Application Of Environmental Assessment Research Articles

Study on the Application of Environmental Assessment of Recycling of Domestic Waste Plastic Pyrolysis Oil for Naphtha Utilization

Study on the Application of Environmental Assessment of Recycling of Domestic Waste Plastic Pyrolysis Oil for Naphtha Utilization

A GPS-enabled seabed sediment sampler: Recovery efficiency and efficacy.

The design, manufacture, and commissioning of a global positioning system enabled sampler instrument conceived for the retrieval of seabed sediments are described. This system was designed for sampling in environmental assessment applications and, especially, those requirements that might include insoluble, anthropogenic radioactivity derived from the effluent from nuclear facilities. Once triggered, the sampler operates autonomously for the recovery of samples by settling in the sampling environment, and it is compatible with submersion in fresh water and also with an off-the-shelf, submersible, remotely operated vehicle. A number of tests have been carried out to determine the efficiency and efficacy of the sample recovery performed by the system and the extent to which the recovery of samples disturbs neighboring sediments.

Evaluation of Esox Lucius Housekeeping Genes by Means of: PCR, LAMP and NASBA for the Application of Environmental Assessment

Evaluation of Esox Lucius Housekeeping Genes by Means of: PCR, LAMP and NASBA for the Application of Environmental Assessment

Methodological basis of orthotransformed space images application for the environmental assessment and software of research

In the conditions of scientific and technological progress, the relationship of society with nature has become much more complicated. Man got the opportunity to influence the course of natural processes, started to use almost all available renewable and non-renewable natural resources, and as a result, began to pollute and destroy the environment. Specialists of the State Ecological Academy of Postgraduate Education and Management, within the framework of the scientific work “Development of the methodological basis of orthotransformed satellite imagery application in environmental assessment”, solved an actual scientific and applied task, which is to form a methodological basis for the use of orthotransformed satellite imagery to create information services for environmental monitoring of objects of critical infrastructure and expanding the capacity of the National Center of the provision of central executive authorities of information about the results of environmental monitoring based on space systems data through the development of methods of using orthotransformated satellite imagery for the assessment of the environmental state. The possibilities of using multispectral space images to assess the state of the environment are determined and the necessary software for this is given. Based on the classification algorithm of enterprises and objects of critical infrastructure of Ukraine, a GIS-compatible database of objects of critical infrastructure of Ukraine classified by their environmental impact was developed and a methodology for using orthotransformed satellite imagery was developed to assess the impact of the corresponding categories of critical infrastructure facilities of Ukraine on the state of the environment. During creating the ideology of geographic information systems, the requirements for technical means on which the service should be deployed, the procedure for maintaining, filling and updating the database of objects of critical infrastructure of Ukraine, the mechanism and procedure for visualizing impact assessments of all objects of the developed base based on GIS-systems.

Broadband Acoustic Vibration Sensor Based on Cladding-Mode Resonance of Double-Cladding Fiber

We have proposed and demonstrated a double-cladding fiber (DCF) with cladding-mode resonance property for broadband acoustic vibration sensing. Since the fundamental mode in the core waveguide is able to be coupled to LP05 mode in the tube waveguide once the phase-matching condition is fulfilled, the transmission spectrum can exhibit a dip with a large extinction ratio. An acoustic vibration could induce the wavelength shift of such transmission spectrum, so that the intensity variation at a wavelength near the dip is coded with the information of the acoustic vibration signal. By demodulating the response of intensity variation, the frequency of the applied acoustic vibration signal can be recovered. Such a DCF-based sensor with an intensity modulation could measure the acoustic vibration with a broadband frequency range from 1 Hz to 400 kHz and exhibits the maximum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of ~80.79 dB when the vibration frequency is 20 kHz. The obtained results show that the proposed DCF-based acoustic vibration sensor has a potential application in environmental assessment, structural damage detection, and health monitoring.

