The global environment has significantly changed due to a number of factors such as industrial pollution, expansion of agricultural land way beyond the fringe forest zones, destruction of virgin forests, loss of quality agricultural lands due to soil erosion, loss of global wildlife and biodiversity, climate change, global warming, devastating forest fires, floods, draughts, melting of glaciers to mention a few. Human or anthropogenic impacts are in turn devastating the planet with our attention being shifted only to the shinning aspect of our civilizations. The most alarming fact about this hidden factor is that they are all directly or indirectly impacted by human activities in some way or other. The present work, Environment at Crossroads deals with various environmental problems like climate change, global warming, food security, bioremediation of waste, oil spills, and problems of heavy metal toxicity, control strategies like use of gene therapy, conservation of mangroves, revival of river Vishwamitri and role of plant and animals in biodiversity conservation is discussed.

The book has 2 sections; Section A focuses on Environmental Sustainability and Green Technology and Section B covers Emerging Technologies in Environmental Biotechnology. The book introduces Environmental biotechnology as a tool to progress towards sustainable development goals and covers green technologies such as Bio-plastics, Third generation hybrid technology for algal biomass production, wastewater treatment and greenhouse gas mitigation, Green vaccination, Bio-fuels, Microbial enzymes, Bioelectrical systems, eco-friendly handmade paper production, nature based sanitation solutions, and greener ways to tackle air pollution along with the application of GIS to monitor & manage COVDI19 pandemic. The Section B covers emerging & innovative technologies such as vermifiltration, Small scale PVA gel based innovative solution for wastewater treatment, Cyclic technology based sequencing batch reactors (SBR) and role of Role of Bio-selectors in Performing Simultaneous Nitrification and Denitrification in SBR’s. It holistically covers essential information on Enzymatic Biotransformation and Biopolymer based nanocomposites for dye waste treatment, Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi assisted Bioremediation of heavy metals, Coir Retting and Duckweeds: The Tiny Creatures for Resolving the Major Environmental Issues. It is a promising book for researchers, academicians, teachers, students, industrial enterprises, policy makers, public health officials and general users. The book is closely aligned to curricula of post graduate courses in biotechnology, microbiology, environmental biotechnology and environmental science.

Nano-Bioremediation: Fundamentals and Applications explores how nano-bioremediation is used to remedy environmental pollutants. The book's chapters focus on the design, fabrication and application of advanced nanomaterials and their integration with biotechnological processes for the monitoring and treatment of pollutants in environmental matrices. It is an important reference source for materials scientists, engineers and environmental scientists who are looking to increase their understanding of bioremediation at the nanoscale. The mitigation of environmental pollution is the biggest challenge to researchers and the scientific community, hence this book provides answers to some important questions. As an advanced hybrid technology, nano-bioremediation refers to the integration of nanomaterials and bioremediation for the remediation of pollutants. The rapid pace of urbanization, massive development of industrial sectors, and modern agricultural practices all cause a controlled or uncontrolled release of environmentally-related hazardous contaminants that are seriously threatening every key sphere, including the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, and anthroposphere. Explores the current and potential applications of nano-bioremediation in the remediation of hazardous pollutants Outlines the major properties and classes of nanomaterials that make them efficient bioremediation agents Assesses the major challenges of effectively implementing bioremediation techniques at the nanoscale

This edited book provides an overview of omics technologies and methods for integration across multiple omics layers used in the plant disease diagnosis and developing management strategies. The book concentrates on the prevalence of soil-borne disease management in various important crops with use of different strategies, including host resistance and biological control etc. The special focus is on the resolving practical problems encountered after the resistance development in the pathogens against several chemical pesticides. Further, special attention is given to the emergence of new diseases or the re-emergence of old ones on several crops, and on the results and problems encountered by using microbial inoculants, biofumigation and other non-chemical control methods. This book has 18 contributory chapters from the eminent experts in the field of plant pathology, microbiology and biotechnology working on different aspects of soil-borne diseases of important agricultural crops. This edited volume is of interest and useful to researchers in plant pathology, agriculture sciences, plant genomics ecology, policy makers, also it is a valuable source of reference to the relevant researchers and students globally.

