Assessment Of Environmental Aspects Research Articles

EVALUASI PENERAPAN SANITASI DI TEMPAT WISATA AGAMA

One of the religious tourist destinations available to the public in Jambi City is the Agung Al-Falah Mosque. This mosque is used for worship, this mosque is often utilized for major religious activities. The Grand Mosque of Al-Falah has a rich history. It was constructed in the 18th century by Sultan Thaha Syaifuddin, a leader of the Jambi Sultanate at that time. As a result, this mosque has become one of the significant historical heritages in the city of Jambi. This study aims to examine the implementation of sanitation standards for public places in the Agung Al-Falah Mosque tour in Jambi City. The research employs a mixed-method approach, which combines qualitative and quantitative methods. The assessment is conducted using a checklist and interview instruments, and the collected data are presented. Based on the research findings, it is evident that the assessment of Environmental Aspects (both outside the yard and inside the structure) achieved a percentage of 97.5%, while Sanitation Facilities (Clean Water, Wastewater, Garbage, and Bathrooms) attained a percentage value of 100%. The total score for all sanitation variables used amounted to 98.5%. So, the sanitation implemented in the religious tourism site of the Agung Al-Falah Mosque in Jambi City is deemed healthy, as the total variable score surpasses 75%.

Environmental impacts of organic agriculture and the controversial scientific debates

The environmental impacts of organic agriculture have been controversially discussed in the scientific community for many years. There are still conflicting views on how far organic agriculture can help address environmental and resource challenges, and whether its promotion is an appropriate policy approach to solving existing socioecological problems. So far, no clear perspective on these questions has been established. How can this be explained? And is there a “lock-in” of the scientific discourse? The aim of this paper is to retrace the scientific discourse on this topic and to derive possible explanations as to why environmental impacts of organic agriculture continue to be assessed differently. To this end, a qualitative content analysis was conducted with a sample of n = 93 scientific publications. In addition, expert interviews were conducted to verify the results of the literature analysis. Two main lines of discussion were identified: first, the extent to which aspects of food security should be included in the assessment of environmental aspects (thematic frame); second, the extent to which net environmental impacts or possible leakage effects because of lower yield levels should be considered (spatial frame). It is concluded that the polarizing debate mainly results from the often-binary initial question (is organic agriculture superior to conventional agriculture?). Further, aspects that have been insufficiently illuminated so far, such as the choice of reference units or normative basic assumptions in scientific sustainability assessments, should be given greater consideration in the discourse.

Replicate DNA metabarcoding can discriminate seasonal and spatial abundance shifts in river macroinvertebrate assemblages

Metabarcoding is capable of delivering consistent and accurate fine-resolution biodiversity data, and offers great promise for improving aspects of environmental assessment and research. Even so, many ecologists are keen to make further inferences about species’ abundances and the number of sequence reads has proven to be a poor proxy for abundance. The conservative interpretation has been to treat metabarcoding data as presence/absence, and although such data are less rich, occurrence and abundance are only different expressions of the same phenomenon. Interestingly if we assume the probability of detecting individuals is constant, it should be possible to use changes in the frequency of detection to infer changes in the underlying abundance. We tested the possibility that changes in the abundance structure of benthic macroinvertebrate communities could be recovered using replicated metabarcoding. We conducted 5 monthly surveys from Jun-Nov 2019 at the Catamaran Brook, a small tributary of the Little Southwest Miramichi River in New Brunswick, Canada. Each survey collected 30 benthic samples divided between control and treatment cages that excluded predatory fish. A further 6 samples were taken for traditional microscopic identification and counting. Analysis of the metabarcoding data demonstrated that we could recover plausible changes in abundance from occurrence data, including significant responses to both seasonal dynamics and the experimental exclusion of predators. The microscopy samples merely confirmed that count data are highly stochastic, and therefore while specific estimates of expected abundance from our model are highly uncertain, they capture those differences we could validate. In summary, while we confirmed that occurrence data are more robust for routine bioassessment, it is possible to recover fine-resolution changes in abundance that can inform ecological studies using metabarcoding.

