Comprehensive Environmental Protection Research Articles

A Novel Protection and Repair Skincare Regimen Shows Efficacy for Improving Environmental Skin Aging.

Skin aging is accelerated by environmental exposures including solar radiation and pollutants. Thus, protecting skin from environmental exposure and repairing ensuing damage is essential for keeping skin healthy and appearing youthful. To evaluate the clinical benefits of a novel skincare regimen designed to provide comprehensive environmental protection in the daytime and repair environmentally damaged skin at night. Thirty participants, including males and females, with mild-to-moderate extrinsic aging, were enrolled in a 12-week single-site study. Participants used the regimen (The Essential Six, RATIONALE, Victoria, Australia) comprised of 3 products to protect the skin in the morning and 3 products to repair the skin at night. Participants were seen at baseline and evaluated for efficacy and tolerability at weeks 2, 6, and 12. Non-invasive measurements to evaluate hydration, transepidermal water loss, skin tone, and elasticity were conducted. The dermatologist investigator noted across-the-board improvement in all evaluated parameters, except deep wrinkles. By week 12, there were statistically significant (P<0.001) improvements in radiance (43%), tactile roughness (48%), visual roughness (44%), firmness (32%), clarity/even skin tone (21%), and overall appearance (29%). Fine lines improved 16% at week 12 (P=0.002). Participant self-assessment revealed statistically significant and progressive improvement in all evaluated parameters over time. No tolerability issues were identified by the investigator, while a small number of participants reported mild stinging and some dryness that resolved over time. This was likely due to the high concentration of active ingredients found in this regimen. Corneometry revealed improved skin hydration of 28% as early as week 2. The data presented confirms that this novel protection and repair regimen improves the appearance of environmentally aged skin. J Drugs Dermatol. 2024;23(10):866-872. doi:10.36849/JDD.8274.

Waste Lubricant Oil Management: A Review of Technical Aspects and Regulatory Compliance

PT X, one of the largest coal mining companies in Indonesia, is located in Berau District, East Kalimantan. The company's mining activities produce waste lubricant oil, a dominant hazardous waste containing toxic materials that can significantly pollute the environment if not properly managed. Given the critical importance of managing waste lubricant oil, Indonesia has established several regulations for hazardous waste management. This study aims to evaluate both the technical aspects and regulatory compliance of PT X's waste lubricant oil management by comparing existing practices with technical criteria and applicable regulations. The methodology involves assessing the capacity of hazardous waste storage facilities based on the generation of waste lubricant oil, regulatory requirements, and transportation frequency, alongside compliance assessments of packaging, storage, and in situ utilization practices. Results indicate that PT X's storage capacity for waste lubricant oil is adequate and that its internal management practices fully comply with regulations. However, nonconformities were found in the hazardous waste management practices of third-party entities, particularly in packaging and storage. This research highlights the need for improved monitoring and regulation of third-party waste management practices to ensure comprehensive compliance and environmental protection.

Urban environmental monitoring and health risk assessment introducing a fuzzy intelligent computing model.

To enhance the precision of evaluating the impact of urban environments on resident health, this study introduces a novel fuzzy intelligent computing model designed to address health risk concerns using multi-media environmental monitoring data. Three cities were selected for the study: Beijing (B City), Kunming (K City), and Wuxi (W City), representing high, low, and moderate pollution levels, respectively. The study employs a Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) as the chosen fuzzy intelligent computing model, synthesizing multi-media environmental monitoring data for the purpose of urban health risk assessment. (1) The model reliably estimates health risks across diverse cities and environmental conditions. (2) There is a positive correlation between PM2.5 concentrations and health risks, though the impact of noise levels varies by city. In cities B, K, and W, the respective correlation coefficients are 0.65, 0.55, and 0.7. (3) The Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) values for cities B, K, and W, are 0.0132, 0.0125, and 0.0118, respectively, indicating that the model has high accuracy. The R2 values for the three cities are 0.8963, 0.9127, and 0.9254, respectively, demonstrating the model's high explanatory power. The residual values for the three cities are 0.0087, 0.0075, and 0.0069, respectively, indicating small residuals and demonstrating robustness and adaptability. (4) The model's p-values for the Indoor Air Quality Index (IAQI), Thermal Comfort Index (TCI), and Noise Pollution Index (NPI) all satisfy p < 0.05 for the three cities, affirming the model's credibility in estimating health risks under varied urban environments. These results showcase the model's ability to adapt to diverse geographical conditions and aid in the accurate assessment of existing risks in urban settings. This study significantly advances environmental health risk assessment by integrating multidimensional data, enhancing the formulation of comprehensive environmental protection and health management strategies, and providing scientific support for sustainable urban planning.

