Chapter 1 focuses on the juxtaposition of neoclassical economy and sustainable
economy. The author starts with the hypothesis that all scientific disciplines including engineering and natural sciences, the humanities and social sciences, and other
scientific disciplines are characterized by various dynamics under continuous development and that scientific progress will only take place if young scientists know and
do everything the older scientific generations have known and add new knowledge
and incremental skills to this. Over the course of the chapter, the author reveals the
kind of controversies that have emerged between different scientific discourses
within economics due to strongly diverging patterns of reasoning and assessments,
such as those between the representatives of neoclassical theory, on the one hand,
and those of ecological economics, on the other. Controversies can not only result
from different definitions of technical terms like, for example, “steady-state economy”, but also due to the inclusion or omission of certain factors as, for example,
non-renewable resources. Chapter 2 looks at mining disasters in recent years, for
example, two dramatic mining disasters that occurred in Latin America over the last
few years. In August 2014, a copper mine owned by Buenavista del Cobre, a
subsidiary of Grupo Mexico spilled 10.5 million gallons of copper sulphate acid
into Mexico’s public waterways. In November 2015, in the state of Minas Gerais,
Brazil, the Fundão tailings dam burst at an open pit mine operated by Samarco, and
another dam ruptured, sending a wave of chemically hazardous sludge throughout
nearby regions, killing 20 people, causing enormous social, environmental, and
economic damage. Taking these disasters as case studies, this chapter reviews the
failures of the mining industry in Latin America, including human failures, partly
based on gross negligence, partly on conditional intent due to inertia, indifference
toward the natural environment, safety, and even human life, coupled with human
greed, which led to these disasters. Towards the end of this chapter, the authors offer
some suggestions on how to prevent such disasters in the future. Chapter 3 investigates the challenges and opportunities which people face with regard to rural
development in Africa. The main essence is to transform rural societies into contemporary communities, and the prime goal is to alleviate poverty and further lessen
the continuous migration of people from rural to urban areas, who penetrate every
nook and cranny of urban cities in search of a better means of livelihood. Chapter 4
attempts to develop planning for the renowned tourism destination Acapulco in
Mexico. The authors introduce Sharpley’s model. The chosen methodological
approach is explained and the model is then applied to Acapulco to examine its
appropriateness as a framework for development planning. In Chap. 5, the authors
examine women’s involvement in environmental management with particular reference to the Gaza Strip, Palestine. Recent years have shown a deterioration in the
livelihood due to many factors, such as poor environmental practices and resource
management leading to environmental degradation with increasing migration of men
to urban areas, resulting in extra workload on women in rural areas. Chapter 6
discusses drinking water contamination as a primary health concern in the present
world. It aims to address the mass poisoning issue which has created severe diseases
in population of all ages. An overview of steps presently taken by the government
vi
Preface
economy. The author starts with the hypothesis that all scientific disciplines including engineering and natural sciences, the humanities and social sciences, and other
scientific disciplines are characterized by various dynamics under continuous development and that scientific progress will only take place if young scientists know and
do everything the older scientific generations have known and add new knowledge
and incremental skills to this. Over the course of the chapter, the author reveals the
kind of controversies that have emerged between different scientific discourses
within economics due to strongly diverging patterns of reasoning and assessments,
such as those between the representatives of neoclassical theory, on the one hand,
and those of ecological economics, on the other. Controversies can not only result
from different definitions of technical terms like, for example, “steady-state economy”, but also due to the inclusion or omission of certain factors as, for example,
non-renewable resources. Chapter 2 looks at mining disasters in recent years, for
example, two dramatic mining disasters that occurred in Latin America over the last
few years. In August 2014, a copper mine owned by Buenavista del Cobre, a
subsidiary of Grupo Mexico spilled 10.5 million gallons of copper sulphate acid
into Mexico’s public waterways. In November 2015, in the state of Minas Gerais,
Brazil, the Fundão tailings dam burst at an open pit mine operated by Samarco, and
another dam ruptured, sending a wave of chemically hazardous sludge throughout
nearby regions, killing 20 people, causing enormous social, environmental, and
economic damage. Taking these disasters as case studies, this chapter reviews the
failures of the mining industry in Latin America, including human failures, partly
based on gross negligence, partly on conditional intent due to inertia, indifference
toward the natural environment, safety, and even human life, coupled with human
greed, which led to these disasters. Towards the end of this chapter, the authors offer
some suggestions on how to prevent such disasters in the future. Chapter 3 investigates the challenges and opportunities which people face with regard to rural
development in Africa. The main essence is to transform rural societies into contemporary communities, and the prime goal is to alleviate poverty and further lessen
the continuous migration of people from rural to urban areas, who penetrate every
nook and cranny of urban cities in search of a better means of livelihood. Chapter 4
attempts to develop planning for the renowned tourism destination Acapulco in
Mexico. The authors introduce Sharpley’s model. The chosen methodological
approach is explained and the model is then applied to Acapulco to examine its
appropriateness as a framework for development planning. In Chap. 5, the authors
examine women’s involvement in environmental management with particular reference to the Gaza Strip, Palestine. Recent years have shown a deterioration in the
livelihood due to many factors, such as poor environmental practices and resource
management leading to environmental degradation with increasing migration of men
to urban areas, resulting in extra workload on women in rural areas. Chapter 6
discusses drinking water contamination as a primary health concern in the present
world. It aims to address the mass poisoning issue which has created severe diseases
in population of all ages. An overview of steps presently taken by the government
vi
Preface