Technique for orthotransformed satellite imagery application in environmental assessment

Technique for orthotransformed satellite imagery application in environmental assessment

Consideration and influence of climate change in environmental assessment: an analysis of British Columbia’s liquid natural gas sector

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the consideration of climate change in environmental assessment (EA) in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector, British Columbia, Canada. Based on an analysis of recent EA applications, results show that climate change is considered, to some extent, in all phases of EA for most LNG projects. However, stakeholders indicate a dissatisfaction with practice – often based on expectations about EA that exceed what it can deliver as a project-based tool, and sometimes based on an incomplete understanding of existing climate change legislation and targets. Results also indicate inconsistent application of existing climate change requirements across project EAs. Notwithstanding proponents often addressing climate change in their EA applications, climate change tends to receive little attention in project decision and approval conditions. The paper concludes with recommendations for better practice climate change consideration in EA that is commensurate with the scope and scale of project-level issues, complemented by more strategic EA and economic instruments.

Human health, development legacies, and cumulative effects: environmental assessments of hydroelectric projects in the Nelson River watershed, Canada

ABSTRACTThis article examines the current practice of assessing a project’s cumulative effects to health and well-being in a region characterized by a legacy of resource development and Indigenous land use. The context is hydroelectric development in northern Manitoba, Canada. Based on a review of environmental assessment (EA) regulatory applications and panel reports, results indicate that the consideration of health in EA has improved over time, with proponents adopting a holistic definition of health, but impact analyses remained restricted to physical health conditions with social and cultural health impacts to Indigenous communities receiving only limited attention. Multiple common indicators were identified across recent EA applications that relate to health and well-being, but they were not mapped to health determinants, supported by only limited analysis of causal mechanisms, and rarely used to assess the significance of project actions in combination with past projects and the enduring impacts of a 55-year legacy of hydroelectric development. The article concludes with a discussion of the state of practice and offers suggestions for improved coordination of EA for assessing cumulative effects to health and well-being, including adoption of Indigenous health determinants, and the roles of governments and proponents regarding the consideration of legacy effects in project reviews.

EU Environmental Law, Governance and Decision-Making. By Maria Lee

EU Environmental Law, Governance and Decision-Making should be on the reading list of any researcher, teacher and student of European Union (EU) environmental law. The 2014 edition updates the previous book EU Environmental Law: Challenges, Change and Decision-Making (2005, Hart Publishing) and introduces new material. ‘EU Environmental Law, Governance and Decision-Making’ provides in 10 chapters a concise yet comprehensive and critical introduction to key cross-cutting themes and substantive areas of EU environmental law. The book’s discussion spans an analysis of EU primary and secondary legislation, as well as in-depth analysis of key cases decided by the European Courts. More specifically the book provides an account of the formal legal framework for EU environmental standards, in particular the primary Treaty law relevant to the protection of the environment, with the first chapter on this topic also including a discussion of the significance of the EU Charter on Fundamental Rights to EU environmental law. The subsequent chapters develop further key themes that provide insights into EU environmental law as a particular type of environmental decision-making. Among these are the often contested role of experts, politics and institutions in environmental decision-making, the pursuit of sustainable development through EU environmental law, as well as a scene-setting chapter on ‘instruments and governance’. The latter introduces the reader to topical developments in environmental regulation, such as the use of economic incentive instruments, voluntary regulation as well as information as a tool of regulation. There are two further chapters that discuss cross-cutting themes, one on participation in environmental decision-making in the Member States, which focuses on the application of environmental assessment, including Strategic Environmental Assessment. A further chapter discusses participation in environmental decision-making at the EU level, which extends also to a discussion of access to information at the EU level as a precursor for the meaningful exercise of rights to participation.

