Effects Of Environmental Degradation Research Articles

Prediction of Air Quality Index Based on Support Vector Machine and Improved Butterfly Optimization Algorithm

Air pollution is an increasingly serious problem. Air pollution has been become a main cause of environmental degradation and health effects. Accurate prediction of air quality can help improve environmental quality and human living conditions. The traditional methods for predicting the air quality index have the problem of low accuracy and efficiency. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a novel support vector machine prediction model based on improved butterfly optimization algorithm, which is called IBOA-SVM model. In the improved butterfly optimization algorithm, the sigmoid function is used to optimize the update of the parameter c, which increases the search diversity and improves the convergence speed. The performance of the improved butterfly optimization algorithm is verified using eight benchmark functions. Compared with performances of the traditional butterfly optimization algorithm and the particle swarm optimization algorithm, the improved butterfly optimization algorithm has strong competitiveness in accuracy and stability. We establish the IBOA-SVM prediction model for forecasting air quality based on the improved butterfly optimization algorithm. The performance of our proposed model is compared with other predicting models. The experimental results show that our proposed model has higher accuracy and efficiency in predicting the air quality index of four cities in southern China.

FLOOD INUNDATION MAPPING OF GODAVARI RIVER BY USING 2D HEC-RAS MODEL

Due to increasing urbanization, there are various drastic changes taking place in environment these changes are hazardous for human being as well as animal and environment. Effect of environmental degradation can create environmental issues such as flood, drought etc. Out of this flood is the most common and disastrous hazard in the world. Present study utilizes 2D Unsteady flow modelling for flood inundation mapping in the lower Godavari basin for a reach length of 70 km from Sambaigudem in Telanagana district of Ramanujavaram to Damaracherla in Andhra Pradesh district of Nalgonda. For analysis of this 2D flow modelling and inundation mapping 30m resolution DEM is used. From ancient time majority of cities are developed near or on the banks of the river and these cities were affected due to flood during rainy season or due to the high intensity rainfall. As India is among the most vulnerable to flooding because of its geographical features. Therefore, this study is performed to analyze the flood plain and the extent of the affected areas present on or near the bank of Godavari River and provide mitigation measures for it.

Radiation versus environmental degradation in unencapsulated metal halide perovskite solar cells

Abstract Here, the radiation hardness of metal halide perovskite solar cells exposed to space conditions versus the effects of environmental degradation are assessed. The relative response of the constituent layers of the architecture to radiation is analyzed, revealing a general resilience of the structure when assessed across varying proton energy levels and fluences. However, despite the tolerance of the structure to irradiation, sensitivity to environmental degradation is observed during the transit of the device between the radiation and characterization facilities. Experimental evidence suggests the NiO x /perovskite interface is particularly sensitive to the effects of humidity and/or temperature exposure, while the irradiation of the devices appears to induce thermally activated annealing: improving the solar cells upon radiation exposure.

Food System Governance in the Cambodian Mekong Delta: Food Production, Food Security, Migration, and Indebtedness

Despite the government’s active promotion of rice production, a significant portion of the population still faces food insecurity. While existing literature often highlights the success of achieving rice surplus, few studies delve into the connections between rice surplus and food security, and critically analyze why food security is persistent. In addressing this issue, the study investigates the underlying causes of food insecurity amidst the government’s efforts to increase rice production. The study entails a comprehensive review of existing literature and an examination of food security in three provinces in the Cambodian Mekong Delta. It concludes that while rice intensification has led to increased rice production available for consumption, challenges persist in terms of access to and utilization of rice for food consumption. These challenges are attributed to increased production costs with minimal profit margins, indebtedness, migration, land grabs, water conflicts, and lack of institutional integration in food systems, compounded by the effects of climate change and environmental degradation. As a result, a farming household with one hectare of farmland cannot produce enough rice for food consumption. Consequently, young people opt to sell off their land to settle debts and seek employment opportunities in urban and overseas areas.

Experimental verification of the effect of lithium silicate surface treatment on concrete durability

Abstract This paper presents the results of a research focused on the behaviour of lithium silicate sealer as an additional protection of concrete structures against environmental degradation effects. The results are compared with the behaviour of siloxane sealer – an agent commonly used for the protection of concrete structures against environmental effects in practice. The paper presents the results of several tests: contact angle, porosity change and carbonation depth that was determined by accelerated test method. All the mentioned tests lead to a conclusion that siloxane sealer is significantly more efficient in increasing the durability of structures than lithium silicate sealer.

