Books on the topic 'Ecologically sustainable decisions'

The monograph is devoted to modern biotechnology, which allows to solve urgent environmental problems in all areas of modern society. Described the current use of biotechnological methods for environmental protection. The common assessment of the environment, the analysis bioaccumulating capacity of the biosphere, presented information on bio-ecological potential of human society. Considers the issues of technological bio-energetics, obtaining biodegradable materials, different fields of organic waste, bioremediation of soils contaminated with petroleum products, pesticides, heavy metals, solid waste processing, utilization of oil sludge and drill cuttings, cleaning of soil and groundwater from contamination, the use of biotechnology in the oil industry and others Described the modern problems of organic agriculture and the progress in this area. Discussed microbiological, biochemical and technological fundamentals of these processes. The prospects of the use of biotechnology in integrated environmental protection. Discusses the modern view of ecological culture and ecological civilization in the framework of the problems under consideration. Designed for teachers, students, engineers, ecologists, agricultural workers, civil servants, decision-makers, engaged in the manufacture engaged in the development of programs for socio-ecological sustainable development.

This chapter continues the discussion of technocratic theory and practice by examining its implications for governmental steering. It begins with a discussion of the technocratic emphasis in the theory of ecological modernization and its focus on technological solutions, including the concept of the technological fix. After examining this as an approach for technological development related to climate change, the chapter examines the innovative Dutch strategy of transition management designed as a “new mode of governance for sustainable development.” Developed as an attempt to identify socio-technical options and to move them into the policy decision processes, the strategy illustrates the way in which technocratic thinking can unwittingly seep into projects with a wider set of goals.

Forest management must be sustainable not only in ecological, economic and social, but also genetic terms. Many forest managers are advocating and developing management strategies that give priority to conserving genetic diversity within production systems, or that recognise the importance of genetic considerations in achieving sustainable management. Forest Conservation Genetics draws together much previously uncollected information relevant to managing and conserving forests. The content emphasises the importance of conserving genetic diversity in achieving sustainable management. Each chapter is written by a leading expert and has been peer reviewed. Readers without a background in genetics will find the logical sequence of topics allows easy understanding of the principles involved and how those principles may impact on day-to-day forest planning and management decisions. The book is primarily aimed at undergraduate students of biology, ecology, forestry, and graduate students of forest genetics, resource management policy and/or conservation biology. It will prove useful for those teaching courses in these fields and as such help to increase the awareness of genetic factors in conservation and sustainable management, in both temperate and tropical regions.

Direct experience, scientific reports, and international media coverage make clear that the breadth, severity, and multiple consequences from climate change are far-reaching and increasing. Like many places globally, the northeastern United States is already experiencing climate change, including one of the world’s highest rates of ocean warming, reduced durations of winter ice cover on lakes, a marked increase in the frequency of extreme precipitation events, and climate-mediated ecological disruptions of invasive species. Given current and projected changes in ecosystems, communities, and economies, it is essential to find ways to anticipate and reduce vulnerabilities to change and, at the same time, promote sustainable economic development and human well-being.The emerging field of sustainability science offers a promising conceptual and analytic framework for accelerating progress towards sustainable development. Sustainability science aims to be use-inspired and to connect basic and applied knowledge with solutions for societal benefit. This approach draws from diverse disciplines, theories, and methods organized around the broad goal of maintaining and improving life support systems, ecosystem health, and human well-being. Partners in New England have been using sustainability science as a framework for stakeholder-engaged, interdisciplinary research that has generated use-inspired knowledge and multiple solutions for more than a decade. Sustainability science has helped produce a landscape-scale approach to wetland conservation; emergency response plans for invasive species that threaten livelihoods and cultures; decision support tools for improved water quality management and public health for beach use and shellfish consumption; and the development of robust partnership networks across disciplines and institutions. Understanding and reducing vulnerability to climate change is a central motivating factor in this portfolio of projects because linking knowledge about social-ecological systems with effective policy action requires a holistic view that addresses complex intersecting stressors.One common theme in these varied efforts is the way that communication fundamentally shapes collaborative research and social, technical, and policy outcomes from sustainability science. Communication as a discipline has, for more than two thousand years, sought to understand how environments and symbols shape human life, forms of social organization, and collective decision making. The result is a body of scholarship and practical techniques that are diverse and well adapted to meet the complexity of contemporary sustainability challenges. The complexity of the issues that sustainability science aspires to solve requires diversity and flexibility to be able to adapt approaches to the specific needs of a situation. Long-term, cross-scale, and multi-institutional sustainability science collaborations show that communication research and practice can help build communities and networks, and advance technical and policy solutions to confront the challenges of climate change and promote sustainability now and in future.

We live today in the Exponential Society. It has arrived already, we are part of it and it brings us several challenges as a species. Including that of not extinguishing us. We must and can make the Exponential Society not the last type of human society on our planet. Human activities have been experiencing an extraordinary acceleration relatively recently: production, consumption, population, pollution, indiscriminate use of water are growing exponentially. This means that this growth is not only continuous and constant, but that the rates of such growth are drastically increasing. In addition to the fact that not all of these processes are positive – pollution for example – there is a limit that we cannot forget: our planet. Here is a basic and dramatic contradiction: how can a species that tends to grow limitlessly survive if it basically depends on limited resources? The risks of the Exponential Society are among us, and the threats increase, of course, exponentially as well. Current ecological responses, sustainable initiatives such as recycling, do not offer fundamental changes if the logic that sustains the Exponential Society does not change. But, even if the situation seems inexorable, the change of course is not necessarily in the hands of the powerful or in the global decision-making centers. We are all part of the Exponential Society and that is why we have an impact on it. Transforming it is a matter of conscience, number and will.