Environmental Consultants Research Articles

‘Made in Germany’ how companies approach Circular Economy on Linked-In

ABSTRACT In this study, circular economy (CE) relevance in Germany will be discussed based on LinkedIn readily available data. LinkedIn company profiles located in Germany with ‘circular economy’ in their description or any other field were selected and used as a data source to analyze their CE relation. Overall, 514 German companies were analyzed in reference to the 15 German regions they belong. Most companies are located in the federal state of Berlin (126), followed by North Rhine-Westphalia (96) and Bavaria (77). In terms of the industry sector, they are self-classified to environmental services (64), management consulting (50), renewables & environment (33), research (31), and computer software (18) etc. Regarding their employees with LinkedIn profiles, 22,621 people are affiliated with these companies, ranging from one to 7,877. All examined companies have a total of 819,632 followers on LinkedIn, ranging from none to 88,167. An increase in CE-related companies was recorded in 13 of the 16 federal states of Germany over a one-year period. This work provides essential insights into the increasing relevance and trends of the circular economy in German enterprises and will help conduct further national studies with readily available data from LinkedIn.

Green-lean-six sigma practices and supporting factors for transitioning towards circular economy: A natural resource and intellectual capital-based view

Conservation of natural resources has a critical role in promoting sustainable development. However, emerging evidence suggests that the overexploitation of natural resources and inadequate concern for environmental sustainability by manufacturing firms in recent times have posed a significant threat to ecosystem services and exacerbated the ongoing climate change crisis. In this regard, Green-lean-six sigma (GLSS) is recognized as an emerging strategy to effectively address pressing environmental issues and conserve natural resources in manufacturing operations. While prior studies have documented the operational and environmental benefits of this strategy, there is a paucity of empirical research examining the role of the GLSS approach in fostering a circular economy in the manufacturing industry. Against this backdrop, this study aims to investigate the role of GLSS practices and factors supporting the circular economy in the flexible packaging (FP) industry. In particular, this process industry is selected as it faces several circular economy-related issues including natural resource depletion, lack of recycling, solid waste generation, air pollution, energy footprints, and marine pollution. A multiple-case study approach is used to obtain data through semi-structured interviews with senior corporate managers in New Zealand FP industry. Further, to corroborate the research findings, we have interviewed key informants including lean six sigma and environmental consultants. Building on the natural resource-based view (NRBV) and intellectual capital-based view (ICBV), our analysis reveals that GLSS practices related to waste elimination, pollution reduction, resource circulation, and environmental conservation enable FP manufacturing firms to transit towards the circular economy. The findings further demonstrate that supporting factors including strategic, technical, human resource, and external stakeholders contribute to GLSS adoption in promoting the circular economy concept. We argue that these findings can assist academia, practitioners, and policymakers in understanding the significance of GLSS practices and supporting factors for enabling circular economy in the process industry.

Motivating a change in environmental assessment practice: Consultant perspectives on SDG integration

The responsive nature of environmental assessment (EA) subjects it to the political conversations that drive future planning and development, one of the most relevant being the increased attention given to a sustainable transition. This political attention has catalyzed an interest amongst practitioners to urge traditional EA practice towards one with an increased regard for sustainability objectives, understood, in this case, to be guided and driven by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Using a theoretical framework of a practitioner's ‘spaces for practice’ and interviews with environmental consultants in Denmark and the Republic of Ireland, this paper unfolds the motivation that consultants have for integrating SDGs in their practice. This includes both outlining the overarching opportunities that enable the adoption of new practices and the perceived capacities that demotivate integration attempts. The results are then compared and correlated across both countries, showing an emerging motivation from consultants for integrating SDGs and shifting EA practice towards aligning with the strategic goals, but also identifying challenges hindering the implementation of this motivation in practice. These range from being intrinsic conditions of the individual practitioner to extrinsic conditions of the relations between practitioners and stakeholder groups. The study suggests directing attention towards theory on how practitioners construct practice to better address the divide between SDG integration in theory and in practice.

