Complex Environmental Issues Research Articles

Indigenous Land-Based Approaches to Well-Being: The Niska (Goose) Harvesting Program in Subarctic Ontario, Canada.

Historically, goose harvesting provided a source of culturally significant, safe, and nutritious food for the Omushkego Cree of subarctic Ontario, Canada. Disruptions stemming from colonization and climate change have led to a decrease in harvesting, resulting in higher rates of food insecurity. The aim of the Niska program was to reconnect Elders and youth to revitalize goose harvesting activities and associated Indigenous knowledge within the community. The program and evaluation were built using a two-eyed seeing (Etuaptmumk) and community-based participatory research approach. Salivary cortisol, a biomedical measure of stress, was collected before (n = 13) and after (n = 13) participation in the spring harvest. Likewise, cortisol samples were collected before (n = 12) and after (n = 12) the summer harvest. Photovoice and semi-directed interviews were employed after the spring (n = 13) and summer (n = 12) harvests to identify key elements of well-being from an Indigenous perspective. The changes observed in cortisol levels for the spring (p = 0.782) and summer (p = 0.395) harvests were not statistically significant. However, there was a noteworthy increase in the subjective well-being observed through the qualitative measures (semi-directed interviews and photovoice), highlighting the importance of using multiple perspectives when assessing well-being, especially in Indigenous peoples. Future programs should incorporate multiple perspectives when addressing complex environmental and health issues, such as food security and environmental conservation, especially in Indigenous homelands worldwide.

Living with rodent pests: Unifying stakeholder interests to prioritise pest management in rural Madagascar

Abstract Rodent pests can have major social, economic, and environmental impacts. Their management, therefore, represents a complex socio‐ecological problem involving a network of stakeholders from across different sectors, with diverging and sometimes competing interests. Failure to incorporate stakeholder interests can result in ineffective or unsustainable management programmes, with unintended negative consequences for people and nature. Participatory approaches to decision‐making have been proposed as suitable strategies to tackle complex problems, yet, these processes are often considered too difficult, costly, or time‐consuming to implement. To facilitate a participatory approach to rodent control in Madagascar, we identified and mapped key stakeholders and developed a multisector framework for guiding rodent management programmes based on current literature and expert recommendations. We then carried out interviews and focus groups with stakeholders and end‐users to validate the final framework. The final framework unifies stakeholder interests around the dimensions of People, Resources, Knowledge and Power. Combined application of the stakeholder map and framework provides decision‐makers with the tools to identify stakeholder interests; to explore areas of conflict, as well as areas of agreement; and to ensure that these are addressed within the design of control programmes. As an assessment tool, the framework can also be used to evaluate the responsiveness of programmes to the needs of different stakeholders and assess whether objectives are being reached. We recommend the application of the stakeholder map and framework to encourage and strengthen participatory approaches aimed at rodent pest control. Due to the inclusive and interdisciplinary nature of the framework, it can be applied to address numerous complex social, environmental, and economic issues across scales, sectors, and systems. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Braiding Indigenous knowledge systems and Western-based sciences in the Alberta oil sands region: A systematic review

The braiding of Indigenous knowledge systems and Western-based sciences offers insights into ecology and has emerged as a way to help address complex environmental issues. We reviewed the publicly available ecological research involving the braiding of Indigenous knowledge systems and Western-based sciences to support collaborative work in the Alberta oil sands region of Canada. We conducted a systematic review, coding for 78 questions in six categories: (1) literature search and bibliographic information; (2) research themes; (3) study setting and design; (4) knowledge systems; (5) power relationships, colonization, and ethical considerations in research; and (6) benefits and challenges of braiding. We identified six articles that braided knowledge, with those articles focusing on environmental management and monitoring for impacts of industrial activity in northern Alberta. Researchers used a broad range of approaches to gather Indigenous knowledge and scientific data and identified multiple challenges (e.g., asymmetries of power, resource availability, and funding) to research. Our findings show that more support is needed to foster, promote, and disseminate interdisciplinary collaborative work involving braiding. Additional support is also required to address Indigenous community research needs related to the assessment of environmental impact and reclamation, as well as the understanding of ecological threats across the region.