Conflict between urbanization and water environmental protection: Lessons from the Xiangjiang River Basin in China

China, the largest developing country, has experienced rapid urbanization since its reform and opening-up. However, the increasing pollution load from urban areas has deteriorated urban river water quality, contradicting the concept of sustainable and green development promoted by the Chinese government. This situation elucidates governmental shortcomings in systematic environmental protection. Our study revealed that the current wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharge standards in urban areas are insufficient for attaining the desired urban river water quality and thus intensify the conflict between urbanization and water environmental protection. As urbanization continues, the urban population will grow, further exacerbating pollution and conflict. Our focus was the Xiangjiang River basin in Zunyi, a typical urbanized city in China. Using a validated one-dimensional mathematical model, we compared the water quality in the Xiangjiang River between current and upgraded WWTP discharge standards. The results showed that the water quality in the Xiangjiang River falls short of the standards, with more than 60 % of the river exceeding limits. However, upgrading WWTP discharge standards significantly reduces the proportion of river sections exceeding limits, with only 0.4 % exceeding standards during specific periods. This enhancement greatly improved the Xiangjiang River's water quality, aided in restoring the entire water environment in the basin, and supported water environmental protection goals. Our research findings offer crucial support for local governments in shaping comprehensive water environmental protection policies and insights for addressing similar environmental challenges caused by rapid urbanization in other developing regions.

Research Investigates and Simulation Behavior of the Failure Characteristics of Red Mud–Loess Type Permeable Reactive Barriers PRB in Fixed‐Bed Column Experiments

Controlling and remediating water and soil pollution while efficiently utilizing solid waste is essential for comprehensive environmental protection and sustainable development, particularly in establishing green, low‐carbon economic systems in China. We evaluate the impact of initial concentration, flow rate, and bed height on breakthrough performance and adsorption capacity using the Tessier method under dynamic water flow conditions. Additionally, we analyze micromorphological changes in the red mud–loess mixture before and after breakthrough by acid mine drainage containing Pb and Cd in mining areas, employing soil column experiments and numerical simulations with COMSOL Multiphysics. Our findings suggest that reducing initial concentration and flow rate while increasing bed height leads to higher breakthrough time, saturation time, and adsorption capacity for Pb and Cd in the red mud–loess mixture (7 : 3). Furthermore, the red mud–loess blend (7 : 3) demonstrates sustained and efficient acid‐buffering capability in the presence of acid mine drainage containing Pb and Cd. Notably, under specific conditions (initial Pb content at 100 mg/L, a height of 7 cm, and flow rate set at 1 mL/min), the adsorption capacity of red mud–loess (7 : 3) reaches 17.30 mg/g. The prescribed minimum length for PRBs is 11.40 cm. Under specified conditions (Cd concentrations at 100 mg/L, a height of 5 cm, and a flow rate of 1 mL/min), the material exhibits a notable adsorption capacity of 29.91 mg/g, with a theoretical minimum length for PRBs at 8.95 cm. Increasing bed heights successfully remove Pb and Cd ions through chemical precipitation. The BDST model accurately describes the breakthrough curves of Pb and Cd and develops a correlation formula for the breakthrough time of red mud–loess PRB medium. As the saturation of Pb increases from 0.05 to 0.85, the maximum volume adsorption capacity of Pb increases from 1.78 to 2.98 mg/L, while for Cd, it increases from 4.15 to 7.87 mg/L. Elevating the bed height first triggers chemical precipitation, hence improving Pb and Cd removal. Consequently, the longevity of red mud–loess PRB in acidic mine effluent containing Pb and Cd surpasses predicted theoretical outcomes. These observations reveal correlations between the breakthrough length for red mud–loess permeable reactive barriers and the bed height. Furthermore, the distribution of Pb speciation within the red mud–loess mixture (7 : 3) is primarily governed by the presence of iron–manganese oxide, while the composition of Cd speciation is chiefly influenced by the carbonate form and iron–manganese oxide. After treating acidic mine wastewater with Pb and Cd, the red mud–loess mixed material (7 : 3) undergoes surface changes, shifting from smooth to rough due to H+ corrosion. Pores between particles enlarge, yet heavy metal ions, adsorbates, and precipitates reoccupy and cover the surface, transforming the particle morphology from dense lamellar to clustered spherical. Our innovative approach to combining waste materials for environmental remediation presents a cost‐effective and impactful solution for heavy metal pollution.

