Environmental Engineering for the 21st Century

Environmental Engineering for the 21st Century
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 125
Release: 2019-03-08
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0309476550

Environmental engineers support the well-being of people and the planet in areas where the two intersect. Over the decades the field has improved countless lives through innovative systems for delivering water, treating waste, and preventing and remediating pollution in air, water, and soil. These achievements are a testament to the multidisciplinary, pragmatic, systems-oriented approach that characterizes environmental engineering. Environmental Engineering for the 21st Century: Addressing Grand Challenges outlines the crucial role for environmental engineers in this period of dramatic growth and change. The report identifies five pressing challenges of the 21st century that environmental engineers are uniquely poised to help advance: sustainably supply food, water, and energy; curb climate change and adapt to its impacts; design a future without pollution and waste; create efficient, healthy, resilient cities; and foster informed decisions and actions.

A Twenty-First Century US Water Policy

A Twenty-First Century US Water Policy
Author: Juliet Christian-Smith
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 357
Release: 2012-07-02
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0199859450

It is zero hour for a new US water policy! At a time when many countries are adopting new national approaches to water management, the United States still has no cohesive federal policy, and water-related authorities are dispersed across more than 30 agencies. Here, at last, is a vision for what we as a nation need to do to manage our most vital resource. In this book, leading thinkers at world-class water research institution the Pacific Institute present clear and readable analysis and recommendations for a new federal water policy to confront our national and global challenges at a critical time. What exactly is at stake? In the 21st century, pressures on water resources in the United States are growing and conflicts among water users are worsening. Communities continue to struggle to meet water quality standards and to ensure that safe drinking water is available for all. And new challenges are arising as climate change and extreme events worsen, new water quality threats materialize, and financial constraints grow. Yet the United States has not stepped up with adequate leadership to address these problems. The inability of national policymakers to safeguard our water makes the United States increasingly vulnerable to serious disruptions of something most of us take for granted: affordable, reliable, and safe water. This book provides an independent assessment of water issues and water management in the United States, addressing emerging and persistent water challenges from the perspectives of science, public policy, environmental justice, economics, and law. With fascinating case studies and first-person accounts of what helps and hinders good water management, this is a clear-eyed look at what we need for a 21st century U.S. water policy.

Freshwater Governance for the 21st Century

Freshwater Governance for the 21st Century
Author: Eiman Karar
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 271
Release: 2016-10-24
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319433504

The objective of this book is to broadly illustrate the key aspects of water governance, mapping the spectrum of decision-making from techno-centric and eco-centric approaches, to hybrid concepts and people-centric approaches. Topics covered include the challenges for water-governance models, the polycentric model, the integration challenge, water in the decision-making hierarchy, and the rise of water-sensitive design, while also taking into account interdependencies between stakeholders, as well as the issue of scale. The book’s content is presented in an integrated and comprehensive format, building on detailed case studies from around the world and the authors’ working experiences in the water sector. Combining essential insights with accessible, non-technical language, it offers a valuable resource for academics, technicians and policy-makers alike.

Global Environmental Challenges of the Twenty-first Century

Global Environmental Challenges of the Twenty-first Century
Author: David E. Lorey
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 342
Release: 2003
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780842050494

The most serious environmental problems of the twenty-first century have the potential to alter the course of life on this planet. Global warming, toxic waste, water and air pollution, acid rain, and shrinking energy supplies are frightening challenges that may threaten our future if we do not face up to them.p Global Environmental Challenges provides important information and gives us hope about the environment. This book first helps us to grasp these difficulties, then shows us the choices we can make. How long to leave a light on, whether to take the car, the train, or bicycle to work, whether to recycle or throw away, whether to vote to curb continued suburban sprawl-all of these decisions can make a difference.p This collection of some of the best essays and articles on the environment comes from a variety of sources, including journals, magazines, websites of ecological/conservation organizations, and other publications.p Five major sections investigate the interaction of population growth,consumption, and environment; the emerging crisis in freshwater around the globe; global climate and atmosphere (including global warming); biodiversity loss; and the concept of sustainable development-using natural resources to place future human development on a sustainable path. The final section on sustainable development reveals how we can take action. As individuals, we can make a difference readily and easily without making huge personal sacrifices. As societies, we can work together in a global community of interest to sustain the earth.p This valuable resource offers readers a better understanding of our environmental problems and presents solutions to improving the health of theplanet.p

