Environmental Concerns and Sustainable Development: Volume 1: Air, Water and Energy Resources

The prevailing global environmental crisis is primarily because of non-standardized parameters for environmental regulation. Unplanned expansion of economic activities, consideration for environmental conservation and several associated problems are emerging due to degradation in quality of ambient environment such as clean air, safe drinking water and quality of food, particularly in developing nations. Due to poor/casual execution of EIA protocol, newly developing countries are preferred destination for establishing pollution emitting industries, which results in degradation and depletion of natural resources. Lack of environmental policy intervention is another major attraction for establishing such industries in these nations.

In order to ensure sustainable development, the highest priority issues include the monitoring and eradication of environmental problems which arise due to economic development. Initiation of any form of economic development primarily results in loss of forests and thus biodiversity, followed by deterioration in quality of air and contamination of natural resources. The worst impact of non-standardized economic development is the contamination of air, water and soil.

Sustainable development ensures responsible interface with the environment to minimize the depletion or degradation of natural resources and ensure long term environmental quality. It involves integrated approaches in understanding the importance of environmental management systems and policy inventions leading to improved environmental performance.

The present book is proposed to address the environmental concerns associated with economic development and approaches involved to attain sustainable economic development, which include monitoring of the quality of air, deforestation, quality of water resources, soil erosion and degradation of the natural environment.

Vertika Shukla is MSc in Organic Chemistry and PhD (2003) in Chemistry of lichens from H.N.B. Garhwal University, Srinagar (Garhwal). Presently, She is working as Assistant Professor (Contarct) in Department of Earth Sciences at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar (Central) University, Lucknow.

During her more than 17 years research experience, she has been awarded 3 fellowships awarded by DST, New Delhi (two projects were pursued in CSIR-NBRI and one project in BBA (Central) University, Lucknow).

Till now she has published 63 scientific articles in reputed national and international journals, mostly in SCI journals and presented research findings in seminar and symposia with total impact factor 39 and h-index 11. She has authored 1 book 'Lichens to Biomonitor the Environment' (Springer) and coedited 2 book volumes of 'Recent Advances in Lichenology (Springer) and 'Plant Adaptation Strategies in Changing Environment' (Springer Nature).

Her area of interest include secondary metabolite chemistry, interaction of lichen with the environment and role of lichen in bioremediation of atmospheric fallouts.

Narendra Kumar has obtained his M.Sc. and Ph.D degree in the subject Environmental Science from the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar (A Central ) University, Lucknow, India. Dr. Kumar, has also qualified UGC-NET in the subject Environmental Science. Dr. Kumar is an active researcher and academician having almost 16 years of post graduate teaching and research experience. Dr. Kumar has started his academic career as a project fellow at National Botanical research Institute (NBRI-CSIR), Lucknow, U.P., India. In 2002, he joined as Lecturer in the Department of Environmental Science, Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, C.S.J.M. University, Kanpur, U.P., India. Dr. Kumar is working as Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow from June, 2005. Dr. Kumar has published more than 30 international and national research papers. He has published 10 book chapters with reputed National and International publishers. One Ph.D. degree has been awarded under the supervision of Dr. Kumar and currently four research scholars are working under his guidance for doctoral degree. In addition Dr. Kumar has guided more than 40 students for their M.Sc. dissertation work.