Modeling of Aquatic Ecosystem Dynamics in a Run‐of‐River Reservoir in the Brazil

AbstractThe maximum specific pollutant loads of nutrients and carbonaceous organic matter of the effluent—in an initially oligotrophic or mesotrophic state artificial run‐of‐river reservoir—should be studied in order to serve as a basis for future hydroelectric in tropical regions. Two different hydrological scenarios in the central tropical region of Brazil are analyzed; a historical and a synthetic one. The maximum specific load that the artificial run‐of‐river reservoir of a hydroelectric power plant supports is evaluated in order to meet the environmental limits defined by national resolution. An analysis of lateral and vertical dispersion between epilimnion and hypolimnion is performed. The maximum permissible loads for the historical hydrological scenario with a long‐term average flow of 247.2 m3 s−1 are 70.017 kg BOD hm−3 d−1, 0.131 kg Ptotal hm−3 d−1, and 2.626 kg Ntotal hm−3 d−1. For the synthetic hydrological scenario with a long‐term average flow equaling 140.4 m3 s−1, the maximum permissible loads are 55.576 kg BOD hm−3 d−1, 0.096 kg Ptotal hm−3 d−1, and 1.925 kg Ntotal hm−3 d−1. The proposal of this study is to provide an aid to the decision‐making process of environmental managers and consultants in artificial run‐of‐river reservoirs in tropical regions with similar hydrological regimes.

LORA: a local ensemble transform Kalman filter-based ocean research analysis

We have produced an eddy-resolving local ensemble transform Kalman filter (LETKF)-based ocean research analysis (LORA) for the western North Pacific (WNP) and Maritime Continent (MC) regions (LORA-WNP and LORA-MC, respectively). This paper describes the system configuration and validation comparisons with Japan Coastal Ocean Predictability Experiment 2M (JCOPE2M) reanalysis and Archiving, Validation, and Interpretation of Satellite Oceanographic Data (AVISO) observational datasets. The results show that the surface horizontal velocity in the LORA-WNP is closer to independent drifter buoy observations in the mid-latitude region, especially along the Kuroshio Extension (KE), and is less close in the subtropical region than the JCOPE2M, although the AVISO is the closest over the whole domain. The sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the LORA-WNP correspond better to assimilated satellite observations than the JCOPE2M over most of the domain except for coastal regions. The results using an independent buoy south of the KE indicate that better fit of temperature in the LORA-WNP may be limited to the upper 300 m depth, probably because of the prescribed vertical localization cutoff length of 370 m. In the MC region, the surface velocity in the LORA-MC is closer to the independent drifter buoys in the equatorial coastal region and is less close in the offshore region than the AVISO. The SSTs in the LORA-MC correspond better to the assimilated satellite observations in the offshore region than the nearshore region. Therefore, the LORA-WNP and LORA-MC have sufficient accuracy for geoscience research applications as well as for fisheries, marine transport, and environment consultants.

A novel concept for estimating the contaminant mass discharge of chlorinated ethenes emanating from clay till sites