Environmental Degradation and its Effects on Health in Bangladesh

This study aims to analyze the impact of environmental degradation on health using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) method with data from 1976 to 2020. The primary focus is on the influence of CO2 emissions on life expectancy in Bangladesh, evaluating the short-term and long-term relationships among key variables such as CO2 emissions, urban population growth (UPG), money supply (M2), and renewable energy consumption (REC). The study employs unit root tests, including the Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) and Phillips-Perron (PP) tests, to determine the stationarity of the time-series data. Results indicate mixed integration orders, necessitating the use of the ARDL bounds testing approach to confirm cointegration. The findings reveal that CO2 emissions have a significant negative effect on life expectancy, while M2 and REC exhibit varying impacts. The ARDL model confirms a long-term relationship between the variables, with a significant speed of adjustment towards equilibrium. Diagnostic tests validate the model’s robustness, ensuring no issues with heteroskedasticity, autocorrelation, or model misspecification. The study underscores the importance of effective governance in mitigating the adverse effects of environmental degradation on health, advocating for stricter environmental regulations and improved public health policies. These findings have significant implications for policymakers aiming to enhance public health outcomes amidst growing environmental challenges..

Does Climate Change Strengthen the Link between Environmental Degradation and Agricultural Output? Empirical Evidence on the Turkish Economy

Purpose: This study investigates the relationship between agricultural output and environmental degradation, climate change, agricultural employment and economic growth in the Turkish economy for the period 1990-2020. Methodology: Direct and interactive effects of variables are investigated with the help of two different models. As an empirical method, the ARDL bounds test proposed by Pesaran et al. (2001) is utilized. After the existence of a long-run relationship, the long and short-run results are reported separately for the two models. Findings: Empirical findings show the existence of cointegration relationship between the relevant variables. Long-run findings show that increases in temperature increase agricultural output, while increases in CO2 emissions, economic growth and agricultural employment decrease agricultural output. In the short run, only economic growth has a negative effect on agricultural output. Originality: In the long run, the interactive effect of climate change and environmental degradation on agricultural output is found to be higher and more negative than the direct effects. This result reveals the importance of addressing climate change and environmental degradation together. Key words: Agriculture, Climate Change, Environmental Degradation, Time Series Analysis, Türkiye.

Psychological Impacts of Climate Change and Environmental Degradation on Mental Well-being

Climate change and environmental deterioration threaten mental health worldwide. Disasters’ physical and economic effects are well-known, but their psychological effects are not. This comprehensive review will examine the psychological effects of climate change and environmental degradation on people’s mental health, which groups are most at risk, and best practices for addressing those concerns. We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science for PRISMA-compliant peer-reviewed articles (2000-2024). Both featured studies on the mental health effects of climate change and environmental deterioration. The review found increased anxiety, despair, and PTSD, especially in vulnerable communities, including children, the elderly, and those living in poor or disaster-prone locations. The research lists community support, mental health services, and legislative solutions for social factors such as environmental stress and racism as coping mechanisms and remedies. These findings emphasize the need for mental health interventions and policies to address the psychological effects of climate change and environmental degradation. Mental health outcomes and preventative strategies for vulnerable populations require longitudinal study. This report emphasizes the link between environmental and psychological well-being and calls for a coordinated response to climate change and double action.

Evolution of Private Forest Owner’s Cooperation: A Bibliometric Network Analysis

Forests play an important role in adapting to and mitigating the negative effects of climate change and environmental degradation through sustainable forest management. In Europe and North America, where private forest ownership dominates, private forest owners play a crucial role in achieving diverse policy objectives. Given the importance of private forest owner cooperation to support the sustainable management and the achievement of policy goals, this paper systematically reviewed the international scientific publication on private forest owners (PFOs) cooperation using bibliometric network analysis complemented with a literature review to examine the development over the last two decades (2000–2021) and to determine where the trend of the research has been heading. The analysis provided a general overview of PFOs cooperation and focus more specifically on two main aspects of PFOs cooperation: “Reasons for joining forest owners’ organizations” and “Factors influencing PFOs cooperation”. The data was retrieved from the Scopus database and analysed using the VOSviewer software. The results showed that the number of publications on PFOs’ cooperation is more or less constant and that the most prolific authors’ institutions in this topic area come from the United States, Finland, Sweden and Germany. The keyword cluster analysis showed that there are three topic oriented clusters for both aspects of PFOs’ cooperation – “Reasons for joining forest owners’ organizations” and “Factors influencing PFOs cooperation”, while the trend of keywords showed a change in the perspective of PFOs’ cooperation over time: from cooperation for “timber production and supplying to the market” to cooperation for “multifunctional and sustainable forest management”, “biodiversity conservation” and “climate change mitigation”. The results also showed the influence of forest policy on PFOs cooperation.