Harnessing Ecosystem Services from Invasive Alien Grass and Rush Species to Suppress their Aggressive Expansion in South Africa

Invasive alien species are regarded as one of the major driving forces of species extinction worldwide. To counteract the invasion’s spread and minimize species extinction risk, countries like South Africa are devoted to halting human-induced invasion using various means. The failed efforts to halt the invasion spread have forced South African scientists to start considering social controlling mechanisms, including utilization of these species without propagation as one of the alternatives. It is within this context that this review was aimed at making an inventory of invasive grass species that provide ecosystem services in South Africa. The required data were gathered through rigorous literature surveys and analysis. A total of 19 invasive alien grass and rush species, from 15 genera and two families that are associated with provision of ecosystems services, were documented. The reported species are associated with the provision of nine ecosystem services. The current study argued that although these species are associated with some ecosystem services, they can also threaten the ecological integrity of the ecosystems if not properly managed. Insights about ecosystem services associated with invasive alien grass and rush species are significant in balancing the complex environmental issues and livelihood requirements in rural South Africa.

Perceptions of Engineers' Environmental Responsibility and Professional Codes of Ethics

In Canada, provincial and territorial level Professional Engineering Codes of Ethics (PECoEs) derived from national guidelines presented by Engineers Canada, provide principles for engineers to aid in decision making and to evaluate the ethical correctness of professional behaviour [1]. Engineers Canada states that engineers must, “Hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public and the protection of the environment and promote health and safety within the workplace” [1]. This is frequently the only guideline directly related to the environment included in Canadian provincial and territorial PECoEs)[2-13]; Notably, Ontario’s PECoE currently does not explicitly mention the environment in any capacity [14]. Present professional engineering ethics guidelines for environmental responsibility are either missing or largely open to interpretation in Canada, and complex environmental issues may require more robust ethical frameworks to be effectively approached long-term within engineering industry.
 Developing PECoEs requires a better understanding of how engineers view their ethical responsibility with respect to the environment. This paper outlines a study to investigate the ethical beliefs and PECoE interpretations of participants through an online survey with ethical case studies, and interviews. The ultimate goal of this research is to aid the development of PECoEs and engineering ethics education to support sustainable practice.

Multi-stakeholder partnership in the context of responsible shrimp farming in Indonesia: a systematic review

Shrimp farming is an aquaculture activity with complex environmental and social issues that must be solved in cooperation with relevant stakeholders. This study aims to review the concept of multi-stakeholder partnership in the context of shrimp farming. In this study, a qualitative literature review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyse (PRISMA) framework within the scientific literature. Based on the defined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 4 of 17 studies published between 2010 and 2020 were selected to review further, referring to the concept of multi-stakeholder partnership in aquaculture, taking into account social-ecological system framework management. Our review revealed that multi-stakeholder partnerships allegedly become the problem solver since the complex problem can be neither understood nor addressed by only a single organization or actor involved in shrimp farming. Multi-stakeholder partnership, in which government – business – public (including farmers) are involved, will have an essential meaning in solving complex problems in shrimp farming through sharing in planning, decision making, and activities goals among them.

