D. Quy, H. Hamaoka, L. V. Dung, M. T. Nhuan and K. Omori / pp. 463-470

Description / Table of Contents: Les scientifiques et les ingénieurs ont un rôle majeur à jouer pour l’avenir de l’humanité : ce sont eux qui ont pu alerter le monde sur le danger que court le climat de la planète et sur ses conséquences ; ce sont eux qui en ont identifié une cause très probable et sur laquelle nous pouvons réagir. Notre action dépend de nombreux facteurs : prise de conscience universelle, volontés politiques, solidarité entre les Etats et les peuples, moyens financiers... mais aussi in fine moyens scientifiques et techniques. Cependant, les ingénieurs ne sont pas des magiciens. Remplacer l’usage des ressources énergétiques traditionnelles, stockées depuis des millions d’années, par des ressources non carbonées, autant que possible renouvelables (nucléaire, hydraulique, géothermie, biomasse, vent, soleil…) demande du temps. L’objet de ce livre est double : montrer d’une part l’attention que les ingénieurs et scientifiques portent à cette menace fondamentale et leur compréhension du problème, d’autre part leur souhait de participer davantage aux débats et aux décisions, avec l’espoir d’aboutir à des orientations et des réalisations plus efficaces en faveur de l’objectif recherché. Les auteurs estiment que par leur indépendance, leur objectivité, leurs compétences et leur pragmatisme, les ingénieurs devraient contribuer au rapprochement entre rêve et réalité.

Description / Table of Contents: Depuis le début des années 2000, l’insuffisance des efforts politiques pour réduire drastiquement les émissions globales de gaz à effet de serre a conduit au renforcement d’un discours sur la nécessité de s’adapter au changement climatique. Particulièrement dans les régions vulnérables aux effets du changement climatique, une transformation des politiques de gestion de l’environnement apparaît comme nécessaire afin de réduire les risques et d’exploiter les nouvelles opportunités découlant du changement climatique et de ses im-pacts. Or, si les analystes constatent un développement des activités d’adaptation au changement climatique, peu de travaux interrogent l’efficacité réelle des mesures actuelles et leurs éventuelles limites. Cet ouvrage tente de combler cette lacune en déconstruisant la notion d’adaptation au changement climatique et en interrogeant sa signification réelle pour la conduite des politiques à incidence environnementale. Il exa-mine de manière théorique en quoi l’adaptation au changement climatique nécessiterait des réformes de l’action publique. Puis, il examine l’état des pratiques actuelles au travers d’études de cas dans le secteur agricole en Inde (Rajasthan et Maharashtra) et dans le secteur du tourisme hivernal en Suisse (Alpes vaudoises et vallée de Joux). Sur la base de cette incursion théorique et empirique dans l’univers de ces nouvelles politiques de gestion de l’environnement, l’auteur discute des limitations observées et suggère des voies d’amélioration pour le futur.

Description / Table of Contents: Biopolymers, as natural polysaccharides, are considered benign polymers for what concerns the environment. This is not a new invention, but at best a renaissance: the first type of polymers used by human kind were animal hides, cellulose, silk, wool. Among benefits of natural occurring biopolymers there are potential biocompatibility, renewable resources, low processing costs, tailoring of structure by genetic manipulation, and, as said, environmentally compatibility. Limits are, sometimes, premature degradation and high production costs due to the very high purity required for medical uses. Polysaccharides are not drugs by themselves, but their use in pharmaceutical field, for example as drug carriers or antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory or anticoagulant agents, is increasingly promising. Marine polysaccharides include chitin, chitosan, alginate, agar and carrageenans. Chitosan is a cationic carbohydrate biopolymer derived from chitin, the second most abundant polysaccharides present in nature after cellulose. The main sources of chitin are the shell wastes of shrimps, lobsters and crabs. For its characteristics, chitosan founds particular application as non viral vector in gene delivery. Films from chitosan are very tough and long lasting. Alginates derive from seaweed extraction (pheophyceae), and are mainly used in drug delivery and as hydrogels for immobilizing cells and enzymes, due to the mild conditions of cross-linking through bivalent cations (Ca2+). Agar (or agar-agar) and carrageenans are linear polysaccharides from red seaweeds. They are highly reactive chemically and are peculiar for thermoreversible gel formation. Exopolysaccharides (EPS), substantial components of the extracellular matrix of many cells of marine origin, also have to be mentioned for their potential interest in pharmaceuticals, and new EPS producing bacteria, particularly from extreme marine environments, are being isolated. The possibility of chemical modification, blending and addition of biodegradable additives allows to tailor the final properties of polysaccharides and opens the doors to wider applications, particularly in pharmaceutical area. This issue is intended to explore any new potentiality of marine polysaccharides, as those above mentioned, deriving from chemical or chemical-physical modifications, and the scaling-up of their pharmaceutical applications.

Description / Table of Contents: Climate change and globalisation are opening up the Arctic for exploitation by the world – or so we are told. But what about the views, interests, and needs of the peoples who live in the region? What about the myriad of other factors affecting the Arctic and its peoples? This book explores opportunities and limitations in engaging with the Arctic under change, and the Arctic peoples experiencing the change, through the lens of understanding Arcticness: what the Arctic means to Arctic peoples socially and physically. The chapters bring together a variety of disciplines, such as law, politics, geography and the arts, to examine what Arctic peoples could learn from and teach elsewhere, across disciplines and across locations. The authors reflect on philosophies of change in tandem with philosophies of the Arctic, particularly as represented by everyday experiences, memories and geographical imaginations.

Description / Table of Contents: PART I – Sustainable Energy for All (SE4A) --- 1. Energy and Sustainable Development --- 2. Distributed Renewable Energies --- 3. Sustainable Product-Service System --- 4. Sustainable Product-Service System applied to Distributed Renewable Energies --- PART II – Design for Sustainable Energy for All --- 5. Design for Sustainability --- 6. Human-Centred Design and Universal Design --- 7. System Design for Sustainable Energy for All (SD4SEA) --- PART III – Method for System Design for Sustainable Energy --- 8. Method for SD4SEA

Description / Table of Contents: Barr, B. “An ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure”: Adopting Landscape-Level Precautionary Approaches to Preserve Arctic Coastal Heritage Resources. Resources 2017, 6(2), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources6020018 --- Bickford, N.; Smith, L.; Bickford, S.; Bice, M.; Ranglack, D.H. Evaluating the Role of CSR and SLO in Ecotourism: Collaboration for Economic and Environmental Sustainability of Arctic Resources. Resources 2017, 6(2), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources6020021 --- Manley, B.; Elliot, S.; Jacobs, S. Expedition Cruising in the Canadian Arctic: Visitor Motives and the Influence of Education Programming on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviours. Resources 2017, 6(3), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources6030023 --- Johnston, M.; Dawson, J.; Maher, P. Strategic Development Challenges in Marine Tourism in Nunavut. Resources 2017, 6(3), 25; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources6030025 --- Bystrowska, M.; Wigger, K.; Liggett, D. The Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Managing High Arctic Tourism Sites: A Collective Action Perspective. Resources 2017, 6(3), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources6030033 --- Aase, J. The Ortelius Incident in the Hinlopen Strait—A Case Study on How Satellite-Based AIS Can Support Search and Rescue Operations in Remote Waters. Resources 2017, 6(3), 35; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources6030035 --- Stewart, E.; Espiner, S.; Liggett, D.; Taylor, Z. The Forgotten Islands: Monitoring Tourist Numbers and Managing Tourism Impacts on New Zealand’s Subantarctic Islands. Resources 2017, 6(3), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources6030038 --- Huijbens, E.; Lamers, M. Sustainable Tourism and Natural Resource Conservation in the Polar Regions: An Editorial. Resources 2017, 6(3), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources6030045

Description / Table of Contents: The study of vibrations and the control of vibrations has been a fundamental cornerstone of engineering. Problems related to vibrations are ubiquitous, from the study of fatigue of airplane wings in turbulent flow to the suppression of vibrations in subsea structures. The breadth of vibration engineering is matched by the depth of field. Numerous methods have been used to understand vibrations, and a wide range of devices have been developed to control vibrations. Many vibration control problems can be considered as a problem of energy dissipation and vibration damping. The problem encompasses multiple interdependent aspects of research and engineering, including the development of models, implementation of algorithms, and design of devices based on data. Discoveries made in one aspect can lead to breakthroughs in other aspects. Thus, the scope and aims of this Special Issue are to receive and accumulate new knowledge about vibration control, especially for topics related to energy dissipation methods for vibration damping. Desired topics include but are not limited to vibration modeling, algorithms for active vibration control, passive damping methods, vibration damping devices, new materials for energy dissipation, etc.