Quality assessment and hydrogeochemical status of potable water resources in a suburban area of northern Greece (Thermi Municipality, central Macedonia)

Twenty-seven (27) tap water samples were collected during October 2012 from the supply network of Thermi Municipality (central Macedonia, northern Greece) in order to assess their hydrogeochemical signatures and the overall quality status according to the European legislation and international standards. Samples were analysed for a total of 25 environmentally significant parameters including physicochemical properties (pH, EC, colour, turbidity and hardness), major and minor ions (Ca2+, Mg2+, NO3-, NO2-, NH4+, Cl−, SO42-, F−, and CN−) and trace elements (B, Sb, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Hg, Ni, Se, and Mn). The vast majority of the parameters appeared in values below the maximum admissible concentration for potable waters. Individual elevated concentrations of B and NH4+ may be attributed to natural (geogenic) factors related with local lithology and anthropogenic influences possibly deriving from agricultural practices (excessive use of N-fertilizers). The assessments of the analytical results were validated with the use of PoS index, which classified nearly all samples of low to medium quality degradation and outlined the dominant triggering parameters affecting the hydrogeochemical status. These parameters included, apart from ammonium and boron, chromium, fluoride and nitrates. PoS index proved to be a versatile tool to communicate environmental information of groundwater quality characteristics, especially in environmental monitoring projects, since it abets to understand the overall evaluation of water quality. In addition, PoS application offers a valuable alternative for on-the-spot comprehensive and comparative analysis of all available water quality data, and may be used as a screening tool for environmental assessment applications.

Uncovering the factors that can support and impede post-disaster EIA practice in developing countries: The case of Aceh Province, Indonesia

The close relationship between environmental degradation and the occurrence and severity of disaster events has in recent years raised the profile of environmental assessment (EA) in the disaster management field. EA has been identified as a potentially supportive tool in the global effort to reduce disaster risk. As a component of this, attention has been brought specifically to the importance of the application of EA in the aftermath of disaster events in order to help prevent recurrence and promote sustainability. At the same time, however, it has also been recognised that post-disaster environments may be unfavourable to such practices. Looking at the practice of environmental impact assessment (EIA), this paper reports on a study which sought to identify more specifically the factors which can both support and hinder such practice following disaster events in a developing country context. Analysing the situation in Aceh Province, Indonesia, after the impact of two tsunamigenic earthquakes in late 2004 and early 2005, it is concluded that if EIA is to have a central role in the post-disaster period, pre-disaster preparation could be a key.

A new approach to predicting environmental transfer of radionuclides to wildlife: A demonstration for freshwater fish and caesium

The application of the concentration ratio (CR) to predict radionuclide activity concentrations in wildlife from those in soil or water has become the widely accepted approach for environmental assessments. Recently both the ICRP and IAEA have produced compilations of CR values for application in environmental assessment. However, the CR approach has many limitations, most notably, that the transfer of most radionuclides is largely determined by site-specific factors (e.g. water or soil chemistry). Furthermore, there are few, if any, CR values for many radionuclide-organism combinations. In this paper, we propose an alternative approach and, as an example, demonstrate and test this for caesium and freshwater fish. Using a Residual Maximum Likelihood (REML) mixed-model regression we analysed a dataset comprising 597 entries for 53 freshwater fish species from 67 sites. The REML analysis generated a mean value for each species on a common scale after REML adjustment taking account of the effect of the inter-site variation. Using an independent dataset, we subsequently test the hypothesis that the REML model outputs can be used to predict radionuclide, in this case radiocaesium, activity concentrations in unknown species from the results of a species which has been sampled at a specific site. The outputs of the REML analysis accurately predicted 137Cs activity concentrations in different species of fish from 27 Finnish lakes; these data had not been used in our initial analyses. We recommend that this alternative approach be further investigated for other radionuclides and ecosystems.

Application of Strategic Environmental Assessment to Eco-Industrial Parks: Raibano Case in Italy

AbstractEnvironmental issues are considered increasingly more important in the field of industrial production, especially in the early stages of the planning processes: Eco-industrial parks seem to be effective planning models to reduce environmental impact and to increase firm competitiveness at the same time. By describing the Raibano industrial area planning process, this paper investigates the opportunities offered by strategic environmental assessment as an effective and suitable method in developing real eco-industrial parks. The assessment procedure, also supported by some prediction models, has been implemented by considering the environmental effects generated by the industrial park development and use on every environmental component, and the consequent precondition, mitigation, and remediation measures. The illustrated case shows that the application of environmental assessment principles to an early decision-making level enables the enhancement of some key features of eco-industrial parks, suc...

