Introduction

History shows us that human civilization has progressed over several centuries through different stages of development, and in doing so it has used natural resources in a number of different ways. The use and exploitation of natural resources has significantly increased since the beginning of the industrial revolution in the 18th century. Hundreds of thousands of miles of roads, railways, canals and bridges were built; scores of factories and mills were set up; many cities and towns appeared; and this transformation created a whole new world in which we live today. Exploitation and use of natural resources increased significantly over the last century, and is continuing in this century, because of the increased population, rapid industrialization, increasing demands, improved lifestyles and higher standard of living, massive increases in the use of fossil fuels in industries and transportation, and of late increasing use of ICT in every sphere of life. These developments make extensive use of natural resources, and produce directly and indirectly a number of substances that are harmful for natural resources and the environment.

In fact everything that we do – relating to our health and well-being, our economy, our education, our business, science and technology, our progress and our civilization – in some way or the other depends on, and makes use of, natural resources and environment. The natural world has a cycle to sustain, and understanding and managing this cycle (the normal cycle of change) in a positive way is one of the core concepts of sustainability research (University of Idaho, 2013). It is therefore extremely important that we try to understand and protect nature and the environment while at the same time make progress in every sphere of our life and civilization.

Systematic studies and research on sustainable development and various sustainability issues resulted from a number of factors, such as the recognition:

• • of the need to conserve natural resources, which resulted in conservation laws emerging in the late 19th century

• • of the harmful effects of various chemical and physical agents on natural resources, which resulted in the formation of bodies like the EPA in the USA, the Environment Agency in the UK, and so on