Description / Table of Contents: A Guideline for Successful Calibration and Uncertainty Analysis for Soil and Water Assessment: A Review of Papers from the 2016 International SWAT Conference / Water 2018, 10(1), 6; doi:10.3390/w10010006 --- Assessing the Water-Resources Potential of Istanbul by Using a Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) Hydrological Model / Water 2017, 9(10), 814; doi:10.3390/w9100814 --- Simulating Climate Change Induced Thermal Stress in Coldwater Fish Habitat Using SWAT Model / Water 2017, 9(10), 732; doi:10.3390/w9100732 --- Assessing the Uncertainty of Multiple Input Datasets in the Prediction of Water Resource Components / Water 2017, 9(9), 709; doi:10.3390/w9090709 --- Assessment of the Combined Effects of Threshold Selection and Parameter Estimation of Generalized Pareto Distribution with Applications to Flood Frequency Analysis / Water 2017, 9(9), 692; doi:10.3390/w9090692 --- Assessing Thermally Stressful Events in a Rhode Island Coldwater Fish Habitat Using the SWAT Model / Water 2017, 9(9), 667; doi:10.3390/w9090667 --- Assessment of Nitrogen Inputs into Hunt River by Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems via SWAT Simulation / Water 2017, 9(8), 610; doi:10.3390/w9080610 --- Water Resources of the Black Sea Catchment under Future Climate and Landuse Change Projections / Water 2017, 9(8), 598; doi:10.3390/w9080598 --- Comparison of SWAT and GWLF Model Simulation Performance in Humid South and Semi-Arid North of China / Water 2017, 9(8), 567; doi:10.3390/w9080567 --- Modeling the Fate and Transport of Malathion in the Pagsanjan-Lumban Basin, Philippines / Water 2017, 9(7), 451; doi:10.3390/w9070451 --- Development of a Station Based Climate Database for SWAT and APEX Assessments in the US / Water 2017, 9(6), 437; doi:10.3390/w9060437 --- Using Modeling Tools to Better Understand Permafrost Hydrology / Water 2017, 9(6), 418; doi:10.3390/w9060418 --- Sensitivity of Calibrated Parameters and Water Resource Estimates on Different Objective Functions and Optimization Algorithms / Water 2017, 9(6), 384; doi:10.3390/w9060384 --- Evaluating Various Low-Impact Development Scenarios for Optimal Design Criteria Development / Water 2017, 9(4), 270; doi:10.3390/w9040270 --- Assessment of Flood Frequency Alteration by Dam Construction via SWAT Simulation / Water 2017, 9(4), 264; doi:10.3390/w9040264 --- Effects of Urban Non-Point Source Pollution from Baoding City on Baiyangdian Lake, China / Water 2017, 9(4), 249; doi:10.3390/w9040249 --- Multilevel Drought Hazard Assessment under Climate Change Scenarios in Semi-Arid Regions—A Case Study of the Karkheh River Basin in Iran / Water 2017, 9(4), 241; doi:10.3390/w9040241 --- Assessment of Three Long-Term Gridded Climate Products for Hydro-Climatic Simulations in Tropical River Basins / Water 2017, 9(3), 229; doi:10.3390/w9030229 --- Evaluating the Impact of Low Impact Development (LID) Practices on Water Quantity and Quality under Different Development Designs Using SWAT / Water 2017, 9(3), 193; doi:10.3390/w9030193 --- Influence Mechanisms of Rainfall and Terrain Characteristics on Total Nitrogen Losses from Regosol / Water 2017, 9(3), 167; doi:10.3390/w9030167 --- Modeling Crop Water Productivity Using a Coupled SWAT–MODSIM Model / Water 2017, 9(3), 157; doi:10.3390/w9030157 --- Effect of Climate Change on Hydrology, Sediment and Nutrient Losses in Two Lowland Catchments in Poland / Water 2017, 9(3), 156; doi:10.3390/w9030156 --- Using SWAT and Fuzzy TOPSIS to Assess the Impact of Climate Change in the Headwaters of the Segura River Basin (SE Spain) / Water 2017, 9(2), 149; doi:10.3390/w9020149 --- Water Leakage and Nitrate Leaching Characteristics in the Winter Wheat–Summer Maize Rotation System in the North China Plain under Different Irrigation and Fertilization Management Practices / Water 2017, 9(2), 141; doi:10.3390/w9020141 --- Climate Change Impacts on US Water Quality Using Two Models: HAWQS and US Basins / Water 2017, 9(2), 118; doi:10.3390/w9020118 --- Testing the SWAT Model with Gridded Weather Data of Different Spatial Resolutions / Water 2017, 9(1), 54; doi:10.3390/w9010054 --- The Impact of Para Rubber Expansion on Streamflow and Other Water Balance Components of the Nam Loei River Basin, Thailand / Water 2017, 9(1), 1; doi:10.3390/w9010001 --- The Mitigation Potential of Buffer Strips for Reservoir Sediment Yields: The Itumbiara Hydroelectric Power Plant in Brazil / Water 2016, 8(11), 489; doi:10.3390/w8110489

Description / Table of Contents: 1. Adaptation in Agriculture / by Panit Arunanondchai, Chengcheng Fei and Bruce A. McCarl --- 2. Climate Adaptive Agricultural Innovation in Nepal: Prospects and Challenges / by Dhanej Thapa, Yuba Raj Subedi and Hemant Ojha --- 3. Naturally Available Genetic Adaptation in Common Bean and Its Response to Climate Change / by Andrés J. Cortés and Matthew W. Blair --- 4. Mitigation of the Negative Impact of Warming on the Coffee Crop: The Role of Increased Air [CO2] and Management Strategies / by Danielly Dubberstein, Weverton P. Rodrigues, José N. Semedo, Ana P. Rodrigues, Isabel P. Pais, António E. Leitão, Fábio L. Partelli, Eliemar Campostrini, Fernando Reboredo, Paula Scotti-Campos, Fernando C. Lidon, Ana I. Ribeiro-Barros, Fábio M. DaMatta and José C. Ramalho --- 5. Agricultural Management Impact on Greenhouse Gas Emissions / by Upendra M. Sainju --- 6. Low Carbon Technologies for Agriculture in Dryland: Brazilian Experience / by Vanderlise Giongo, Alessandra Monteiro Salviano, Francislene Angelotti, Tatiana Taura, Luiz Fernando Carvalho Leite and Tony Jarbas Ferreira Cunha --- 7. Pepper Crop under Climate Change: Grafting as an Environmental Friendly Strategy / by Consuelo Penella and Angeles Calatayud --- 8. Bringing Climate Smart Agriculture to Scale: Experiences from the Water Productivity Project in East and Central Africa / by Kizito Kwena, Fitih Ademe, Joseph Serge, Nezeghty Asmerom, Bernard Musana, Razaka Razakamiaramanana, Reuben Ruttoh, Hezron Mogaka, Assefa Dereje, Kifle Woldearegey, Anthony Esilaba and Rosemary Emongor --- 9. Climate Control in Mediterranean Greenhouses / by A. Nafi Baytorun and Zeynep Zaimoglu