Interest in using contaminant mass discharge (CMD) for risk assessment of contaminated sites has increased over the years, as it accounts for the contaminant mass that is moving and posing a risk to water resources and receptors. The most common investigation of CMD involves a transect of multilevel wells; however, this is an expensive undertaking, and it is difficult to place it in the right position in a plume. Additionally, infrastructure at the site needs to be considered. To derive an initial CMD estimate at a contaminated site and to allow for the prioritization of further investigations and remedial actions, the ProfileFlux method has been developed. It is targeted at former industrial sites with a source zone in a low conductivity layer with primarily vertical flow overlying an aquifer with primarily horizontal groundwater flow. The ProfileFlux method was developed for mature chlorinated solvent plumes, typically originating from more than 30 to 50-year-old spills, as the usage of chlorinated solvents is mainly historical. Thus, it is assumed that the contaminant had time to distribute in the low conductivity layer by mainly diffusive processes. Today the contamination is continuously released to the underlying aquifer, where advection and dispersive (other than diffusive) processes are of higher importance. The approach combines high-resolution, depth-discrete vertical concentration profiles and a simple 2D flow and transport model to estimate CMD by comparing measured and simulated concentration profiles in the aquifer. The study presented herein includes a global sensitivity analysis, in order to identify crucial field parameters, and of particular importance in this regard are source length, groundwater flux and infiltration. The ProfileFlux method was tested at a well-examined industrial site primarily contaminated with trichloroethylene, thereby allowing a comparison between CMD from the ProfileFlux method and the traditional transect method. CMD was estimated at 117–170 g/year, when using the ProfileFlux method, against 143 g/year with the transect method, thus validating ProfileFlux method's ability to estimate CMD. In addition, applying the method identified weak points in the conceptual site model. The method will be incorporated into a user-friendly online tool directed at environmental consultants and decision-makers working on the risk assessment and prioritization of contaminated sites with the specific hydrogeological conditions of an aquifer with an overlying low permeability layer.

BiomonitoR: an R package for managing ecological data and calculating biomonitoring indices

The monitoring of biological indicators is required to assess the impacts of environmental policies, compare ecosystems and guide management and conservation actions. However, the growing availability of ecological data has not been accompanied by concomitant processing tools able to facilitate data handling and analysis. Multiple common challenges limit the usefulness of biomonitoring information across ecosystems and biological groups. Biomonitoring data analysis is currently constrained by time-consuming steps for data preparation and a data processing environment with limited integration in terms of software, biological groups, and protocols. We introduce biomonitoR, a package for the R programming language that addresses technical challenges for the management of ecological data and metrics calculation. biomonitoR implements most of the biological indices currently used or proposed in different fields of ecology and water resource management. Its combination of customizable functions aims to support a transferable and comprehensive biomonitoring workflow in a user-friendly environment. biomonitoR represents a versatile toolbox with five main assets: (i) it checks taxonomic information against reference datasets allowing for customization of trait and sensitivity scores; (ii) it supports heterogeneous taxonomic resolution allowing computations at multiple taxonomic levels; (iii) it calculates multiple biological indices, including metrics for both broad and stressor-specific ecological assessments; (iv) it enables user-friendly data visualization, helping both decision-making processes and data interpretation; and (v) it allows working with an interactive web application straight from R. Overall, biomonitoR can benefit the wide biomonitoring community, including environmental private consultants, ecologists and natural resource managers.

Influence of the Implantation of the Onshore Power Supply (OPS) System in Spanish Medium-Sized Ports on the Reduction in CO2 Emissions: The Case of the Port of Santander (Spain)

Society and its leaders are increasingly aware of the need to fight climate change and CO2 emissions in the search for sustainability. Maritime transport and ports are important sources of pollution and, while industry and the rest of the large-scale emitters have achieved considerable reductions in this area, “shipping” is still not advancing at the same rate, falling behind in this race. The aim of this article is to underline the importance of an early implementation of On-Shore Power Supply (OPS), Cold Ironing (CI) or Alternative Marine Power (AMP) by making a study of potentially avoidable CO2 emissions from vessels docked (on the basis of the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] and ENTEC [Environmental Engineering Consultancy, an environmental and engineering consultancy in UK] methods) close to urban areas in the Port of Santander (Spain). It is the first time potential reductions have been calculated for the last 11 years (2011–2021), distinguishing yearly emissions per type of vessel and providing real information to port authorities to prioritize the installation of this technological basis for the operation of piers/terminals to optimize investments and outcomes. In this case study, results demonstrate the outcomes of ROROs, ferries, and cruises being the first target of OPS implementation (reaching total of 37.95% of total emitted tons of CO2 during the period of study). As a clear conclusion to this paper, the reader can understand the enormous and growing potential of this technology multiplied by the continuous development, increase and implementation of green energies.

