Terms Of Air Pollution Research Articles

Nature Bounce Back: Impacts of Novel Covid-19 Pandemic on Environmental Pollution and Biodiversity

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus infection, COVID-19 was initiated from the seafood market in Wuhan city of China in December 2019 and within a couple of months it turned out to be a pandemic and global health emergency. Due to increased human activity, transportation, industrialization and urbanization create a detrimental effect on the global environment in terms of air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, soil pollution, climate change, ozone layer depletion and change of biodiversity and ecosystem. The reduction of air pollution was strongly associated with travel restrictions and industrial shutdown during this pandemic so that on average, the air quality index (AQI) and five air pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, NO2, aerosol and carbon emissions) have decreased. During the ongoing lockdown, nature has started to revive itself. Rare birds and animals have starting to come out of hiding. People residing near Yamuna River in Delhi, India say that the water is cleaner due to the lockdown. The dip in air pollution is leading to clearer skies and migratory birds can fly freely without human interference or threat. It all seems like nature is taking a breath of fresh air with the lack of human activity. The present study discusses the indirect impact of covid-19 pandemic on environment and nature. It also describes the behavioral changes of arial, aquatic and terrestrial life during the lockdown period.

Green Economy and Sustainable Development in Indonesia: ARDL Approach

This study attempts to determine how the link between air pollution, economic growth, carbon dioxide damage, and life expectancy in Indonesia reflects the long-term and short-term effects of factors connected to the green economy and sustainable development. We take data from the World Bank as a secondary source for the years 2000 to 2020, From our estimation results, we find that the variables we estimate have long-term and short-term correlations such as air pollution and economic growth and economic growth with economic growth in the previous year, in the short term air pollution has a negative effect on economic growth, as well as economic growth in 2016. previously. In contrast to the relationship between the variable economic growth and life expectancy, which is significantly positive, this shows that between the two with increasing economic growth, life expectancy will also increase. The variable of carbon dioxide damage has a positive and insignificant relationship with economic growth.

Comparison of metropolitan cities for mortality rates attributed to ambient air pollution using the AirQ model.

In the present study, the air pollution dynamics of the metropolitan cities of Balıkesir, Bursa, Istanbul, Kocaeli, Sakarya and Tekirdağ in the Marmara Region, which is the geographical region with the highest urban and industrial activity in Turkey, were examined for the time period between 2016 and 2019. Annual changes in the cities in terms of air pollution, which was examined with a focus on the PM2.5 parameter as indicated by United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); differences in the cities by years; and the seasonal changes in air pollution in the cities were investigated. Additionally, mortality rates attributed to air pollution were calculated with the AirQ + software based on integrated exposure–response function recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN using city-scale statistics of fatal disease cases that can be attributed to air pollution. It was determined that all cities in the Marmara Region study area exceeded the limit PM2.5 values specified by the European Union (EU) in the years 2016, 2017 and 2018 while only Kocaeli and Tekirdağ were below the limit values in 2019. The limit values specified by the WHO were exceeded in all cities in each year. A total of 46,920 premature deaths attributed to the exceedance of WHO limit values were calculated for the years 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 with 11,895, 13,853, 11,748 and 9,429, respectively. Determining national limit values for the PM2.5 parameter, which is among the most important factors of air pollution, and monitoring it in a sustainable manner using a sufficient number of well-equipped stations is of great importance. This way, national, regional and urban action plans regarding the impact of air pollution on human health, as indicated by UN SDGs, can be prepared.

Life cycle assessment and economic analysis of the electric motorcycle in the city of Barcelona and the impact on air pollution

In this work, the evaluation of the life cycle of the service provided by a medium-power motorcycle in a Spanish urban environment was carried out, comparing two motorcycles, a battery electric vehicle (BEV) is compared with an internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV). The economic study of the total costs of ownership is also carried out considering the environmental costs associated with each type of vehicle. A comprehensive inventory is compiled for both vehicles (motorcycles) that describes the most relevant components and includes two types of batteries for the BEV. A sensitivity analysis of the most impactful parameters is also considered.The results indicate that the ICEV contributes approximately 5 times more in the global warming potential impact category mainly due to the consumption of fossil fuels. The BEV also impacts some categories in the manufacturing stage, a fact that is strongly related to the battery. Sensitivity analysis indicates that the total distance travelled plays an important role, but the electricity mix is probably the most relevant factor in terms of climate change impact category. The economic analysis reported lower environmental externality costs for the BEV, making it more affordable than the ICEV and highlighting the benefit in terms of air pollution. The BEV is presented as a suitable option vehicle from environmental and economic point of view and one of the actors to accelerate the transition towards a more sustainable urban mobility model.

