1,721,274 research outputs found
Insights and issues into the impacts of urban pollution
No full textAir pollution is a major risk for many people, as it can cause cardiovascular diseases, strokes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections. There has been a plethora of pollution disasters around the world that have diseased populations, infected landscapes, and contaminated resources above and below ground. As a means of introducing the severity of urban pollution around the world, detailed in the following is an array of examples where air pollution, water pollution, and soil pollution has been devastating and long- lasting for those affected. This chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. It offers some initial insights into the impacts and issues associated with urban pollution.</p
From taps to toilets and ponds to pipes-A paradigm shift in sustainable water engineering
No full textThis chapter introduces the main themes in the book, contextualising them in terms of current issues of sustainability, in terms of infrastructure, buildings, businesses and behaviours. The role of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) is discussed; they are integral to the achievement of sustainable water engineering principles, in particular the aims encapsulated in SDG6, the Water SDG, whereby the stated ambition is “clean, accessible water for all”. The influence of engineering in achieving all of the SDGs, their interdependence and complexity is critically evaluated. Droughts, water shortages, flooding - these current issues are discussed at a variety of scales, from the single household, to the river catchment using sustainably designed, operated and maintained infrastructure. There is a critical balance to be struck between water resources management, sustainability and engineered approaches; furthermore, the chapter concludes, human behaviour and behaviour change must be accounted for, with community engagement vital in striving to achieve sustainable water engineering.</p
Complexities and Approaches to Managing the Adaptation of Climate Change by Coastal Communities
No full textWater Resources Challenges - Penury and Peace
No full textThis is the concluding chapter of Water Resources in the Built Environment: Management Issues and Solutions. Various approaches have been outlined and solutions proposed in this book that address the main water resources challenges surrounding both water scarcity and flooding. This chapter provides an overview of the information and insights gathered from other chapters of the book. Based on these findings, the chapter ends with a discussion of the complex political agenda surrounding international water security issues
Closing comments on urban pollution
No full textThis conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book illustrates clearly the complexity of processes and systems in urban environments. It gives an indication of the challenges faced by cities worldwide in terms of sources of contamination, their transport, deposition, and impacts. Tighter restraints on pollution-emitting processes could potentially reduce certain contaminants. WHO suggests that inclusive, participatory processes in decision-making, as well as the co-design of local interventions, will encourage citizens to take up the responsibility of managing their own environment, leading to the sustainability of such strategies, development of communities, and their empowerment. Management of contamination in urban areas needs to be multi-functional and flexible; it must engage local communities and encourage them to become responsible for their environment, with support from the government and suitable legislation.</p
An Overture of Sustainable Surface Water Management
No full textThis introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. Based on an understanding of the movement of water in the natural environment, sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) can be designed to restore or mimic natural infiltration patterns, so that they can reduce the risk of urban flooding by decreasing runoff volumes and attenuating peak flows. In the UK, for instance, SuDS is the most widely used term; whereas elsewhere in the world other relevant terms include surface water management measures (SWMMs), green infrastructure, green building design, stormwater control measures (SCMs), best management practices (BMPs), low impact development (LID) and water sensitive urban design (WSUD). This chapter discusses the flexibility and multi-functional nature of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS). This book emphasises the SuDS philosophy and elaborates the sustainable surface water management agenda with a wealth of insights that are brought together through the experts who have contributed.</p
Water Resources
No full textWater resources management decision-making is a complicated matter, which encompasses reliance upon nature to assist in the prediction of unknown rainfall events. Unfortunately, for whatever reasons, there seems an ever-increasing shift in climate patterns towards extreme weather events with impacts that appear to be exacerbated by human activities in the built environment arena. As a result, this is causing widespread droughts and flooding to be commonplace for some countries, as shown in this chapter. The examples of such instances illustrate the necessity for water resources managers, water engineers and water policy-makers to ensure that they produce accurate and well-informed decisions to guarantee the sustained delivery of potable water supplies and the continued protection of society from floodwaters. The chapter presents the reasons for water scarcity and flooding. It also highlights the contents of other chapters in the Water Resources in the Built Environment: Management Issues and Solutions
Building Regulations for Water Conservation
No full textTwo areas where mandatory building standards are commonly used to control the performance of buildings are carbon emissions and water efficiency. In this chapter an explanation is given as to why there is a necessity to conserve water in buildings and, more particularly, why the house building sector is a prime target when the government looks for areas that can use water more efficiently. The chapter also details why legislation is felt to be the best way to achieve sustainable construction, as opposed to education, and the potential effects of such legislations. The chapter also discusses related issues namely, Approved Document G and water recycling. It presents a case study that demonstrates how water calculator works and the difficulty in achieving the required level of water consumption. The simplest changes in household water use could have an enormous influence on future water demand
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