Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
USWM
Urban solid waste management
UWSS
Urban water supply system
VEO
Village Environmental Officer
WB
World Bank
WEF
Water Environment Federation
WHO
World Health Organization
WPC
Water pollution control
WQ
Water quality
WTO
World Trade Organization
WWF
World Wildlife Fund
YC
Young coyote
INTRODUCTION
Background
Examination of publications in the field of engineering shows that practically all
of the technologies utilized for protecting environmental resources and preventing
environmental degradation have been developed in the affluent industrialized
countries (ICs) without significant contributions from the developing countries
areas and regions of the world. This is because their advanced economic status
has enabled the ICs to reach levels of understanding on the need for protecting
environment, and has given them the funds to study and develop the feasible
technologies needed for controlling environmental degradation and the funds to
finance design/construction/operation of the protection control facilities.
History
By the mid-twentieth century, the ICs had progressed sufficiently to begin
implementation of the desired control programs, especially in the basic sanitary
engineering fields of urban water supply, wastewater management, and food
sanitation, plus beginning efforts for tackling other key problems including
solid wastage management, air pollution control, noise control, and radioactive
emissions control. Then came the impact of World War II, which initiated a great
increase in research and development (R&D) in all aspects of environmental
engineering, so much so that of the total arena of information on environmental
engineering technology, it is estimated that more than 90 percent has been
generated in the second half of the twentieth century. Moreover, while this
environmental technology developed by the ICs was relatively simple and
labor-intensive before World War II, the emphasis of the subsequent R&D has
focused on minimization of labor by replacing this with hi-tech equipment that
is readily operated only by trained professionals. And the overall IC effort has
included progressively improving programs for furnishing the needed training.
In the U.S. the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) established
in the 1960s (built on the earlier federal environmental engineering program