Ecologically related transformation of the logistics theory: directions and content

In the context of sustainable development, the need to improve the models of functioning and development of society, as well as the scientific knowledge underlying them is urgent. In particular, an ecologically oriented improvement of logistics science is needed to ensure the full use of its tools to resolve the modern socio-ecological and economic problems of resource use. In this regard, it is important to identify the directions and content of the ecologically related transformation of theoretical and methodological foundations of logistics, which is the purpose of this article. The paper outlines the main directions of logistic theory change in the context of the sustainable development paradigm. These changes embrace the improvement of the methodological basis of logistic science on the ground of provisions of ecological economics, environmental ethics, and principles of industrial ecology, etc. As a result, modern logistic management goals and objectives include environmental and social targets, and wider interpretation of material flow allows to manage the waste, emissions, secondary materials, and flaw components. The improvement of a methodical framework of logistic decision-making is associated with the environmentally adjusted calculation and analysis of total costs, proceeding from the assessment of environmental aspects of flow processes through the use of material flows analysis and life cycle assessment tools. Thus, the conceptual provisions of logistics may be used to solve various tasks in the context of sustainable development, in particular: to minimize the negative environmental impact of certain production process, enterprise, network (supply chain), as well as to form the regulatory framework for the promotion of ecoindustrial parks.

Methodology for planning environmental management systems by drawing upon the Industrial Emissions Directive: A case study at a Spanish metal surface treatment company

Companies with an IPPC Permit have a high commitment to environmental improvement and are at a good starting point for the implementation of an Environmental Management System (EMS). The results of a survey of companies with IPPC Permits indicate that 45% do not have an EMS, although 44% of them have considered the possibility of implementing one. The "PLANGESMA″ methodology allows companies that have an IPPC permit to plan an EMS based on the ISO 14001: 2015 Standard, facilitating the identification of environmental aspects and legal requirements based on the terms of the IPPC permit, and the development of an environmental improvement plan. The identification and assessment of environmental aspects is made with a combination of risk assessment-based and criterion-based methods. This new methodology is validated with the Validation Square framework and applied as a case study at a Spanish company in the metal surface treatment sector. The results highlight the possibility of promoting Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production with a relatively small effort.

Elaboración de un Plan de Gestión Ambiental para el Parque Nacional Morrocoy, Venezuela

Ante la dificultad para prevenir los impactos ambientales sobre ecosistemas costeros se propone un método que centra los esfuerzos de evaluación y gestión en sus causas. Las causas de los impactos, llamadas aspectos ambientales (efluentes líquidos, residuos sólidos, emisiones atmosféricas), pueden predecirse, medirse y evaluarse con precisión y con un enfoque preventivo. Se desarrolló un procedimiento que consiste en identificar los Aspectos Ambientales y contrastarlos con una serie de criterios independientes (límites legales, sensibilidad del medio, riesgos). Se aplicó el método en ecosistemas costeros del Parque Nacional Morrocoy, con énfasis en el arrecife, para evaluar los impactos (degradación del arrecife) y sus causas (aspectos ambientales) proponiendo un Plan de Gestión Ambiental que minimice dichos aspectos ambientales y consecuentemente mitigue los impactos continuos sobre el arrecife. Por lo que se concluye que la gestión de los aspectos ambientales en las zonas costeras es una forma eficaz de prevenir los impactos ambientales, y en particular la degradación del arrecife, independientemente de los efectos ambientales globales, sobre los que los actores locales no tienen control.