Environmental Degradation: Causes, Effects and Solutions

Environmental degradation is a pressing global issue with far-reaching consequences for ecosystems, human health, and sustainable development. This comprehensive article explores the various causes of environmental degradation, ranging from poverty and urbanization to industrialization, deforestation, pollution, natural disasters, population growth, climate change, unrestricted development, soil damage, energy use, unsustainable agriculture, and landfills. It examines the various effects of environmental degradation, including impacts on human health, biodiversity loss, global warming, ozone layer depletion, atmospheric changes, scarcity of natural resources, loss of the tourism industry, and economic recession. Moreover, the article suggests a wide array of solutions to address environmental degradation, encompassing tree plantation, regenerative farming, spiritual renewal, pollution control, reduced fuel consumption, waste management strategies, water conservation, sustainable initiatives, public awareness campaigns, social movements, government policies and international cooperation through UN initiatives.

The Psychological Effects of Environmental Degradation on Human Well-Being

Purpose: This study sought to investigate the psychological effects of environmental degradation on human well- being. Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library. Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to the psychological effects of environmental degradation on human well- being. Through a comprehensive review of empirical studies, it revealed the pervasive nature of environmental degradation's impact on human mental health, consistently finding associations between exposure to various environmental stressors and adverse psychological outcomes. The study emphasized the interconnectedness between environmental health and human well-being, highlighting the need for holistic approaches to sustainability that integrate mental health considerations. It underscored the importance of community engagement and participatory approaches in addressing the psychological effects of environmental degradation, advocating for community-based interventions to promote resilience and sustainable development. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The Ecopsychology theory, Conservation Psychology theory and Stress and Coping theory may be used to anchor future studies on the psychological effects of environmental degradation on human well- being. The study offered valuable recommendations that contributed to theory, practice, and policy. It emphasized the need for an integrated theoretical framework that accounted for the multidimensional nature of environmental degradation and its psychological impacts. The recommendations highlighted the importance of integrating mental health considerations into environmental conservation efforts, promoting nature-based interventions, and prioritizing evidence-based policy reforms. Community engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and longitudinal research were identified as key strategies for addressing the psychological effects of environmental degradation and fostering resilience. Overall, the study provided a comprehensive roadmap for advancing understanding and addressing the complex interplay between environmental change and mental health outcomes.

Toward a just circular economy: conceptualizing environmental labor and gender justice in circularity studies

Over the past decade, the concept of circular economy (CE) has gained political traction as a potential solution to economy-environment tradeoffs. However, critical social scientists have raised concerns that CE may not address the root causes or consequences of environmental degradation, thus remaining ineffective. Concurring with this critique, this article highlights three constituent elements of the linear economy that remain unaddressed in CE frameworks: environmental, labor, and gender inequalities. Building upon scholarship from environmental justice, environmental labor studies, and feminist ecological economics, we elaborate a conceptual framework to interrogate the existing literature. Our analysis shows that current CE models 1) are mainly concerned with return on capital investment and sustained growth of gross domestic product (GDP) rather than with redressing the North/South inequalities embedded in the linear economy model; 2) present a limited perspective on labor, with a primary focus on the number of jobs to be created, rather than their quality, or workers’ leadership; and 3) overlook gender inequalities and the sexual division of labor, thus reproducing the devaluation of care that lays at the roots of socioecological crises. We conclude by suggesting avenues for elaborating a “just circular economy” framework.

Enhancing Environmental Conservation through Legal Policy and Institutional Framework: A Case Study of Uganda

Environmental conservation is a pressing global concern, with Uganda experiencing its own challenges in combating environmental crimes. Despite recent developments in conservation laws, the effectiveness of these measures remains uncertain. This article investigates the legal policy and institutional framework surrounding environmental crimes in Uganda, drawing on diverse sources including legislative provisions, journal articles, and case law. It explores the disconnect between short-term gains and long-term environmental sustainability, highlighting the need for heightened awareness and inclusive policymaking. Recommendations include leveraging constitutional provisions, strengthening water catchment conservation efforts, and fostering community engagement in environmental management. Additionally, the paper underscores the importance of capacity building for law enforcement agencies and emphasizes the role of international conventions in promoting environmental stewardship. By addressing these issues, Uganda can advance its conservation agenda and mitigate the detrimental effects of environmental degradation. Keywords: Court, Environmental crimes, Institutional framework, Legal policy, Legislation.