Fate identification and management strategies of non-recyclable plastic waste through the integration of material flow analysis and leakage hotspot modeling

Low priority on waste management has impacted the complex environmental issue of plastic waste pollution, as evident by results of this study where it was found that 24.3% of waste generation in Jakarta and Bandung is emitted into the waterway due to the high intensity of human activity in the urban area. In this study, we investigated the viable integration between material flow analysis and leakage hotspot modeling to improve management strategies for plastic pollution in water systems and open environments. Using a multi-criteria assessment of plastic leakage from current waste management, a material flow analysis was developed on a city-wide scale defining the fate of plastic waste. Geospatial analysis was assigned to develop a calculation for identification and hydrological analysis while identifying the potential amount of plastic leakage to the river system. The results show that 2603 tons of plastic accumulated along the mainstream of the Ciliwung River on an annual basis, and a high-density population like that in Bandung discarded 1547 tons in a one-year period to the Cikapundung River. The methods and results of this study are applicable towards improving the control mechanisms of river rejuvenation from plastic leakage by addressing proper management in concentrated locations.

Processable Conjugated Microporous Polymer Gels and Monoliths: Fundamentals and Versatile Applications.

Conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) as a new type of conjugated polymers have attracted extensive attention in academia and industry because of the combination of microporous structure and π-electron conjugated structure. The construction and application of gels and monoliths based on CMPs constitute a fertile area of research, promising to provide solutions to complex environmental and energy issues. This review summarizes and objectively analyzes the latest advances in the construction and application of processable CMP gels and monoliths, linking the basic and enhanced properties to widespread applications. In this review, we open with a summary of the construction methods used to build CMP gels and monoliths and assess the feasibility of different preparation techniques and the advantages of the products. The CMP gels and monoliths with enhanced properties involving various special applications are then deliberated by highlighting relevant scientific literature and discussions. Finally, we present the issues and future of openness in the field, as well as come up with the major challenges hindering further development, to guide researchers in this field.

인적자본 지속가능성 리더십, SMCS, 그리고 지속가능 성과간의 관계

Recently, companies are striving to solve complex economic, environmental, and social issues required by various stakeholders. In order to solve these issues and achieve sustainability performance, human capital sustainability leadership plays an important role, and SMCS is proposed as a means of effectively and efficiently implementing managerial leadership. Therefore, in this study, considering human capital sustainability leadership, we intend to empirically analyze SMCS and sustainability performance in one framework. As a result of analysis, First, human capital sustainability leadership was found to have a significant positive effect on sustainability performance. Second, human capital sustainability leadership was found to have a significant positive effect on the use of SMCS. Third, SMCS was found to have a significant positive effect on sustainability performance. The results of this study show that various managerial leadership, that is, human capital sustainability leadership, is needed to solve recent various and complex issues, and that sustainability performance can be achieved by considering the relationship between SMCS usage methods. This suggests that unlike in the past, managers are required to have complexity leaderships, and these managers must use processes such as systems built in companies in an integrated and organic manner.

Determinants of local government innovation: the case of green public procurement in the United States

PurposeGreen public procurement (GPP) may be a viable solution and an innovative policy tool for public managers to address complex environmental issues facing communities globally. Given their substantial purchasing power, local GPP initiatives and success can accelerate a transition toward a more sustainable society through governments' influence over the private sector. The study's central research question is: What are the factors associated with US local governments' engagement with GPP practices?Design/methodology/approachThis research applies the Mohr's (1969) model of motivations, obstacles and resources (MOR) and draws on original, comprehensive and national survey data collected in collaboration with NIGP: The Institute for Public Procurement to explain adoption of GPP as an innovative policy tool. To ensure the robustness of the findings, the data are analysed by running two types of regression – ordinal logistic and negative binomial – using two different operationalizations for the dependent variable, a GPP scale (ordinal) and a GPP scorecard (count).FindingsThe decision surrounding GPP adoption is ultimately driven by organizations’ strategic visions, organizations’ familiarity with the GPP concept and practices, and mandates from the federal government through funding mechanisms.Originality/valueThis study offers guidance to both academic researchers and policymakers in public management and public budgeting and finance on strategies and policy options to expand GPP adoption and utilization.