A city-level analysis of PM2.5 pollution, climate and COVID-19 early spread in Spain.

PurpuseThe COVID-19 outbreak has escalated into the worse pandemic of the present century. The fast spread of the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has caused devastating health and economic crises all over the world, with Spain being one of the worst affected countries in terms of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths per inhabitant. In this situation, the Spanish Government declared the lockdown of the country.MethodsThe variations of air pollution in terms of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels in seven representative cities of Spain are analyzed here considering the effect of meteorology during the national lockdown. The possible associations of PM2.5 pollution and climate with COVID-19 accumulated cases were also analyzed.ResultsWhile the epidemic curve was flattened, the results of the analysis show that the 4-week Spanish lockdown significantly reduced the PM2.5 levels in only one city despite the drastically reduced human activity. Furthermore, no associations between either PM2.5 exposure or environmental conditions and COVID-19 transmission were found during the early spread of the pandemic.ConclusionsA longer period applying human activity restrictions is necessary in order to achieve significant reductions of PM2.5 levels in all the analyzed cities. No effect of PM2.5 pollution or weather on COVID-19 incidence was found for these pollutant levels and period of time.Graphical abstract Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40201-022-00786-2.

The Impact of the Dynamics of Agglomeration Externalities on Air Pollution: Evidence from Urban Panel Data in China

Air pollution in China has become a matter of increasing public concern. In this paper, we attempted to build a theoretical model to explore the impact of the dynamics of agglomeration externalities on haze pollution in urban China, where agglomeration is differentiated by regional specialization and geographical concentration. Based on China’s panel data for 289 cities during the period of 1998–2018, the empirical result shows that the relationship between industrial agglomeration and urban haze pollution is not simply linear or of an inversed U-type but turns out to be dynamically N-shaped. To be specific, the increase in local haze pollution can be explained by agglomeration externalities in the beginning stage, whereas the reducing effect only occurs during the mature stage. The heterogeneity test indicated that the effect of the type of agglomeration on haze pollution seems to be mixed in different groups of cities, but is still consistent with the hypothesis of the dynamic change of agglomeration externalities. The results are found to be quite robust and consistent after replacing variables and using other regression methods. This paper provides answers to the question of how to coordinate the relationship between developing industry parks and air pollution in terms of the life cycle of agglomeration as well as the types of city.

Economic Evaluation of the Urban Road Public Transport System Efficiency Based on Data Envelopment Analysis

Air pollution resulting from massive urban development and increased use of private vehicles is a major environmental concern, with particular relevance in urban areas. Urban public road transport has a significant impact on shaping land use patterns, air pollution and welfare. It must therefore be efficient in terms of air pollution in order to contribute to sustainable metropolitan mobility and economic growth. This study proposes a novel and consistent data envelopment analysis, aiming to identify which urban public transport vehicle is the most efficient in terms of air pollution and therefore environmentally suitable for use in public road transport systems. The case of Madrid has been analyzed, as it is representative of other large cities, which have similar bus alternatives and the common objective of reducing air pollution. Madrid City Council data has been compiled by authors and assessed by a panel of twenty experts to determine the model criteria weights. The results show that the plug-in electric vehicle has the lowest pollutant emission values while delivering the highest performance. Useful recommendations are provided to support public policy decisions related to the complex relationships between urban land use, urban transport and air pollution in urban areas.

Загрязнение атмосферного воздуха и демографические показатели здоровья в городах России