Severity of environmental degradation and the impact on quality of life in Africa

Considering the mounting impacts of environmental degradation on the global ecosystem, this study offers an empirical contribution to the debate on whether there exists a significant nexus between environmental degradation and quality of life in Africa. Towards this end, we employ several econometric techniques to account for cross-sectional dependence, causality, and also present results based on IV-Lewbel 2SLS regression. Using a sample of African countries, the results indicate cross-sectional dependence due to spill-over effects from common factors in Africa, while the panel cointegration test affirms that environmental degradation have long-term consequences for quality of life only in sub-Saharan African region. Moreover, our results reveal a unidirectional causality between environmental degradation variables and quality of life at both the continent and sub-Saharan African region levels while a bi-directional causality between these variables are revealed for North Africa. On this evidence, our conjecture is that increased mineral extraction, greenhouse gas emissions, and deforestation, amongst other factors, may be driving this result. Hence, improvement in environmental quality in the continent would have an increasingly beneficial effects on the well-being and survival of the populace. The varied impacts across regions also suggest that policy initiatives toward mitigating the effects of environmental degradation should consider regional dynamics of the continent.

Food insecurity, environment, institutional quality, and health outcomes: evidence from South Asia

BackgroundFood insecurity and environmental degradation pose significant threats to health outcomes in South Asia, necessitating effective policy interventions. Therefore, this study aims to examine the impact of food insecurity and environmental degradation on health outcome indicators amidst global inflationary shocks and institutional quality arrangements. Additionally, it aims to explore the intricate moderating role of institutional quality on the relationship between food insecurity, endogenous variables, and external shocks.MethodIn alignment with the study’s objectives, a set of panel data spanning from 2000 to 2021 is compiled for South Asia. The study introduces a novel variable representing inflationary shock, crafted through the integration of inflation datapoints and the application of the generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity model. Additionally, a distinctive aggregate institutional quality index is formulated, drawing from six key measures of the Worldwide Governance indicators. To scrutinize the effects of food insecurity, environmental degradation, and other explanatory variables, the study employs the two-step system generalized method of moment technique, offering a robust analytical approach to uncover complex relationships and dynamics in the region.ResultsThe results indicate that the prevalence of undernourishment, inequality in per capita calorie intake, and CO2 emissions significantly reduce life expectancy and increase mortality rates. Additionally, it shows that per capita kilocalorie supply, per capita GDP, per capita health expenditures, and urbanization are statistically significant for increasing life expectancy and decreasing mortality rates. The findings reveal that inflationary shocks severely affect food insecurity and environmental factors, exerting further pressure on contemporary life expectancy and mortality rates. In rebuttal, the institutional quality index is found to have significant effects on increasing and decreasing life expectancy and mortality rates, respectively. Furthermore, the institutional quality index is effective in moderating the nexus between food insecurity, environmental degradation, and health outcomes while also neutralizing the negative impact of inflationary shocks on the subject.ConclusionThe results verify triple health constraints such as food insecurity, environmental factors, and economic vulnerability to global shocks, which impose severe effects on life expectancy and mortality rates. Furthermore, poor institutional quality is identified as a hindrance to health outcomes in South Asia. The findings suggest specific policy implications that are explicitly discussed.

Maladaptation in an unequal world: an evolutionary model with heterogeneous agents

Maladaptation is steadily increasing its presence in agenda and debates about climate change and its impacts. The term denotes actions undertaken, at the individual or collective level, to defend against the adverse effects of climate change or environmental degradation, but that ultimately exacerbate the underlying risk factors. In this paper, we investigate the effects of maladaptation in terms of well-being and inequality in a two-population (North–South) evolutionary model. While agents in the South often face higher vulnerability to environmental degradation and limited defense mechanisms compared to their Northern counterparts, the latter stand to endure greater economic losses, in absolute terms. Our model demonstrates that the diffusion of maladaptive choices could result in a Pareto-dominated steady state, influencing inequality levels positively or negatively based on the scale of maladaptation impacts relative to the existing environmental degradation. These findings stress the imperative of integrating environmental risk studies with maladaptive effects and dynamics. Additionally, they advocate for international discourse not only on climate change mitigation but also on adaptive measures among countries.

Development of Electromobility in Poland as a Way to Reduce the Negative Impact of Land Transport on the Climate

Abstract Public authorities should pursue a policy ensuring ecological security for present and future generations. Furthermore, the protection of the environment is the responsibility of public authorities. Environmental protection means all activities and instruments counteracting the deterioration of the environment; it is particularly important in this respect to counteract the negative effects of environmental degradation on health. Under Polish law, climate protection law is one of the most intensively developing areas of public law. This is because the responsibility for environmental protection should lie with the state, as it has all the tools to achieve this goal. In Poland, climate protection issues have found their rightful place in public discourse. Stopping climate change is now covered by a multi-level public policy, in which the leading role is assigned to administrative law regulations. The development of electric vehicles has a significant impact on the decarbonisation of transport, which mainly relies on diesel and petrol. The popularisation of green vehicles requires strategic management of demand for petroleum-based fuels, which is undoubtedly a public task.