The shift of weather patterns has affected the incidence and prevalence of infectious diseases, including mycoses. Mycoses have remained neglected due to a lack of training and recognition within the medical community. Nonetheless, these diseases remain common worldwide while frequently being underdiagnosed. Climate change affects the distribution of fungal communities, provoking outbreaks in locations where these mycoses were absent or in low frequencies. Moreover, the reports of clinical cases related to new fungal pathogens have increased due to the description of new fungal species or due to the ability of some species to shift to new hosts. Thus, this book, The Impact of Climate Change on Fungal Diseases, is a contribution to the knowledge of a global environmental phenomenon and its relation to these diseases, and it serves as a guide for health professionals to dive deep into the repercussions of climate change and how they can implement measures for the prevention and control of fungal infections.

This book is a research reference book in the area of Green Business Practices within various domains of Organizational Management in the backdrop of enterprise augmentation. This book is an anthology, with a collection of 24 papers, presented as chapters here, concerning Green Practices and Business Sustainability from a wide angle of various propositions, opinions, intentions and estimations. The book is intended for researchers and scholars in the fields of Business Sustainability and Green Practices.

In this richly illustrated love letter to the wild places and natural wonders of North Carolina, Tom Earnhardt, writer and host of UNC-TV's Exploring North Carolina and lifelong conservationist, seamlessly ties deep geological time and forgotten species from our distant past to the unparalleled biodiversity of today. With varied topography and a climate that is simultaneously subtropical, temperate, and subarctic, he shows that North Carolina is a meeting place for living things more commonly found far to the north and south. Highlighting the ways in which the state is a unique ecological crossroads, Earnhardt's research, insightful writing, and stunning photography will both teach and inspire. Crossroads of the Natural World invites readers to engage a variety of topics, including the impacts of invasive species, the importance of forested buffers along our rivers, the role of naturalists, and the challenges facing the state in a time of climate change and sea-level rise. By sharing his own journey of more than sixty years, Earnhardt entices North Carolinians of every age to explore the natural diversity of our state.

As the current capitalist system has been increasingly struggling to respond to the problems and uncertainties in the global economy, this book aims to identify the main economic, social, and ecological problems and discusses solutions for a more inclusive and sustainable economic system. Written by an international selection of contributors, it takes a wider perspective beyond classical orthodox economics. By doing so, this book covers a wide range of topics, such as global warming and climate change, food and energy scarcity, rising inequality and debt issues, health, ecological, economic, and political crises, degrowth, green new deals, solidarity, economy, artificial intelligence, technological change, smart solutions, and smart cities. Discussing these topics, the book presents answers to the question of whether the current capitalist system is viable and provides suggestions for a fair, inclusive, and modern economic system. Taking a comprehensive approach, the book will appeal to students, scholars, and researchers of heterodox and alternative economics.

Global concern for energy security and environmental protection has put great emphasis on the search for alternative energy sources, particularly for the transport sector. Biofuels have emerged as a highly promising source of alternative energy, and have drawn global research and development for their production using biomass. With the increasing worldwide demand for energy, along with the depletion of conventional fossil fuel reserves, there has been growing global interest in developing alternative sources of energy. There has also been concern in growing economies regarding energy security. Biofuels offer much promise on these frontiers. In addition to these factors, they also have a reduced environmental impact in comparison to fossil fuels. Biofuels from Microbes and Plants provides state-of-the-art information on the status of biofuel production and related aspects. Academics, researchers, engineers, and technologists will develop a greater understanding of the relevant concepts and solutions to the global issues related to achieving alternative energy applications for future energy security, as well as environmental sustainability in medium- and large-scale industries. Key Features Detailed overview of the alternative energy field and the role of biofuels as new energy sources Detailed accounts of the production of biodiesel from non-conventional bio-feedstocks such as algae, microbes, and vegetable oils Recent updates about biotechnological improvements of plant and microbial sources for biofuel production