Environmental Experts Research Articles

Environmental communication, from engagement to action: lessons from interviews with environmental experts, Hungary

Modern societies have loose ties to nature, environmental processes and problems remain mostly invisible to our eyes. This paper investigates environmental experts’ motivations, thoughts, attitudes and beliefs in relation to environmental communication and their practice in promoting changes in people’s environmental behavior via fifteen in-depth interviews from Hungary. The interviews reveal the potential for establishing human-nature connectedness in childhood or through field encounters, faith, but reflect the ambiguous nature of fear appeal in environmental communication. Many barriers hinder communication, such as inadequate messaging, social inability and defense mechanisms that could be overcome by using examples and policies close to people. The answers given in interviews suggest that grassroots initiatives are not satisfactory, yet an engaged society can influence decision-makers to strengthen the aims with top-down regulations.

METHODICAL COMPONENTS OF FORMATION OF DIAGNOSTICINFORMATION SUBSYSTEM OF ENSURING FUNCTIONALTECHNOLOGICAL RELIABILITY OF EXECUTORS OF THE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT

The article considers the modern practice of urban innovation, based on the principles of biosphere compatibility. The project solution of providing organizational and technological reliability of construction from the point of view of the possibility of realizing the functions of a biosphere compatibility city and introducing innovative constructive and architectural and planning solutions is analyzed. In relation to the construction project, the formalization of the methodology for calculating the indicators of the biosphere compatibility of cities and settlements, the quantitative indicators of the implementation of the functions of the city are determined. The obtained results of numerical analysis of the realization of city functions can predict the development of urban areal, assess the comfort and safety of the urban environment from the standpoint of biosphere compatibility of construction objects in order to harmonize the characteristics of the life cycle of these projects with the characteristics of the microenvironment of their implementation. The basis of such tools is: multifactorial, multicomponent modeling and multicriterial selection of alternatives for building construction for projects, provided that the level of biosphere compatibility is used as the leading analytical coordinate of such simulation. These models, implemented in the format of modern construction, will serve as a basis for organizational and technological and environmental expertise of projects.

A new model of personnel training in the digital economy

This study was conducted in the context of the emergence of the need for professional retraining in Russia and the world. The article conducted a research for scientific and practical research on the following key questions: why professional retraining has become a burning issue for organizations; what retraining models are used by organizations. The purpose of the work is to identify a list of socio-economic trends in the formation of an acute need for retraining. The empirical basis of the study was information prepared on the basis of open statistical data from Rosstat and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, as well as resources of analytical publications and scientific publications, including materials from international organizations, leading consulting companies, global associations, leading educational institutions and other active participants in the global educational environment and labor market experts. The collected material allows us to see the general trends in the implementation of professional retraining programs and to formulate certain conclusions. The novelty of the research is to present a new model of personnel retraining, as the integration of business, higher education and the state. The practical significance of the study lies in the fact that it will allow companies in the face of new technological challenges to combine business needs with the fundamental training of a specialist for his movement along a new career path. At the level of organizations and the state, it will help to overcome the emerging personnel and skills gaps by creating massive retraining programs. The tools of this transformation will create an environment in which employees themselves can keep up with the pace of change, produce new solutions faster than competitors, increase their expertise and build a reputation.

Государственная экологическая экспертиза проектовтехнической документации на новые технику, технологию и вещества: пробелы в нормах действующего законодательства

The period between 19th—20th centuries was rich in innovations in the field of environmental protection, including the tightening of requirements for the implementation of projects that can have a negative impact on the environment. These requirements, imposed at the legislative level and aimed at the realization of citizens’ rights to a favorable environment, reliable information about it and on compensation for damage caused to health and property by an environmental offense, according to Art. 42 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, often have an ambiguous interpretation, which leads to the emergence of controversial situations in the implementation of the functions of control and supervisory bodies. One of these bottlenecks of Russian environmental legislation is federal law no. 174-FZ “On Environmental Expertise” of October 23, 1995 regarding the inclusion in Art. 11 objects of state environmental expertise of draft technical documentation for new equipment, technology, the use of which can have an impact on the environment. As practice shows, the norms of environmental legislation do not disclose the terms “new technology” and “new technology”, which leads to the emergence of judicial precedents in the passage of state environmental expertise related to the ambiguous interpretation of these concepts. The aim of this study is to make an attempt to assess the impact of gaps in environmental legislation on environmental law actors and suggest ways to resolve them.

