In recent years, attention to climate change and its associated impacts on economic and social development has increased significantly. Extreme weather conditions worldwide are threatening the survival of sensitive species and habitats. The situation is so dire that governments, academia, and non-governmental organizations across the globe are actively working to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This book enhances understanding of environmental changes and the relative response to the socio-economic challenges of development. It provides a comprehensive overview of the impact of environmental change on natural resources and the climate, as well as discusses waste management and sustainable solutions.

This book explores important environmental concepts such as energy justice, mountain cultures, queer ecology, social impacts of oil production, energy strategies, mining tourism, pollution control mechanisms, incarceration, gender mainstreaming, climate change, droughts, contract farming, and adaptation strategies. Some of the topics that are covered include: In addition to that, it touches on topics such as education, leisure, development, sexuality, welfare, and sustainability. This book discusses several dimensions within the global environment of the negative impact of development programs, discusses sustainable development actions performed in contemporary times, and emphasizes the importance of a just, people-centric regulatory framework in promoting sustainable development. The concept of sustainable development may be seen as an organizational principle with the overarching objective of achieving human development objectives while at the same time allowing biological ecosystems to continue to serve people with the essential natural ecosystem resources and services. The phrase "sustainable development" originates from the word "sustainable," which refers to the quality of being able to go on for an extended period without becoming unsustainable.

The current global environmental crisis is primarily the result of non-standardized parameters for environmental regulation, and is impacting e.g. clean air, safe drinking water and the quality of food, particularly in developing nations. Due to their poor/lax execution of EIA protocols, newly developing countries are preferred destinations for establishing pollution-emitting industries, which results in the degradation and depletion of their natural resources. Lack of environmental policy intervention is another major incentive to base “dirty” industries in these nations. In order to ensure sustainable development, the highest-priority issues include the monitoring and eradication of environmental problems stemming from economic development; virtually every form of economic development primarily results in the loss of forests and thus biodiversity, followed by declining air quality and the contamination of natural resources. Sustainable development ensures responsible interactions with the environment, so as to minimize the depletion or degradation of natural resources and preserve environmental quality. It involves integrated approaches to understanding the importance of environmental management systems and policy measures that lead to improved environmental performance. This book addresses the environmental concerns associated with economic development, and with approaches to attaining sustainable economic development, which include monitoring the quality of water resources, soil erosion and degradation of the natural environment.

Environmental degradation in the Aral Sea basin has been a touchstone for increasing public awareness of environmental issues. The Aral crisis has been touted as a 'quiet Chernobyl' and as one of the worst human-made environmental catastrophes of the twentieth century. This multidisciplinary 1999 book comprehensively describes the slow onset of low grade but incremental changes (i.e. creeping environmental change) which affected the region and its peoples. Through a set of case studies, it describes how the region's decision-makers allowed these changes to grow into an environmental and societal nightmare. It outlines many lessons to be learned for other areas undergoing detrimental creeping environmental change, and provides an important example of how to approach such disasters for students and researchers of environmental studies, global change, political science and history.

This volume provides a comprehensive account of the linkages between environment and sustainable development in society from an interdisciplinary perspective. With its case studies from across the world, including countries such as India, Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the United States, Croatia, Italy, Brazil, Japan, and Kenya, it explores critical environmental issues concerning energy justice, queer ecology, mountain cultures, incarceration, energy strategies, mining tourism, pollution control mechanisms, social impacts of oil and gas production, contract farming, gender mainstreaming, climate change, and droughts and adaptation strategies along with literacy, leisure, well-being, development, sexuality, sustainability and environmental education. The book examines several dimensions within global environment of the adverse impact of developmental activities, discusses sustainable development activities undertaken in contemporary times, and underscores the importance of a just, people-centric policy framework in promoting sustainable development. Lucid and topical, this book will be useful to scholars and researchers of environmental studies, development studies, sustainable development, political studies, sociology, and political economy. It will also interest policymakers, development practitioners, NGOs and think tanks working on environment and sustainable development, climate issues and SDGs.

When environmental and social sustainability converge, they give rise to equitable sustainability, subsequently leading to tolerable sustainability. The fusion of economic and social sustainability results in the inception of sustainable development, with economic sustainability emerging as the subsequent principle. This tenet ensures responsible resource utilization by businesses to generate operational profits, thereby providing a sustainable advantage for future development. The nation's ability to enhance its economic value, which poses potential threats to the other two pillars, hinges on the judicious use of natural resources. Sustainable viability can be achieved by integrating environmental and economic sustainability. To establish a genuinely sustainable circular economy, a measurable integration of all three pillars is imperative. The impact of natural and environmental resource utilization extends across every sector of the economy. Activities such as extraction, processing, manufacturing, transportation, consumption, and disposal alter natural resource stocks, stress environmental systems, and introduce waste to environmental media. Additionally, economic activities have intertemporal welfare impacts, influencing the supply of natural resources accessible for future welfare. The availability and quality of natural and environmental resources are considered contributing factors to the economic system's productivity from this perspective.

This book studies the role of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as an advocate for greater environmental responsibility and analyses the major achievements and outcomes of two landmark conferences – Stockholm (1972) and Rio (1992) – which set the agenda for the future role of the UNEP. It discusses the UNEP’s evolution, objectives and the problems of differing perspectives within, its ability to deal with environmental challenges, its skill in successfully carrying out the mandate and contributing to the pursuit of environmental security. The book also looks at five developing countries of South Asia, namely India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, to study the role of the South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP), which plays an active role in the management of environmental issues and constitutes an important landmark in regional cooperation in South Asia. The author evaluates the contributions of National Conservation Strategies not only in creating environmental awareness but also in strengthening environmental governance architecture by integrating Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals into the development planning of these South Asian countries under study. Drawing on in-depth research and interviews, this book will be of interest to students, teachers, researchers, policymakers and strategic analysts working in the fields of environment studies, sustainable development, environmental science and policy, environmental law and governance, geography, politics and international affairs.

The Guide to Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy is a comprehensive presentation of definitions, philosophies, policies, models, and analyses of global environmental and developmental issues. With a wealth of comparative, multidisciplinary, and geographically varied perspectives on environmental governance, it also provides detailed and balanced discussions about specific environmental issues. The guide combines formal, objective entries with critical commentaries that emphasize different opinions and controversies. With succinct explanations of more than a thousand terms, thoughtful interpretations by international experts, and helpful cross-referencing, this resource is designed to serve as a roadmap for understanding the issues and debates in the overlapping fields of environment and development. Intended for use by activists, journalists, policymakers, students, scholars, and interested citizens, the Guide to Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy will be a helpful tool for anyone trying to get a comprehensive look at the many environmental organizations, schools of thought, development programs, international environmental treaties, conventions, and strategies that have proliferated in the past few decades.

This volume offers profound analyses of the main theoretical and practical aspects of the concept of sustainable development: namely, current environmental problems; the building of green economies; climate policies; specifics of international cooperation in the sphere of sustainable development; specific features of business and government involvement in implementing sustainable development; the role of civil society; its social and gender aspects; and specific characteristics of national models of sustainable development. The focus on the international aspects of the implementation of sustainable development ideas makes the insights offered here fresh and unique. This book will be useful for academics, managers, students, and teaching staff of higher education institutions.