Understanding and Solving Environmental Problems in the 21st Century

The two volumes contain the Proceedings of the 5th IFAC DYCOPS Symposium that took place in Corfu, Greece between June 8-10, 1998. The Symposium was a continuation of the very successful series that used to be called DYCORD+, the last of which (DYCORD+ '95) took place in Denmark in 1995. It was sponsored by the IFAC Technical Committee on Chemical Process Control. The Symposium embraced the topic of Integration of Design and Control that had previously occurred as a separate IFAC workshop. The theme of "Technology Push vs. Technology Pull in the 21st Century" aimed to bring together researchers and developers of new methodologies (Technology Push) as well as users of these methodologies (Technology Pull). The major areas of interest were organized in the following categories: i) Reacting Process Systems, ii) Separation Process Systems, iii) Batch Process Systems, iv) Complex and Industrial Process Systems, and v) Interaction of Design and Control.The aim of this book is to encourage integration of the natural and social sciences with the policy and design-making community, and thereby develop a deeper understanding of complex environmental problems. Its fundamental themes are:* integrated modeling and assessment * complex, adaptive, hierarchical systems * ecosystem services * science and decision-making * ecosystem health and human health * quality of life and the distribution of wealth and resources.This book will act as a state of the art assessment of integrated environmental science and its relation to real world problem solving. It is aimed not only at the academic community, but also as a sourcebook for managers, policy makers, and the informed public. It deals both with the state of the science and the level of consensus among scientists on key environmental issues. The concepts underlying this book were developed at the 2nd EcoSummit workshop held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, June, 2000, with active participation from all delegates, and attempts to present their collective view.