Deep Sustainability: The UN Sustainable Developmet Goals versus the Unworkable UN System

Deep Sustainability refers to integration of human beings into the biosphere of planet Earth through a fundamental transformation of culture, spirit, and civilization, including our ways of doing science, business, education, and commerce. The latest assessment of our planetary environmental situation by scientists and environmental experts paints a frightening picture of the consequences should we fail to reach such a deep level of sustainability. Many of the SDGs such as ending poverty and converting civilization to sustainable extraction production, consumption, transportation and disposal are on the mark, but we have seen that they cannot be achieved under the unworkable UN system. Change the design of the system and you change the likely consequences of the system. It is as simple as that—and as profound as that. The Constitution for the Federation of Earth is a blueprint for human survival and flourishing. It is very brief, concise, and clearly designed. We can replace the unworkable UN Charter with the Earth Constitution and integrate all the valuable agencies of the UN into the emerging world federation. This is the way forward for humanity. Indeed, it is the only way to survive as a species within the limited time-frame available to us. Deep sustainability means real transformation of a broken world system. Deep sustainability means human coherence and synergy for truly addressing our most fundamental problems. Deep sustainability means ratifying the Constitution for the Federation of Earth.

Separation of Crystal Violet Dye from Wastewaters by Using Supported Liquid Membrane Technology

The current study enumerates the use of supported liquid membrane (SLM) technology to remove and recover crystal violet dye from wastewaters. The management of textile industry waste effluents is one of the main concerns of environmental health experts due to having excessive concentrations of dyes and resistance to biodegradation. Liquid membranes offer an affordable and green method for the selective removal of dyes from aqueous solutions. To create a liquid membrane, refined and edible vegetable oils were supported on microporous polymeric films of polypropylene (PP1E). Various parameters influencing transport, such as pH range in the feed solution, initial dye concentration, acid concentration in the strip solution, oil viscosities, and membrane lifetime, have been studied. The maximum flux value ( 1.7 × 10 − 5 mg/cm2/s) for crystal violet dye was obtained with sunflower oil-supported membrane at a pH of 12 in the feed solution and a concentration of 0.3 M hydrochloric acid in the strip solution. Under ideal conditions, the maximum amount of dye was transported within 6 hours. Studies on membrane stability and morphology revealed that the flux remained constant up to about 24 hours and then decreased gradually. Morphological studies showed that this may be attributed to deformation of pores shape and gradual clogging.

Integrating stakeholder preferences into ecosystem services mapping in Yala wetland, Kenya

ABSTRACT Wetlands such as the Yala swamp in Kenya are among the most important and increasingly threatened ecosystems globally due to their ecological significance and complexity, and the importance of the ecosystem services (ES) they provide to wetland communities. Appropriate governance and management of wetlands thus require the use of interdisciplinary tools that take into account both ecological and social considerations. This study used the matrix model combining social preferences with GIS-based maps of land use/land cover (LULC) to analyse the capacity of the Yala swamp to supply ES (flows). We engaged a total of 132 participants who manage and use natural resources in the wetland through a participatory process to identify ES, map LULC, and score the flow of ES on a scale of 0 to 5 using the matrix model. We also analysed the impacts of stakeholder characteristics (gender, environmental expertise, and location) on the scoring of the matrix. Results showed high average scores (score of 4) for trees and shrubs, papyrus, and water bodies across a range of provisioning, regulating and cultural services. The study found that gender and location had little influence on the respondents’ scores, while environmental conservation experts provided scores significantly higher than local resource users (farmers/fishermen) across the ES types. Overall, the study contributes to understanding: 1) the importance of linking LULC with ES provision to inform landscape management and 2) the need to incorporate a range of stakeholder perspectives in studies making use of expert knowledge and preferences, for inclusive management.