Fiscal regulation policy and financial incentives impact on the environmental management

Effective environmental management is a key element of a country’s sustainable social and economic development. This requires comprehensive environmental protection measures and stimulating the use of environmentally friendly technologies and innovations aimed at preserving the environment. One of the ways to achieve these goals is to apply environmental taxes. Environmental taxes are powerful tools for achieving environmental goals and ensuring sustainable development. The article analyzes the implementation and practice of applying environmental taxation. It is revealed that Ukraine had significantly higher greenhouse gas emissions per unit of energy produced in 2012–2021. It was established that emissions of pollutants from mobile sources make up 40% of the total emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere. Pollutant emissions from road transport make up 91% of pollutants emitted by mobile sources. The study examines the possibilities of stimulating emission reductions through an environmental tax in Ukraine and offers to improve the system of financing environmental measures, including through environmental taxation. International practice shows that countries that successfully implement environmental taxes and green taxation instruments are able to achieve more effective results in reducing pollution and rationalizing the use of resources. The right combination of environmental taxes with other instruments, such as regulatory standards and financial incentives, can significantly improve the environmental situation and ensure sustainable economic growth.

Sustainability in private surgical practice-Anarrative review

Surgery is contributing to the climate crisis, not least in the outpatient sector. The present publication aims to identify the challenges this poses, and to provide clear, preferably evidence-based recommendations on environmental protection while simultaneously reducing costs. Narrative review with a non-systematic search and selection in PubMed/MEDLINE and grey area literature as well as expert interviews. Numerous primary articles, evidence syntheses, practical recommendations for action and checklists were identified and two experts were interviewed. Environmental issues were identified in the production and procurement, transport of people and goods, usage of materials, pharmaceuticals including anesthetic gases and energy consumption in the outpatient practice and also in disposal, recycling, and sterilization. High-quality publications do not describe alack of knowledge on alternatives but on alack of implementation in clinical practice. Therefore, the identified issues were classified in the 5‑R scheme (reduce, reuse, recycle, rethink, research) to present recommendations for action, which are synergetic in terms of cost reduction, patient and staff satisfaction. Furthermore, changes in regulatory frameworks are discussed. Outpatient surgery comes with relevant consumption of resources and carbon emissions. There are numerous opportunities for action that combine environmental protection with cost reduction as well as patient and staff satisfaction. Incentives, guidelines, and legal framework conditions are needed for comprehensive environmental protection in the private sector.

Sustainability in private surgical practice-Anarrative review

Surgery is contributing to the climate crisis, not least in the outpatient sector. The present publication aims to identify the challenges this poses, and to provide clear, preferably evidence-based recommendations on environmental protection while simultaneously reducing costs. Narrative review with a non-systematic search and selection in PubMed/MEDLINE and grey area literature as well as expert interviews. Numerous primary articles, evidence syntheses, practical recommendations for action and checklists were identified and two experts were interviewed. Environmental issues were identified in the production and procurement, transport of people and goods, usage of materials, pharmaceuticals including anesthetic gases and energy consumption in the outpatient practice and also in disposal, recycling, and sterilization. High-quality publications do not describe alack of knowledge on alternatives but on alack of implementation in clinical practice. Therefore, the identified issues were classified in the 5‑R scheme (reduce, reuse, recycle, rethink, research) to present recommendations for action, which are synergetic in terms of cost reduction, patient and staff satisfaction. Furthermore, changes in regulatory frameworks are discussed. Outpatient surgery comes with relevant consumption of resources and carbon emissions. There are numerous opportunities for action that combine environmental protection with cost reduction as well as patient and staff satisfaction. Incentives, guidelines, and legal framework conditions are needed for comprehensive environmental protection in the private sector.

