Degradation Of Environmental Quality Research Articles

Are Low Emission Zones Truly Embraced by the Public?

Rapid urbanization and car-centric mobility solutions have resulted in the degradation of environmental urban quality, impacting people’s health and well-being and city economies and harming urban ecosystems. Faced with the need to tackle traffic pollution, more than 300 low emission zones (LEZs) have been implemented, causing some social controversy. Nonetheless, researchers have focused their studies on evaluating LEZ efficacy towards urban congestion and air pollutants reduction, health and well-being improvement. This study presents a literature review of what is known about acceptability and acceptance of the population regarding the implementation of LEZs, along with the main issues, best practices, and suggestions to promote a better perception and mobility behavior change. Based on research conducted in the Web of Science and Scopus databases, only 36 of 540 peer-reviewed articles on LEZs address public attitudes. Among the main findings, the following stand out: the existing gap in environmental urban quality approaches between countries, namely the Global North; the existence of few studies that evaluate perceptions before and after LEZ implementation; the lack of LEZ studies that consider noise and biodiversity, seeking a broader approach to this measure; and the importance of developing a support package measures that involves affected stakeholders and are adapted to each city’s characteristics.

Urban Environmental Planning in Shimla Smart City: Review of Related Literature

Urban environmental concerns are on rise due to increasing population pressure on finite natural resources, deforestation, over grazing, unplanned construction, networking of roads and large-scale modification of natural landscape. It has caused irreversible damage to the ecology of this Himalayan state. Number of ultra modern projects, road networking, hydropower projects, and SEZ and real estate projects are costing Himalayan ecology. Unplanned developmental activities and urban processes in city have resulted in several ecological problems like environmental pollution, noise pollution extreme climatic conditions, shortage of drinking water, landslides, sinking land and change in seasonal cycle. Poor urban planning will cause social, economic and environmental implications in long term. Cities needs to be planned professionally keeping in mind future sustainability. Before planning a city in hilly areas, needs proper understanding of complex and dynamic phenomena involving interaction between environmental and socio- economic and political factors with multi disciplinary approach and vision. Urbanization and industrialization on one side is contributing its share in economic development of a region but on the other hand, it is degenerating water, air, soil and natural resources resulting in the degradation of environmental quality (Anjum, 1998). Urban environmental degradation leaves direct impact on the ecology and causes ecological imbalance (Singh, 1996). The most striking reason for the environmental degradation is the changing man and environment relationship. (Dasman, 1976), Shah (2001). Developmental activities in Himalayan region need different treatment and systematic planning.

Carbon footprint in civil construction: literature review

We have Greenhouse Gases (GHG), which are highly harmful to the planet and responsible for contributing to the increase in global warming, as well as causing climate change. In view of the above, the aim of the paper was to develop a review of literature related to the environmental aspect, in an exploratory manner, through manuscripts obtained from an internet search platform, that is, articles published in indexed journals and scientific events associated with the theme. Carbon footprint in construction. Given the analyzed content, we have that (i) GHG are highly harmful to planet Earth, which are present in the atmosphere and are essentially formed by carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4), hexafluoride sulfur (SF6) and the two families called: perfluorocarbon (PFC) and hydrofluorocarbon (HFC), and (ii) that the civil construction sector is highly important (mainly due to the strengthening of the economy), due to the transcendent contribution provided to the mechanism's degradation of environmental quality, requiring mitigating actions to reduce this liability.

Social media influences National Park visitation

Visitation to National Parks in the United States increased by more than 25% since 2010, rising from roughly 70 to 90 million annual visitors. Anecdotes suggest that this increase was driven by the advent of social media in the early-to-mid 2010s, generating a new form of exposure for parks, and has led to concerns about overcrowding and degradation of environmental quality. However, there is little empirical evidence on the role of social media in influencing recreation decisions. Here, I construct a dataset on social media exposure (SME) for each National Park and relate that exposure to changes in visitation over the last two decades. High SME parks see visitation increase by 16 to 22% relative to parks with less exposure, which comes with a concomitant increase in revenue. Low SME parks have no, or negative, changes in visitation. These estimates account for unobserved park heterogeneity and are based on an instrumental variables strategy that predicts exposure with a park's online popularity prior to the social media era. Additional analysis suggests that recent social media posts that include media attachments increase visitation, while posts with negative sentiment reduce visitation. These results provide insight for the National Park Service-which faces more than $22 billion in deferred maintenance costs and is considering policy options to manage demand-as well as for management of recreation on other public lands.