Strategic Environmental Assessment in Latin America: A methodological proposal for urban planning in the Metropolitan Area of Concepción (Chile)

This work describes a methodology for Strategic Environmental Assessment of urban areas in Latin America based on the recently approved European Planning Directive, and applies it to the Metropolitan Area of Concepción (Chile). The method is based on the Land Suitability Index (LSI), a cartographic GIS-based index originally developed for the region of Barcelona (Spain) and aimed at determining the suitability of each point in a region for urban development, considering three sub-indexes: (i) Naturalness, (ii) Ecological Connectivity and (iii) Natural Risk. Using the LSI we evaluated the already approved urban plans of the municipalities in the region, considering two scenarios: the initial land use or baseline scenario (S0) and the designated land use or planned scenario (S1). The results show that overall the planned scenario will result in a loss of around 16% of naturalness, with particularly negative effects on brushwood and wetland areas. Connectivity will decrease by around 17%, and urban areas exposed to many types of natural risks will increase considerably, from approximately 49% to 92% of the total urban surface. Finally the LSI shows that around 252ha are suitable for new urbanization in the extension area. This corresponds to around 0.7% of the total extension area (37.381ha), which represents 12% of the region (271.398ha). We propose this methodology can be a valuable contribution to the design of Strategic Environmental Assessment applications and indicators for land planning in Latin America.

Sustainable or Green Construction in Lagos, Nigeria: Principles, Attributes and Framework

The concept of sustainable development is used as a basis for enhancing understanding of sustainable construction. Principles of sustainable construction cover four attributes: social, economic, biophysical and technical. The research examined these concepts, principles and attributes in understanding sustainable and green construction as well as current practices and challenges of sustainable construction in Lagos, Nigeria. The research embraced both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. The sample frame is the total number of built industry registered and practising professionals in Lagos. A total number of 85 respondents were randomly selected for study from each group. A 5-point likert scale was used to assess respondents’ judgement on the identified social, economic, bio-physical and technical indicators. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were also conducted with all the above professional groups to corroborate the primary information. For a wider coverage, three different construction sites are selected to reflect income neighbourhoods-Lekki (high income), Yaba (medium income) and Bariga (low income). Data Collected were analysed using the mean item score. A multi- stage framework which required the application of environmental assessment and environment management systems for construction projects was utilised. Research findings indicate that the most important factors considered for sustainable construction with their mean item scores are quality of working conditions (0.852) strengthening and enforcement of relevant law and regulations(0.872), encouraging construction waste management(0.819) and design for flexibility and adaptability. Results from the FGDs indicate that the current practice on sustainable construction does not take into consideration integrated design process, acoustic and visual comfort in the planning and construction of sustainable projects. The research therefore concludes that government should improve existing laws to enhance quality of working life, education, training as well as knowledge management for all stakeholders in sustainable construction.

Strategic environmental assessment application for sustainable transport-related air quality policies: a case study in Hanoi City, Vietnam

Recognition has grown among policy-makers that early in the decision-making process, there is a need for an environmental assessment of the effects of the policy, plan, and program (PPP) and their alternatives. Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is widely recognized as a supporting tool that systematically integrates environmental aspects into strategic decision-making processes, thereby contributing to sustainable development. In this study, SEA was applied for an integrated assessment of environmental, social, and economic impacts of a wide range of scenarios for transport-related air quality policies to help decision-makers in identifying the most sustainable scenario with the purpose of reducing carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations from transport emissions in Hanoi City, Vietnam. In conducting SEA process, the urban air dispersion model MUAIR was used as a quantitative tool in prediction of CO concentrations. To evaluate the predicted impacts of scenarios, the SEA objectives concerning sustainability and the corresponding sustainable indicators were identified. Based on the likely significant predicted impacts on landscape, biodiversity, and health benefits, mitigation measures were proposed. These included planning in infrastructure development and implementation of public education campaign. The results of predicted and evaluated impacts of scenarios as well as proposed mitigation measures were taken into account for supporting sound decision-making that is consistent with the principles of sustainable development. Considering sustainable impacts of the scenarios, the SEA result clearly indicates that a combination of policy for public transport development and policy for installation of oxidation catalytic converter for motorcycles is the most sustainable scenario for reducing CO concentrations from transport emissions.