Antarctica: geopolitical challenges and institutional resilience

ABSTRACT The success of the Antarctic Treaty regime over more than 60 years provides the opportunity to assess the relationship between the maintenance of national interests and cooperation between Antarctic states. Over these six decades challenges to the Antarctic Treaty and the evolving Antarctic Treaty System have emerged. These challenges have arisen from within the system itself, most notably in the overturing of the proposed convention to regulate mining and its replacement with a comprehensive environmental protection regime. The system has also faced external challenges; a good example being through the “Question of Antarctica” debate within the United Nations General Assembly. Internal and external challenges have been addressed and, in many ways contributed to revitalising the regime, through adroit diplomacy and enduring commitment to sustaining the Treaty’s principles. This provides the key to the paper’s central argument that system resilience and adaptability has been undervalued in contemporary framings of Antarctic geopolitics that have in recent years tended to highlight tensions and divergent views.

Environmental good exports and green total factor productivity: Lessons from China

AbstractTrade liberalization for environmental goods (EG) could pave the way for a “win‐win” scenario for both the economy and the environment. This study examines the impact of environmental good exports on the comprehensive economic development and environmental protection index, green total factor productivity (GTFP), using a Chinese city‐level panel dataset from 2003 to 2015. Overall, our findings indicate that EG exports are detrimental to China's green development. Particularly, traditional EGs intended to address environmental concerns significantly impede GTFP, whereas environmentally preferable products with cleaner product life cycles have no such effect. Furthermore, EG exports do not significantly reduce conventional TFP without accounting for energy and pollution, implying that the loss of GTFP is primarily due to environmental factors. When GTFP is disaggregated into green efficiency change (GEC) and green technology change (GTC), EG exports can increase GEC while reducing GTC. However, once the value of EG exports surpasses a certain threshold, EG exports raise GTC and GTFP. Furthermore, regional resource misallocation, environmental regulation, and absorptive capacity can all help to mitigate the negative EG‐GTFP relationship. This study could be useful for stakeholders interested in leveraging synergies between the economy and the environment by participating in global EG supply chains.

Медико-статистичний аналіз структури онкозахворюваності населення в містах промислового видобування урану

Objective: The aim of work is to study the structure of cancer morbidity in the population of Ukraine living in cities of industrial uranium mining. Materials and methods: Kropyvnytskyi and Kirovohrad oblasts were selected as the scientific basis of the research. Kropyvnytskyi produces uranium raw materials, which are transported to Zhovti Vody, the only city in Ukraine where primary uranium enrichment is carried out. The data of cancer morbidity observations with using materials of the regional center of medical statistics, reports of Kirovohrad regional oncology dispensary, materials «Comprehensive Environmental Protection Program in Kirovohrad region for 2016-2020 years» were used to analyze the environmental and radiation situation. Results: Studies have shown that the concentration of radon in the air of residential buildings, especially one-story, often exceeds the permissible level set for uranium miners. Uranium is also no less harmful to the human body. Enterprises extract uranium ore, carry out its primary processing, and its mines pass simply under residential areas. Radon dissolves quickly in the air, but accumulates in closed, basement areas. Thus, it was found that the main dose a person receives in the premises where the city dweller spends 80% of his time. The content of radon in the indoor air is determined by the specifics of the geological structure of the area, the location on its territory of rock massifs with high uranium content. Conclusions: The analysis of Kirovohrad region’s characteristics shows the effects of radiation in the cancer’s structure. Analyzing the indicators of the Kirovohrad region, we can see the effects of radiation in the structure of the cancer. A large number of houses in Kropyvnytskyi are built of building materials, which include granite with high content of radon and uranium, which negatively affects the health of residents of the city and region. Kropyvnytskyi is one of the three cities in Ukraine with the highest cancer mortality rate. One of the reasons is radon, a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas that is released from faults in the earth's crust and has a significant effect on the appearance of cancerous tumors.