Tax On Industrial B3 Waste As An Environmental Control Instrument In Bekasi District

Industry in an area can cause environmental quality degradation due to hazardous and toxic (B3) waste generated and polluting the environment. To maintain environmental sustainability in the future, it is necessary to establish a policy to control B3 waste disposal activities. Tax, as one of the regular end instruments, is a tool that the government can use to control waste disposal and is a source of earmarking state revenue. This study analyzes the scheme, benefits, and challenges of taxing industrial hazardous waste disposal. Thus, this policy can be a control tool and source of revenue to overcome negative environmental impacts due to company activities. This research applies a qualitative method with literature study data collection techniques. The literature study analyzed documents related to the research topic, such as letters, photo archives, meeting minutes, journals, diaries, etc. The research concludes that taxation of B3 waste disposal can be applied by official assessment by the Bekasi Regency Regional Government by establishing a special location where the tax subject disposes of its waste and determining the amount of tax payable. The rate used is advalorem, which refers to the capacity of the waste disposed by the company. Administrative aspects, legal certainty, and supervision are critical in implementing this policy. The policy can be implemented if the government has provided adequate infrastructure, resources, monitoring, and law enforcement mechanisms. This research is expected to prepare public policies related to economic and environmental management by the Indonesian government at the regional government level.

Review on mechanism and remediation strategies of dissolved oxygen abnormal in surface water.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is an important index to evaluate the quality of surface water environments. In recent years, anomalies in DO level have emerged as a major contributor to the decline of surface water quality. These anomalies have triggered several ecological and environmental challenges such as biodiversity loss, the degradation of water environmental quality, intensification of eutrophication, and an exacerbation of the greenhouse effect. Understanding the mechanisms underlying DO anomalies and devising targeted remediation strategies holds paramount importance in the scientific pursuit of water pollution control and aquatic ecosystem restoration. We explored and summarized the fluctuations and abnormal mechanism of DO concentration in surface water, focusing on factors like oxygen solubility, reoxygenation rates, and oxygen consumption by water bodies. We compiled a range of approaches for addressing DO anomalies, including pollution source management, artificial oxygenation, and the reconfiguration of aquatic ecosystems. Ultimately, we underscored the emerging significance of monitoring and regulating DO level in surface waters. Future research in this realm should encompass the establishment of distinct quality standards for surface water, the development of a comprehensive real-time spatial monitoring system for DO levels across watersheds, and the formulation of standardized procedures and technical norms.

Ants Density of Odontomachus sp. and Its Ecological Role in Kendari City Green Open Space

The degradation of environmental quality has become a global problem today. One way to address this is by providing green open spaces that help maintain environmental quality. Kendari city has a number of green open spaces (RTH) including, RTH in Baruga sub-district, Kendari mayor's office area and in Nanga-nanga botanical garden of Kendari city. This study aims to determine the density and ecological role of ants (Odontomachus sp.) in green open spaces in Kendari city. The method used in this study was hand sorting using ring samples with a diameter of 20 cm and a height of 15 cm in a plot measuring 25 m x 25 m consisting of 25 sampling points with a distance of 5 m per point. Data analysis was carried out by calculating the density at each research location, namely Baruga green space, mayor's park and Nanga-nanga botanical garden. The results showed that the highest density of ants (Odontomachus sp.) was found in the mayor's park with 16 ind/m2. The ecological role of ants (Odontomachus sp.) in Kendari city green open space is an important role in bioturbation and natural predators of soil fauna such as termites and earthworms.