Description / Table of Contents: 1. Introductory Chapter: An Outline of Carbon Dioxide Chemistry, Uses and Technology / by Janah Shaya, Hassan Srour and Iyad Karamé --- 2. Electrochemical/Photochemical CO2 Reduction Catalyzed by Transition Metal Complexes / by Hitoshi Ishida --- 3. Carbon Dioxide Conversion to Methanol: Opportunities and Fundamental Challenges / by Sajeda A. Al-Saydeh and Syed Javaid Zaidi --- 4. Effect of Overlapping Fe/TiO2 Coated on Netlike Glass Disc and Cu Disc on CO2 Reduction / by Akira Nishimura --- 5. CO2 Reforming with CH4 via Plasma Catalysis System / by Wei Chieh Chung and Moo Been Chang --- 6. Understanding Interaction Capacity of CO2 with Organic Compounds at Molecular Level: A Theoretical Approach / by Pham Ngoc Khanh and Nguyen Tien Trung --- 7. [11C]Carbon Dioxide: Starting Point for Labeling PET Radiopharmaceuticals / by Lingyun Yang, Peter J. H. Scott and Xia Shao --- 8. Solvents for Carbon Dioxide Capture / by Fernando Vega, Mercedes Cano, Sara Camino, Luz M. Gallego Fernández, Esmeralda Portillo and Benito Navarrete --- 9. Advances in Porous Adsorbents for CO2 Capture and Storage / by Arindam Modak and Subhra Jana --- 10. Process Analytical Technology for CO2 Capture / by M.H. Wathsala N. Jinadasa, Klaus-J. Jens and Maths Halstensen --- 11. Carbon Dioxide Use in High-Pressure Extraction Processes / by Vânia Maria Borges Cunha, Marcilene Paiva da Silva, Wanessa Almeida da Costa, Mozaniel Santana de Oliveira, Fernanda Wariss Figueiredo Bezerra, Anselmo Castro de Melo, Rafael Henrique Holanda Pinto, Nelio Teixeira Machado, Marilena Emmi Araujo and Raul Nunes de Carvalho Junior --- 12. A Review on the Application of Enhanced Oil/Gas Recovery through CO2 Sequestration / by Abdelmalek Atia and Kamal Mohammedi

Description / Table of Contents: Introduction --- Foreword --- Chapter 1: Persuasive communication, by Jean-Paul Close, Jaap Ham --- Chapter 2: the AiREAS Proof of Principle - POP Relating air quality to health and lifestyle, by Jean-Paul Close, Nicolette Meeder, John Schmeitz --- Chapter 3: The backpack project, by Jean-Paul Close, Nicolette Meeder --- Chapter 4: New entrepreneurship, by John Schmeitz, Jean-Paul Close --- Chapter 5: Event linked communication, by Jean-Paul Close, Eric de Groot, Pierre Cluitmans --- Chapter 6: Multicultural context, by Jean-Paul Close, Rüstem Demir --- Chapter 7: Level 4 Sustainocratic regional development, by Jean-Paul Close

Description / Table of Contents: This book is open access under a CC BY-NC 2.5 license. The Gulf of Mexico is an open and dynamic marine ecosystem rich in natural resources but heavily impacted by human activities, including agricultural, industrial, commercial and coastal development. Nutrients and pollutants from coastal communities and dozens of rivers flow into the Gulf, including material from the Mississippi River watershed, which drains over one third of continental United States. The Gulf of Mexico has been continuously exposed to petroleum hydrocarbons for millions of years from natural oil and gas seeps on the sea floor, and more recently from oil drilling and production activities located in the water near and far from shore. Major accidental oil spills in the Gulf are infrequent; two of the most significant include the Ixtoc I blowout in the Bay of Campeche in 1979 and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in 2010. Unfortunately, baseline assessments of the status of habitats and biota in the Gulf of Mexico before these spills either were not available, or the data had not been systematically compiled in a way that would help scientists assess the potential short-term and long-term effects of such events. This 2-volume series compiles and summarizes thousands of data sets showing the status of habitats and biota in the Gulf of Mexico before the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill that began on April 20, 2010. Volume 1 begins with an overview of the following 13 chapters and focuses on the big picture rather than the details of habitat quality and biota.  Volume 1 covers: • Water and sediment quality and contaminants, to provide perspective on environmental conditions in the Gulf. • Natural oil and gas seeps in the Gulf of Mexico, to identify natural sources of exposure to petroleum hydrocarbons. • Coastal habitats, including flora and fauna and coastal geology. • Offshore benthos and plankton, with an analysis of current knowledge on energy capture and energy flows in the Gulf. • Shellfish and finfish resources that provide the basis for commercial and recreational fisheries. Volume 2 covers: • Historical data on commercial and recreational fisheries, with an analysis of marketing trends and drivers. • Ecology, populations and risks to birds, sea turtles and marine mammals in the Gulf of Mexico. • A final chapter extensively illustrated with original images on diseases and mortalities of fish and other animals that inhabit the Gulf of Mexico.  Chapters in these volumes have been peer reviewed by scientific experts in the subject areas covered.  Hopefully, the collection and analysis of such data for the Gulf of Mexico will be continued and sponsored by responsible federal and state agencies with the frequency needed to accurately assess potential damage to natural resources from ecologically harmful events that may occur in the future

Description / Table of Contents: Part I: Introduction --- 1. Balanced Urban Development: Is it a myth or reality? - Part II: Peri-Urbansation --- 2. Re-Ruralising the Urban Edge: Lessons from Europe, USA & the Global South --- 3. Nimbyism and Nature – Whose Backyard is it Anyway? - 4. Connecting Urban and Rural Futures Through Rural Design --- 5. Archaeology and Contemporary Dynamics for More Sustainable, Resilient Cities in the Peri-Urban Interface --- 6. Decontamination of Urban Run-off: Importance and Methods --- Part III: Peri-Urban Culture and Socio-Economy --- 7. Socio-economy of Peri-Urban Areas: The Case of Lisbon Metropolitan Area --- 8. Changing Economic Scenario of the Peri-Urban Area of Udaipur City, India --- 9. Community Stakeholder Viewpoints on Issues of Urbanisation along the River Ma Oya, Sri Lanka --- Part IV: Peri-Urban Landuse Planning --- 10. The role of peri-urban land use planning in resilient urban agriculture: a case study of Melbourne, Australia --- 11. Engaging Peri-Urban Landholders in Natural Resources Management.-12. Urban Farming Master Plan in Western Sydney - From Planning to Reality --- Part V: Urban Water Security --- 13. Study of urban water bodies in view of potential for micro-climatic cooling and natural purification of waste water --- 14. Groundwater Crisis in a Mega City – A Case Study of New Delhi, India --- 15. Safe Water Supply Determinants in Peri-Urban Communities of South-East Nigeria --- 16. Risks of Coal Seam and Shale Gas Extraction on Groundwater and Aquifers in Eastern Australia --- Part VI: Wastewater and Irrigation --- 17. Use of recycled water for irrigation of open spaces: Benefits and Risks --- 18. Global Experiences on Wastewater Irrigation: Challenges and Prospects --- 19. Impacts of Wastewater Reuse on Peri-Urban Agriculture: Case Study in Udaipur City, India --- Part VII: Urban Agriculture and Food Security --- 20. Urban Agriculture in Cuba: Alternative Legal Structures, Crisis and Change --- 21. High quality agricultural land in Western Australia – A new decision tool for planning --- 22. Food Efficient Planning and Design for Peri-urban Neighbourhoods --- 23. Role of Peri-urban Areas in the Food System of Kampala, Uganda --- Part VIII: Climate Change Impacts and Adaptations --- 24. Climate Change Adaptation Planning with Peri-Urban Local Government in Victoria, Australia --- 25. Awareness of Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation at Local Level in Punjab, Pakistan --- 26. Urbanisation, Nutrition and Food Security: A Climatological Perspective --- 27. Coastal Urban and Peri-Urban Indigenous People’s Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change --- Part IX: Legal, Policy and Institutional Challenges --- 28. Effect of Social and Institutional Fragmentation on Collective Action in Peri-urban Settings --- 29. Gentrification versus Territorialisation: The Peri-Urban Agriculture Area in Beirut --- 30. Reimagining the “Peri-Urban” in the Mega-Urban Regions of Southeast Asia --- Part X: Integrated Urban Development --- 31. Sustainability of Water Resources in Peri-urban Landscapes: Learning from the Journey of Engagement --- 32. Development of Future Management Options for the Hawkesbury River --- 33. Planning Development to Reduce Mosquito Hazard in Coastal Peri-Urban Areas: Case Studies in NSW, Australia --- 34. An Integrated Simulation and Visualisation Platform for the Design of Sustainable Urban Developments in a Peri-Urban Context --- 35. Options and Strategies for Balanced Development for Liveable Cities: An Epilogue