Challenges of the Twenty-first Century

Challenges of the Twenty-first Century
Author:
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 402
Release: 1993
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9788122404883

The Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust Holds Biennial International Conferences In Her Memory To Discuss Causes And Ideas Dear To Her Heart. The First Was Held In January 1987 In New Delhi Under The Title Towards New Beginnings, The Second In January 1989 On The Theme The Making Of An Earth Citizen, And The Third In November 1991 On Challenges Of The Twenty First Century. All The Three Conferences Have Been Interrelated, One Deriving From The Other.The Proceedings Of These Conferences, With Suitable Editing, Are Published For The Benefit And Use Of Thinkers, Scientists, Policy-Makers, Social Activists And World Bodies Including Governments. The Present Volume Contains The Deliberations Of The Third Conference.The Challenges We Face Today Are Simply Galore. The Decline And Fall Of Empires Old And New In This Century; The Assertion Of Self-Determination And Independence By Large And Small Groups Of People; The Devastation Wrought By World Wars, Local Wars And Internecine Strife; The Creation And Demolition Of Ententes, Blocs And Walls; The Exhilarating Spectacle Of Yesterdays Implacable Foes Becoming Todays Eager Friends; The Accumulation Of Armaments Of Fearful Lethality; The Sunrise And Sunset Of Much Acclaimed Revolutions; The Disillusionment Over Ideologies, Doctrines And Dogmas, Particularly That Of State-Directed Economic Management; The Uncheckable March Of Consumerism; The Prevalence Of Hunger And Destitution Amidst World-Wide Plenty; The Fission Of The Atom And Excursions Into Outer Space; The Communication Explosion Creating Illusions Of Omnipresence And Omniscience; The Conquest Of Old, Familiar Diseases And Epidemics But The Rise Of The Ailments Of Progress; The Alarming Spread Of Planetary Pollution And The Remorseless Exploitation Of Nature Owing To The Growing Number Of Human Beings With Growing Appetites; The Collapse Of Faith And Spiritual Tranquility Going Hand In Hand With The Rise Of Fundamentalism All These Demand Earnest Thinking About The Ways In Which Human Beings And Other Living Species Can Endure On Earth And Live In Harmony And Nope, Freedom And Worthwhileness.

Global Environmental Challenges of the Twenty-First Century

Global Environmental Challenges of the Twenty-First Century
Author: David E. Lorey
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Total Pages: 340
Release: 2002-10-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0742581837

The most serious environmental problems of the twenty-first century have the potential to alter the course of life on this planet. Global warming, toxic waste, water and air pollution, acid rain, and shrinking energy supplies are frightening challenges that may threaten our future if we do not face up to them. Global Environmental Challenges provides important information and gives us hope about the environment. This book first helps us to grasp these difficulties, then shows us the choices we can make. How long to leave a light on, whether to take the car, the train, or bicycle to work, whether to recycle or throw away, whether to vote to curb continued suburban sprawl-all of these decisions can make a difference. This collection of some of the best essays and articles on the environment comes from a variety of sources, including journals, magazines, websites of ecological/conservation organizations, and other publications. Five major sections investigate the interaction of population growth, consumption, and environment; the emerging crisis in freshwater around the globe; global climate and atmosphere (including global warming); biodiversity loss; and the concept of sustainable development-using natural resources to place future human development on a sustainable path. The final section on sustainable development reveals how we can take action. As individuals, we can make a difference readily and easily without making huge personal sacrifices. As societies, we can work together in a global community of interest to sustain the earth. This valuable resource offers readers a better understanding of our environmental problems and presents solutions to improving the health of the planet.

Water Resources in the Twenty-First Century

Water Resources in the Twenty-First Century
Author: Rosegrant, Mark W.
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 32
Release: 1997-03-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 089629627X

In this paper, Mark W. Rosegrant assesses global water supply and demand, describes in detail the forces contributing to water scarcity, and lays out a number of strategies for managing water in the future. Any solution, Rosegrant asserts, will need to involve both the careful exploitation of new sources of water and strong measures to stimulate more efficient use of water. Policies must treat water not as a free good, as they often do now, but rather as a scarce commodity that comes at a price. Cooperation between countries sharing the same water basin will also become increasingly important as water becomes more scarce.