Green GDP accounting system from the perspective of resources and environment and a case study of Chongqing

Abstract Green GDP represents the net positive effect of national economic growth. The positive effect of national economic growth will be enhanced if there is a higher percentage of green GDP in GDP. From the perspective of resources and environment, this paper introduces SEEA-2012 accounting system with indirect calculating methods of green GDP in China, within which the value of natural resource depletion, environmental pollution damage and environmental quality degradation are included. In order to reasonably select valid indicators and data so as to get accurate accounting results, different valuation methods and operational formulas in economics are adopted to construct a new accounting system model, and the green GDP of Chongqing City in 2018-2020 is accounted for. Results show that the green GDP of Chongqing in recent three years is 1,838.889 billion Yuan, 1,964.724 billion Yuan and 2,111.2 billion Yuan, respectively, and proportions of green GDP in traditional GDP are 90.30%, 91.01% and 89.44% respectively. By studying and analyzing the dependence of Chongqing on natural resources and the ecological environment in the process of economic development, this paper provides theoretical support for the sustainable development of the urban economy and environment, provides a reference basis for the local government to formulate economic development planning, and also provides a reference for the construction of green GDP accounting system in similar ecological areas.

Assessing Sustainability: A Comprehensive Analysis of Nuclear Energy, Energy Depletion, and Agriculture in Pakistan

The pressing impacts of human activities on environmental sustainability made economists and environmentalists think about identifying indicators responsible for the degradation of environmental quality. Accordingly, this study brings a novel analysis adopting Pakistan’s Load Capacity Factor (LCF) as the significant environmental sustainability indicator between 1990 and 2022 for empirical analysis. The study applied the novel Dynamic Autoregressive Distributed Lags (ARDL) framework and offered the policymakers compelling insights. It highlights the positive influence of nuclear energy on Pakistan’s environmental sustainability by mitigating environmental degradation. In contrast, agriculture expansion and energy depletion remain contributing factors of environmental degradation in the country, signaling significant attention towards them. The results contributed to the fact that expansion in economic activities raises environmental deterioration in Pakistan. Kernel-based Regularized Least Squares (KRLS) was applied to re-affirm these findings. The outcomes obtained from the complex synergy between nuclear energy expansion, agriculture, and energy depletion with environmental sustainability make it critical to strengthen environmental quality by not harming the country's economic growth.

Analysis of the EDGE Rating System Implementation in PKN STAN Buildings

Indonesia, especially Jakarta and big cities, has now started to promote the development and renewal of green buildings. The green building concept is a concept that is really needed at this time, considering the degradation of environmental quality due to development that does not pay attention to environmental sustainability. The green building concept will certainly encourage every development to be sustainable one. EDGE is an assessment tool that focuses on energy savings and the use of new and renewable energy sources. In order to achieve EDGE standards, buildings must demonstrate a 20% reduction in projected energy consumption, water reduction, and embodied energy in materials compared to conventional buildings. This research uses a case study exploration method regarding the fulfilment of green building criteria in the PKN STAN Building project, based on the EDGE assessment system. Integrating green building certification, especially EDGE, is expected to be a solution to the problems facing the world of construction today.

Integrated pollution analysis, pollution area identification and source apportionment of heavy metal contamination in agricultural soil

Given the global prevalence of soil heavy metal contamination, knowledge concerning of soil environmental quality assessment, pollution area identification and source apportionment is critical for implementation of soil pollution prevention and safe utilization strategies. In this study, soil static environmental capacity (QI) for heavy metals was selected to evaluate pollution risks in agricultural soils of Wenzhou, southeast China. Combined with geostatistical methods, the pollution area was identified along with uncertainty analysis. Potential sources were quantitatively apportioned using a positive matrix factorization model (PMF). Results showed that agricultural soils in this study were mainly contaminated by Cd and Pb based on both Nemerow and QI indices. The environmental capacity assessment found more than 90% areas were identified as polluted soils for Qi-Zn, Qi-Cd and Qi-Pb, with minor uncertain areas. Cu was identified as having a high proportion of uncertain pollution area status, which was similar to the results of the integrated environmental capacity for all metals. PMF results indicated that industrial discharge, agrochemicals and parent material accounted for 32.1%, 32.2% and 35.7% of heavy metal accumulation in soils, respectively. Implementation of strict policies to reduce anthropogenic source emissions and remediate soil pollution are crucial to minimize metal pollution inputs, improve agricultural soil quality and enhance food safety.