An Evaluation of the Quality of Environmental Impact Assessment Reports in the Mobile Telecommunications Infrastructure Sector: The Case of Plateau State in Nigeria.

Environmental impact assessment reports meant for proposed development actions can be evaluated to reveal their quality and fitness for the purpose of environmental decision-making. Therefore, this study evaluated the quality and identified strengths and weaknesses in environmental impact assessment reports of telecommunications infrastructure proposed for Plateau State in Nigeria. To this end, 80 reports were evaluated using the modified version of the Lee and Colley review package. The results revealed the following points. In Review Area 1.0 (Description of the proposed telecommunications facilities) and Review Area 5.0 (Communication of results), the quality of environmental impact assessment reports was found to be generally satisfactory. However, the quality of all reports was considered ‘very unsatisfactory’ (‘F’) regarding their overall legal compliance with the requirements stipulated in the remaining three Review Areas, namely, Review Area 2.0 (Terrain susceptibility in the proposed project areas), Review Area 3.0 (Associated and potential environmental impacts), and Review Area 4.0 (Mitigation measures/alternatives). This ‘F’ rating was assigned to 65% (52/80) of reports regarding Review Area 3.0 because the information provided was ‘very unsatisfactory’; important tasks were poorly carried out or not attempted at all. Moreover, in review areas such as Review Area 2.0 and Review Area 4.0, all reports in the evaluation were assigned an ‘F’ quality. Such an unsatisfactory quality rating is ascribable to the very unsatisfactory manner in which the reports were populated, especially as important task(s) were poorly performed or not attempted at all. Historically, only Review Area 1.0 and Review Area 5.0 indicated improvements in quality over time, whereas the remaining three review areas (Review Area 2.0, Review Area 3.0 and Review Area 4.0) did not improve. Based on the results obtained from the study, we recommend that there should be periodic reviews of environmental impact assessment reports by independent reviewers and environmental consultants should adhere to the sectoral guidelines for telecommunication infrastructure during the production of these reports. Moreover, in order to build technical capacity, more studies on report quality must be conducted in all sectors in Nigeria.

Facing the Music through Environmental Administrative Penalties: Lessons to be Learned from the Implementation and Impact of Section 24G?

Section 24G was inserted into the National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998 to provide a mechanism for authorising activities that commence unlawfully. It contains South Africa's only environmental administrative fine - and a quasi one at that. The section has spawned much debate and controversy, including the fact that its existence and purported abuse undermine the fundamental objectives of environmental impact assessments - a cornerstone of government's legislative and decision-making response to the environmental right. This article presents certain results of the first part of an empirical study which explored the criticisms of section 24G; the extent to which it has a deterrent effect, and the lessons that can be learned in designing an administrative penalty system. Approximately 400 people, including representatives from government, the regulated community and environmental consultants were interviewed or surveyed. The results yielded several observations. This article focuses on the extent to which the section is used and the degree of awareness and knowledge about section 24G. The second part of the study probes the deterrent effect of section 24G in more depth by considering the influence that experience – either own or other's – has had on the regulated community.

Facing the Music through Environmental Administrative Penalties: Lessons to be Learned from the Implementation and Impact of Section 24G?

Section 24G was inserted into the National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998 to provide a mechanism for authorising activities that commence unlawfully. It contains South Africa's only environmental administrative fine - and a quasi one at that. The section has spawned much debate and controversy, including the fact that its existence and purported abuse undermine the fundamental objectives of environmental impact assessments - a cornerstone of government's legislative and decision-making response to the environmental right. This article presents certain results of the first part of an empirical study which explored the criticisms of section 24G; the extent to which it has a deterrent effect, and the lessons that can be learned in designing an administrative penalty system. Approximately 400 people, including representatives from government, the regulated community and environmental consultants were interviewed or surveyed. The results yielded several observations. This article focuses on the extent to which the section is used and the degree of awareness and knowledge about section 24G. The second part of the study probes the deterrent effect of section 24G in more depth by considering the influence that experience – either own or other's – has had on the regulated community.