Description / Table of Contents: Managing Environmental Risks and Promoting Sustainability: Science Advancement and Leadership Development --- Biodiversity Agriculture Supports Human Populations --- Conservation and Sustainable Management of Soil Biodiversity for Agricultural Productivity --- Conservation Tillage Assessment For Mitigating Greenhouse Gas Emission In Rainfed Agro-Ecosystem --- Improving Biodiversity in Rice Paddy Fields to Promote Land Sustainability --- Agroforestry Models for Promoting Effective Risk Management and Building Sustainable Communities --- Managing Environmental Risks and Promoting Sustainability: Conservation of Forest Resources in Madagascar --- Community-Based Mangrove Forest Management in Thailand: Key Lesson Learned for Environmental Risk Management --- Necessity of Adaptive Risk Management for Fisheries and Wildlife --- Valuation of Non-Marketed Agricultural Ecosystem Services and Food Security in Southeast Asia --- Emerging Socio-Economic and Environmental Issues Affecting Food Security: A Case Study of Silang-Santa Rosa Subwatershed --- Strengthening the Capacity of Flood-Affected Rural Communities in Padang Terap, State of Kedah, Malaysia --- Mitigating Coastal Erosion in Fort Dauphin, Madagascar --- Risk Management of Chemical Pollution: Principles from the Japanese Experience --- Research on the Sod Between Chlorophyll-a and Organic Matter BOD, COD, Phosphorus and Total Nitrogen in Stagnant Lake Basins --- Managing Construction Development Risks to the Environment --- Ecosystem Restoration Using the Near-Natural Method in Shanghai --- Sustainable Management of Urban Green Environments: Challenges and Opportunities --- Environment and Social Capacity Assessment for Sustainability Promotion and Risk Management --- Rural Landscape Conservation in Japan: Lessons from the Satoyama Conservation Program in Kanagawa Prefecture --- Enhancing Students’ Ecological Thinking to Improve Understanding of Environmental Risk --- Interactive Multimedia Education System (IMES) as a International Education Platform

Description / Table of Contents: From Challenges to Sustainable Solutions for Upland Agriculture in Southeast Asia --- Beyond the Horizons - Challenges and Prospects for Soil Science and Soil Care in Southeast Asia --- Water and Matter Flows in Mountainous Watersheds of Southeast Asia: Processes and Implications for Management --- Agricultural Pesticide Use in Mountainous Areas of Thailand and Vietnam: Towards Reducing Exposure and Rationalizing Use --- Linkages between Agriculture, Poverty and Natural Resource Use in Mountainous Regions of Southeast Asia --- Mango and Longan Production in Northern Thailand: the Role of Water Saving Irrigation and Water Stress Monitoring --- Soil Conservation on Sloping Land: Technical Options and Adoption Constraints --- Improved Sustainable Aquaculture Systems for Small-scale Farmers in Northern Vietnam --- Participatory Approaches to Research and Development in the Southeast Asian Uplands: Potential and Challenges --- Integrated Modeling of Agricultural Systems in Mountainous Areas --- Rethinking Knowledge Provision for the Marginalized: Rural Networks and Novel Extension Approaches in Vietnam --- Policies for Sustainable Development: The Commercialization of Smallholder Agriculture

Description / Table of Contents: 1. Introduction and Reflections --- 2. The Establishment of Catchment Management Agencies in South Africa with Reference to the Flussgebietsgemeinschaft Elbe: Some Practical Considerations --- 3. Towards Inclusive Water Governance: OECD Evidence and Key Principles of Stakeholder Engagement in the Water Sector --- 4. Free-Market Economics and Developmental Statism as Political Paradigms: Implications for Water Governance Theory and Practice in Developing Countries --- 5. Urban Water Governance as a Function of the “Urban Hydrosocial Transition” --- 6. Urban Water Governance for the 21st Century: A Portfolio-Based Approach to Planning and Management --- 7. Rights-Based Freshwater Governance for the 21st Century: Beyond an Exclusionary Focus on Domestic Water uses --- 8. Inclusive Transboundary Water Governance --- 9. Mechanisms for Inclusive Governance --- 10. Water Integrity - from Concept to Practice --- 11. Addressing the Groundwater Governance Challenge: A Call from the “Groundwater Governance: A Global Framework for Action” Project --- 12. Water Governance Futures in South Asia and Southern Africa: Déjà vu all Over Again?

Description / Table of Contents: Introduction --- The Jordan Valley --- Projections And Objectives --- Meeting The Strategic Planning Objectives --- The Year 2050 --- Final Conclusions And Recommendations --- Colophon.

Description / Table of Contents: Part I The Urban Heat Island – Evidence, Measures and Tools --- Forecasting Models for Urban Warming in Climate Change --- Assessment Indication and Gold Standard --- Methodologies for UHI Analysis --- Decision Support Systems for Urban Planning --- Part II Pilot Actions in European Cities --- Counteracting Urban Heat Islands: Solutions for European Cities.

Description / Table of Contents: PART I: Ester Boserup’s Intellectual Heritage --- 1. Ester Boserup: An Interdisciplinary Visionary Relevant for Sustainability --- 2. “Finding Out Is My Life”: Conversations with Ester Boserup in the 1990s --- 3. Boserup’s Theory on Technological Change as a Point of Departure for the Theory of Sociometabolic Regime Transition --- PART II Land Use, Technology and Agriculture --- 4. The Dwindling Role of Population Pressure in Land Use Change – a Case from the South West Pacific --- 5. Conceptual and Empirical Approaches to Mapping and Quantifying Land-Use Intensity --- 6. Malthusian Assumptions, Boserupian Response in Transition to Agriculture Models --- 7. Reconciling Boserup with Malthus: Agrarian Change and Soil Degradation in Olive Orchards in Spain (1750-2000) --- 8. Beyond Boserup: The Role of Working Time in Agricultural Development --- PART III: Population and Gender --- 9. Following Boserup’s Traces: From Invisibility to Informalisation of Women’s Economy to Engendering Development in Translocal Spaces --- 10. Daughters of the Hills: Gendered Agricultural Production, Modernisation, and Declining Child Sex Ratios in the Indian Central Himalayas --- 11. Revisiting Boserup’s Hypotheses in the Context of Africa --- 12. An Interpretation of Large-Scale Land Deals Using Boserup’s Theories of Agricultural Intensification, Gender and Rural Development --- 13. Labour Migration and Gendered Agricultural Asset Shifts in Southeastern Mexico: Two Stories of Farming Wives and Daughters --- 14. Working Time of Farm Women and Small-Scale Sustainable Farming in Austria --- 15. A Human Ecological Approach to Ester Boserup: Steps Towards Engendering Agriculture and Rural Development --- 16. Conclusions: Re-Evaluating Boserup in the Light of the Contributions to this Volume

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Problem of Residue Management due to Rice Wheat Crop Rotation in Punjab --- Chapter 2: The Extent and Management of Crop Stubble --- Chapter 3: Valuation of the Health Impact --- Chapter 4: Alternative Uses of Crop Stubble --- Chapter 5: Environment Legislation in India as a Whole and in the State of Punjab --- Chapter 6: Policies for Restricting the Agriculture Residue Burning in Punjab --- Chapter 7: Concluding Remarks and Policy Implications --- References --- Annexure

Description / Table of Contents: Cities in Time and Space --- Working --- Housing --- Conclusion Remarks: Urbanization --- the Future

Description / Table of Contents: Foreword --- Preface --- Cooperators --- Part 1 Radioactivity in the Terrestrial Environment --- Part 2 Decontamination and Radioactive Waste --- Part 3 Environmental Radiation and External Exposure --- Part 4 Radioactivity in Foods and Internal Exposure