The North of Western Siberia in the Socioeconomic Space of the USSR: Shifting Models of Nature Use

Abstract The north of Western Siberia is a region that in a historically short time went from a hub of territorial development, where it was only necessary to control the volume of extraction of certain resources, to a zone of extensive industrial development of vast territories with the need for comprehensive environmental protection. The models of embedding the north of Western Siberia into the socioeconomic space of the USSR were simultaneously based on the need to develop the region’s rich natural resources and to rationally use them. At their core was an industrial standard. In the 1930s–1950s, this industrial standard depended on the use of biological resources, where the main producer of material wealth was the Indigenous inhabitants of the north. Yet it failed. A need arose to rely on resources with a more powerfully transformative and modernizing potential. These resources became hydrocarbons. Beginning in the 1960s, the model of natural resource use in the north was reoriented towards the extraction of oil and gas. The favorable market conditions and large export potential of these resources made it possible to solve not only economic but also ideological tasks. The main producer of material goods became the migrant population, which had the necessary professional and social skills to translate the industrial standard into practice. The Indigenous peoples of the north found themselves on the sidelines of socioeconomic development. A stereotype took root in Soviet society and science that the main object of management and transformation should be nature, which can be modified unlimitedly and at any speed. At the same time, it is obvious that technological and socioeconomic mechanisms are more, not less, malleable than natural ones. A person in the “human-nature” system was considered utilitarianly, exclusively from an economic standpoint. All of this speaks to the need to better understand the historical experience of state environmental management in northern Siberia and the role of people in this process.

Designing a path for the sustainable development of key ecological function zones: A case study of southwest China

The Chinese government has designated areas with critically important ecosystems as key ecological function zones (KEFZs) under restrictive development regimes to maintain and improve their supplies of ecological products and services. A strategy of sustainable development is required for KEFZs in southwest China, given their fragile eco-environments, important eco-functions, and lagging economies. This study aimed to identify and compare changes in ecological security, economic development, and the extent of their coordination in KEFZs and non-KEFZs in southwest China in 2010, 2015 and 2018 (i.e., before and after the policy of restricted development was introduced). The assessment systems of ecological security and economic development were constructed for assessing these areas. A coupling coordination degree (CCD) model was used to evaluate coordination levels between ecological security and economic development. Overall, the results indicated that the levels of ecological security in KEFZs were exceeded non-KEFZs. In 2010, KEFZs and non-KEFZs evidenced similar levels of economic development and CCDs. The economic development of KEFZs was lagging behind that of non-KEFZs after restrictive development regimes in KEFZs. The slow economic growth further hindered the improvement of the coordination between ecological security and economic development for KEFZs. The gaps between KEFZs and non-KEFZs regarding economic development and coordination levels were widening. The study provided some strategies for the sustainable development of southwest China’s KEFZs, including the development of clean resources, the strategy of partial development and comprehensive environmental protection, the formulation of lists of allowed, restricted and prohibited industries, and effective utilization of ecological compensation policies.

Environmental Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Implications to Materialize China’s Green Belt and Road Initiative

China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), announced in 2013, is an unprecedented mega-project that aims to improve connectivity between China and over 70 countries through infrastructure investment and regional cooperation. It has unparalleled potential to bring about positive economic development across vast regions of the world but, at the same time, may inevitably come with considerable environmental challenges. Even so, opportunities exist to prevent or mitigate environmental risks and realize China’s promise of a green BRI. China has proposed to construct a green BRI. The existing environmental law framework of host states, green development practices by China and BRI participating countries, and the role of bilateral investment treaties (BITs) as well as multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) all increase the odds of a green BRI. This article contributes to existing BRI-related literature by examining the environmental challenges and opportunities of the BRI and providing suggestions on building a comprehensive environmental protection mechanism. It is suggested to stringently implement environmental norms and green BRI policies, make greater use of BITs and MEAs, bring together various actors, mobilize all available resources, and establish an efficient environmental dispute settlement and environmental remediation system.