Adolescent Substance Use Behavior Change Through School Intervention Is Improved by Teacher and School Implementation Support Together, Especially for Girls.

An earlier trial of a school-based, preventative intervention, HealthWise South Africa, demonstrated some efficacy in preventing adolescent drinking and smoking in the Western Cape, South Africa. This was followed by the current implementation trial, which examined how implementation support conditions influenced adolescent drinking and smoking behavior change in the HealthWise intervention. The hybridized implementation-effectiveness trial included 34 schools (n = 2175 students) that provided student data at four waves through Grades 8 to 10. Implementation support conditions included a combination of two components (enhanced school environment and teacher consultation), resulting in four conditions: enhanced school environment, teacher consultation, both components, and standard delivery. Using configural frequency analysis, we examined how drinking and smoking behavior change differed across four configurations of intervention support longitudinally and by gender. For baseline non-smokers, results indicated sustained differences in abstention from smoking and smoking initiation between schools that received both support components and schools in the standard delivery condition. These results were primarily driven by girls. For baseline drinkers and smokers in the both components condition, changes in drinking were delayed until Grade 9 and smoking decayed by Grade 10. Results suggest that providing both school and teacher implementation support synergistically facilitates improved intervention outcomes both immediately following intervention and 2years later across schools with diverse resource levels. Future iterations of HealthWise, and other interventions, may benefit from a multilevel implementation support strategy to improve student outcomes. More research is needed to understand how to improve HealthWise effectiveness among boys.

Study protocol for developing, piloting and disseminating the PRISMA-COSMIN guideline: a new reporting guideline for systematic reviews of outcome measurement instruments

BackgroundSystematic reviews of outcome measurement instruments are important tools in the evidence-based selection of these instruments. COSMIN (COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments) has developed a comprehensive and widespread guideline to conduct systematic reviews of outcome measurement instruments, but key information is often missing in published reviews. This hinders the appraisal of the quality of outcome measurement instruments, impacts the decisions of knowledge users regarding their appropriateness, and compromises reproducibility and interpretability of the reviews’ findings. To facilitate sufficient, transparent, and consistent reporting of systematic reviews of outcome measurement instruments, an extension of the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting of Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) 2020 guideline will be developed: the PRISMA-COSMIN guideline.MethodsThe PRISMA-COSMIN guideline will be developed in accordance with recommendations for reporting guideline development from the EQUATOR (Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research) Network. First, a candidate reporting item list will be created through an environmental literature scan and expert consultations. Second, an international Delphi study will be conducted with systematic review authors, biostatisticians, epidemiologists, psychometricians/clinimetricians, reporting guideline developers, journal editors as well as patients, caregivers, and members of the public. Delphi panelists will rate candidate items for inclusion on a 5-point scale, suggest additional candidate items, and give feedback on item wording and comprehensibility. Third, the draft PRISMA-COSMIN guideline and user manual will be iteratively piloted by applying it to systematic reviews in several disease areas to assess its relevance, comprehensiveness, and comprehensibility, along with usability and user satisfaction. Fourth, a consensus meeting will be held to finalize the PRISMA-COSMIN guideline through roundtable discussions and voting. Last, a user manual will be developed and the final PRISMA-COSMIN guideline will be disseminated through publications, conferences, newsletters, and relevant websites. Additionally, relevant journals and organizations will be invited to endorse and implement PRISMA-COSMIN. Throughout the project, evaluations will take place to identify barriers and facilitators of involving patient/public partners and employing a virtual process.DiscussionThe PRISMA-COSMIN guideline will ensure that the reports of systematic reviews of outcome measurement instruments are complete and informative, enhancing their reproducibility, ease of use, and uptake.