Description / Table of Contents: Introduction to the Assessment --- Past and Current Climate Change --- Past and Current Changes in the North Sea (and interface regions) --- Climate Change Projections --- Impacts of Current and Future Climate Change in Ecosystems --- Climate Impacts on Socio-economy

Description / Table of Contents: World Energy Outlook 2011 brings together the latest data, policy developments, and the experience of another year to provide robust analysis and insight into global energy markets, today and for the next 25 years. This edition of the IEA’s flagship WEO publication gives the latest energy demand and supply projections for different future scenarios, broken down by country, fuel and sector. It also gives special focus to such topical energy sector issues as: • Russia’s energy prospects and their implications for global markets. • The role of coal in driving economic growth in an emissions-constrained world. • The implications of a possible delay in oil and gas sector investment in the Middle East and North Africa. • How high-carbon infrastructure “lock-in” is making the 2°C climate change goal more challenging and expensive to meet. • The scale of fossil fuel subsidies and support for renewable energy and their impact on energy, economic and environmental trends. • A “Low Nuclear Case” to investigate what a rapid slowdown in the use of nuclear power would mean for the global energy landscape. • The scale and type of investment needed to provide modern energy to the billions of the world’s poor that do not have it. WEO-2011 provides invaluable insights into how the energy system could evolve over the next quarter of a century. The book is essential reading for anyone with a stake in the energy sector.

Description / Table of Contents: Industry and government decision makers and others with a stake in the energy sector all need WEO-2012. It presents authoritative projections of energy trends through to 2035 and insights into what they mean for energy security, environmental sustainability and economic development. Oil, coal, natural gas, renewables and nuclear power are all covered, together with an update on climate change issues. Global energy demand, production, trade, investment and carbon-dioxide emissions are broken down by region or country, by fuel and by sector. Special strategic analyses cover: - What unlocking the purely economic potential for energy efficiency could do, country-by-country and sector-by-sector, for energy markets, the economy and the environment. - The Iraqi energy sector, examining both its importance in satisfying the country’s own needs and its crucial role in meeting global oil and gas demand. - The water-energy nexus, as water resources become increasingly stressed and access more contentious. - Measures of progress towards providing universal access to modern energy services. There are many uncertainties; but many decisions cannot wait. The insights of WEO-2012 are invaluable to those who must shape our energy future.

Description / Table of Contents: Managing Environmental Risks and Promoting Sustainability: Science Advancement and Leadership Development --- Biodiversity Agriculture Supports Human Populations --- Conservation and Sustainable Management of Soil Biodiversity for Agricultural Productivity --- Conservation Tillage Assessment For Mitigating Greenhouse Gas Emission In Rainfed Agro-Ecosystem --- Improving Biodiversity in Rice Paddy Fields to Promote Land Sustainability --- Agroforestry Models for Promoting Effective Risk Management and Building Sustainable Communities --- Managing Environmental Risks and Promoting Sustainability: Conservation of Forest Resources in Madagascar --- Community-Based Mangrove Forest Management in Thailand: Key Lesson Learned for Environmental Risk Management --- Necessity of Adaptive Risk Management for Fisheries and Wildlife --- Valuation of Non-Marketed Agricultural Ecosystem Services and Food Security in Southeast Asia --- Emerging Socio-Economic and Environmental Issues Affecting Food Security: A Case Study of Silang-Santa Rosa Subwatershed --- Strengthening the Capacity of Flood-Affected Rural Communities in Padang Terap, State of Kedah, Malaysia --- Mitigating Coastal Erosion in Fort Dauphin, Madagascar --- Risk Management of Chemical Pollution: Principles from the Japanese Experience --- Research on the Sod Between Chlorophyll-a and Organic Matter BOD, COD, Phosphorus and Total Nitrogen in Stagnant Lake Basins --- Managing Construction Development Risks to the Environment --- Ecosystem Restoration Using the Near-Natural Method in Shanghai --- Sustainable Management of Urban Green Environments: Challenges and Opportunities --- Environment and Social Capacity Assessment for Sustainability Promotion and Risk Management --- Rural Landscape Conservation in Japan: Lessons from the Satoyama Conservation Program in Kanagawa Prefecture --- Enhancing Students’ Ecological Thinking to Improve Understanding of Environmental Risk --- Interactive Multimedia Education System (IMES) as a International Education Platform

Description / Table of Contents: Introduction --- Selection of Plants that Demonstrated Nitrate Removal Characteristics --- Inspection and Maintenance Guidelines

Description / Table of Contents: Does growth in North American oil supply herald a new era of abundance - or does turmoil in parts of the Middle East cloud the horizon? How much can energy efficiency close the competitiveness gap caused by differences in regional energy prices? What considerations should shape decision-making in countries using, pursuing or phasing out nuclear power? How close is the world to using up the available carbon budget, which cannot be exceeded if global warming is to be contained? How can sub-Saharan Africa's energy sector help to unlock a better life for its citizens? Answers to these questions and a host of others are to be found in the pages of World Energy Outlook 2014 (WEO-2014), released on 12 November in London. Bringing together the latest data and policy developments, the WEO-2014 presents up to date projections of energy trends for the first time through to 2040. Oil, natural gas, coal, renewables and energy efficiency are covered, along with updates on trends in energy-related CO2emissions, fossil-fuel and renewable energy subsidies, and universal access to modern energy services.

Description / Table of Contents: Growing innovation capacity among emerging markets and increasing investment flows between them are creating new, reciprocal opportunities through the deployment of technological innovations and knowledge transfer. The case of Brazil and China is particularly relevant in this context. Between 2005 and 2012, the Brazilian energy sector absorbed USD 18.3 billion worth of investments from China. Sino-Brazilian trade and political relations have intensified over the past decade. This report focuses on three main questions: What are the drivers behind Chinese investment in the Brazilian energy sector? What potential exists for inter-firm technology transfer between the Chinese and Brazilian companies involved? Do government-sponsored activities and academic exchanges complement inter-firm technology transfer? The analysis highlights the potential of energy technology co-operation between Brazil and China, the deployment of innovations in third countries and, more generally, the intensification of global co-operation in energy-related research and development.

Description / Table of Contents: What impact will the return of high energy prices have on the fragile economic recovery? Will geopolitical unrest, price volatility and policy inaction defer investment in the oil sector and amplify risks to our energy security? What will renewed uncertainty surrounding the role of nuclear power mean for future energy and environmental trends? Is the gap between our climate actions and our climate goals becoming insurmountable? World Energy Outlook 2011 tackles these and other pressing questions. The latest data, policy developments, and the experience of another turbulent year are brought together to provide robust analysis and insight into global energy markets. WEO-2011 once again gives detailed energy demand and supply projections out to 2035, broken down by region, fuel, sector and scenario.

Description / Table of Contents: MOSES contains a novel approach to analysing energy security, which can be used to identify energy security priorities, as a starting point for national energy security assessments and to track the evolution of a country’s energy security profile. By grouping together countries with similar “energy security profiles”, MOSES depicts the energy security landscape of IEA countries. By extending the MOSES methodology to electricity security and energy services in the future, the IEA aims to develop a comprehensive policy-relevant perspective on global energy security. Ensuring energy security has been at the centre of the IEA mission since its inception, following the oil crises of the early 1970s. While the security of oil supplies remains important, contemporary energy security policies must address all energy sources and cover a a comprehensive range of natural, economic and political risks that affect energy sources, infrastructures and services. In response to this challenge, the IEA is currently developing a Model Of Short-term Energy Security (MOSES) to evaluate the energy security risks and resilience capacities of its member countries. The current version of MOSES covers short-term security of supply for primary energy sources and secondary fuels among IEA countries. It also lays the foundation for analysis of vulnerabilities of electricity and end-use energy sectors. MOSES contains a novel approach to analysing energy security, which can be used to identify energy security priorities, as a starting point for national energy security assessments and to track the evolution of a country’s energy security profile. By grouping together countries with similar “energy security profiles”, MOSES depicts the energy security landscape of IEA countries. By extending the MOSES methodology to electricity security and energy services in the future, the IEA aims to develop a comprehensive policy-relevant perspective on global energy security. This Brochure provides and overview of the analysis and results. Readers interested in an in-depth discussion of methodology are referred to the MOSES Working Paper.