PENDAMPINGAN DESA BERKELANJUTAN PENGOLAHAN SAMPAH ORGANIK MENJADI KOMPOS DI DESA DALUNG KECAMATAN CIPOCOK KOTA SERANG

The waste produced in the city of Serang reaches 360 tons/day, while the waste that can be transported by the Environmental Service (DLH) in the town of Serang to the Final Disposal Site (TPA) is only around 70-80 tons/day. In general, waste management in the community is by burning, throwing it into the river, or collecting it in trash cans to be then taken by the garbage officer and disposed of at the TPA. The same thing also happened in Dalung village, the waste generated from community activities was burned or collected into trash bins to be then taken by officers to be disposed of in the waste landfill. Burning waste causes pollution, and waste disposal in landfill causes degradation of cleanliness and environmental quality due to methane gas which causes global warming, where the gas has a destructive power 23 times stronger than carbon and other gases such as SO2 gas which causes odor. Organic waste can be processed into liquid fertilizer, compost, or methane gas. The implementation of community activities aims to increase public knowledge about the importance of waste management, layout arrangements, and the manufacture of organic and inorganic waste bins as well as training in composting. keywords: fermentation, compost, organic, rubbish

Lake shrinkage-induced terrestrial ecological environmental quality degradation in a semiarid lake basin.

Lake water environmental problems caused by lake shrinkage in semiarid zones have attracted widespread attention, but few studies have quantified the impact of lake shrinkage on the terrestrial ecological environmental quality of watersheds. In this study, remote sensing image inversion, digital elevation modeling, and statistical analysis were applied to explore the impact of Lake Daihai shrinkage on the terrestrial ecological environmental quality of its receding water areas from 1986 to 2019. The results showed that the area of Lake Daihai shrank from 170.7 km2 in 1961 to 50.67 km2 in 2019, a shrinkage of 70.32%. The average annual shrinkage was 2.07 km2 during the period of 1986-2019 (r = -0.99, p < 0.01). The main conclusions of this study are as follows: The mean remote sensing ecological index values decreased significantly from 0.628 in 1986 to 0.441 in 2019 (r = -0.78, p < 0.05), which means that the terrestrial ecological environmental quality of the water receding area degraded from a good grade to a moderate grade. The increase in water use by residents in the basin was an important reason for the shrinkage of Lake Dahai. Approximately 90% of the wetlands in the receding water areas formed after the shrinkage of Lake Daihai were converted to farmland by local residents, which significantly degraded the terrestrial ecological environmental quality of these areas from good to moderate grade over the 34-year period (r = -0.83, p < 0.05). Correlation analysis indicated that the remote sensing ecological index was positively correlated with lake area (r = 0.85, p < 0.01). The results indicate that steps should be taken to decrease the impact of human activities on the terrestrial ecological environmental quality of lake basins in semiarid zones.

STUDY THERMAL OF COMPRESSOR POWER REDUCTION ON USING SOLID DRY PAD PRE-AIR COOLING SYSTEM

AbstractThe uses of compressor based air conditioning system has rapidly increased the consumption of fossil fuel energy resources and the degradation of environment quality. Massive study has been done worldwide to reduce energy consumption for compressor based air conditioning (AC) system. This study is subjected to investigate the use of solid dry pad as pre-air cooling for AC system. In this study, solid dry pad would be placed in the evaporator and condenser inlet air side. This placement was objected to give a pre-cooling effect for evaporator and condenser inlet air, so then the compressor could be operated with a lower power consumption. The experiment would be carried out within three level air mass flowrate of 0.293 kg/s; 0.319 kg/s; and 0.359 kg/s, for air velocity of 2.2; 2.4; and 2.7 m/s respectively, the cooling cabin is set into 30oC using a heater as a cooling load. As a results, it could be revealed that at the highest air mass flowrate of 0.359 kg/s, it could achieved the lowest compressor power consumption of 0.44 kW, within a higher cooling capacity of 2.625 kW, a higher condenser heat rejection of 3.622 kW and also higher COP of 5.9. Referring to those results, it can be concluded that when employing solid dry pad pre-air cooling for evaporator and condenser AC system, it could reduced compressor power consumption by 12.2%; 21.9% and 20% for air velocity of 2.2; 2.4; and 2.7 m/s respectively.Keywords : solid dry pad, pre-air cooling, compressor power reduction.