THE EVOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT DEBATES: CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES FROM SOUTH AFRICA

This paper explores the evolution of environmental assessment (EA) debates over the last decade within the South African context as reflected in the proceedings of the annual International Association for Impact Assessment, South African chapter (IAIAsa) conferences between 1997 and 2008. Retrospective analysis is important to ensure that the profession avoids unlearning key lessons, keeps and gains perspective, builds the knowledge base and plans for the future. The analysis involved a review of 472 papers presented at these conferences. The results suggest that debates have shifted away from concerns with quality and application of environmental assessment towards serious questions about effectiveness and the value that environmental assessment is adding. It is clear that the profession is currently going through a period of intense introspection, questioning the need for and contribution of EA.

Environmental assessment framework for identifying and mitigating the effects of linear development to wetlands

Notwithstanding various environmental assessment legislations and policies for wetland conservation in Canada, wetland habitat continues to be lost to the cumulative effects of development on the landscape. Ensuring no net loss of wetlands requires consideration of the direct, indirect, and potentially induced effects of development; however, many projects that affect wetlands are often deemed insignificant and do not trigger any formal environmental assessment process. When such small scale or routine projects are assessed, indirect and induced effects, and in particular effects to small or seasonal wetlands, are often not included in impact assessment and subsequent wetland mitigation. As a result, mitigation of the total or cumulative effects to wetlands is often insufficient or completely lacking in development planning and impact assessment. Part of the problem is that there currently exists only limited guidance as to how to identify effects to wetlands in project planning and environmental assessment for relatively routine, small-scale projects. In response, this paper presents a methodological framework for the integration of effects to wetlands in project planning and environmental assessment application. Focused on effects to wetlands from linear developments, in particular transportation corridors, a four-phase, nine-step assessment framework is developed to provide guidance to effects assessment for wetlands during the early stages of project planning. The framework will aid practitioners and regulators in identifying the potential effects of a project to wetlands, and in determining the acceptability of impact management practices. Although situated in the Canadian context, the framework and principles are broadly applicable in other jurisdictions.

Strategic environmental assessment application in spatial planning in Serbia

Since two and a half year long Strategic Environmental Assessment application in Serbia is limited to spatial and urban plans with great variety in its quality, good SEA practice should be applied, and different approach towards SEA must be developed. These and other issues are discussed in the paper and main recommendations on SEA improvements in Serbia presented.

European hydraulic geometries for continental SCALE environmental modelling

Summary This paper presents a geo-exploratory analysis carried out using publicly accessible data to estimate river channel width and mean lake depth. These two parameters, combined with other more readily available information, are key in many environmental assessment applications such as sedimentological and ecological studies, and the prediction of surface water residence times. For river width, runoff estimates have been used to produce a European map of mean annual discharge based on the flow accumulation computed for the GTOPO30 digital elevation model (DEM). A regression equation is fitted to predict river width as a function of river discharge. For lake depth, a landscape roughness index has been calculated on the GTOPO30 DEM. Based on this index, a regression equation predicts lake depth, allowing to populate the existing geographic databases with information on estimated depth. Using these models for river width and lake depth it is possible to compute “representative” values of velocity and depth in rivers, as well as residence time in lakes at a pan-European level. These parameters define the hydraulic geometry of European inland waters for typical conditions with errors on the predictions generally within a factor of 2. Errors are generally unbiased, and geographic patterns (such as macroscopic differentiation of catchments and physiographic environments) are reproduced in a qualitatively correct way, so that overall representativeness of the values for continental scale modelling is further corroborated.