Using nature-based solutions to support urban regeneration: A conceptual study

Abstract Nature-based solutions use a holistic viewpoint to address social challenges while providing environmental, social and economic benefits simultaneously. The Victoria Quay is a historical space with complex social and environmental issues. This study uses an investigation-oriented method to explore the re-planning strategies. The environmental problems are addressed by extending the green infrastructure into the site to recover the ecological corridor and alleviate flooding risks. The originally single land-use type is changed, and several historical buildings are transformed into landmarks to improve the connection with city center by linking the ‘golden route’. All the proposed measures tried to reactivate the various relationships rather than merely renew the Victoria Quay.

Characterization of Overburden Deformation and Subsidence Behavior in a Kilometer Deep Longwall Mine

A thorough understanding of mining-induced overburden deformation characteristics and the associated stress redistributions are essential to effectively manage complex safety and environmental issues that arise from underground mining. This is particular for mining in deep environments. This paper presents a numerical modelling study on a kilometer-deep longwall coal mine where a thick sandstone aquifer is situated approximately 200 m above the working seam. The mine adopts a special mine layout with narrow and wide pillars between longwalls and areas to manage water inrush and coal burst risks. The modelling results show that overburden deformation stops at a certain height, above which the displacement profile over multiple longwall panels become nearly flat. Increasing panel width and extraction height lead to a greater extent of the fractured zone and a larger magnitude of surface subsidence. An extraction height of more than 7 m may breach the thick aquifer. Stress concentration on the wide pillar can undergo up to 5 times increase in the in-situ stress, posing high risks of coal burst. Adjusting mining parameters such as panel width and extraction height can facilitate an effective strategy to minimize water inrush and coal burst risks in such a mining condition.

Discuss the Importance of Environmental Studies

Environmental study means we need to develop sustainable strategies for living and protecting the environment. It helps people to understand how to deal with complex environmental issues that affect their lifestyle, physical environment and nature. In addition to studying the physical aspects of the environment, he stressed the need to conserve biodiversity, adopt a more sustainable lifestyle and use resources responsibly. To raise awareness of today's environmental pressures, the University Grants Committee (UGC) has committed universities to conduct environmental research and educate students about ecosystems, pollution and environmental issues. environmental. Let's talk about the urgent need to incorporate ecology into the curriculum.

A research agenda for evaluating living labs as an open innovation model for environmental and agricultural sustainability

The magnitude of environmental challenges we are facing today requires the involvement of a diversity of stakeholders and collaborators to develop socially, culturally, and economically robust sustainability practices. Living labs catalyse the development of user-centric solutions for complex environmental issues by exploring, co-creating, testing, and evaluating innovations within real-world contexts. The living lab approach is relatively new in the environmental and agricultural sectors but is quite well established in many areas such as information and communication technology. For living labs to play a greater role in environmental sustainability, we present a research agenda related to the evaluation and effectiveness of living labs in the context of environmental and agricultural sustainability. We refer to evaluation as the act of assessing the process and outcomes of a living lab, and effectiveness as the level to which a living lab is successful in achieving a certain desirable process or outcome. Our research agenda is based on empirical research using an adapted Delphi method – a process to iteratively gather input from a panel of experts – involving a total of 44 researchers and experts in the domains of living labs, evaluation methods, and agro-environmental issues. The resulting integrated research agenda identifies important gaps in both research and practice to improve the impact of living labs. Our findings highlight the need to better understand effective use of this collaborative, open innovation approach in research and management focused on environmental and agricultural sustainability. Future research should investigate the knowledge gaps for we have identified in terms of diversity of stakeholders, key dimensions of evaluation and how to enable effectiveness of living labs.

