Environmental Science for Environmental Management

Transcription

1 Environmental Science for Environmental Management Edited by TIMOTHY O'RIORDAN School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia

2 Contents List of contributors Foreword Acknowledgements ix x xii Introduction: Environmental science on the move 1 Timothy O'Riordan A challenge to science 1 Environmental science and interdisciplinarity 2 Broadening the scientific tradition 6 The precautionary principle 8 Environmental science as seen from the outside 10 Section A 12 Chapter 1 The global environment debate 16 Timothy O'Riordan 16 Excluding the commons 19 The UN Conference on Environment and Development 20 Financing sustainable development 24 The population question 26 Chapter 2 Environmental economics and management 30 R. Kerry Turner 30 Introduction 32 Scarcity and efficiency 32 Ecological limits on the economy 33 Sustainable economic development 36 The issue of valuation.., 39 Pollution.con trqlpoh'cy. 40 Conclusions. ^Q

3 iv Contents Chapter 3 Environmental and economic appraisal 45 Ian Bateman 45 Introduction 47 The appraisal framework 47 Monetary assessment methods 48 Sustainability constraints 58 Conclusions 61 Chapter 4 Human impacts on terrestrial ecosystems 66 Alastair Grant 66 Methods of study 70 Impacts on vegetation 71 Species' extinctions 77 Conclusions 78 Chapter 5 Ecosystem management and environmental ethics 80 John Barkham 80 Three vignettes 81 What is ecosystem management? 83 Exploitation and its consequences for ecosystems 83 Sustainable management of ecosystems 87 Global issues and local action 88 Ecosystem destruction or changes in approach 89 Management to maintain biodiversity 93 Habitat creation 99 Externalities in habitat management 101 Species conservation 102 Conclusions 103 Section B 105 Chapter 6 The threat of global warming 110 Keith Clayton 110 Future global warming: how likely is it? 113 Greenhouse gases and the 'greenhouse effect' 114 Predicting the impact of enhanced levels of 'greenhouse gases' 118 The impacts of future warming 121 What might we do to reduce future global warming? 125 Can the predictions be improved? 128

4 Contents Chapter 7 River processes and management 131 Richard Hey 131 Introduction 133 Natural channel processes 133 Flood alleviation schemes 135 River stabilization 140 River restoration 143 Conclusions 148 Chapter 8 Coastal processes and management 151 Keith Clayton and Timothy O'Riordan 151 Coastal processes 154 Sea defence and coastal protection 157 Integrated coastal zone management 161 Chapter 9 Predicting sea-level rise and managing the consequences 165 Keith Clayton 165 Recent sea-level history 167 The response of the coast to current sea-level rise 167 Engineers and the stabilization of the coastline 169 Forecasting future sea-level rise 173 Adjusting to future sea-level 173 The concept of coastal zone management 177 Facing up to difficult choices: selectivity in CZM 179 The long-term management of the coastal zone 181 Chapter 10 The oceans from space 185 Karen J. Heywood 185 Introduction 187 Satellite altimetry: the role of ocean circulation in climate 187 Infrared radiometry: ocean eddies and coastal upwelling 190 Ocean colour sensing: ocean productivity 191 Microwave radiometry: polynyas 193 Conclusions 194 Chapter 11 The land from space 198 Keith Clayton 198 Remote sensing from satellites 200 Passive and active sensors 200

5 vi Contents The data explosion 200 Pictures or digital data? 202 Resolution 206 Radar 208 Geographical Information Systems 209 The potential uses of satellite images 212 Land cover classification from remotely sensed data 213 Relief 214 Geology 214 Snow and ice 215 Oceans 215 Weather and climate 216 Global change 218 Natural hazards 218 Developing countries 219 Chapter 12 Soil erosion and land degradation 223 Michael Stocking 223 Introduction 225 Soil as a resource 225 Consequences of soil degradation 227 Processes of soil degradation 229 Assessment of soil erosion 229 Prediction and explanation of soil erosion 233 Soil and water conservation 237 Section C 243 Chapter 13 Groundwater pollution and protection 246 Kevin Hiscock 246 Introduction 249 Sources of groundwater pollution 249 Groundwater pollution in developing countries 250 Groundwater contamination in Sri Lanka 254 Groundwater protection in developing countries 255 Groundwater pollution in industrialized countries 256 Groundwater contamination in Nassau County 258 Groundwater protection in industrialized countries 259 Conclusions 261

6 Contents vii Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 1 Marine and estuarine pollution Alastair Grant and Tim Jickells Introduction Contamination and pollution Ways of detecting pollution Sources of contaminants to the North Sea Environmental damage by specific chemicals Eutrophication Bathing beaches Litter Conclusions Urban air pollution and its consequences Peter Brimblecombe and Frances Nicholas Historical background Smoke Gaseous pollutants Smoke plus fog equals smog Health and smog Other smoke damage Smoke in the modern world Photochemical smog Effects of photochemical smog Other changes and their effects Solving the problem: the future Environmental risk management Simon Gerrard Introduction: the concept of safety The concept of risk management Environmental risk management Risk communication The role of experts in risk management Conclusions Energy: hard choices ahead Gordon Edge and Keith Tovey Introduction A techno-social complex Responding to environmental problems No regrets: the example of energy efficiency

7 viii Contents Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Energy supply: a new approach Conclusions Preventing disease Robin Haynes Clean water and sanitation Air pollution AIDS Ultraviolet light and skin cancer Radiation Science and management Managing the global commons Timothy O'Riordan On managing commons International environmental law Soft law in action Common heritage and global legal ethics Regime theory and sustainability The UN Commission on Sustainable Development Education for a sustainable future The impediments to education for sustainability List of journals Index