Environment and Climate Change in Asia: Ecological Footprints and Green Prospects, CourseSmart eTextbook

This collection of essays on environment and climate change within Asia is written by faculty members to mark the celebration of the 10th Anniversary (2001–2011) of the National University of Singapore’s Masters in Environmental Management (MEM) program. These essays reflect the multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary pedagogical nature of the MEM program with academic contributions from the Arts, Architecture, Building and Real Estate, Business, Economics, Law, Medicine, and Sciences as well as inputs from industry and non-government organizations. The papers provide a mix of field-study research, grounded conceptual distillations, policy and applied eco-developmental suggestions, critical reviews of government programs, and comparisons of local and global environment and climate change interventions. This is a must-read book for any academic researcher, government official, corporate decision-maker and the informed public about the ecological impacts and outcomes, social and economic implications, and the political ramifications and state policy options in the defining 21st century of global climate change. Read it to become an informed and active participant in environmental debates and dialogues.

Preface by Tommy KOH

About the Authors

Asia’s ‘Sustainability’ Quests: An Introductory Overview

Victor R SAVAGE, LYE Lin-Heng and George OFORI

THE ASIAN CENTURY: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND IMPLICATIONS

Chapter 1: Whither the Sustainability and Development Twain Meet: Implications and Challenges for Asian states

Victor R SAVAGE

Chapter 2: Understanding Sustainable Development and the Challenges Faced by Developing Countries

Asanga GUNAWANSA

ENVIRONMENTAL OUTCOMES, HUMAN IMPACTS

Chapter 3: An Environmental Health Investigation of Skin Disorders: Southeast Asian Perspectives

David KOH and Judy SNG

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS AND APPROACHES

Chapter 4: The Economic Valuation of Urban Ecosystem Services

Dodo J THAMPAPILLAI

Chapter 5: The Material Consumption of Singapore’s economy: An Industrial Ecology Approach

Marian CHERTOW, Esther S CHOI and Keith LEE

BIODIVERSITY CHALLENGES: NATURE CONSERVATION

Chapter 6: Challenges to Southeast Asia’s status as the Global Coral Reef Hotspot CHOU Loke-Ming

Chapter 7: Nature Conservation for a Sustainable Singapore

HO, Hua Chew

Chapter 8: The Biodiversity Crisis in Asia: Singapore as a Model for Environmental Change and Threats to Terrestrial and Freshwater Ecosystems

Darren CJ YEO, Richard T CORLETT and Hugh TW TAN

PREPARING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE: ADAPTATIONS

Chapter 9: Building Climate Change Resilience for the Asia-Pacific Transport Sector: Linking Climate Change Adaptation and Environmental Safeguards – Case Studies

Carsten M HÜTTCHE

GREEN BUILDINGS

Chapter 10: Integrated Sustainability Policies for China’s Cement Industry – A Case Study Approach

Harn Wei KUA

Chapter 11: Green Buildings: New Perspectives

George OFORI

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT: REFLECTIONS

Chapter 12: Urban Governance and Sustainability: Environmental

Management Systems for Cities

LYE Lin-Heng

Chapter 13: Environmental Management: Challenges of the Next Decade

Nicholas A ROBINSON