Greening urban road verges highlights diverse views of multiple stakeholders on ecosystem service provision, challenges and preferred form

Globally, there is growing recognition of the potential of road verges to contribute to urban greening and ecosystem service provision, beyond their original functions of utility provision and public access. Numerous, diverse stakeholders are involved in their management, yet their shared and diverging perspectives on verge greening are poorly understood. This research examined the perspectives on road verge greening by 30 respondents from eight stakeholder groups from the Perth Metropolitan Area, Australia. Stakeholders spanned local and state governments, developers, peak bodies, utility providers, environmental consultants, verge treatment providers and urban greening advocates. Semi-directed interviews and Likert scales were used to assess respondents' perspectives and perceived importance of urban verge functions and ecosystem services, risks and challenges associated with verge greening, and preferred verge vegetation composition. The most important ecosystem services for all stakeholders were temperature regulation (through the provision of street trees), those associated with water management and aesthetically interesting streetscapes. Perceived challenges included limited knowledge for the management of native species verges and streetscapes, organisational costs for verge managers and utility providers, and the need to engage with multiple local government authorities with widely varying management and financial valuation of verge vegetation. Stakeholders’ preferred verge reflected diverse uses, local characteristics, and was climate and water resilient (particularly ‘waterwise’). A majority of stakeholder groups felt greater attention to the ‘understorey’ of the ‘urban forest’ was warranted. An emerging perspective across four stakeholder groups identified the potential for verges to grow a local ‘sense of place’, through plantings emphasising local native species and highlighting local Whadjuk Noongar seasons. These findings support policies and programmes associated with urban greening, and assist in navigating the contestation often associated with new or transformative uses of land at the public-private interface.

Case studies of building collaborative partnerships for conservation of endangered and threatened cacti in Texas

Echinocereus fitchii subsp. albertii is a federally and state endangered cactus endemic to Texas that occurs exclusively on private lands. Sclerocactus brevihamatus subsp. tobuschii is a federally threatened and state endangered cactus occurring on private lands, as well as protected lands in Texas. Although listed under both federal and state laws, these laws give very limited protections to listed plants on private land. Nevertheless, section 7 of the Endangered Species Act requires federal agencies to ensure that their actions do not harm listed species. This paper provides case studies demonstrating how section 7 consultations lead to collaborations of federal and state conservation agencies, environmental consultants, non-profit organisations, and private landowners to conserve cactus populations in Texas, USA. Establishing good working relationships with landowners is essential for these conservation efforts.

Barriers, success factors, and perspectives for the reuse of construction products in Norway

Reuse of construction materials and products has great potential to reduce the environmental footprint of a building. However, the way buildings are designed and constructed rarely considers closed loop materials systems and the implementation of reuse in building projects is associated with many hurdles. Various professionals might experience different challenges or might be affected to different degrees. The objective of this paper is to provide an insight into experiences and perspectives of professional actors involved in projects with a focus on reuse in Norway. A series of interviews with manufacturers, architects, contractors, environmental consultants, and public institutions was conducted to (i) identify barriers and success factors for reuse in pilot projects, (ii) capture the issues that seem most pressing for different actors, (iii) identify which actors in the value chain need to be more included into reuse processes, and (iv) define and prioritise necessary actions to advance reuse in Norway. The results suggest that reuse in Norway could be greatly advanced by more communication and cooperation between different actors in the value chain. Especially manufacturers can play an important role and need to be more involved in reuse processes. Planning for and practical execution of reuse will benefit from well-functioning research infrastructure. However, legislation needs to be adjusted in favour of reuse. Currently being one of the greatest barriers as experienced by most actors, it has the potential to become the greatest enabler for the reuse of materials and products in the Norwegian building sector.