Life Cycle Assessment of Rice Farming Practices in Indonesia

Indonesian farmers have practiced rice farming for centuries. However, chemical application and agricultural mechanization emit pollution, i.e., ethylene, CO2, and SO2. This study identifies GHG emissions from four rice farming practices, i.e., conventional, organic, integrated crop management, and rice intensification. OpenLCA 1.11 software was employed to calculate the environmental impacts of rice farming practices (ha/year), and the calculation was based on the CML-IA baseline methodology. This study assesses the life cycle of pre-planting to the production of rice. Diesel-fueled machinery in rice farming contributes most to environmental quality degradation, mainly from water pump and tractor utilization. Conventional rice farming emits the highest pollutants compared to organic rice farming, rice intensification, or integrated crop management. On the contrary, rice intensification generated the lowest pollutants. In conclusion, fossil fuel utilization contributes more to rice farming practices than chemicals or organic fertilizer application.

Ecological footprints and sustainable environmental management: A critical view of China's economy

Global economies have recently been concerned about sustainable environmental management by reducing emissions and tackling ecological footprints. The rapid economic expansion and investment in traditional manufacturing further raises environmental degradation. China surpasses other emerging economies in the economic growth race yet has remained the top pollution-emitting economy for the last few decades, necessitating scholarly attention. This study examines the influencing factors of ecological footprints in China from the perspective of COP27. Using the extended dataset from 1988 to 2021, this study uses several time series diagnostic tests and verifies the existence of the long-run association between the study variables. Consequently, the non-linear scattered data leads to non-parametric (method of moment quantile regression) adoption. The empirical results indicate that only economic growth is a significant factor in environmental quality degradation in China. However, improving renewable energy usage, research and development, and foreign direct investment reduces the country's ecological footprint. Hence, the latter variables substantially lead to environmental sustainability. The robustness of the results is confirmed via a robust non-parametric estimator and causality test. Based on the empirical results, this study recommends increased investment in research and development, renewable production, and foreign direct investment enhancement.

Soil Carbon and Biochemical Indicators of Soil Quality as Affected by Different Conservation Agricultural and Weed Management Options

Burning of agricultural residues, cultivation of single crop varieties such as rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and traditional soil tillage practices collectively contribute to the degradation of environmental quality, water systems, and soil resources. To address these issues, conservation agriculture (CA)-based crop management practice has emerged as one of the viable options. The current study was conducted with the aim to evaluate the effect of CA and weed management (WM) practices on carbon dynamics and biochemical properties of soil. The experiment included two factors, viz., CA and WM practices. The CA levels vary from conventional agriculture to partial CA (pCA1, pCA2, and pCA3) and full CA, while WM had three levels consisting of chemical control, integrated weed management, and weedy check. The results demonstrated that soil organic carbon (SOC) under the full CA treatment, was 30.6, 23.5, and 20.6 percent higher than conventional agriculture (T1), partial CA1, and partial CA2 practices, respectively. Similarly, labile fractions of carbon, KMnO4-C MBC, WSOC, and POC, in full CA increased by 46.3, 52.3, 152.4, and 15.6 percent, respectively, over conventional agriculture. Nonetheless, the total organic carbon exhibited no significant impact. The highest SOC stock was sequestered under full CA treatment, which was higher by 26.5 to 40.6 per cent than the rest of the CA treatments. Among biological properties, full CA resulted in 104.3 and 40.6 percent higher dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase activity than conventional agriculture. The impact of weed management practices was significant for KMnO4-C, with very labile carbon and alkaline phosphatase activity only in the surface soil layer. Soil quality index (SQI) followed the decreasing order as full CA (0.94) &gt; partial CA3 (0.88) &gt; partial CA2 (0.78) partial CA1 (0.77) &gt; conventional agriculture (0.67) under different CA treatments, whereas WM followed herbicide (0.82) &gt; weedy check (0.81) &gt; IWM (0.80). The current study offered incredible information on soil carbon and biological indicators to monitor soil quality changes in rice–wheat cropping systems in response to conservation agriculture practices.

