Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgments CHAPTER 1 How to Build a Sustainable Planet Learning Outcomes Key Concepts 1.1 Environmental Issues and the History of the Earth 1.2 The Origin of the Physical Universe 1.2.1 The Big Bang 1.2.2 Synthesis of Materials in Stars 1.2.3 Formation of Planets 1.2.4 The Genesis and Evolution of the Earth 1.3 The Origin and Evolution of Life 1.3.1 The Timeline 1.3.2 The Building Materials for Life 1.3.3 The Cell 1.3.4 The Origin of Life on Earth 1.3.5 DNA and the Tree of Life 1.4 The Origin and Dominance of Humankind 1.4.1 The Origin of Humankind 1.4.2 Human Evolution and Dominance 1.4.3 Life Beyond Earth Further Reading Web Resources Questions and Exercises CHAPTER 2 Global Biogeochemical Cycles Learning Outcomes Key Concepts 2.1 The Concept of Global Biogeochemical Cycle 2.2 Plate Tectonics and Rock Cycles 2.2.1 Plate Tectonics 2.2.2 The Rock Cycle 2.3 The Water Cycle 2.3.1 The Erosional Power of Water 2.3.2 The Water Cycle 2.4 Biogeochemical Cycles of Elements 2.4.1 The Carbon Cycle 2.4.2 The Nitrogen Cycle 2.4.3 Biogeochemical Cycles of Other Elements 2.5 Biogeochemical Cycles and Environmental Challenges Further Reading Web Resources Questions and Exercises CHAPTER 3 Environmental Regulations Learning Outcomes Key Concepts 3.1 Need for Environmental Regulations 3.1.1 Tragedy of the Commons 3.1.2 The History of Environmental Regulations 3.1.3 Implementation of Environmental Regulations in the United States in Europe 3.2 Environmental Policy-Making Process 3.2.1 Overview 3.2.2 Policy Making Process 3.2.3 The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 3.2.4 The Policy Cycle 3.3 Environmental Politics and Policy 3.3.1 Environmental Politics 3.3.2 Interest Groups in Environmental Politics and Policy 3.3.3 Environmental Groups and Their Roles in Environmental Politics and Policy 3.3.4 Litigation, Regulation, Legislation, and Negotiation in Environmental Politics 3.4 Environmental Regulations 3.4.1 Environmental Regulation in the United States 3.4.2 Environmental Regulation in the European Union 3.4.3 Environmental Regulation in China and other Developing Countries 3.5 Environmental Justice Further Reading Web Resources Questions and Exercises CHAPTER 4 Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gases Learning Outcomes Key Concepts 4.1 The Earth's Atmosphere 4.1.1 Overview and History 4.1.2 Structure of the Earth's Atmosphere 4.2 Air Pollution 4.2.1 Overview 4.2.2 Sources of Air Pollution 4.2.3 Main Air Pollutants 4.3 Air Quality Issues and Regulations 4.3.1 Air Pollution Regulations in the United States 4.3.2 Air Pollution Regulations in China 4.3.3 Air Quality Issues and Regulations in Europe and Beyond 4.4 Engineering Measures for Air Pollution Control 4.4.1 Overview 4.4.2 Vehicle Emission Control 4.4.3 Control of Other Air Pollutants 4.5 Greenhouse Effect and Management 4.5.1 Greenhouse Effect 4.5.2 Other Greenhouse Gases 4.5.3 Geoengineering Options for Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide 4.6 Other Air Quality Issues 4.6.1 Indoor Air Pollution 4.6.2 Ozone Depletion 4.6.3 Global Deoxygenation 4.6.4 Long-Range and Global Transport of Air Pollutants Further Reading Web Resources Questions and Exercises CHAPTER 5 Water Pollution Learning Outcomes Key Concepts 5.1 Water Quality Regulations 5.1.1 The Clean Water Act 5.1.2 The Water Framework Directive in the European Union 5.1.3 Water Quality Regulations in China and India 5.2 Common Causes of Water Pollution 5.2.1 Eutrophication 5.2.2 Pathogen Contamination 5.2.3 Toxic Contaminants 5.2.4 Trash 5.2.5 Sediment 5.3 Stormwater Issues 5.3.1 Overview 5.3.2 Urbanization and Stormwater Flow and Quality 5.3.3 Stormwater Management and Low Impact Development 5.4 Water Treatment and Reuse 5.4.1 Background and History of Water Treatment 5.4.2 Overview of Water Treatment Process 5.4.3 Water Recycling and Biosolid Management 5.5 Emerging Water Quality Issues 5.5.1 Overview 5.5.2 Microplastics 5.5.3 Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) 5.5.4 Other Contaminants of Emerging Concern 5.5.5 Long-Range Transport of Pollutants 5.6 Water Quality Monitoring Further Reading Web Resources Questions and Exercises CHAPTER 6 Water Resources Learning Outcomes Key Concepts 6.1 Overview 6.2 Water Quality and Water Resources 6.2.1 Nexus Between Water Quality and Water Resources 6.2.2 Novel Potable Water Production Technologies 6.3 Water Shortage and Drought 6.3.1 Global Water Shortages 6.3.2 Water Security and Resilience 6.3.3 Water Resource and Sustainability 6.4 Water Supply Infrastructure and Its Environmental Impacts 6.4.1 History of Water Supply Infrastructure 6.4.2 Dams around the World 6.4.3 Ecological and other Impacts of Dams 6.5 Water