Feasibility of establishing the ministry of environment in the Iranian legal system

AbstractThe Department of Environment is the main custodian of environmental protection and the implementation of Principle 50 of the Constitution. The accuracy of the organization's performance shows the failure of the full and effective implementation of the assigned tasks, which has provided the ground for raising the issue of forming the Ministry of Environment. Proponents of this plan express Reasons like Creating integration and managerial cohesion, structural weaknesses and shortcomings of the legal system and lawful parliamentary oversight and opponents point to the confusion of sovereignty and entrepreneurship, the weakening of the main task of the institutions subject to merging and their different positions, and the difficulty of managing a multi-sectoral institution difficulty of managing a multi-sectoral institution. The present study, with its descriptive-analytical method, seeks to examine the possibility of forming the Ministry of Environment in the Iranian legal system. Studies have shown that fundamental legal problems such as the lack of a comprehensive sustainable development plan and environmental protection developed based on the general policies of the environmental system, as well as the existence of parallel, scattered and old rules and regulations lack comprehensive and systematic approaches to environmental management, affects the management of the department or ministry, and they must be addressed first. However, given the ministry's organizational, social, and legal status in the country's political system, the Ministry of Environment's structure seems to be more successful in creating and implementing these fundamental changes and solving existing problems.

The Greening of Antarctica: Assembling an International Environment by Alessandro Antonello

Reviewed by: The Greening of Antarctica: Assembling an International Environment by Alessandro Antonello John McCannon The Greening of Antarctica: Assembling an International Environment. By alessandro antonello. New York: Oxford University Press, 2019. 264 pp. ISBN 9780190907174. $78.00. A perennial challenge in the writing of polar history involves the need to push back against popular perceptions of circumpolar regions as unchanging spaces, largely (if not wholly) empty of human habitation and peripheral to the concerns of all but a few remote communities. And the scholars burdened most by this challenge are those who research the Antarctic, which—unlike the various sectors of the Arctic—lacks any indigenous population or any direct physical or socio-political ties with the nation-states of more temperate zones. Indeed, not until the turn of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries did the continent even enter the bounds of human awareness. To combat the prevailing sense of Antarctica as marginal and timeless—in other words, to make it a truly historical subject—has never been an easy task. [End Page 727] Difficult or not, this is one of the several goals that Alessandro Antonello sets for himself in The Greening of Antarctica. This clearly written and cogently argued monograph effectively blends environmental studies and diplomatic history to show how treaty-making and scientific agenda-setting between 1959 and 1980 transformed Antarctica "from a cold, abiotic, and sterile wilderness [and] a lifeless and inert stage for geopolitical competition" into "a fragile environment and ecosystem demanding international protection and management" (p. 4). Nothing about this process, especially its outcome, was preordained: although Antarctica's near-inviolability is generally taken for granted today, thanks to the treaty system that safeguards it so closely, it did not come into being automatically, and the continent could just as easily—arguably, more easily—have met an entirely different fate. Antonello takes pains to show the decades of debate and negotiation it took to secure the continent's status as a protected ecosystem, free of claims to sovereignty. To alter, then stabilize, "the idea of what Antarctica is," as Antonello puts it, required the complex interplay of "ever-increasing knowledge of the Antarctic, a larger place for scientific voices, profound changes in concepts of the global environment, changes in international political economy, and the continuing reality of national self-interest" (pp. 3–4). The Greening of Antarctica is logically organized into five chapters, preceded by an introduction and followed by a short epilogue. In addition to describing Antonello's approaches to his topic, the introduction provides a useful thumbnail sketch of Antarctic history, leading up to and including 1959, when the Antarctic Treaty was brought into being by its twelve original signatories (Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the USSR). The introduction also explains why Antonello has chosen to focus on the period between 1959 and 1980: although much of the scholarly consensus identifies 1991—when the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty opened for signature—as the pivotal moment in the history of Antarctic conservation, Antonello wishes to draw attention to earlier moments that are, in his view, not just equally decisive, but foundational. The "seeds" of today's "comprehensive environmental protection and management regime," he argues, "can be found in the 1960s and 1970s" (p. 17). With one exception, each of the book's core chapters examines a key protocol or agreement, illustrating along the way how diplomats and politicians from over a dozen countries, scientists from numerous [End Page 728] disciplines, commercial interests from all over the world, environmental NGOs, and the general public all exercised various degrees of influence over the eventual "greening" of Antarctica—sometimes in support of that goal, sometimes in opposition to it. Chapter One traces the emergence of SCAR, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, and the way it claimed a role for itself in shaping the continent's fate, alongside (and often in conflict with) the official delegations that negotiated and refined the 1959 Antarctic Treaty. Several of SCAR's biologists, particularly Robert Carrick of Australia, campaigned against the utilitarian impulses that threatened to dominate Antarctic policymaking and brought conservation...