Оценка экологических аспектов обеспечения устойчивого функционирования газотранспортной системы региона

Оценка экологических аспектов обеспечения устойчивого функционирования газотранспортной системы региона

Tool for the identification and assessment of Environmental Aspects in Ports (TEAP)

A new tool to assist port authorities in identifying aspects and in assessing their significance (TEAP) has been developed. The present research demonstrates that although there is a high percentage of European ports that have already identified their Significant Environmental Aspects (SEA), most of these ports do not use any standardized method. This suggests that some of the procedures used may not necessarily be science-based, systematic in approach or appropriate for the purpose of implementing effective environmental management. For the port sector as a whole, where the free-exchange of environmental information and experience is an established policy of the European Sea Ports Organization's (ESPO) and the EcoPorts Network, developing a tool to assist ports in identifying SEAs can be very useful. This method has been developed in the framework of the PERSEUS research project, after analysing the strengths, weaknesses and challenges of the existing techniques, the recommendations from the Environmental Management System (EMS) standards and the advice of specialists. This is a computer-based tool (www.eports.cat) that provides a quick calculation and result, and it is designed to be as user-friendly as possible in order to facilitate its completion by the user (i.e. port environmental manager). This methodology comprises two main steps, firstly the identification of the major environmental aspects that may be generated in a port, and secondly, assessing their significance. This tool can be applied to any type of port but it provides specific results for each one.

Classification and Assessment of Environmental Aspects of Converter and Electric Steel Plants

The topic of this publication is classification and assessment of environmental aspects in metallurgical enterprise on an example of steel plant. The analysis included aspects which have negative influence on the environment. Taking into account the structure of the proceedings of the process of melting steel in converter and electric furnaces there were key aspects established which are treated as priority in investment programs and current activities within environmental protection process in order to limit their negative influence on the environment. The publication proposes a method of acting in the assessment of environmental aspects for each type of steel plant. The publication can be useful for the engineers and technologies from staff and to services taking care of environmental protection in metallurgical enterprises.

Assessment of Environmental Aspects and Impacts of Scientific Laboratories of a University: Focus on Gap Analysis and Environmental Management System (EMS) Implementation

Environmental Management System (EMS) has become an important tool for organizations looking towards managing their environmental issues such as pollution, legal compliance and minimizing their environmental impacts. The present study was conducted to assess the environmental aspects and impact of selected scientific laboratories of Jahangirnagar University in Bangladesh with focus on the gap analysis for implementing EMS. Data and information were collected through frequent laboratory visits, focus group discussion, questionnaire survey and key informant interview. It was found that EMS was not implemented in the laboratories and the staffs and researchers of the university had very limited idea about EMS. Surface water, air and soil pollution; unsafe mixing and handling of hazardous materials and chemicals; unsustainable storage of chemicals and reagents; improper use of personal protective equipment found as the main environmental challenges in these laboratories. The maximum negative environmental impact occurred in the chemistry and botany laboratories, as large number of researchers’ here used high amount of chemicals and cultured media, while the minimum pollution was found in microbiology and environmental sciences laboratories. Although, the overall pollution levels were low, there were lots of gaps in introducing EMS. Therefore, initiatives should be taken. Jahangirnagar University Environmental Bulletin, Vol.2, 9-17, 2013 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jueb.v2i0.16325

LCA in Environmental Management Systems—Results of Individual Interviews with Selected Enterprises from Poland and Sweden

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an analytical tool used for the environmental optimization of products and services within the entirety of its life cycle. ISO 14040 recommends use of the technique in numerous areas of environmental management such as in designing for the environment, eco-labelling, environmental communications and the assessment of the effects of environmental activities. Despite being theoretically feasible, certain applications of the ecological assessment of a life cycle such as the possibility of identification and evaluation of environmental aspects with the use of LCA are, in practice, still new to many environmental managers. With its strong points, the technique seems to be a valuable tool, especially in the context of apparent concepts of Product-Oriented Environmental Management Systems (POEMS). In order to verify the hypothesis, the author decided to verify the level of use of LCA in the area of identification and assessment of environmental aspects in selected organizations. Therefore, questionnaire interviews were conducted with representatives of selected Polish and Swedish enterprises who, at the time of the interview, had certified environmental management systems. The organizations were analyzed with respect to applied methods and techniques used for identification and assessment of environmental aspects as well as the degree of use of LCA both in this respect and in other areas of environmental management. This paper will present the results of this research and conclusions.