Mediasi Penal Sebagai Alternatif Penyelesaian Perkara Tindak Pidana Lingkungan Hidup

This study aims to determine how the role of penal mediation as an alternative in solving environmental crimes outside the court, as well as to determine the construction of penal mediation as an alternative to solving environmental crime cases. Environmental quality degradation is often the result of human actions that are not commendable. Irresponsible and careless actions of humans who pollute and damage the environment are the most fundamental problems regarding difficulties in environmental management. Enforcement of environmental law by means of criminal law has so far been constrained by difficulties in proving that in the end there has been no resolution in several existing environmental cases. Apart from that, proving environmental crimes with criminal penalties requires high human resources and technology. Therefore, the application of penal mediation in resolving environmental crime cases must be carried out because it is beneficial for the environment and in line with the law that lives and develops in a society that already has a mechanism for settling cases through negotiations or deliberations to reach an agreement. This research method uses normative legal research using a statutory approach. The results of the analysis of this study show that penal mediation is an alternative to solving environmental crime cases that are carried out theoretically and more efficiently. Therefore, penal mediation can be used as an alternative solution to environmental crime cases.

Oxygenated graphitic carbon nitride based electrochemical sensor for dibenzofuran detection

Dibenzofuran (DBF) is one of the carcinogenic species which is stamped among the ‘pollutants of concern’ by international environmental protection agencies. This tenacious Persistent, Bioaccumulate and Toxic (PBT) compound is generated as a result of industrial effluents, agricultural wastes, aqueous chlorination and by-products of various pharmaceutical processes. Prolonged exposure to DBF results in significant degradation of environment quality and human health, as it has a slower decomposition capability. Furthermore, there are no relevant technologies in the market which can efficiently detect the presence of DBF due to which numerous human lives are being lost because of its after-effects/complications. Thus, the development of an efficient sensor platform for the trace quantification of this highly toxic species is essential and of utmost requirement which then is the novelty of this work. The current study is focused on the development of an electroanalytical sensing platform, based on oxygenated graphitic carbon nitride (O-gCN) nanostructures, for the detection of DBF in water. The electroanalytical activity of O-gCN is studied using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and Cyclic Voltammetry (CV). The developed sensor exhibited a Limit of Detection (LoD) of 1.58 pM, and is found to be selective in the presence of interferants with shelf life of 50 days; thereby demonstrating a huge potential to be translated towards on-field applications.

Circular economy in agriculture: unleashing the potential of integrated organic farming for food security and sustainable development

Food is a basic human requirement which sustains the dynamics of the Earth's inhabitants by satisfying hunger, providing nutrition and health, and catering to culture, tradition, and lifestyle. However, the rising global population coupled with climate change including calamities, diseases, conflicts, as well as poor agricultural practices put a huge constraint on the quantity and quality of food. Modern agriculture propelled by the green revolution has somehow been able to meet the food requirements of the ever-increasing population and is heavily dependent on chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and machinery, reducing the quality of food, and simultaneously posing a great risk of environmental quality degradation and genetic diversity reduction. The Integrated Organic Farming System (IOFS) is a novel approach that holds the potential in addressing the challenge of reconciling food production with environmental preservation. As this approach embraces zero or minimal chemical use, adopting the reprocessing and reuse of agricultural residues has led to a sustainable system that can be viewed as the closest approach to nature and a circular economy. However, certain constraints need to be addressed, such as ascertaining the effectiveness of organic fertilizers, the complexities associated with weed management, and the inadequacy of proficiency, financial resources, and technical expertise required to implement the IOFS. Therefore, this study emphasizes the comprehensive benefits that could be derived from IOFS, particularly agroforestry, including efficient food production, improved food quality, biodiversification of crops by the adoption of lesser-known crops to cater to cultural requirements and minimal capital input to achieve environmental sustainability and a carbon neutral economy.