Research priorities for the ghost bat (

The ghost bat (Macroderma gigas) is Australia’s largest echolocating bat. It is restricted to several disjunct populations in the north of the continent, including a population in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. In 2016 the ghost bat was listed as Vulnerable under Australian federal legislation, owing to declining numbers across many regional populations. The most severe threat to ghost bats in the Pilbara region is the destruction and disturbance of habitat due to mining operations, but disturbance to their roosts from other infrastructure developments and changes to and loss of foraging habitat also pose significant threats. A set of research priorities for ghost bats in the Pilbara was developed during a workshop attended by mining industry representatives, environmental consultants, scientists and government regulators. Five research priorities were identified: (1) identify and characterise critical diurnal roosts and foraging habitat; (2) improve knowledge of the distribution, movement and dispersal patterns of ghost bats in the region; (3) improve knowledge of population size, persistence and long-term trends; (4) better understand the cumulative, direct and indirect impacts of mining and other development activities; and (5) better understand the threats posed by fence entanglements, cane toads and feral cats.

POLITICAL AND NATURAL SCIENCES: ТРАНСДИСЦИПЛИНАРНЫЙ ПОДХОД В УЧЕБНОМ ПРОЦЕССЕ

The transformation of the understanding and implementation of environmental policy in modern Russia brings the need for an interdisciplinary approach to the training of specialists working in this field to the forefront. Civil society is actively involved in the decision-making process on environmental protection. As a unifying principle for politics and ecology, the public ecology that is still being formed in Russia has been chosen. It actively involves society in generating, solving and evaluating these decisions in the political, social and environmental spheres. In the Perm Region, there are frequent cases of integration of experts from the field of ecology and politics to initiate and make management decisions on the environmental agenda and within the framework of sustainable development. This expert community decided to join forces and develop a joint master program "Public Ecology and Public Policy". Graduates of the program will be able to work in state and local authorities responsible for the environmental situation. They will become versatile specialists and will influence management decision-making, justifying them in a reasoned manner. In addition, they will be able to apply their knowledge in the field of environmental consulting, marketing and communications, as well as journalism that reveals the environmental problems of modern society.

Environmental policy narratives and urban green infrastructure: Reflections from five major cities in South Africa and the UK

In the context of large and growing urban populations, there is a pressing need to understand how the urban environment can be sustainably planned, developed and maintained for greatest benefit to people and nature. The use of ‘green infrastructure’, as a framing approach for integrating urban green space into urban decision-making claims significant international impact. This paper describes key urban environmental policy narratives of five different urban areas (Cape Town, Durban (eThekwini) and Johannesburg in South Africa and Birmingham and London in the UK) reflecting on the way that they have brought green infrastructure concepts into their decision-making. This multi-method study includes analysis of academic papers, technical reports and policy documents and semi-structured interviews with academics, practitioners (planners, engineers, environmental consultants), policy-makers and local community actors. This work has highlighted significant differences in the explicit use of urban green infrastructure as a framing within environmental policy, shaped by the mix of biophysical, social and economic factors that dominate the policy priorities of each city. It adds to a growing evidence base from research and practice aimed at supporting effective urban environmental policymaking.

Visual cost of energy facilities: A comprehensive model and case study of offshore wind farms

The visual impact assessment of large facilities can be improved thanks to Visual Impact Maps (VIMs). A VIM can be a valuable predictor (numerical and graphical) of visual effects. VIMs are conceived to help with the analysis of the Landscape professional. Even before the design stage, VIMs provide important data that complement the set of starting technical or environmental criteria, such as wind resource, land use or flood maps. Additionally, they provide a numerical model for the Visual Cost Of Energy (VCOE). A set of visual indicators and a set of visual inventory layers properly combined result in a series of VIMs: a wide collection of information that depicts the visual effect that the development of any facility generates on the considered area. The production of VIMs can result in creation of a new computational and environmental consultation service that is available along the facility life cycle and that is useful for protection, planning, and management aims.