Sustainability Science and Technology : An Introduction

This book builds a bridge between sustainability science and engineering. It provides the latest information on sustainability issues and solutions by discussing them from basic concepts to scientific consensus to technical solutions. It identifies and addresses the major issues related to sustainability with an environmental science perspective, and presents the connections and interactions between science and technology through a very practical approach and easy understanding.

Sustainability Science and Technology: An Introduction explains the root causes of global failures in natural and human systems, as well as the most readily available technological solutions. The book dispels risky scientific and technological ideas that further complicate the current environmental and socioeconomic predicaments. It also bridges gaps among scientific and technological fields and systematically translates current findings for a wide technical and public audience.

Written at a level accessible to all, the story is told one bite-sized chapter at a time, about the size of a scientific journal article. The chapters are self-contained, each grappling with a large topic. This provides more in-depth coverage of a topic than a standard encyclopedia article and promotes the widest possible dialog around sustainability issues and their solutions. Case studies from all continents and all technological development levels expound viable solutions for each of the planetary systems: water, soils, and atmosphere. In turn, the wider socioeconomic context of sustainable science and technology is examined.

One of the first books to address the full scope of sustainability, it sets the stage for discussion and sustainability re(training) across professional divides. The editor and contributors take a balanced approach that is neither too technical nor too focused on any particular field. They highlight global and regional perspectives and the linkages between different planetary and human systems. The book helps you understand the thorny essence of sustainability issues—often fraught with ethical dilemmas, obsolete technologies, and lifestyle implications—and how to develop solutions to them.