LCA as an element in environmental management systems—comparison of conditions in selected organisations in Poland, Sweden and Germany

Purpose In this two-part paper (Background and Initial Assumptions (Part 1) and Results of Survey Research (Part 2)), we present surveys whose main objective is to determine, whether and to what extent the life cycle assessment (LCA) technique is used for the identification and assessment of environmental aspects in environmental management systems (EMS) and whether there are any differences in this respect between the companies and countries analysed. Methods The survey research was carried out using the computer assisted self-administered interviewing (CASI) method among selected Polish, German and Swedish organisations which implement EMS in accordance with the requirements of ISO 14001 and/or the EMAS regulation. Results The organisations investigated, regardless of their country, are dominated by qualitative and semi-quantitative techniques of assessment and identification of environmental aspects. LCA was used sporadically, although some differences can be observed between the countries analysed. Conclusions The environmental managers accustomed to traditional qualitative and semi-quantitative solutions, have not been given preparation to enable them to understand and adopt the different approaches such as LCA. On the other hand, representatives of the organisations investigated declared that they were ready to accept an even longer timescale for the identification and assessment processes relating to environmental aspects, which represents a potential opportunity for LCA. The more precise understanding and definition of environmental problems that are precisely defined in LCA would represent a novelty for environmental managers. In practice, environmental problems are defined in a general sense and rather ambiguously, as this level of detail is sufficient in the context of qualitative and semi-quantitative techniques commonly used for the identification and assessment of environmental aspects.

LCA as an element in environmental management systems—comparison of conditions in selected organisations in Poland, Sweden and Germany

In this two-part paper (Background and Initial Assumptions (part 1) and Results of Survey Research (part 2)), we present surveys whose main objective is to determine whether, and to what extent, the life cycle assessment (LCA) technique is used for the identification and assessment of environmental aspects in environmental management systems (EMS) and whether there are any differences in this respect between the companies and countries analysed. The survey research was carried out using the computer assisted self-administered interviewing method among selected Polish, German and Swedish organisations which implement EMS in accordance with the requirements of ISO 14001 and/or the EMAS regulation. The organisations investigated, regardless of their country, are dominated by qualitative and semi-quantitative techniques of assessment and identification of environmental aspects. LCA was used sporadically, although some differences can be observed between the countries analysed. The environmental managers accustomed to traditional qualitative and semi-quantitative solutions have not been given preparation to enable them to understand and adopt different approaches such as LCA. On the other hand, representatives of the organisations investigated declared that they were ready to accept an even longer timescale for the identification and assessment processes relating to environmental aspects, which represents a potential opportunity for LCA. The more precise understanding and definition of environmental problems that are precisely defined in LCA would represent a novelty for environmental managers. In practice, environmental problems are defined in a general sense and rather ambiguously, as this level of detail is sufficient in the context of qualitative and semi-quantitative techniques commonly used for the identification and assessment of environmental aspects.

Assessment of Environmental Aspects at Livestock Manure Treatment and Food Residuals Utilization from Life Cycle Assessment

Assessment of Environmental Aspects at Livestock Manure Treatment and Food Residuals Utilization from Life Cycle Assessment

Environmental life cycle assessment as a tool for identification and assessment of environmental aspects in environmental management systems (EMS) part 1: methodology