Materials and methods. The source of information on fertility and mortality was Russian Federal State Statis-tics Service data on 173 cities of the Russian Federation with a population of more than 100 thousand peo-ple for 2014-2016. The sources of air pollution were the Yearbooks of the state of air pollution in cities in Russia for the same period. A nonparametric analysis of variance was used to compare cities with different levels of air pollution in terms of fertility, mortality, birth-death and aging index. Results. Comparison of groups of cities with different maximum one-time levels of atmospheric pollution with benzo[a]pyrene revealed significant differences between the groups in terms of total fertility and mortal-ity rates, birth-death ratio and aging index. Comparison of groups of cities with different average annual levels of air pollution for 19 pollutants showed that only for benzo[a]pyrene, nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide and ammonia a statistically significant relation-ship with the characteristics of population health was found. For benzo[a]pyrene, the results were similar to those obtained for the maximum one-time concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene (except for the total mortality rate, for which the relationships are not significant). Statistically significant relationships of air pollution with nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxide and ammonia were revealed with the total mortality rate and the birth-death ratio, and for ammonia pollution also with the demographic aging index. Conclusion. In cities of the Russian Federation, the maximum one-time air pollution with benzo[a]pyrene is statistically significantly associated with the total fertility rate, birth-death ratio and the aging index: in groups of cities with an increase in the level of atmospheric air pollution, the median values of the total fer-tility rate and the birth-death ratio are increasing, and the median values of the aging index are decreasing. Comparison of groups of cities with different average annual levels of air pollution for 19 pollutants re-vealed statistically significant effects for pollution with benzo[a]pyrene, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxide and ammonia. A statistically significant heterogeneity of the groups of cities with different average annual levels of benzo[a]pyrene was revealed in terms of the total fertility rate, birth-death ratio and aging index: with an increase in the level of atmospheric air pollution, the median values of the total fertility rate and the birth-death ratio increase, while the median values of the aging index decrease. A statistically significant hetero-geneity of the groups of cities with different average annual levels of air pollution with nitrogen dioxide, ni-tric oxide and ammonia was revealed in terms of the total mortality rate and the birth-death ratio, and for ammonia pollution also in terms of the demographic aging index. In cities with a high level of air pollution with nitrogen dioxide and ammonia, the total mortality rate is higher.

Analysis of air pollution in the City of Odesa using automated observation data

The work presents the analysis of air pollution in the City of Odesa using, among others, the data of automated observations. The air basin state was also evaluated using individual parameters of sustainable development.
 According to the official data of the recent years the City of Odesa belongs to the most polluted cities of Ukraine in terms of air pollution. Based on the ranking results it was established that the level of atmospheric pollution in the City of Odesa can be classified as high for the most of pollutants. It is classified as acceptable for some substances (sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide) and as extremely high for formaldehyde concentration.
 After comparing the observational data related to content of individual pollutants at the OSENU's observation point and the data of long-term observations in the city it was found that the content of nitrogen dioxide generally corresponds to the average long-term values. The observations conducted at the points of the city network indicated that the content of carbon monoxide is two orders of magnitude lower and the content of PM10 is one order of magnitude lower than dust concentrations. The increased content of certain pollutants in the air (nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, etc.) is observed in the summer-autumn period and caused by the traffic intensification.
 The evaluation of the city's air basin state using individual parameters of the environmental measurement index showed that we observed better conditions in 2014 and 2016. The conditions for sustainable development are characterized by average indicators, however, towards worsening of the situation.
 The results obtained in this paper form a basis for extending the implementation of the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on introducing a new procedure for state monitoring of the atmospheric air in Ukraine. The existing laboratory base of the observation points requires radical re-equipment. It is also necessary to conduct an air pollution survey for identification of high priority pollutants and, based thereon, development of monitoring programs with consideration of the necessity for keeping certain impurities under control.

The long term effects of outdoor air pollution in urban environments on cardiovascular health: a global review

The effect of air pollution on health is listed as a significant cause of death worldwide. Slightly over 3 million deaths per year are due to outdoor air pollution. Studies have shown that short term increases in exposure to particulate matter have increased the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure. However, less is known about the longer term effects of air pollution on various cardiovascular diseases. The American Heart Association formally recognized PM2.5 as a significant cardiovascular risk factor in 2010. Since then, more prolonged term exposure to air pollution has been suggested to cause chronic cardiometabolic and cardiovascular problems. The effects of long term (>3 years) air pollution are significant, but not as much is known about how location affects this exposure. Associations with cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors are often increased in urban settings, which is attributed to a higher concentrations of outdoor air pollution, independent of ethnic groups and seasonal changes. Potential causes of long term air pollution concentrations in cities or metropolitan areas come from traffic exposure and traffic intensity. The Environmental Protection Agency and United Nations have suggested changes in air quality standards, implementation plans, and ways to reduce vehicle emissions specifically to improve human health and reduce the adverse effects of air pollution; however, more work still needs to be done. This review assesses the impact of the global long term (>3 years) air pollution exposure, specifically in urban environments on cardiovascular health and disease.

