Geographical Dimensions of Environmental Sustainability

This book presents selected papers from the International Geographical Union (IGU) Thematic Conference 2022, which was held at the Central University of Haryana, Mahendragarh, India, November 24–25, 2022. The theme of the conference was Sustainability, Future Earth, and Humanities: Opportunities and Challenges. Within the context of the physical environment, the book explores advanced research and innovative methodologies that illuminate significant discoveries pertaining to comprehensive perspectives on sustainability.

Environmental sustainability is a critical global concern that revolves around the responsible use and preservation of natural resources to meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It encompasses various dimensions that impact the health and resilience of our planet. Geographical factors play a crucial role in determining the challenges and opportunities associated with sustainability, offering valuable insights into the interconnectedness between nature and society. These insights are fundamental to understand environmental sustainability including ecosystem diversity, climate and weather patterns, land use and urbanization, water resources, natural hazards and vulnerability, resource distribution, transportation and connectivity, coastal and marine environments, political and social boundaries, and environmental justice. Understanding and integrating these geographical dimensions into environmental sustainability initiatives can lead to more effective and context-specific strategies to safeguard our planet's health and promote a harmonious coexistence between nature and human society. It requires interdisciplinary collaboration, international cooperation, and a shared commitment to protect and nurture the Earth for current and future generations.

 This book covers a broad range of issues, with an emphasis on how to create a physically and socially sustainable environment. In addition, this book provides comprehensive investigations of a range of subjects, including climate change, environmental risk assessment, climatic hazards, resource exploration, water resource management, seismic analysis, green synthesis, ground thermal regime, and glacial dynamics, among others.

Dr. Manish Kumar is currently working as an Assistant Professor and Programme Coordinator of M.Sc. Geoinformatics in the Department of Geography, School of Basic Sciences, Central University of Haryana, Mahendragarh, India. Earlier, from January 2016 to February 2020, he served as an assistant professor in the Department of Geography, Kalindi College, University of Delhi. Prior to that, from January 2009 to December 2014, he was a lecturer in the M.Sc. Remote Sensing and GIS Programme of Kumaun University, Nainital, India. He has also worked as a Research Associate in the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) project on “rurbanization”. In addition, he has been a visiting faculty member at the School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi. He holds a Ph.D. degree from Kumaun University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Remote Sensing and GIS from the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Dehradun. He is also a Steering Member of the International Geographical Union (IGU) Commission on Modeling Geographical Systems. He has authored and Edited 04 International Books published by Springer Nature and has contributed over 40 research papers in national and international Science Citation and Scopus-indexed journals. His special area of research interest includes the application of remote sensing and GIS in urban and regional planning, land use and land cover dynamics, climate change, and water resources among others.

Dr. Pankaj Kumar is an associate professor in the Department of Geography, University of Delhi, and the Assistant Secretary General of the International Geographical Union (IGU). He is an active member of the Commission of Mountain Studies of IGU. Dr Kumar is a liaison person between IGU and CODATA of International Science Council (ISC) and also member of International Data Policy Committee (IDPC), CODATA. He is also a member of the Geodiversity Group of IGU. Dr. Pankaj Kumar is also associated with Indian Society of Remote Sensing (ISRS) Delhi Chapter where he is Assistant Secretary. His area of specialisation includes study of dynamics of mountain ecosystem, land use land cover change, watershed assessment and modelling, remote sensing and GIS especially promoting Free/Libre and Open Source Software for Education (FOSSEE) initiative of IIT Bombay. Dr. Kumar is a life member of the Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA), the National Association of Geographers, India (NAGI) and the treasurer of The Association of Geographical Studies (AGS). Dr. Kumar travels widely globally to deliver invited talks and present research work in international conferences. He has several national and international research publications to his credit.

Dr. Subhash Anand is currently a Professor of geography at the Department of Geography, Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi, India. He has more than 28 years of experience in teaching and research and has published 11 books and more than 110 research papers, articles and chapters in journals and books. He specialises in Ecological Issues in Development, Sustainability, Urban environmental issues,  Geoheritage,  Geotourism, and Agricultural Development. Dr. Anand is  vice chair of the Commission on Geoheritage, International Geographical Union (IGU), and the vice president of the Indian Geographical Society (IGS). He is a Springer  series editor of the Advances in Geographical and Environmental Sciences and an associate editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Geoheritage and Parks (IJGEOP) as well as an editorial board member of many journals. He has held an advanced training workshop, Urban Spatial Planning in Response to ClimateChange in Asia, in Taipei and a Commonwealth Geographical Bureau (CGB) workshop, Human Consequences of Climate Change, at the University of Colombo. He has travelled widely to participate in international conferences, seminars and workshops and has delivered talks  in several countries.

Dr. Naresh Kumar Verma is an assistant professor at the Special Centre for National Security Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. He received his M.Phil. & Ph.D. in Political Geography from Centre for International Politics, Organization, and Disarmament, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He specialises in geo-politics, geo-strategy, nuclear proliferation, non-traditional security and remote sensing & GIS. He received the Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship Award of the University Grants Commission in 2008. He has more than 12 years of experience in teaching and research and has published 2 books and more than 15 research papers, articles and chapters in journals and books. He has travelled widely to participate in international and national conferences, seminars and workshops. He has also worked as a principal investigator (PI) and co-PI in research projects. He is an active member of several academic and non-academic bodies, contributing to the scholarly community. Furthermore, he has chaired and co-chaired various conferences and conference sessions, showcasing his expertise and leadership in the field.

Prof. Dinesh Kumar Tripathi is the principal of Rana Pratap Post Graduate College, Sultanpur (U.P), India. He has been engaged in teaching and research for the past 27 years. Earlier, he worked as a professor in the Department of Geography, Kamla Nehru Institute of Physical and Social Sciences, Sultanpur (U.P), India. His research interests include remote sensing, GIS, and natural resource management. He has published 37 research papers in various reputed journals and presented research papers at many national and international conferences and seminars. Dr. Tripathi completed the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) research project on management of degraded land using satellite remote sensing and GIS, in 2012. In 2024, he also completed U.P. Government sponsored research project on ‘remote sensing and GIS based modelling of land degradation for agricultural sustainability in Sultanpur District, Uttar Pradesh, India’.