Preface

We often fail to acknowledge that knowledge is multiplicative, and technologies are synergistic. Humankind is far more innovative than we give it credit. Over the past hundred years, generation after generation has witnessed the appearance of innovative technologies. At first, we were shocked, and then we barely notice the global changes in our environment. Advances in the field of environmental health taught us much about human health hazards. In that respect, environmental health and the natural environment requires us to redefine our approach, at the same time readiness to engage in a multiplicity of approaches.

The present book examines the issues of potential risk (e.g., environmental contaminants, climate, and seasonal changes benefits of decomposition process on the soil also discussing collective defense, universal vulnerability, and global responsibility that can build a safer future for the humanity). We intended to present thoughts, processes, and techniques to convey environmental risks and susceptibility, make public the comprehensive interactions between nature and human pursuits.

The first two chapters evaluate global challenges of climate change in the Eastern region of Indonesia and Nigeria. Particularly its health risks, discomfort for urban and rural communities, emphasizing governmental responsibility to raise awareness, following necessary steps, especially for the most vulnerable social groups. The third and the forth chapters deal with environmental contaminants that play a crucial role in the transmission of pathogens. The chapters examine the structure of sanitation (i.e., methods, stages of disinfection, environmental factors) that influence the effectiveness of disinfection, addressing nonmonotonic dose-response relationships (hormesis). Also, the authors attempted to quantify the relationship between exposure of heavy metals on the organism via the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and pedosphere.

The fifth chapter looks into specific environmental substances such as asbestos fibers and silica particles that yield various health issues. This chapter summarizes the effect of those substances on the human immune system and outlines future direction in the research and practice. The sixth chapter emphasizes a holistic approach to the most common health issues of our civilization.

They were focusing on collective defense, universal vulnerability, and global solidarity, where the international public health action can build a safer future for humanity. The seventh chapter looks into seasonal changes of soil microbial biomass, and soil organic carbon in the karst ecosystem. The author of this chapter presents the most important factors of soil quality and health factors managing soil carbon in forest soils and provides us with how seasonal changes affect soil organic carbon and microbial biomass carbon. The eighth chapter describes sugar industry wastes as an organic plant material that returns to the soil and, through the decomposition process, provides nutrients and habitat to organisms living in the soil and, at the same time, binds soil particles and improves the water holding capacity of the soil. The last chapter looks into the impact of automobile and automobile transportation and its detrimental effect on the environment and public health in Nigeria.

**II**

**Chapter 9 161**

Review of Environmental and Public Health Impact of Automobile

Wastes and Automobile Transportation in Nigeria *by John Kanayochukwu Nduka, Henrietta Ijeoma Kelle, Emeka Chima Ogoko and Perpetua Chioma Okafor*

Despite all the negative impacts on the environment, we have to be aware that a fresh wave of technological innovation is amplifying our understanding of complex environmental challenges and thus giving us new means to solve them. New technologies should help us (countries, companies, and citizens) to see problems, identify opportunities, and measure progress; proving that technology can help us save the planet. But more than anything, we must learn to value our nature. On this road we have to change how we grow, buy and choose what to eat. The fundamental question is whether new technologies have the potential to shift the current model to a more advanced system that could leave producers, consumers, and the planet better off. Ultimately, the positive changes in our lifestyle will benefit not only the individual, but also the community, society in which we live, our near and distant environment, and therefore the planet as a whole.

> **Dr. Ivan Uher** Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, Košice, Slovakia

> > **1**

**Chapter 1**

**Abstract**

**1. Introduction**

Effects of Climate Change on City

It is no stranger that the diminishing amount of forest land to become nonforested in the world has changed the microclimate in almost all urban and rural areas. Thus it globally has triggered climate change. The influence of forests or vegetated areas on climate, especially the microclimate and mesoclimate, is important. The disrupted microclimate will cause anomalies in elements of the microclimate such as rainfall, air temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, wind, etc. Microclimate changes will affect the presence of forests in the region because plants have a large dependence on climate and weather conditions. The impact of climate change that is beginning to be seen and felt today has caused discomfort for urban and rural communities. The aim of this present paper is to investigate the comfort level of the population and the availability of green open space (GOS) in Ambon City, Maluku Province, Indonesia. The city of Ambon turned out to provide less comfort for residents who live there. Extreme rainfall has triggered the occurrence of flooding and has been detrimental to city residents, especially during the rainy season. On the contrary, very hot weather in the dry season has made city residents uncomfortable. This situation was triggered by the expansion of settlement construction in protected forest areas as a result of humanitarian riots that occurred in

Life: Case Study in the City of

Ambon, Indonesia East Region

*Gun Mardiatmoko and Jan Wilem Hatulesila*

years 1999–2002, limited GOS, and the effects of climate change.

**Keywords:** extreme rainfall, flooding, microclimate, green open spaces, NDVI, GIS

It is no stranger that forest areas and other vegetation areas are balancing components of various cycles in nature, including for circulation of climate and local-scale weather. Utomo argues that climate is a generalization of various weather conditions in a large area in a long time. Climates always change according to space and time. Based on certain timescale, climate change will form a particular pattern or cycle, daily, seasonal, annual, and several yearly cycles [1]. In addition to changes in patterned cycles, human activity causes climate patterns to change sustainably, both on a global and local scale. Forests regulate the temperature of the earth and weather patterns which are carried out by storing large amounts of carbon and water. This function as regulator also has a huge influence on the local climate. The role of forests as a regulator of the microclimate in the surrounding environment is very important [2]. Of course the different conditions of the forest in an area have different capabilities in regulating the microclimate in the forest environment, for

## **Chapter 1**