Impact of local air quality management policies on emergency hospitalisations for respiratory conditions in the North West Coast region of England: a longitudinal controlled ecological study

BackgroundAir quality is monitored at a local level in the UK as part of the Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) system. If air quality objectives within an area are not achieved an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) is declared and action plan developed. The efficacy of this system in reducing air pollution has increasingly come into question, however very little is known about its impact on health or health inequalities. We therefore investigated the effect of declaring an AQMA on emergency hospitalisations for respiratory conditions in the North West Coast region of England, and examined whether the effect differed between more compared to less deprived neighbourhoods.MethodsThis longitudinal controlled ecological study analysed neighbourhoods located within or touching the boundaries of AQMAs declared in the North West Coast region between 2006 and 2016. Each of these intervention neighbourhoods were matched with five control neighbourhoods which had never been located within/touching an AQMA boundary. Difference-in-differences methods were used to compare the change in hospitalisation rates in the intervention neighbourhoods to the change in hospitalisation rates in the matched control neighbourhoods, before and after the declaration of an AQMA.ResultsIn total, 108 intervention neighbourhoods and 540 control neighbourhoods were analysed over the period 2005–2017, giving a total sample size of 8424 neighbourhood-years. Emergency hospitalisations for respiratory conditions decreased in the intervention neighbourhoods by 158 per 100,000 per year [95% CI 90 to 227] after an AQMA was declared relative to the control neighbourhoods. There was a larger decrease in hospitalisation rates following the declaration of an AQMA in more compared to less income deprived neighbourhoods.ConclusionsOur results suggest the LAQM system has contributed to a reduction in emergency hospitalisations for respiratory conditions, and may represent an effective strategy to reduce inequalities in health. These findings highlight the importance of measuring the success of air quality policies not just in terms of air pollution but also in terms of population health.

It All Hinges on China: Environmental Governance in the Twenty-First Century

It All Hinges on China: Environmental Governance in the Twenty-First Century

Health Risks and Benefits of International Travel for Adult Patients With Asthma

Asthma is a very prevalent condition. A significant proportion of patients with asthma will engage in travel for work or leisure purposes. Patients may be fearful of travel, especially during the current COVID-19 global pandemic. However, there are health benefits to be obtained, including leaving an area of high air pollution and travelling to an area of lower air pollution, travelling to high altitude, the beneficial effects of a low trigger environment and the psychological benefits associated with travel. Travel can be associated with improved diet and increased vitamin D exposure. Caution should be taken with alcohol consumption as it may worsen asthma. Whilst bariatric surgery has been shown to improve asthma symptoms and control, there are dangers associated with bariatric surgery tourism that the traveller should be made aware of. Travellers with asthma may experience jet lag and a worsening in their symptoms. Caution is required around exogenous melatonin use. Optimal asthma control pre-travel is essential. The destination should be carefully considered, in terms of air pollution, altitude and possible environmental triggers. Pre-travel, written asthma management plans should be reviewed and updated if necessary. Patients should carry more asthma medications than they think is necessary, including oral corticosteroids and a pressurised metered dose inhaler via spacer. Travellers with asthma should have a self-management plan in the event of exacerbations occurring during travel.

Air pollution and associated self-reported effects on the exposed students at Malakand division, Pakistan.

Air pollution is associated with several severe physical, behavioral, and psychological health risks and glitches. Air pollution has been linked to 11 million premature deaths in Pakistan, out of the total 153 million premature deaths worldwide. Air pollution is continuously growing as a threatening challenge for Pakistan. Keeping this in view, the current study was designed to assess air pollution in terms of air quality index (AQI), particulate matters (PM2.5 and PM10), SO2, NO2, and O3 over six districts of Malakand division, Northern Pakistan. The second part of the study appraised the associated self-reported effects of air pollution on Pakistani students and the practices, perceptions, and awareness of the students regarding air pollution through a closed-ended questionnaire, administered to 4100 students. The first section of the questionnaire was focused on the physical effects associated with air pollution; the second section was focused on air pollution–linked behavior and psychology; the third portion was focused on perception and awareness of the subjects, whereas the final section was focused on practices and concerns of the subjects regarding air pollution. The students reported that exposure to air pollution significantly affected their physical health, behavior, and psychology. The subjects were aware of the different air pollutants and health complications associated with air pollution, and therefore had adopted preventive measures. It was concluded that air pollution had adverse impacts on the physical and psychological health of the respondents, which consequently altered their behavior. Mass awareness, proper mitigating plan, suitable management, and implementation of strict environmental laws are suggested before the air gets further polluted and becomes life-threatening.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10661-021-09484-2.