Responding to transboundary water challenges in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta: In search of institutional fit

AbstractThe operations of large hydropower dams in the Mekong basin, while posing detrimental transboundary effects downstream, are not fully recognised in Vietnamese government policies, especially at the regional scale. This study adopts the concept of institutional fit to investigate policy gaps in addressing the transboundary water challenges characterised by falling floodwater flows and accelerating saltwater intrusion in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta. Based on interviews with key stakeholders (including central and provincial government officials, environmental experts, and academics) as well as desk reviews of policy documents, we argue that, while the transboundary water repercussions are increasingly evident on the ground, they are not adequately factored in water policies and strategic development planning for the delta. This study suggests that failure to incorporate co‐evolving effects of climate change and Mekong‐wide hydropower dynamics into local water governance will cause institutional constraints to tackle water stressors (too much or too little water) over the long term. Achieving institutional fit will therefore help align the national water policy framework with local development strategies and reduce policy‐practice gaps at the delta scale. To this end, two key aspects need to be considered: first, how, and in which forms, innovative management decisions and water governance policies can be effectively undertaken towards securing the living delta and its resilience to present and future environmental risks; and second, how reframed water policy and development agendas can holistically capture and resolve the transboundary hydrological problems, while leveraging the Vietnamese government's policy engagement at higher levels to address related impacts.

Environmental expertise for social transformation: roles and responsibilities for social science

ABSTRACT What role should social science play in the work for transforming society towards sustainability? The background for this question is that despite massive investments in environmental research and the accumulation of data on the human impact on the environment, action remains insufficient. The severity of the current situation has led to the conclusion that moderate change is not enough; there is a need for a fundamental transformative change of society. How social science expertise should contribute to this is a fundamental epistemic and normative question and is the point of departure for this paper. This paper aims to develop a theory of social scientific environmental expertise. It first gives a broad account of expertise and its current landscape. It then develops a pluralistic approach, where expertise can take many forms, but should be reflexive, critical, and constructive. Finally, it stresses the crucial role that social science expertise has to play in the work for transformative change, not least to broaden environmental problems and their complexities, so that society is better equipped to undergo sustainable transformation.

Rapid assessment of mine rehabilitation areas with airborne LiDAR and deep learning: bauxite strip mining in Queensland, Australia

Rehabilitation of disturbed sites is a complex process requiring constant monitoring and assessment, with current methods being somewhat obsolete, manual, and rather fraught with risk in terms of beneficial outcomes of the evaluation. This study challenges the status quo of manual assessments and build a new methodology to recognise a clear need for a quasi-automated and reliable remote sensing method to achieve rapid mine rehabilitation monitoring. The aim of this study was to innovate and develop an ensemble analytic methodology for the use of airborne LiDAR, in conjunction with deep learning, to rapidly evaluate the rehabilitation status of post-mined areas. Airborne LiDAR datasets, obtained via an Optech ORION m/c 200 sensor, were collected over bauxite mining operations on the western coast of Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia. These datasets were processed into a 3 D point cloud using the Esri ArcGIS Pro platform. An ensemble analytical approach was developed, leading with a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) algorithm, which was trained to recognise, then classify images of the reference site (natural ecosystems) and active rehabilitation areas. The result of this classification was then leveraged, training in turn a support vector machine (SVM) algorithm which assessed the entire LiDAR collection, resulting in a predictive surface of rehabilitation status. This surface, as the final analytical product, was assessed for validity using ground-truth plot data and an ordinary least squares regression model, as well as comparison to subject matter expert evaluation through a Delphi expert panel assessment. The results indicate that the predictive surface, as the final analytical product, had statistically significant correlation coefficient with multiple attributes (or predictor) that correlated with the rehabilitation status interpretation. These predictor variables were primarily structural in nature and included the canopy height, sub-canopy height, key species as a proportion of canopy, herbaceous ground cover percentage, litter ground cover percentage, and distance from haul road (p < 0.05). A Delphi expert collaboration comprised of ten environmental science subject matter experts and 600 observations, indicated a high precision (r = 0.89 at p < 0.05) of the prediction surface when compared with a subject expert panels assessment, as well as a high Total Deviation Index (TDI) of 16% (p < 0.05). This indicated positive agreement between the panel’s assessment and the predictive surface. This study suggests that airborne LiDAR and deep learning ensemble analytics can be used as a rapid means to estimate the rehabilitation status of disturbed sites.

