Sustainable Improvement

This book is a cornerstone resource for a wide range of organizations and individuals concerned with sustainable development at national and local levels, as well as for international organizations concerned with supporting such development. While the focus is on integrated strategies for sustainable development, the approaches and methods covered are equally relevant to poverty reduction, environmental and sectoral strategies, program development and review. Agenda 21 called for all countries to develop sustainable development strategies. For such strategies to be effective there needs to be a real commitment. In every country, government at all levels, the private sector and civil society must work together in a true partnership, in transparent ways which enable genuine stakeholder participation. The necessary mechanisms and processes need to be coordinated to enable continuous learning and improvement. This resource book provides flexible, non-prescriptive guidance on how to develop, assess and implement national sustainable development strategies. It sets out principles and ideas on process and methods, and suggests how these can be used. It is based on an analysis of past and current practice, drawing directly from experience in both developed and developing countries. Following a discussion of the nature and challeges of sustainable development and the need for strategic responses to them, the heart of the book covers the main tasks in strategy processes. Individual chapters offer a rich range of guidance, ideas and case studies on: * The nature of sustainable development strategies and current practice * Key steps in starting, managing and improving sustainable development strategies * Analysis of and for sustainable development * Participation for sustainable development * Information, education and communications * Strategy decision-making frameworks and procedures * The financial basis for strategies * Monitoring and evaluation systems.

Environment and Sustainable Development answers the need for an introductory, comprehensive, yet critical, book that explores the challenges involved in the implementation of sustainable development.

Until recently, the phenomenal economic development of the Asian tigers, Chile, and Malaysia, as well as the sustained economic growth of the United States, painted a very desirable and optimistic picture of free markets, fiscal responsibility, and, more generally, the entire dogma of neoclassical economics. As of the fall of 1998, however, the economies of many tropical countries have contracted severely, and the enthusiasm of the developing tropics for the free market and all of its ancillary policies is decidedly cooler. Have our traditional approaches to economics been failing the developing world? This interdisciplinary book covers the conditions of the developing tropics, the resistance of some of their problems to earlier attempts at solutions, and the use of new tools to develop a much more comprehensive and empirical framework for analysis and decision making. It also presents the development of cutting edge technology that links GIS and modeling approaches with extensive databases on meteorology, soils, agricultural production, and land use. The book discusses whether development is sustainable through a synthesis of demographic, economic, and resource-specific considerations. Costa Rica is uniquely suited to this study because of its size, stage of development, democratic institutions, and national databases. A CD-ROM containing all data and programs, color images, animated models, large data tables, and references accompanies the book. Links economic and biophysical analyses of sustainability Presents new tools and approaches for analysis and decision-making Includes a CD-ROM containing data and programs, color images, animated models, and references

Clean Energy for Sustainable Development: Comparisons and Contrasts of New Approaches presents information on the fundamental challenge that the energy sector faces with regard to meeting the ever growing demand for sustainable, efficient, and cleaner energy. The book compares recent developments in the field of energy technology, clean and low emission energy, and energy efficiency and environmental sustainability for industry and academia. Rasul, Azad and Sharma, along with their team of expert contributors, provide high-end research findings on relevant industry themes, including clean and sustainable energy sources and technologies, renewable energy technologies and their applications, biomass and biofuels for sustainable environment, energy system and efficiency improvement, solar thermal applications, and the environmental impacts of sustainable energy systems. This book uses global institutes and case studies to explore and analyze technological advancements alongside practical applications. This approach helps readers to develop and affirm a better understanding of the relevant concepts and solutions necessary to achieve clean energy and sustainable development in both medium and large-scale industries. Compares in-depth research on a wide range of clean technologies, from global institutes in Australia, Europe, and India Evaluates the recent developments in clean technologies against the efficiency of tried and tested applications Considers case studies on the advancements of sustainable energy into industry from around the world

Defines, analyzes, critiques, and proposes new policy solutions for achieving sustainable development.

Sustainable Sanitation for All describes the landscape of sustainability of CLTS as it is now, and reflects on key aspects, challenges, innovations and insights around sustainability. It aims to clarify a future research agenda and gaps in current knowledge, and make recommendations on policy and practice.

This volume deals with land degradation, which is occurring in almost all terrestrial biomes and agro-ecologies, in both low and high income countries and is stretching to about 30% of the total global land area. About three billion people reside in these degraded lands. However, the impact of land degradation is especially severe on livelihoods of the poor who heavily depend on natural resources. The annual global cost of land degradation due to land use and cover change (LUCC) and lower cropland and rangeland productivity is estimated to be about 300 billion USD. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) accounts for the largest share (22%) of the total global cost of land degradation. Only about 38% of the cost of land degradation due to LUCC - which accounts for 78% of the US$300 billion loss – is borne by land users and the remaining share (62%) is borne by consumers of ecosystem services off the farm. The results in this volume indicate that reversing land degradation trends makes both economic sense, and has multiple social and environmental benefits. On average, one US dollar investment into restoration of degraded land returns five US dollars. The findings of the country case studies call for increased investments into the rehabilitation and restoration of degraded lands, including through such institutional and policy measures as strengthening community participation for sustainable land management, enhancing government effectiveness and rule of law, improving access to markets and rural services, and securing land tenure. The assessment in this volume has been conducted at a time when there is an elevated interest in private land investments and when global efforts to achieve sustainable development objectives have intensified. In this regard, the results of this volume can contribute significantly to the ongoing policy debate and efforts to design strategies for achieving sustainable development goals and related efforts to address land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

As global warming advances, regions around the world are engaging in revolutionary sustainability planning - but with social equity as an afterthought. California is at the cutting edge of this movement, not only because its regulations actively reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also because its pioneering environmental regulation, market innovation, and Left Coast politics show how to blend the "three Es" of sustainability--environment, economy, and equity. Planning Sustainable Cities and Regions is the first book to explain what this grand experiment tells us about the most just path moving forward for cities and regions across the globe. The book offers chapters about neighbourhoods, the economy, and poverty, using stories from practice to help solve puzzles posed by academic research. Based on the most recent demographic and economic trends, it overturns conventional ideas about how to build more livable places and vibrant economies that offer opportunity to all. This thought-provoking book provides a framework to deal with the new inequities created by the movement for more livable - and expensive - cities, so that our best plans for sustainability are promoting more equitable development as well. This book will appeal to students of urban studies, urban planning and sustainability as well as policymakers, planning practitioners, and sustainability advocates around the world.