Связь демографических показателей здоровья населения и экологических факторов в городах России

Results. Comparison of groups of cities with different levels of air pollution in terms of the total fertility rate and the birth-death ratio revealed significant differences between the groups in 2014 (significance levels are 0.018 and 0.025, respectively) and their absence in 2015 and 2016. At the same time, in groups of cities, with an increase in the level of air pollution, an increase in the median values of the total fertility rates and the birth-death rates is noted. Comparison of groups of cities according to the aging index revealed a significant heterogeneity of groups with different levels of air pollution in 2014, 2015, 2016: significance levels are equal to 0.0007; 0.005; 0.002 respectively. In urban groups, with an increase in air pollution, the median value of the aging index decreases. Conclusion. An analysis of the relationship between demographic indicators of population health and the level of air pollution showed that the most sensitive to the level of air pollution are indicators such as the total fertility rate, the birth-death ratio and the aging index. In groups of cities, with an increase in the level of air pollution, the median values of the total fertility rate and the birth-death ratio increase, while the median values of the aging index decrease. The results obtained are consistent with the provisions of the theory of life history evolution. This research was performed according to the Development program of the Interdisciplinary Scientific and Educational School of M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University “The future of the planet and global environmental change”.

Influence of ferrous metallurgy enterprises on atmospheric air quality as an ecological component of territories sustainable development. Report 2

The adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals until 2030 served as an impulse for development and implementation of regulatory legal acts aimed at environmental protection in the Russian Federation, including appropriate fnancial mechanisms. The task of reducing level of air pollution is highlighted in the UN program documents as one of the priorities. The most problematic in terms of air pollution in Russia are 12 cities, seven of which have ferrous metallurgy enterprises. The problems of ecological development of large industrial centers remain (despite the implementation of the state program of the Russian Federation “Environmental Protection” since 2012, and the national project “Ecology” since 2019) introduction of a quota system for pollutant emissions substances, determination of the list of compensatory measures and creation of the federal information system for atmospheric air quality monitoring. In cities such as Krasnoyarsk and Novokuznetsk, the average actual annual concentration of some pollutants, which are highly toxic and carcinogenic substances of I and II hazard classes, exceeds the permissible maximum by 5 – 6 times. We have analyzed content of the reports of the specialized state authorities at the regional level on state and protection of environment. It is concluded that there is no unity of methodological approaches to presentation of analytical information on state and quality of atmospheric air in reports, as well as untimely publication of the reports themselves. The fact of inertia of the institutional environment was revealed in terms of including irrelevant norms in the adopted legal acts, and as a consequence – emergence of expenditure obligations of budgets, without real need for them. It was established that large enterprises of ferrous metallurgy (Chelyabinsk Metallurgical Plant PJSC (Mechel) and Krasnoyarsk Metallurgical Plant LLC), operating in cities with very high levels of air pollution, did not draw up corporate non­fnancial reporting in the GRI format.

Ammonia Volatilization from Fertilizer Urea—A New Challenge for Agriculture and Industry in View of Growing Global Demand for Food and Energy Crops

The growing world population and the necessity to meet its nutritional needs despite the limited area of agricultural land pose a serious challenge for agriculture. Agriculture is responsible for 80–95% of total ammonia emissions to the atmosphere, but at the same time it has great potential to reduce them. Fertilisation with mineral nitrogen (in particular urea) is responsible for 19.0–20.3% of total ammonia emissions emitted from agriculture. Ammonia emissions have a negative impact on the environment and human health, therefore it is important to minimize the volatilization of ammonia and increase fertiliser efficiency. This is important due to the need to mitigate the negative impact of anthropopressure on the environment in terms of air pollution, negative effect on soils and waters. The application of urease inhibitors during fertilisation with nitrogen fertilisers is one method to reduce ammonia emissions from plant production. Another option to achieve this goal is to reverse the global trend toward maximizing the production of energy crops (intensive fertilisation inevitably increasing ammonia emissions to the environment) for the production of biofuels, which is growing rapidly, taking up arable land that could be used for food production. The aim of the review is to identify the impact of recently introduced technologies for reducing ammonia emissions from urea on agricultural productivity, environment, and crops. It is of importance to reconsider optimization of crop production in arable land, possible owing to the progress in the production, modification, and application of mineral fertilisers and changes in crop structure. A broad debate is necessary with policymakers and stakeholders to define new targets allowing introduction of technologies for conversion of energy crops into energy with a minimal impact on food production and environmental issue.

