文档介绍：· ISBN: 0123725321
· Publisher: Elsevier Science & Technology Books
· Pub. Date: May 2007
Preface
After the Second World War, industrialization took place at a tre-
mendous pace without giving any thought to its effects on the
environment, flora and fauna, and peoples' safety and heath. This
led to increased global warming, depletion of ozone protective
cover from harmful UV radiation, contamination of land and water
ways due to release of toxic chemicals by industries, reduction in
nonrenewable resources such as petroleum, destructions of forest
cover due to acid rains, increased health problems, and industrial
accidents resulting in loss of life and property.
The Kyoto Protocol is an international treaty bringing almost
180 nations of the world together in an effort to limit greenhouse
gas emissions and reduce the effects of global warming. The reduc-
tion is expected to be achieved through industrial green house gas
reduction (42%), use of renewable energy (22%), methane reduc-
tion from live stock and other sources (22%), energy efficiency
(12%), and fuel switch from oil to natural gas (2%). The United
States and Australia rejected the treaty and had refused to sign it
even as late as November 2006. The EU-15 countries had agreed
to cut, by 2012, 8% of the 1990 greenhouse gas emissions values,
but the data collected by the mission (Oct. 2006)
predicted that the values would be only %. Worse still, many
European countries may even exceed their individual limits.
Industries are interested in green chemistry because reduction
in energy, improvement in yield, and use of cheaper raw materials
lead to reduction in working capital and an increase in profits.
Industries are also interested in improving the safety, health, and
xii Preface
working conditions of their workforce, because they are worried
about litigations and pressures from NGO and other employee
unions. Incremental improvements in proce