Humanities and Sustainability from Glocal Perspectives Towards Future Earth : Proceedings of IGU Thematic Conference 2022, India

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. Focusing on the humanities, the book shares advanced research and innovative approaches that illuminate significant discoveries concerning integrated glocal (global-local) perspectives on sustainability.

The integration of humanities and glocal perspectives has become crucial to ensure a sustainable future for our planet. To achieve a thriving future, it is essential to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and human values, while acknowledging the interconnectedness of local and global dynamics. The humanities contribute a distinct dimension to sustainability by offering cultural, ethical, and historical insights. Glocal perspectives, on the other hand, underscore the interdependence of our planet's ecosystems and human societies. They advocate for a dual focus on local contexts and global implications, recognizing that environmental challenges such as climate change, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and pollution manifest differently in various regions due to diverse socio-economic, political, and cultural factors. The integration of the humanities and sustainability encourages a transformative shift towards more ethical and responsible behavior, fostering a sense of stewardship for the environment.

The book includes a wide range of topics, focusing extensively on the potential contributions of humanities towards the goal of long-term sustainability. The topics covered in this book encompass in-depth analyses of various subjects, such as environment and society, social dynamics, human development, urban landscape dynamics, rural-urban inequality, gender inequality, gender-environment relationships, entrepreneurship, public health, COVID-19 management and its spatiotemporal aspects, and geopolitics, among others. The book discusses both global and local perspectives on these important issues. Consequently, the knowledge and innovation presented in the book make a substantial academic contribution and facilitate to achieve sustainability, both at local and global levels.

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. 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. 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.

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’.

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.