Functional ANOVA approaches for detecting changes in air pollution during the COVID-19 pandemic

Faced with novel coronavirus outbreak, the most hard-hit countries adopted a lockdown strategy to contrast the spread of virus. Many studies have already documented that the COVID-19 control actions have resulted in improved air quality locally and around the world. Following these lines of research, we focus on air quality changes in the urban territory of Chieti-Pescara (Central Italy), identified as an area of criticality in terms of air pollution. Concentrations of hbox {NO}_{{2}}, hbox {PM}_{{10}}, hbox {PM}_{2.5} and benzene are used to evaluate air pollution changes in this Region. Data were measured by several monitoring stations over two specific periods: from 1st February to 10 th March 2020 (before lockdown period) and from 11st March 2020 to 18 th April 2020 (during lockdown period). The impact of lockdown on air quality is assessed through functional data analysis. Our work makes an important contribution to the analysis of variance for functional data (FANOVA). Specifically, a novel approach based on multivariate functional principal component analysis is introduced to tackle the multivariate FANOVA problem for independent measures, which is reduced to test multivariate homogeneity on the vectors of the most explicative principal components scores. Results of the present study suggest that the level of each pollutant changed during the confinement. Additionally, the differences in the mean functions of all pollutants according to the location and type of monitoring stations (background vs traffic), are ascribable to the hbox {PM}_{{10}} and benzene concentrations for pre-lockdown and during-lockdown tenure, respectively. FANOVA has proven to be beneficial to monitoring the evolution of air quality in both periods of time. This can help environmental protection agencies in drawing a more holistic picture of air quality status in the area of interest.

PERTANGGUNGJAWABAN NEGARA TERHADAP KASUS KEBAKARAN HUTAN DAN LAHAN DI INDONESIA MENURUT PRINSIP ASEAN AGREEMENT ON TRANSBOUNDARY HAZE POLLUTION

Forest fire is a phenomenon that is often encountered in various countries, including Indonesia. Indonesia as a country that is often hit by forest fires annually. Forest fires can arise from intentional or unintentional factors. The impact that can be caused by the existence of forest fires is in terms of air pollution which has an impact on other countries. This study will analyze and examine various legal aspects of how the state is responsible, in this case, Indonesia for the losses suffered by other countries. The formulation of the problem in this research is about how to account for the aspects of the international law contained in the AATHP, and how to analyze the settlement of international law on fire cases in Indonesia. The method used in this paper is normative juridical. The data and the field facts presented in this paper are obtained from printed and online sources. This study confirms that forest fire is the responsibility of the Indonesian state in the perspective of international law, one of them is in the arrangement of the Asean Agreement On Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP). Keywords: AATHP; Forest and land fires; State responsibility

From Acid Rain to Low Precipitation: The Role Reversal of Norway Spruce, Silver Fir, and European Beech in a Selection Mountain Forest and Its Implications for Forest Management

Research Highlights: We make use of long term observation data from a selection forest in Bavaria. Despite the changing environmental conditions, stand level productivity remains constant over time. Maintaining species and structural diversity by forest management can contribute to resilient forest ecosystems. Background and Objectives: Forests in mountains are similarly affected by environmental changes like those in northern latitudes as species are closer to the edge of their ecological niche. There are recent studies that report species-specific responses to climate change in unmanaged, mono-layered mountain mixed forests. We analyze how environmental changes modify the growth of multi-layered, managed selection forest, which are often targeted for stabilization and risk prevention. We pose the central hypothesis that different species-specific susceptibility to disturbances and structural diversity contribute to ecosystem stability. Materials and Methods: Based on the long-term experiment Freyung 129 in the montane zone of the Bavarian Forest, Germany we analyze long term chronologies of periodic single tree and stand growth of Norway Spruce, silver fir, and European beech in dependence of environmental factors and forest management. Results: First, we show that despite environmental changes in terms of air pollution and drought stress, productivity at stand level persists constantly because of structural diversity and species traits. Second, we show that the species-specific contribution to total stand growth and growth distribution among stem diameter classes may change over time; the species interactions balance total growth. Third, we reveal a role reversal of tree species growth pattern. N. spruce was superior in growth in the first half and was replaced by s. fir in the second half of the survey period. Fourth, we identify the interplay of different stress factors on species-specific growth as the main cause for species-specific asynchronous but growth stabilizing reaction pattern. Finally, we show that density regulation was limited in its impacts to mitigate prevailing stress factors. Conclusions: We discuss the reasons for the observed stability of productivity. We interpret results, where especially the diversity of species and structure typical for selection forests result in stable productivity and wider plateau of the density-productivity relationship, and the suitability of the selection forest concept for risk prevention and stress resilience. We conclude that species composition and stand structure of selection forestry in mixed mountain contribute to climate smart forestry.