The paper presents a discussion on the possibilities of using life cycle assessment (LCA) in identification and assessment of environmental aspects in environmental management systems based on the requirements of the international ISO14001 standard and the European Union EMAS regulation. Some modifications of LCA methodology are proposed in part 1, while the results of a review of environmental aspects for 36 organisations with implemented environmental management systems (EMS) are presented in part 2 of the article. The scope of the systems analysed in EMS and in LCA is different. This comes as the result of the fact that both ISO 14001 and EMAS are focused on an organisation contrary to ISO14040x, which are focused on a product life cycle. For the present work, this resulted in a need of adjusting the LCA methodology to EMS specificity, and vice versa. Some suggestions of such modifications are presented and discussed in the paper. A preliminary analysis was carried out on 36 organisations, which have EMS compliant with the ISO14001 or EMAS regulations. It has found a certain disproportion between input and output-related environmental aspects included in most of the analysed registers. The probable reasons for such disproportion could be the fact that the output-related environmental aspects are easier to manage by organisation and are often regulated by laws. Legal requirements are a significant criterion in the environmental aspects assessment. Based on the assessments carried out and the observations made, some conclusions have been drawn with regard to weaknesses and strengths and usefulness of LCA, as a result of a comparison to the traditional approaches used in EMS in the discussed area. LCA has evident advantages like: standardised methodology; possibility of inclusion of the quantitative information; presence of some methodological steps enabling the verification of the collected data; ability to generate of reproducible results. At the same time, the following potential weak points can be observed: a complexity of the procedure; higher time and cost requirements (especially related to an inventory phase); difficulties with assessing of environmental aspects with the qualitative character and these related to emergency situations; limitation related to the lack of relevant characterisation factors in the currently used LCIA methods. LCA ought to be considered as a tool used for identification and assessment of environmental aspects in EMS. The listed limitations do not disqualify its suitability to be used. After certain simplifications, LCA seems to be a valuable alternative to the methodologies currently in use.

Environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) as a tool for identification and assessment of environmental aspects in environmental management systems (EMS)

The paper presents a discussion on the possibilities of using LCA in identification and assessment of environmental aspects in environmental management systems based on the requirements of the international ISO14001 standard and the European Union EMAS regulation. Some modifications of LCA methodology are proposed in Part 1 while the results of a review of environmental aspects for 36 organisations with implemented EMS are presented in Part 2 of the article. The scope of the systems analysed in EMS and in LCA is different. This comes as the result of the fact that both ISO 14001 and EMAS are focused on an organisation on contrary to ISO14040x which are focused on a product life cycle. For the present work, this resulted in a need of adjusting the LCA methodology to EMS specificity and vice versa. Some suggestions of such modifications are presented and discussed in the paper. A preliminary analysis was carried out on 36 organisations which have environmental management systems compliant with the ISO14001 or EMAS regulations. A certain disproportion between input and output related environmental aspects included in most of the analysed registers was found. The probable reasons for such disproportion could be the fact that the output related environmental aspects are easier to manage by organisation and are often regulated by laws. Legal requirements are a significant criterion in the environmental aspects assessment. Based on the assessments carried out and the observations made, some conclusions have been drawn with regard to weaknesses and strengths and usefulness of LCA, as a result of a comparison to the traditional approaches used in EMS in the discussed area. LCA has evident advantages like: standardised methodology, possibility of inclusion of the quantitative information, presence of some methodological steps enabling the verification of the collected data, and ability to generate of reproducible results. At the same time, the following potential weak points can be observed: a complexity of the procedure, higher time, and cost requirements (especially related to an inventory phase); difficulties with assessing of environmental aspects with the qualitative character and these related to emergency situations; and limitation related to the lack of relevant characterisation factors in the currently used life cycle impact assessment methods. LCA ought to be considered as a tool used for identification and assessment of environmental aspects in environmental management systems. The listed limitations do not disqualify its suitability to be used. After certain simplifications, LCA seems to be a valuable alternative to the methodologies currently in use.