Spatiotemporal Analysis of the Interactions between Ecosystem Services in Arid Areas and Their Responses to Urbanization and Various Driving Factors

In recent years, rapid urban expansion and increasing ecological sensitivity in arid zones have led to extreme imbalances in ecosystem development. Therefore, there is an urgent need to balance the dual goals of synergistic development of ecosystem services (ESs) and increased urbanization. Previous studies have analyzed the impacts of urbanization on ESs but have selected a limited number of indicators and have not focused on the impacts of urbanization on ES pair interactions. In this study, six key ESs (water yield, habitat quality, soil conservation, carbon storage, carbon sequestration and oxygen production, and food production) and total ecosystem services (TESs) were selected, and trends in the temporal and spatial relationship between trade-offs and synergies were analyzed over 20 years. This study refined the living standards urbanization indicator and evaluated the impact of urbanization and multiple drivers on ESs and ES pair interrelationships based on geo-detectors and segmented linear regression. The results show that there is heterogeneity in the overall and regional ES trade-offs and synergistic relationships, and water yield (WY)-related ES pairs generally exhibit synergistic relationships at the overall level. Spatially, however, the trade-off ratio exceeds the synergy ratio. Segmented linear regression results show that the relationship between all the urbanization indicators and TESs demonstrates an upward trend followed by a downward trend. Measures such as the increase in man-made oases in the early stages of urbanization did have some positive effects on TESs. However, as urbanization increased, these positive effects were quickly offset by the negative effects of overdevelopment and environmental degradation, leading to an overall decline in TESs. Urbanization of construction land (CL) had the most direct impact on ecosystem services. In summary, due to special climatic constraints, arid zones are more sensitive than other ecosystems, and urban development is strictly limited by oasis capacity. As cities expand, attention needs to be focused on protecting ecological land and limiting the expansion of CL to promote the synergistic development of urbanization and ecosystem services in arid zones.

Valorization of poultry slaughterhouse waste into fertilizers with designed properties.

Climate change, soil erosion, air and water pollution, or problems related to waste management are just some of the many problems in the modern world. Comprehensive solutions are sought to reduce the effects of progressive environmental degradation according to the assumptions of the concept of sustainable development. The paper presents a technological concept that may be a response to these problems. The presented solution assumes full utilization of slaughterhouse waste with the simultaneous recovery of nutrients and the production of functional fertilizing products with designed properties. Four liquid fertilizer formulations with the following composition were prepared: N - 2.30-3.64%, P2O5 - 2.18-9.66%, and K2O - 0.11-4.49%. The manufactured products were characterized by a high sulfur content and the addition of microelements. The tests carried out on plants confirmed their effectiveness similar to commercial mineral fertilizers. An increase in green matter yield of peas by 5 t/ha and maize by 2 t/ha was observed. The lack of microbiological risk associated with their use has been proven. Good efficiency with a simultaneous reduction in production costs resulting from the use of waste materials, as well as limiting the negative impact of poultry farms on the environment, make this solution an attractive alternative to mineral fertilizers, in line with the assumptions of the circular economy.

Does environmental policy stringency reduce trade in energy resources? Insights from coal, petroleum, and gas

Stringent Environmental policies are widely acknowledged as a significant policy option to control the harmful effects of environmental degradation. Restricting trade in energy commodities helps reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and thus improve environmental quality. Within the framework of new trade theory, the analysis intends to investigate the influence of environmental policy stringency on trade in conventional energy commodities (coal, petroleum, and gas) in the top polluted economies of the world from 1991 to 2021. Additionally, the study uses the asymmetry assumption compared to earlier research. For empirical investigation, the analysis applied the novel nonlinear CS-ARDL model that can deal with the issue of cross-sectional dependence and provide robust short and long-run estimates. Findings of the nonlinear model suggest that a positive shock in environmental policy stringency restricts trade in energy commodities in the long run, whereas a negative shock in environmental policy stringency does not exert any noticeable effect on these commodities. In the short run, a positive shock in environmental policy stringency exhibits significantly negative effects in mostly energy commodities. Energy demand and financial development promote trade in energy commodities in the nonlinear model, and the real exchange rate restricts trade in these commodities. Thus, policymakers should introduce strict environmental policies to limit the consumption of fossil fuels and promote clean and green energy sources and sustainable development.