Settlement Constellations and the Dynamics of Fields Formed Around Social and Environmental Issues

Firms are increasingly responding to social and environmental issues in highly complex and heterogeneous organizational fields that transcend national boundaries. Yet, we still have a limited understanding of how these fields are structured and the implications of structural variation on how issues are addressed over time. We advance theory in this area by arguing that issue fields are characterized by varying settlement constellations that structure these fields. We develop a typology of three settlement constellations—unified, fragmented, and bifurcated—and describe their impact on field structure and the challenges they raise for addressing field-defining issues. We then theorize the evolution of fields with different settlement constellations and explain how and why constellations are sustained over time as well as when they may change. Our paper helps advance theory on organizational fields, private regulation, and firm responses to social and environmental issues. More broadly, our paper highlights the unique position of organizational and institutional scholars to examine complex social and environmental issues, or “grand challenges.”

Selective border permeability: Governing complex environmental issues through and beyond COVID-19

COVID-19 has changed the permeability of borders in transboundary environmental governance regimes. While borders have always been selectively permeable, the pandemic has reconfigured the nature of cross-border flows of people, natural resources, finances and technologies. This has altered the availability of spaces for enacting sustainability initiatives within and between countries. In Southeast Asia, national governments and businesses seeking to expedite economic recovery from the pandemic-induced recession have selectively re-opened borders by accelerating production and revitalizing agro-export growth. Widening regional inequities have also contributed to increased cross-border flows of illicit commodities, such as trafficked wildlife. At the same time, border restrictions under the exigencies of controlling the pandemic have led to a rolling back and scaling down of transboundary environmental agreements, regulations and programs, with important implications for environmental democracy, socio-ecological justice and sustainability. Drawing on evidence from Southeast Asia, the article assesses the policy challenges and opportunities posed by the shifting permeability of borders for organising and operationalising environmental activities at different scales of transboundary governance.

Console-Based Mapping of Mongolia Using GMT Cartographic Scripting Toolset for Processing TerraClimate Data

This paper explores spatial variability of the ten climatic variables of Mongolia in 2019: average minimal and maximal temperatures, wind speed, soil moisture, downward surface shortwave radiation (DSRAD), snow water equivalent (SWE), vapor pressure deficit (VPD), vapor pressure anomaly (VAP), monthly precipitation and Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). The PDSI demonstrates the simplified soil water balance estimating relative soil moisture conditions in Mongolia. The research presents mapping of the climate datasets derived from TerraClimate open source repository of the meteorological and climate measurements in NetCDF format. The methodology presented the compiled observations of Mongolia visualised by GMT coding approach using Generic Mapping Tools (GMT) cartographic scripting toolset. The results present 10 new maps of climate data over Mongolia made using automated cartographic techniques of GMT. Spatial environmental and climate analysis were conducted which determine relative distribution of PDSI and temperature extremes, precipitation and soil moisture, wind speed and DSRAD. The DSRAD showed minimum at 40 Wm−2, maximum at 113 Wm−2 in the Gobi Desert region, SWE (up to 491 mm), VAP and VPD compared with landmass parameters represent powerful cartographic tools to address complex regional climate and environmental issues in Mongolia, a country with contrasting topography, extreme climate conditions and unique environmental setting.

BOILER PLANTS AND THE ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION FROM INDUSTRY HARMFUL EFFECTS

Abstract. At present, environmental problems have become aggravated. The production process has a negative impact on the natural environment. It accumulates these harmful secondary effects. The degree of their harmful effects is increasing rapidly. The natural environment, taking into account its self-healing, undergoes dangerous, irreversible changes in its state. Now it is possible to talk only about slowing down this process. The ability to slow down and then stop the increase in the harmful impact on the natural environment is the essence of the nature conservation activities of humanity. It is necessary to move from a strategy of using the natural environment to a strategy of parity interaction with it. The problem was discussed at the Kyoto and Paris conferences of global importance. Among the branches of production, the most dangerous for the natural environment is energy. Its harmful effect is complex. Defending against it is a complex environmental issue. The adopted energy saving program actively contributes to solving the problem of saving the natural environment from degradation and death. The most environmentally aggressive element of power plants is solid fuel boiler plants. Reducing the intensity of their impact is the main direction of activities to protect the natural environment. The most difficult technical object is considered the power unit of a large thermal power plant. The most difficult part is the boiler plant. The most difficult element is the steam boiler. The level of environmental friendliness of the boiler is highly dependent on the degree of its wear. The problem of updating the fleet of boilers is of current importance. The general line of improving the environmental friendliness of production should be considered an increase in the level of environmental friendliness of power plants, especially those using fossil fuels, and a decrease in their emissions of carbon dioxide and heat. It is necessary to improve boiler installations, to increase their efficiency level, and the quality of their management. It is important to ensure the modernization of worn-out boiler installations based on their complete or partial renewal. In the formation of the power engineering of the future, the socio-psychological position of humanity must be radically changed.