Description / Table of Contents: This joint report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) is the seventh in a series of studies on electricity generating costs. It presents the latest data available for a wide variety of fuels and technologies, including coal and gas (with and without carbon capture), nuclear, hydro, onshore and offshore wind, biomass, solar, wave and tidal as well as combined heat and power (CHP). It provides levelised costs of electricity (LCOE) per MWh for almost 200 plants, based on data covering 21 countries (including four major non-OECD countries), and several industrial companies and organisations. For the first time, the report contains an extensive sensitivity analysis of the impact of variations in key parameters such as discount rates, fuel prices and carbon costs on LCOE. Additional issues affecting power generation choices are also examined. The study shows that the cost competitiveness of electricity generating technologies depends on a number of factors which may vary nationally and regionally. Readers will find full details and analyses, supported by over 130 figures and tables, in this report which is expected to constitute a valuable tool for decision makers and researchers concerned with energy policies and climate change.

Description / Table of Contents: The International Energy Agency (IEA) considers carbon capture and storage (CCS) a crucial part of worldwide efforts to limit global warming by reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. The IEA has estimated that the broad deployment of low-carbon energy technologies could reduce projected 2050 emissions to half 2005 levels – and that CCS could contribute about one-fifth of those reductions. Reaching that goal, however, would require around 100 CCS projects to be implemented by 2020 and over 3 000 by 2050.

Description / Table of Contents: This working paper evaluates cost and performance trends related to carbon dioxide (CO2) capture from power generation, based on extensive analysis of data from major engineering studies published between 2006 and 2010. Since individual studies use different methodologies and boundary conditions, study estimates for over 50 CO2 capture installations are re-evaluated on a consistent basis and updated to current cost levels. The paper discusses the need for further standardisation of evaluation methodologies and additional data for specific CO2 capture routes. Further analysis for non-OECD countries is considered crucial for global energy scenario models, and for improving the skills and knowledge developing countries need to evaluate the role of CCS in their national energy contexts.

Description / Table of Contents: Wetlands and Water Framework Directive: protection, management and climate change --- Synergies and Conflicts between Water Framework Directive and Natura 2000: Legal requirements, technical guidance and experiences from practice --- Can Natura 2000 Sites Benefit from River Basin Management Planning Under a Changing Climate? Lessons from Germany --- Do water management and climate-adapted management of wetlands interfere in practice? Lessons from the Biebrza Valley, Poland --- Wetlands in river valleys as an effect of fluvial processes and anthropopression --- New vision of the role of land reclamation systems in nature protection and water management

Description / Table of Contents: This book describes comprehensively carbon (C) cycle process in global ecosystems and the potential and co-benefits of recarbonization of the biosphere. An ever increasing human population is disposing increasing amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere by land use and land cover changes but most importantly by burning of fossil fuels. This process severely perturbs the natural global C cycles and Earth system processes. Recarbonization of the biosphere is a potential strategy to redistribute C among global pools, and to enhance ocean but most importantly land-based C sinks. Sustainably managed and protected must be, in particular, the large and sensitive C stocks in permafrost, wetlands, peatlands, tropical rainforests and savannas, grasslands, degraded/desertified lands, and croplands. Recarbonization requires long-term management because C stocks grow with a progressive improvement in ecosystem health. Protecting and enhancing land-based C sinks serves food security aside contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Description / Table of Contents: The purpose of this report is to help EE practitioners, government officials and stakeholders to establish the most effective EE governance structures, given their specific country context. It also aims to provide readers with relevant and accessible information to support the development of comprehensive and effective governance mechanisms. The International Energy Agency (IEA) conducted a global review of many elements of EE governance,including legal frameworks, institutional frameworks, funding mechanisms, co-ordination mechanisms and accountability arrangements, such as evaluation and oversight. The research tools included a survey of over 500 EE experts in 110 countries, follow-up interviews of over 120 experts in 27 countries and extensive desk study and literature searches on good EE governance.

Description / Table of Contents: Energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are set to double by 2050 unless decisive action is taken. International Energy Agency (IEA) analysis demonstrates, however, that it is possible – in the same timeframe to 2050 – to reduce projected greenhouse-gas emissions to half 2005 levels, but this will require an energy technology revolution, involving the aggressive deployment of a portfolio of low-carbon energy technologies.

Description / Table of Contents: The International Energy Agency (IEA) considers carbon capture and storage (CCS) a crucial part of worldwide efforts to limit global warming by reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. The IEA estimates that emissions can be reduced to a level consistent with a 2°C global temperature increase through the broad deployment of low-carbon energy technologies – and that CCS would contribute about one-fifth of emission reductions in this scenario. Achieving this level of deployment will require that regulatory frameworks – or rather a lack thereof – do not unnecessarily impede environmentally safe demonstration and deployment of CCS, so in October 2010 the IEA launched the IEA Carbon Capture and Storage Legal and Regulatory Review. The CCS Review is a regular review of CCS regulatory progress worldwide. Produced annually, it collates contributions by national and regional governments, as well as leading organisations engaged in CCS regulatory activities, to provide a knowledge-sharing forum to support CCS framework development. Each two page contribution provides a short summary of recent and anticipated CCS regulatory developments and highlights a particular, pre-nominated regulatory theme. To introduce each edition, the IEA provides a brief analysis of key advances and trends, based on the contributions submitted. The theme for this third edition is stakeholder engagement in the development of CO2 storage projects. Other issues addressed include: regulating CO2-EOR, CCS and CO2-EOR for storage; CCS incentive policy; key, substantive issues being addressed by jurisdictions taking steps to finalise CCS regulatory framework development; and CCS legal and regulatory developments in the context of the Clean Energy Ministerial Carbon Capture, Use and Storage Action Group.

Description / Table of Contents: The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that 100 Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) projects will be required by 2020 and over 3 000 by 2050 if CCS is to contribute fully to the least-cost technology portfolio for CO2 mitigation. For CCS to reach its emissions reduction potential, the 2009 IEA publication Technology Roadmap: Carbon Capture and Storage recommends that international legal obstacles associated with global CCS deployment be removed by 2012 – including the prohibition on transboundary CO2 transfer under the London Protocol. The London Protocol was amended by contracting parties in 2009 to allow for cross-border transportation of CO2 for sub-seabed storage, but the amendment must be ratified by two-thirds of contracting parties to enter into force. It is unlikely that this will occur in the near term; this working paper therefore outlines options that may be available to contracting parties under international law to address the barrier to deployment presented by Article 6, pending formal entry into force of the 2009 amendment.

Description / Table of Contents: Chapter 1: Problem of Residue Management due to Rice Wheat Crop Rotation in Punjab --- Chapter 2: The Extent and Management of Crop Stubble --- Chapter 3: Valuation of the Health Impact --- Chapter 4: Alternative Uses of Crop Stubble --- Chapter 5: Environment Legislation in India as a Whole and in the State of Punjab --- Chapter 6: Policies for Restricting the Agriculture Residue Burning in Punjab --- Chapter 7: Concluding Remarks and Policy Implications --- References --- Annexure

Description / Table of Contents: With the success of open access publishing, Massive open online courses (MOOCs) and open education practices, the open approach to education has moved from the periphery to the mainstream. This marks a moment of victory for the open education movement, but at the same time the real battle for the direction of openness begins. As with the green movement, openness now has a market value and is subject to new tensions, such as venture capitalists funding MOOC companies. This is a crucial time for determining the future direction of open education. In this volume, Martin Weller examines four key areas that have been central to the developments within open education: open access, MOOCs, open education resources and open scholarship. Exploring the tensions within these key arenas, he argues that ownership over the future direction of openness is significant to all those with an interest in education.