Integrated approach for water resources and irrigation management in Turkey

: Water, which is a key input for life and cannot be substituted for many of its functions, has economic as well as social and cultural values. Water demand is being increased due to growing population and scarce resources and increasing competition among water‐using sectors is being aggravated, globally. Meeting the needs for food in the future is under risk due to non‐uniform distribution of water resources all over the world, increasing competition for decreasing water resources, system performances far from expected, inefficient and uneconomic use of water in irrigation, and continuity of problematic trend. The situation will motivate a new approach, which treats water resources management as integrated, based on economic efficiency and the functions of conventional water resources management practices should be inquired. Food security for the future will always depend on population stability, sustainability in economic and social development, and integrated water resources management (IWRM) strategies. The annual per capita water potential in Turkey is currently 1,700 m3 but is expected to be reduced to 1,000 m3 by the year 2020. Thus Turkey cannot be considered a “water‐rich” country. Agriculture is the largest user of water in Turkey like most of the countries, demanding almost 70 % of the total amount withdrawn. The major systematic aspect of water related activities in Turkey is central planning. Existing planning approach is set on demand on project‐scale, long‐term goals are not considered mostly. The applicability of IWRM in Turkey depends on strong assessment of environmental aspects of water resources projects, the application of demand‐driven management techniques rather than supply management, efficient use of economic instruments in the process

Assessment of environmental aspects and determination of environmental targets within environmental management systems (EMS) – development of a procedure for Volkswagen

Since the revision of EMAS (EMAS II), a central role within this EU-regulated environmental management system has been assigned to the assessment of significant environmental aspects as the basis for identification of an organisation's environmental targets. However, EMAS only provides some general guidelines on the assessment of environmental aspects. To comply with the requirements of EMAS II, Volkswagen AG initiated the development of a comprehensive systematic approach which is now to be applied throughout Volkswagen's production sites. This article describes the elements of this approach. A methodological section discusses issues concerning the scientific assessment of environmental aspects, taking into account reproducibility, scientific acceptance and geographical representativeness of existing methods as well as time consumption and understandability for decision-makers. In addition, practical procedures to define environmental targets were worked out during two audits of Volkswagen's production sites, focusing on collaborative workshops with environmental experts, process experts and decision-makers to identify production-integrated improvements and enhance environmental sensitivity throughout the company.

Environmental performance policy indicators for the public sector: The case of the defence sector

The development of environmental performance policy indicators for public services, and in particular for the defence sector, is an emerging issue. Despite a number of recent initiatives there has been little work done in this area, since the other sectors usually focused on are agriculture, transport, industry, tourism and energy. This type of tool can be an important component for environmental performance evaluation at policy level, when integrated in the general performance assessment system of public missions and activities. The main objective of this research was to develop environmental performance policy indicators for the public sector, specifically applied to the defence sector. Previous research included an assessment of the environmental profile, through the evaluation of how environmental management practices have been adopted in this sector and an assessment of environmental aspects and impacts. This paper builds upon that previous research, developing an indicator framework—SEPI—supported by the selection and construction of environmental performance indicators. Another aim is to discuss how the current environmental indicator framework can be integrated into overall performance management. The Portuguese defence sector is presented and the usefulness of this methodology demonstrated. Feasibility and relevancy criteria are applied to evaluate the set of indicators proposed, allowing indicators to be scored and indicators for the policy level to be obtained.

Factors of importance in identification and assessment of environmental aspects in an EMS context: experiences in Swedish organizations

Research is lacking on the process of identification and assessment of environmental aspects in an environmental management system (EMS) context. The aim of this paper is to contribute knowledge by identifying factors of importance for the process that can be used as a basis when developing existing methods for identification and assessment of environmental aspects. The empirical base is quantitative and qualitative data from 46 ISO 14001-certified or EMAS-registered organizations from three counties in Sweden. Problem areas are also identified through a review of the concept literature in the EMS area. Six important areas where the identification and assessment process can be improved are identified: the definition of environmental aspects, the procedures for update of aspects, the aggregation of aspects, the exclusion of business considerations in the assessment, employee and stakeholder participation, and the competence levels of people involved in the process. Since the empirical data is taken from Swedish organizations, the results of this study are valid for Swedish conditions and may not be valid for other countries.