Partitioning macroscale and microscale ecological processes using covariate-driven non-stationary spatial models.

Ecological inference requires integrating information across scales. This integration creates a complex spatial dependence structure that is most accurately represented by fully non-stationary models. However, ecologists rarely use these models because they are difficult to estimate and interpret. Here, we facilitate the use of fully non-stationary models in ecology by improving the interpretability of a recently developed non-stationary model and applying it to improve our understanding of the spatial processes driving lake eutrophication. We reformulated a model that incorporates non-stationary correlation by adding environmental predictors to the covariance function, thereby building on the intuition of mean regression. We created ellipses to visualize how data at a given site correlate with their surroundings (i.e., the range and directionality of underlying spatial processes). We applied this model to describe the spatial dependence structure of variables related to lake eutrophication across two different regions: a Midwestern United States region with highly agricultural landscapes, and a Northeastern United States region with heterogeneous land use. For the Midwest, increases in forest cover increased the homogeneity of the residual spatial structure of total phosphorus, indicating that macroscale processes dominated this nutrient's spatial structure. Conversely, high forest cover and baseflow reduced the spatial homogeneity of chlorophyll a residuals, indicating that microscale processes dominated for chlorophyll a in the Midwest. In the Northeast, increases in urban land use and baseflow decreased the homogeneity of phosphorus concentrations indicating the dominance of microscale processes, but none of our covariates were strongly associated with the residual spatial structure of chlorophyll a. Our model showed that the spatial dependence structure of environmental response variables shifts across space. It also helped to explain this structure using ecologically relevant covariates from different scales whose effects can be interpreted intuitively. This provided novel insight into the processes that lead to eutrophication, a complex and pervasive environmental issue.

Systems Approaches to Combating Wildlife Trafficking: Expanding Existing Frameworks to Facilitate Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration

Wildlife trafficking is a complex conservation issue that threatens thousands of species around the world and, in turn, negatively affects biodiversity and human well-being. It occurs in varied social-ecological contexts; includes numerous and diverse actors along the source-transit-destination trade chain, who are involved in illicit and often covert human behaviors driven by interacting social, economic, cultural, and political factors; and involves numerous stakeholders comprising multiple sectors and disciplines. Such wicked problems can be difficult to define and usually lack simple, clear solutions. Systems thinking is a way to understand and address complex issues such as wildlife trafficking and requires multisectoral, cross-disciplinary collaboration to comprehensively understand today's increasingly complex problems and develop holistic and novel solutions. We review methods utilized to date to combat wildlife trafficking and discuss their strengths and limitations. Next, we describe the continuum of cross-disciplinarity and present two frameworks for understanding complex environmental issues, including the illegal trade in wildlife, that can facilitate collaboration across sectors and disciplines. The Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation provides guidance and tools for defining complex social-ecological systems and identifying strategic points of intervention. One Health focuses on the nexus of human, wildlife, and environmental health, and can provide a framework to address concerns around human-wildlife interactions, including those associated with the illegal wildlife trade. Finally, we provide recommendations for expanding these and similar frameworks to better support communication, learning, and collaboration in cross-disciplinary efforts aimed at addressing international wildlife trafficking and its intersections with other complex, global conservation issues.