The use of information technology in assessing the health of human capital as a factor of environmental justice and sustainable development

The cumulative nature of various types of xenobiotics and pollutants requires long-term comprehensive environmental protection measures, including in the territories of the petrochemical industry. Due to its high sensitivity, the child’s body is a “marker” of hypersensitivity to xenobiotics. The article clarifies the concept of “environmental justice”. The essence of its use lies in the ethical organization of the ecological environment. As safe as possible for the health of every person and the biosphere as a whole. The use of information technologies can use to monitor and correct the health of children and adults at the regional level, taking into account the characteristics of the ethnic group and their adaptive-compensatory reactions.

GEOSPATIAL INFORMATION ON LAND USE/LAND COVER OF THE COASTLINE ENVIRONMENT IN AKWA IBOM STATE BETWEEN 1986 AND 2018

Akwa Ibom State is one of the States of the Niger Delta Region, Nigeria. The dynamic nature of the Niger Delta region makes it one of the most prominentecosystems in the world. This region has experienced dramatic environmental changes over time from both human-induced and natural processes. Assessing and monitoring the coastal and marine changes makes provision for information relevant to managing and planning the natural environments and human infrastructures in an area.Most studies on coastal and marine change in Akwa Ibom State and the Niger Delta Regionhave focused on classes and features such as erosion and accretion. However,considering the magnitude of environmental change in this region based on the increased human and climatic activities, adequate efforts are required in planning and proffering solutions for sustainable development.This study aims at assessing the land use/land cover of the coastal and marine environmentsof the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria, with a view to generate information on changes experienced between 1986 to 2018 using three (3) time periods; 1986, 2003 and 2018 for the purpose of sustainability development and adaptively managing future occurrence and damages. Landsat TM of 1986, Enhance Thematic Mapper plus (ETM+) of 2003, and the Operational Land Imager (OLI) of 2018 data were used for this study. Result from this study showed thatthere was significant reduction in the area coverage of the Bare land over time, while there was progressive increase in the area coverage of the Built Up, Farmland, and Water Body. The progressive increase in the area coverage of Built Up, Farmland and Water Body may be attributed to both anthropogenicfactors, including Government policies, developmental activities, urbanization, and natural factors such as climate change, flooding and gully erosion. The scenario was different with regards to Forested Area, as increase was observed between 1986 and 2003 and decrease between 2003 and 2018, which may be attributed to inconsistent environmental policies as well as human actions with regards to environmental protection. A comprehensive environmental protection approach is recommended to ensure sustainable livelihoods and development in the area. A combination of geospatial technique and conventional empirical analysis could enhance further elucidation of the causes and pattern of environmental changes, for informed decision-making and sustainable development in the area.

Анализ процесса переработки ртутьсодержащих отходов и разработка природоохранных мероприятий

The environmental impact of the LLC «EVO» company in Voronezh was assessed and the process of processing mercury-containing waste was analyzed. The characteristics of storage devices for storage and storage of industrial waste are considered. Comprehensive environmental protection measures aimed at reducing the negative impact of mercury-containing wastes that emit mercury vapor on air and water are proposed.

Analyzing the air quality of Beijing, Tianjin, and Shijiazhuang using grey Verhulst model

To predict the comprehensive air quality index, the data of comprehensive air quality index and environmental protection investment are analyzed in Beijing, Tianjin, and Shijiazhuang, respectively. Considering the different growth rates in environmental protection investment, comprehensive air quality index is predicted by grey Verhulst model. The results show that the government’s investment can promote the improvement of air quality to a certain extent. According to local conditions, the improvement of air quality not only relies on government investment, but also needs other ways to reduce the comprehensive air quality index.