Emerging Environmental Technologies And Environmental Technology Policy

Environmental Technology and Sustainability: Physical, Chemical and Biological Technologies for Clean Environmental Management provides a dependable source of information on the fundamental scientific evidence involved in environmental protection and sustainable development. The book provides the basic natural sciences that underpin the understanding, development and application of environment technologies that support a clean inhabitable world that includes environmental technologies and sustainable, renewable energy systems. It considers the science and technology for environmental benefits, including the development of both smarter, cleaner technologies for environmental protection, conservation, and more. Provides methods and processes for CO2 Sequestration Focuses on technologies for reducing greenhouse gases and for biofuel production Outlines issues surrounding contaminated water and provides solutions for water management Describes problems facing air pollution, including sources and mitigation Includes contaminated soil management

The aim of this thesis is to analyze the role that environmental technology plays in the solution of environmental problems in cities, and discuss models and conditions that can facilitate the processes of selection, implementation and use of environmental technologies in and by cities. The technological component is perhaps one of the most important characteristics of modern cities. The dependence of humans on technology is in most cases a given, something that is not ignored in the sustainability debate. The development and implementation of new, “better” technologies is however hindered by the inertia that modern societies have and the influence of the dominant systems (e.g. economic systems based on growth, extraction of natural resources and environmental disturbance). So-called environmental technologies are not always able to efficiently compete against other technologies that are embedded in societies by lock-in mechanisms, e.g. learning by doing and using, scale economies, subsidies, and network externalities. Even with the “right” technologies, an exclusively techno-centered approach to sustainability can result in other problems, and it might reduce the sustainability debate and the cities’ role in it to discussions of an administrative nature. The actual role of local actors and their agency must be also considered in the models and frameworks directed at understanding sustainability transition processes. It is thus important to analyze the dynamics of technology selection, implementation, use and diffusion in cities from a stakeholders’ perspective as well. Not only is the availability of technology of interest for understanding the impact it has on the environment, but also the intensity of its use. This has resulted in increased attention from politicians and scholars on the so-called global cities (e.g. London, New York, Tokyo), which are characterized by their intense use of e.g. transport, security and surveillance, and information and communication. Paradigmatic models of sustainability can however be contested when the role of local actors, power and agency are considered in detail and not isolated from the context. Some authors recognize the need to address what they call “ordinary cities”, since focusing on the cities’ comparative level of development (be it political, economic or technological) hinders the possibility of bidirectional learning. In the end, sustainability is a “collective good,” which means that it is in everyone’s interest to coordinate efforts and learn from the best practices, regardless of where they come from. This thesis focuses on “ordinary cities,” and promises to offer conclusions that can contribute to a better understanding of how societies can learn from each other and how environmental technologies can have deeper and better results when implemented in different contexts than the ones where they were developed. Two questions related to the process of environmental-technology adaptation are addressed in this thesis: How do technology adaptation processes for the solution of urban environmental problems take place in cities? And how do cities benefit from environmental technologies? It is found that environmental technology is not only seen as a solution to environmental problems in cities, but every day more as a component of strategies to attract attention and compete for resources in national and international markets. Cities have different adaptation and learning strategies. This means that technological solutions have to be flexible and adaptive to local conditions, and allow for vernacular knowledge and past experiences to enrich their performance by facilitating their connection to existing systems. Learning between cities is important and necessary for global sustainability transitions. When it comes to environmental technology, this process is facilitated by strong proof-of-concept projects. Such projects are not only expected to be able to show their technical ability to solve a problem, but must also offer contextual connections to the problems faced by interested cities or potential implementers.

Surrendering to the notion that governments lack the political independence to set and enforce environmental standards, Corral (Institute for Strategy, Technology, and Policy at the TNO, Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research) asks if it is possible to influence the technological and organizational innovative behavior of firms by means other than regulation. Addressing environmental and technology policy analysts, practitioners, and lobbyists, he presents a behavioral simulation model that he hopes can be used to harmonize long-term societal interests with short-term firm interests. The model attempts to link firms' ultimate behavior to their perceptions of environmental risk, economic risk, community pressure, market pressure, regulatory pressure, technological capabilities, and organizational capabilities. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

A workshop proceedings address questions that lead to a better understanding of the interaction between innovation and the environment and explored elements of "best practice" policies that can stimulate innovation for the environment and shift our development path towards sustainability.

This manuscript was made possible by the exceptional support provided by INSA (Institut National des Sciences Appliquees) Toulouse, the University of New Mexico and the University of Cincinnati College of Engineering. The authors, as listed in this book, took the time to prepare excellent manuscripts focusing on scientific and technical areas relevant to emerging environmental issues. These manuscripts were rigorously reviewed and refereed by scientists and engineers before inclusion in this book. An introductory chapter was prepared to summarize and integrate technical issues covered and the last chapter was written to present policy perspectives. The editors are most grateful to the contributors, sponsor organizations, and many colleagues who were kind enough to assist us in making this manuscript possible. Background information about the editors, principal authors and other contributor:s to this manuscript follows. Editors Professor Dr. Ravi K. Jain Associate Dean for Research and International Engineering College of Engineering University of Cincinnati Mail Location 0018 Cincinnati OH 45221-0018 U.S.A.