Description / Table of Contents: For the first time, the IEA has merged its medium-term market reports for oil and gas, thereby giving readers a broader perspective on global trends. Critical questions persist for both markets, including whether economic and energy demand outlooks are clearer than in mid-2009. For the first time, the IEA has merged its medium-term market reports for oil and gas, thereby giving readers a broader perspective on global trends. Critical questions persist for both markets, including whether economic and energy demand outlooks are clearer than in mid-2009. Do oil markets show a genuine structural shift in demand patterns? Will they sustain a nascent recovery in upstream spending evident in 2010? And how long will current levels of OPEC spare capacity persist? For the gas market, will demand recover from its collapse in 2009? How long will the gas glut last? Will unconventional gas revolutionise gas markets outside North America? And how is consumption changing in China, Russia and the Middle East? Medium-Term Oil and Gas Markets 2010 presents a comprehensive outlook for oil and gas market fundamentals over the next three to five years. The oil market analysis develops two demand scenarios that reflect uncertainties about the path of economic recovery after the global slow-down in 2008/09. Market balances are generated from detailed analysis of upstream investment projects, oil field decline rates, product-by-product demand trends, and refinery investment and operations. The gas market analysis assesses prices, unconventional gas, future demand developments and LNG markets, as well as investment across the gas value chain. With a focus on key producers (including Russia, the Caspian region and the Middle East) and rising LNG exporters (such as Australia), it examines implications for global gas markets.

Description / Table of Contents: Natural gas is poised to enter a golden age, but this future hinges critically on the successful development of the world’s vast unconventional gas resources. North American experience shows unconventional gas - notably shale gas - can be exploited economically. Many countries are lining up to emulate this success. But some governments are hesitant, or even actively opposed. They are responding to public concerns that production might involve unacceptable environmental and social damage. This report, in the World Energy Outlook series, treats these aspirations and anxieties with equal seriousness. It features two new cases: a Golden Rules Case, in which the highest practicable standards are adopted, gaining industry a "social licence to operate"; and its counterpart, in which the tide turns against unconventional gas as constraints prove too difficult to overcome.

Description / Table of Contents: As we move from the era of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) it is important to consider how development agendas are set, the progress that has been made over the past 15 years, and how current debates are shaping global development efforts for the next 15. This book was, produced as part of a University College London-London International Development Centre research collaboration entitled, "Thinking Beyond Sectors for Sustainable Development". The aim of the book is to provide a concise introduction to the debates in a number of vital development sectors, review progress made in each sector, and to consider how looking beyond sectors might open new opportunities for inclusive, sustainable development. Each chapter in this book was produced collaboratively by academics from a wide number of disciplines. As such, it represents a truly interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral effort, of the kind that will be necessary for successful development and implementation of future international development goals.

Description / Table of Contents: Continuation along current development pathways is not sustainable. Available technology and production practices and the consumption patterns of modern societies are leading to global warming and ecological destruction. Business as usual is not an option. There is an urgent need to find a new development paradigm that ensures environmental sustainability while managing to provide, now and in the future, a decent livelihood for all of humankind. In Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development, experts in the area provide a variety of insights about the technical transformation needed for sustainable development. It spells out the behavioural and policy changes that would need to accompany the next technological transformation, taking into account the complexity of inducing technological change in the energy and agricultural sectors. The assessment suggests that this will require major, but doable improvements in national innovation systems and major, but affordable shifts in investment patterns and related macroeconomic adjustments.

Description / Table of Contents: Nahezu unbekannt sind der Öffentlichkeit die Lebensweisen jener ArbeiterInnen, die das „schwarze und blaue Gold“ für den Export nach Europa fördern. Sie sind fahrende und fliegende Menschen, die zyklisch für Wochen oder Monate in den Fördergebieten leben und arbeiten, um wieder für eine Weile zu ihren Familien heimzukehren. Das Buch führt kurzweilig von der Wolgaregion in das subarktische Sibirien. Die Autorin begleitet fernpendelnde Menschen über Tausende von Kilometern. Sie erzählt vom Leben in der sogenannten „Russischen Erdgashauptstadt“ Novy Urengoy, das sich zwischen Erinnerungen an die Sowjetunion und staatsnahen sowie neoliberalen Wirtschaftspraktiken abspielt. Diese faszinierende Ethnographie gibt einen kritischen Einblick in die russische Petroleumindustrie.

Description / Table of Contents: Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, biological, and radiological characteristics of water. It is a measure of the condition of water for the purposes intended for. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance can be assessed. The most common standards used to assess water quality relate to health of ecosystems, safety of human contact and potable drinking water. A range of diverse topics in the field of water quality modelling, statistical evaluation and guidelines pertaining to the best management practices in different locations around the world is given herein. Modelling of water quality in rivers and lakes, statistical methods and membrane filter performance are subject matters of interest considering in-situ water, potable water, water re-use, etc.

Description / Table of Contents: Part I: Context and Objective --- Introduction: A Critical Appraisal of Major Water Engineering Projects and the Need for Interdisciplinary Approaches --- Water Ethics – Orientation for Water Conflicts as Part of Inter- and Transdisciplinary Deliberation --- Part II: Major Water Engineering Projects – Challenges, Problems, Opportunities.- Major Water Engineering Projects: Definitions, Framework Conditions, Systemic Effects --- A Global View on Future Major Water Engineering Projects --- Neglected Values of Major Water Engineering Projects: Ecosystem Services, Social Impacts and Economic Valuation --- Water Governance: A Systemic Approach --- Research in two Case Studies: Irrigation and Land Use in the Fergana Valley and Water Management in the Lower Jordan Valley --- Part III: The Fergana Valley – Uzbekistan’s Hydro-Agricultural System between Inertia and Change --- Between Multiple Transformations and Systemic Path Dependencies --- From Upscaling to Rescaling – Transforming the Fergana from Tsarist Irrigation to Water Management for an Independent Uzbekistan --- Irrigation Infrastructure in Fergana Today: Ecological Implications –Economic Necessities --- Where Water Meets Agriculture: The Ambivalent Role of the Water Users Associations --- Theory, the Market and the State: Agricultural Reforms in Post Socialist Uzbekistan between Economic Incentives and Institutional Obstacles --- Part IV: The Lower Jordan Valley – The Red Sea-Dead Sea Conveyance Project and its Complex History --- Water Resources, Cooperation and Power Asymmetries in the Water Management of the Lower Jordan Valley – The Situation Today and the Path that has led there --- Reclaiming the Dead Sea: Alternatives for Action --- Jordan’s Shadow State and Water Management: Prospects for Water Security will depend on Politics and Regional Cooperation --- Technologies, Incentives and Cost Recovery: Is there an Israeli Role Model? --- Part V: Outlook and Options for Action --- Lessons Learnt, Open Research Questions and Recommendations

Description / Table of Contents: Studies of the radical environmental politics of the 1960s have tended to downplay the extent to which much of that countercultural intellectual and social ferment continued into the 1970s and 1980s. Canadian Countercultures and the Environment adds to our knowledge of this understudied period. This collection contributes a sustained analysis of the beginning of major environmental debates in this era and examines a range of issues related to broad environmental concerns, topics which emerged as key concerns in the context of Cold War military investments and experiments, the oil crisis of the 1970s, debates over gendered roles, and the increasing attention to urban pollution and pesticide use. No other publication dealing with this period covers the wide range of environmental topics (among others, activism, midwifery, organic farming, recycling, urban cycling, and communal living) or geographic locales, from Yukon to Atlantic Canada. Together, they demonstrate how this period influenced and informed environmental action and issues in ways that have had a long-term impact on Canadian society.

