Biological And Environmental Hazards Risks And Disasters

Biological and Environmental Hazards, Risks, and Disasters provides an integrated look at major impacts to the Earth’s biosphere. Many of these are caused by diseases, algal blooms, insects, animals, species extinction, deforestation, land degradation, and comet and asteroid strikes that have important implications for humans. This volume, from Elsevier’s Hazards and Disasters Series, provides an in-depth view of threats, ranging from microscopic organisms to celestial objects. Perspectives from both natural and social sciences provide an in-depth understanding of potential impacts. Contributions from expert ecologists, environmental, biological, and agricultural scientists, and public health specialists selected by a world-renowned editorial board Presents the latest research on damages, causality, economic impacts, fatality rates, and preparedness and mitigation Contains tables, maps, diagrams, illustrations, and photographs of hazardous processes

Biological and Environmental Hazards, Risks, and Disasters, Second Edition provides an integrated look at major impacts to the Earth’s biosphere caused by diseases, algal blooms, insects, animals, species extinction, deforestation, land degradation, and comet and asteroid strikes, with important implications for humans. This second edition from Elsevier’s Hazards and Disasters Series incorporates perspectives from the natural and social sciences to offer in-depth coverage of threats from microscopic organisms to celestial objects and their potential impacts. Contributions from expert biological, health, ecological, environmental, wildlife, physical, and health scientists, readers will gain valuable insights on damages, causality, economic impacts, preparedness, and mitigation. Provides inter- and multi-disciplinary research accessible to both specialists and non-specialists Includes newly added chapters on emerging hazards and risks to earth’s ecosystems (land conversion and habitat loss) and human health (spread of diseases) Contains full-color tables, maps, diagrams, illustrations, and photographs of hazardous processes

Biological and Environmental Hazards, Risks, and Disasters are critical areas of study that encompass a wide range of threats to both the natural world and human populations. This multidisciplinary field explores the interactions between living organisms and the environment, as well as the potential consequences of these interactions. "Biological And Environmental Hazards, Risks, And Disasters: Key Areas for Study" is a comprehensive book that gives information about Environmental Hazards, Biological Hazards, and Its effect on Environment. This book also highlights Loss of biodiversity, its chronic effect on health. Additionally, the book also describes desertification and ecological impact of climate change. Moreover, this book will be equally useful to readers from a variety of backgrounds, including researchers, teachers, students, and biological scientists.

Hazards, Risks, and Disasters in Society provides analyses of environmentally related catastrophes within society in historical, political and economic contexts. Personal and corporate culture mediates how people may become more vulnerable or resilient to hazard exposure. Societies that strengthen themselves, or are strengthened, mitigate decline and resultant further exposure to what are largely human induced risks of environmental, social and economic degradation. This book outlines why it is important to explore in more depth the relationships between environmental hazards, risk and disasters in society. It presents challenges presented by mainstream and non-mainstream approaches to the human side of disaster studies. By hazard categories this book includes critical processes and outcomes that significantly disrupt human wellbeing over brief or long time-frames. Whilst hazards, risks and disasters impact society, individuals, groups, institutions and organisations offset the effects by becoming strong, healthy, resilient, caring and creative. Innovations can arise from social organisation in times of crisis. This volume includes much of use to practitioners and policy makers needing to address both prevention and response activities. Notably, as people better engage prevalent hazards and risks they exercise a process that has become known as disaster risk reduction (DRR). In a context of climatic risks this is also indicative of climate change adaptation (CCA). Ultimately it represents the quest for development of sustainable environmental and societal futures. Throughout the book cases studies are derived from the world of hazards risks and disasters in society. Includes sections on prevention of and response to hazards, risks and disasters Provides case studies of prominent societal challenges of hazards, risks and disasters Innovative approaches to dealing with disaster drawing from multiple disciplines and sectors

The seventh edition of Environmental Hazards provides a much expanded and fully up-to-date overview of all the extreme environmental events that threaten people and what they value in the 21st century globally. It integrates cutting-edge materials to provide an interdisciplinary approach to environmental hazards and their management, illustrating how natural and human systems interact to place communities of all sizes, and at all stages of economic development, at risk. Part 1 defines basic concepts of hazard, risk, vulnerability and disaster and explores the evolution of hazards theory. Part 2 employs a consistent chapter structure to demonstrate how individual hazards occur, their impacts and how the risks can be assessed and managed. This extensively revised edition includes: Fresh perspectives on the reliability of disaster data, disaster risk reduction, risk and disaster perception and communication, and new technologies available to assist with environmental hazard management The addition of several new environmental hazards including landslide and avalanches, cryospheric hazards, karst and subsidence hazards, and hazards of the Anthropocene More boxed sections with a focus on both generic issues and the lessons to be learned from a carefully selected range of up-to-date extreme events An annotated list of key resources, including further reading and relevant websites, for all chapters More colour diagrams and photographs, and more than 1,000 references to some of the most significant and recent published material New exercises to assist teaching in the classroom, or self-learning This carefully structured and balanced textbook captures the complexity and dynamism of environmental hazards and is essential reading for students across many disciplines including geography, environmental science, environmental studies and natural resources.

Topics include : risk assessment, disaster management, adjustment to the hazard (accepting, sharing, reducing loss), earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, snow avalances, storms, biophysical hazards (extreme temperatures, epidemics, frost, wildlifires), floods, droughts, technological hazards (i.e. Bhopal and Chernobyl), etc.

Renamed to reflect the expanded scope of the second edition, Ecosystems and Human Health: Toxicology and Environmental Hazards builds on the foundation created by the author in the first edition, Environmental Hazards and Human Health. Written in a journalistic, easily accessible style, this book bridges the gap between toxicology and environmental sciences by exploring man-made and natural hazards, and the risks they pose to wildlife and human health. See what's new in the Second Edition: Coverage of environmental hormone disrupters Section on Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Expanded discussion of the controversy over genetically modified foods New information on mechanisms of action of marine venoms and poisons Ecosystems and Human Health: Toxicology and Environmental Hazards, Second Edition explores the broad range of environmental and human health aspects of chemical and biological hazards. The author covers the basic principles of pharmacology and toxicology as well as risk analysis, air and water pollution, and various toxicants, hazards, and poisons. He presents numerous examples of the intimate relationship between ecosystem health and human health and of the need to consider this relationship whenever human activities are likely to have a significant environmental impact.

Examines the significance of the human factor which is as much of a cause of disasters as the natural environment. Practical and policy conclusions are drawn with a view to disaster reduction and the promotion of safer environments.