This innovative publication, which is based on statistical evidence, illustrates major global environmental, economic and social changes since 1992. The numbers tell the story of how, in twenty years, the world has changed more than most of us could have ever imagined. The report has been produced within the framework of UNDP's fifth Global Environment Outlook assessment report, which will be published in May 2012 in advance of Rio+20.
How do we take stock of the state and direction of the world’s environment, and what can we learn from the experience? Among the myriad detailed narratives about the condition of the planet, the Global Environment Outlook (GEO) reports—issued by the United Nations Environment Programme—stand out as the most ambitious. For nearly three decades the GEO project has not only delivered iconic global assessment reports, but through its multitude of contributors has inspired hundreds of similar processes worldwide from the regional to the local level. This book provides an inside account of the evolution of the GEO project from its earliest days. Building on meticulous research, including interviews with former heads of the United Nations Environment Programme, diplomats, leading contributing scientists, and senior leaders of collaborating organizations, the story is told from the perspective of five GEO veterans who all played a pivotal role in shaping the periodic assessments. The GEO’s history provides striking insights and will save valuable time to those who commission, design and conduct, as well as critique and improve, assessments of environmental development in the next decade.
Since the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) children’s rights have assumed a central position in a wide variety of disciplines and policies. This handbook offers an engaging overview of the contemporary research landscape for those people in the theory and practice of children’s rights. The volume offers a multidisciplinary approach to children’s rights, as well as key thematic issues in children’s rights at the intersection of global and local concerns. The main approaches and topics within the volume are: • Law, social work, and the sociology of childhood and anthropology • Geography, childhood studies, gender studies and citizenship studies • Participation, education and health • Juvenile justice and alternative care • Violence against children and female genital mutilation • Child labour, working children and child poverty • Migration, indigenous children and resource exploitation The specially commissioned chapters have been written by renowned scholars and researchers and come together to provide a critical and invaluable guide to the challenges and dilemmas currently facing children’s rights.
In the present global context, some countries still face many challenges to bringing about inclusive, efficient, and environmentally sustainable development. Simultaneously, the stakes of survival are rising, as climate change exacerbates both environmental and social ills. Asia as a region is particularly vulnerable, as it is densely populated and includes both developed and developing countries. The Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Development in Asia seeks to examine these issues in depth. Presenting a comprehensive literature review, as well as numerous case studies, this book examines sustainable development from economic and social perspectives, as well as from an environmental viewpoint. Divided into seven parts, the topics addressed include: Environmental challenges Energy dependence and transition Economic justice Social welfare Sustainable governance Providing comprehensive coverage of a wide variety of countries in the region, this handbook will be useful for students and scholars of sustainable development, environment and society, and Asian Studies in general.
Freshwater ecosystems have the greatest species diversity per unit area and many endangered species. This book shows that, rather than being a marginal part of terrestrial protected area management, freshwater conservation is central to sustaining biodiversity. It focuses on better practices for conserving inland aquatic ecosystems in protected areas, including rivers, wetlands, peatlands, other freshwater and brackish ecosystems, and estuaries. The authors define inland aquatic ecosystems, showing just how diverse and widespread they are. They examine the principles and processes that are essential for the conservation of freshwater ecosystems and aquatic species. Major categories of threats to freshwater ecosystems and the flow-on implications for protected area design are described. Practical case studies are used to illustrate principles and practices applied around the world. Specific management needs of the main types of freshwater ecosystems are considered, as well as the management of freshwaters in the broader landscape, showing how natural resource governance processes can be harnessed to better manage freshwater biodiversity. The book offers commentary on how to adapt freshwater conservation practices to climate change and ends with an insightful synthesis.
In a world of increasing population, this book explores the ways in which technological progress can provide smart energy management strategies to maximize resources. Energy is essential to the survival and development of mankind. Increased pressure on existing resources now requires wiser energy management, in addition to the discovery of new resources. Challenges such as the global trend of "cheaper, exponentially increasing demand in new geographies, and current climate change policies now call for new approaches and ways of thinking about energy use which consider the impact on all involved actors, and on nature. Energy generation and management can be made more efficient by making use of technological progress and sharing global experience in the smart use of this resource. This book presents a knowledge-based review of the past, present and future of energy usage, with mathematical, modeling, economic, technological and environmental perspectives. The ideas and experiences shared here propose wiser energy management as a system component of natural ecosystems. - Explores the evolution of intelligence methods used in the energy field with a knowledge-based approach - Reviews the history of methodologies used, with ontologies and knowledge maps of examples - Presents case studies showing both the techniques and achievements of modern methodologies - Describes regional approaches in search of alternative energy resources, aimed at reducing the use of fossil energy and enhancing the use of renewable energy
This book is about the issues, challenges and directions currently faced by water as a key resource for mankind. The book aims at providing a finer understanding of the water regulatory future. The contributions in this book are grouped around specific themes. In Part I, the contributions address the water challenge to public international law. In Part II, the authors explore the most pressing ethical, legal, and social issues. In Part III, the discussion covers the economic drivers shaping the future of water.
Argues that China's role as an emerging economic power is destroying the environment, citing their status as the largest market for endangered wildlife, top importer of tropical trees, and biggest emitter of greenhouse gases.
This book contains the proceedings of the sixth conferences on the topic of sustainable regional development organized by the Wessex Institute of Technology. First held in 2003, the conference facilitates communication between all scientists specialising in the wide range of subjects included within sustainable development and planning. These include planners, environmentalists, architects, engineers, policy makers and economists, who all must work together in order to ensure that planning leads to sustainable development that meets present needs without compromising our future.The papers included in the book cover Regional planning; City planning; Sustainability and the built environment; Cultural heritage; Environmental management; Resources management; Social and political issues; Rural developments; Sustainable solutions in developing countries; Transportation; Energy resources; Environmental economics.