Reuse and Recycling 6.5.1 Overview of Water Reuse 6.5.2 Types of Potable Water Reuse: Direct and Indirect 6.6 Desalination 6.6.1 Overview of Desalination 6.6.2 Desalination Process and Potential Impacts 6.7 Water Balance and Integrated Water Management 6.7.1 Overview of Water Balance 6.7.2 Case Study: Water Balance for North Orange County, California, USA 6.8 Water Footprint 6.8.1 The Concept of Water Footprint 6.8.2 Water Footprint of Common Items 6.8.3 Water Footprint and Sustainability Further Reading Web Resources 1 Questions and Exercises 1 CHAPTER 7 Groundwater and Soil Contamination Learning Outcomes Key Concepts 7.1 Groundwater Hydrology 7.1.1 Groundwater and Aquifer 7.1.2 Groundwater Resources 7.2 Groundwater and Soil Contamination 7.2.1 Groundwater and Drinking Water 7.2.2 Soil and Groundwater Contaminants 7.2.3 Human Health Risk Assessment 7.3 Groundwater and Soil Remediation 7.3.1 Underground Storage Tanks 7.3.2 Soil Investigation 7.3.3 Groundwater Investigation and Conceptual Site Model 7.3.4 Soil and Groundwater Remediation Further Reading Web Resources Questions and Exercises CHAPTER 8 Ecology and Biodiversity Learning Outcomes Key Concepts 8.1 Principles of Ecology 8.1.1 Concepts and Principles 8.1.2 Population Ecology 8.1.3 Ecosystem Health 8.2 Biodiversity 8.2.1 The Significance of Biodiversity 8.2.2 The Sixth Mass Extinction 8.3 Humans and the Ecosystem 8.3.1 Humans as Part of the Global Ecosystem 8.3.2 Ecosystem Services 8.3.3 Human Impact on Ecosystems 8.3.4 The Ecological Impact of Pollution 8.3.5 The Ecological Impacts of Habitat Loss 8.3.6 Ecological Impact of Hunting and Fishing 8.4 Genetically Modified Organisms 8.4.1 The Definition of GMOs 8.4.2 Benefits and Risks 8.5 Other Ecological Challenges 8.5.1 Endangered Species 8.5.2 Invasive Species 8.5.3 Deep Ecology: A Scientific Perspective Further Reading Web Resources Questions and Exercises CHAPTER 9 Solid Waste Learning Outcomes Key Concepts 9.1 Solid Waste Classification and Generation Rate 9.1.1 Overview 9.1.2 Solid Waste Generation in the United States 9.1.3 Solid Waste Generation around the World 9.2 Landfill 9.2.1 Overview and Waste Collection 9.2.2 Landfill Operation 9.2.3 Landfill Stormwater Management 9.2.4 Landfill Trash Management 9.2.5 Landfill Leachate Management 9.3 Solid Waste Recycling and Energy Recovery 9.3.1 Solid Waste Recycling 9.3.2 Waste to Energy 9.4 Hazardous Waste 9.4.1 Definition 9.4.2 Hazardous Waste Management 9.5 Plastics and Trash Pollution 9.5.1 Overview 9.5.2 Basel Convention 9.5.3 OECD Convention Further Reading Web Resources Questions and Exercises CHAPTER 10 Energy and Sustainability Learning Outcomes Key Concepts 10.1 Global Energy Consumption and Trends 10.1.1 Energy Sources 10.1.2 Trends in Global Energy Consumption 10.2 Conventional Energy 10.2.1 Overview of Conventional Energy 10.2.2 Crude Oil 10.2.3 Coal 10.2.4 Natural Gas 10.3 Renewable Energy 10.3.1 Overview of Renewable Energy 10.3.2 Solar Energy 10.3.3 Wind Energy 10.3.4 Other Renewable Energy Sources 10.4 Nuclear Power 10.4.1 Overview 10.4.2 Advantages of Nuclear Power 10.4.3 Challenges of Nuclear Power 10.5 Energy and Sustainability Further Reading Web Resources Questions and Exercises CHAPTER 11 Climate Change, Sea Level Rise, and Ocean Acidification Learning Outcomes Key Concepts 11.1 Climate Change 11.1.1 Greta 11.1.2 Global Climate System 11.1.3 Earth's Energy Budget 11.1.4 Greenhouse Gases and Global Warming 11.1.5 Climate Variability and ENSO 11.2 Sea Level Rise 11.2.1 The Concept 11.2.2 Causes of Sea Level Rise 11.2.3 Sea Level Rise in Different Scenarios 11.3 Ocean Acidification 11.3.1 What is Ocean Acidification? 11.3.2 The Mechanism of Ocean Acidification 11.3.3 The Impact of Ocean Acidification 11.4 Mitigation Measures 11.4.1 The Global Climate Feedback Loop 11.4.2 The Carbon Problem 11.4.3 Potential Mitigation Measures Further Reading Web Resources Questions and Exercises CHAPTER 12 Environment, Human Development, and Sustainability Learning Outcomes Key Concepts 12.1 The Definition and Concept of Sustainability 12.2 Environmental Issues through Economic Lenses 12.2.1 The Environmental Industry 12.2.2 Environmental Economics 12.2.3 Environmental Regulation and Economics 12.3 Life Cycle Environmental Impacts and Costs 12.3.1 Life Cycle Cost 12.3.2 Ecological Footprint 12.3.3 Carbon Footprint 12.3.4 Life Cycle Environmental Cost 12.4 Sustainability Issues 12.4.1 Environmental Mitigation 12.4.2 Nature's Intrinsic Value 12.4.3 Deep Ecology and Sustainability 12.4.4 Resource Depletion 12.5 Global Sustainable Development 12.5.1 Global Sustainable Development Goals 12.5.2 The Earthrise Further Reading Web Resources Questions and Exercises Bibliography Knowledge Box Entries List of Acronyms