Description / Table of Contents: Pazifikstaaten wie die Fidschi-Inseln sind wie kaum eine andere Region der Welt gekennzeichnet von gesellschaftlichen Veränderungen und dem globalen Umweltwandel. Auf Basis eines partizipativen Forschungsdesigns, durchgeführt in ausgewählten Küstendörfern, untersucht dieser Band die Auswirkungen der Globalisierung und des Klimawandels auf die Lebensqualität ihrer Bewohner. Dabei wird aufgezeigt, dass die Dorfbewohner keine passiven Opfer externer Prozesse sind, sondern aktiv ihr Leben gestalten. Mittels neo-traditioneller Bewegungen gelingt es den Bewohnern weitestgehend, ein festes Wertefundament als Grundlage ihrer kulturellen Identität zu bewahren. Eine intakte Gemeinschaft steht dabei im Zentrum spiritueller, ökonomischer und sozialer Werte. Im Zuge der gesellschaftlichen Transformation agieren die Gemeinschaften nicht mehr ortsgebunden, sondern bilden mithilfe moderner Transport- und Kommunikationstechnologien globalisierte Netzwerke – ohne dabei die Bezüge zu ihrer kulturellen Herkunft zu verlieren. Auswärts lebende Familienangehörige tragen so Wissen und materiellen Wohlstand in die Dorfgemeinschaften und erweitern die Handlungspotentiale und Lebensstandards der Küstendorfbewohner. Im Zuge der Wissensvermittlung erfolgt jedoch insbesondere die Darstellung des Klimawandels und seiner Gefahren verkürzt und nicht auf lokale Werte zurechtgeschnitten, sodass es auch zu Wahrnehmungsverzerrungen und Fehlanpassungen kommt. Im Kontext von Entwicklungszusammenarbeit rät diese Untersuchung daher zu kultureller Sensibilität und einer kritischen Reflektion ethnozentrischer Weltanschauungen, um die Lebensqualität in fidschianischen Dorfgemeinschaften nicht zu gefährden. In diesem Band werden ethnographische Ideale für eine kultur- und sozialgeographische Forschung im globalen Süden aufbereitet. Konzeptionell ist die Untersuchung in die kritische geographische Verwundbarkeits- und Transformationsforschung eingerahmt. In einem kulturräumlichen Überblick wird zunächst aus historisch-politischer Perspektive die Bedeutung postkolonialer Belastungen auf gegenwärtige Transformationsprozesse aufgezeigt. Das Herzstück bildet anschließend die ausführliche Analyse gesellschaftlicher Transformationsprozesse auf die Lebensqualität in drei Küstendörfern der Fidschi-Inseln. | As other Pacific Islands Countries, Fiji is shaped by processes of social transformations and global environmental change. This study utilises ethnographic ideals for enhancing cultural and social geographic research in the global south. A participatory in-depth analysis of rural life in three Fijian coastal villages is at the core of this study. This is framed by a historic-political overview of the burden of Fiji's colonial past. Fijian coastal villagers are not passive victims of global social transformation and climate change. Through neo-traditional movements they actively form processes of social and cultural change. Rural Fijian norms, values and cultural identity crystallize in robust communities. Via modern forms of communication and transportation Fijians established globalised networks securing individuals' quality of life. Family members living far from their home villages remain in contact with their relatives. This way they keep their Fijian Identities as source of wellbeing and as well support the villagers' material wealth and knowledge to enhance capabilities. Merely regarding hazardous climate change impacts the passed on knowledge is spread abridged and poorly fitting into local value systems. Therefore, misperceptions and maladaptations are prevalent. In consequence this study pleads for development agencies to act culturally sensitive and to critically reflect ethnocentric worldviews in order not to harm Fijian values and wellbeing.

Description / Table of Contents: The Carbiocial Project investigates viable carbon-optimized land management strategies for maintaining tropical ecosystem services under land use change and changing climate conditions in Southern Amazonia – a hotspot of global change. The project aims at understanding the vital natural processes and socio-economic driving forces in the region and develops strategies to enhance and protect carbon stocks in the recently deforested agroscapes of Central/Northern Mato Grosso and South Pará. That is why Carbiocial analyzes and models soil, water and climate as well as agro-economics, social and political transformations. Based on detailed storylines, the project aims at identifying possible entry-points for a necessary change in local and regional production patterns, considering local livelihoods as well as the present national and global economic, legal and political situation. This book gives an overview of the first results of the multi-disciplinary Carbiocial Project by publishing the main presentations, held on the Carbiocial Status Conference, on October 7-8, 2013, in Cuiabá. In sixteen chapters the authors elucidate the project‘s current state of knowledge, illustrating adapted methods for regional modeling and promising strategies for the Amazon development. | Contents --- Stefan Hohnwald & Gerhard Gerold: Carbon-Optimized Land Management Research for the Southern Amazon-Geographical and Organizational Settings of the Carbiocial-Carbioma Project Consortium --- Philip M. Fearnside, Aurora M. Yanai & Claudia S. M. N. Vitel: Modeling Baselines for REDD Projects in Amazonia: Is the Carbon Real? --- Jens Boy, Charlotte Schumann, Simone Strey, Robert Strey, Georg Guggenberger & Regine Schönenberg: Digging Deeper – Biographic Interviews as a Promising Tool for the Joint Dissemination of Natural- and Social Science Results in REDD Contexts --- Carlos E. P. Cerri, Thalita F. Abbruzzini, Carolina B. Brandani, Mariana R. Durigan & Denise Signor: Soil Carbon Stocks and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Agrosystems in Brazil --- Karl M. Wantzen, Malte Unger, Eduardo G. Couto, Ricardo S. S. Amorim, Karina P. Peña & Ulrich Irmler: Carbon Farming: Enriching Tropical Farm Soils with Organic Matter --- Alphonce C. Guzha, Ricardo S. S. Amorim, Rodolfo Nóbrega, Gabriele Lamparter, Kristof Kovacs, Norma Bertão & Gerhard Gerold: Impacts of Land Cover and Climate Change on Hydrology and Hydrochemistry in Selected Catchments in Southern Amazonia: Preliminary Analysis and Results --- Marcus Schindewolf, Daniela Schönke, Ricardo S. S. Amorim & Jürgen Schmidt: Effects of Contour Banks and No-Till Measures on Run-Off and Sediment Yield in Campo Verde Region, Mato Grosso --- Alessandra R. Gomes, César G. Diniz & Cláudio A. Almeida: Amazon Regional Center (INPE/CRA) Actions for Brazilian Amazon Forest: TerraClass and Capacity Building Projects --- Patrick Hostert, Tobia Lakes, Hannes Müller, Florian Gollnow & Letícia B. V. Hissa: Land-Use Monitoring and Change Detection --- Jürgen Böhner, Helge Dietrich, Klaus Fraedrich, Tobias Kawohl, Markus Kilian, Valerio Lucarini & Frank Lunkeit: Development and Implementation of a Hierarchical Model Chain for Modelling Regional Climate Variability and Climate Change Over Southern Amazonia --- Claas Nendel, Hermann Jungkunst & Adriano M. R. Figueiredo: Intercol and Steps Towards a Simplified DSS --- Neli A. de Mello-Théry & Paulo R. Cunha: Environmental Policies and Forest Code: Changes and Repercussions on the Agriculture in Mato Grosso --- Regine Schönenberg, Korbinian Hartberger & Charlotte Schumann: Challenges and Chances of Social Transformation for GHG-Optimized Land- and Natural Resource Management Strategies: Stakeholder-Dialogues as Prerequisite for the Elaboration of Applicable Results --- José H. Benatti & Luly R. da Cunha Fischer: Land Use Regulations in the State of Pará: An Introductory Approach of Its Guidelines --- Martin Coy, Michael Klingler, Matthias Siebold & Thomas Berger: Socio-Economic Regional Change and Agro-Economic Development Along the BR-163 --- Edna Castro: Deforestation Along the BR-163: Socio-Environmental Conflicts and Ignored Governmental Politics

Description / Table of Contents: Katastrophen stellen eine Herausforderung für gesellschaftliches Handeln dar. Der Autor zeigt, auf welche Weise die politischen und wissenschaftlichen Strukturen des Deutschen Kaiserreiches dieser Herausforderung begegneten und sich im Sinne des Fortschrittsdenkens zu Nutze machten. Es wird deutlich, dass Naturkatastrophen wie das Jahrhunderthochwasser am Rhein für den jungen Nationalstaat nicht nur ein bedrohliches Risiko darstellten, sondern auch eine Chance für gesellschaftlichen Wandel. So stärkten sie das Zusammengehörigkeitsgefühl und lieferten einen Anlass für regionale Entwicklungshilfeprogramme sowie wissenschaftliche Forschung.