The Challenge of Covering the World Superbike: The Experience of Journalists in Lombok, Indonesia, in Covering the Mandalika World Superbike Motor Racing

This study aims to discuss and explain the challenges of the journalists in Lombok, Indonesia, in covering the international motorcycle racing World Superbike (WSBK). This study uses the case study method to find out what are the challenges that journalists have in covering WSBK. This study also explores how journalists deal with the challenges they face. The researchers conducted a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) to collect the data. The participants of this research consisted of journalists of Suara NTB, Lombok Post, IDNTimes, and Kompas.id who focused on covering WSBK. This study found that the challenges faced by journalists were the lack of language skills for coverage of international activities, lack of legal insight, environmental insight, and the changes in routine coverage. In addition, journalists face this challenge by taking the initiative to create language course classes, collaborate with legal experts and legal aid agencies, and collaborate with environmental experts; while routine problems are handled by expanding access to information and office transportation operations.

COVID-19 control management in central corona hospitals using SWOT and QSPM matrices: A case study in Kashan central hospitals

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals have been the most important centers for the virus spread. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the management of infection control in central corona hospitals in Kashan using the quantitative strategic planning matrix (QSPM) matrix. Methods: The existing documents studied the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the organization identified by environmental health experts. The internal and external factors were identified as internal factor evaluation (IFE) and external factor evaluation (EFE) matrices, respectively, then, prioritized and weighted. In the next step, the SWOT matrix was formed and the type of used strategy by the organization was determined, and solutions to improve the current situation were presented by experts. Finally, the attractiveness table was compiled and weighted using the QSPM method to prioritize the proposed strategies. Results: After identifying 25 strengths, 28 weaknesses, 15 opportunities, and 13 threats, weighting was performed, the final score for internal and external factors was 2.6475 and 2.3825, respectively. The final strategy for implementing COVID-19 disease control in the studied hospitals was the Conservative Strategy (WO). Based on this, six control strategies were presented. The priority and attractiveness of each strategy were evaluated using the QSPM matrix. Finally, the strategy of "structuring the system and providing and upgrading the equipment and infrastructure facilities" was implemented as a priority. Conclusion: According to the results, the combination of SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) and QSPM methods can play an efficient role in identifying and evaluating the factors affecting the management of the COVID-19 pandemic in hospitals and further developing and prioritizing control strategies for this infectious disease.

Development of Inquiry Based-Metacognitif Skills on Water Pollution Materials for High School

Metacognitive skills are essential in 21st-century education because they can hone students' reasoning. Metacognitive skills tend not to be trained much in the learning process and are not used to being assessed so that there is no instrument for assessing students' metacognitive skills. The research aims to develop a product of inquiry-based metacognitive skills on water pollution material, as well as to determine the feasibility of these instruments. This research method uses development research (R&amp;D). The research samples were three lecturers as metacognitive skills experts, evaluation experts, and environmental experts, as well as two biology teachers in high school. The sampling technique was using a purposive sampling technique. Data collection techniques using validation sheets and interview sheets and validation sheets. Instrument products in the form of test sheets and observation sheets. The validation results show that the instrument product is at a very good level. It indicates that the inquiry-based metacognitive skills assessment instrument on water pollution material is suitable for use in schools.

Investigation of errors during forensic environmental examination

When committing environmental crimes, first of all, the circumstances of the commission of the crime are clarified, the main role in this is played by forensic environmental expertise.&#x0D; Environmental expertise is the establishment of compliance of documents and documentation that establish the planned economic and other activities of the object of environmental expertise with environmental requirements. Environmental requirements are established by technical regulations and legislation in the field of environmental protection.&#x0D; In the course of pre-trial and judicial proceedings in criminal, civil and administrative cases, ex-perience and special skills and knowledge are needed primarily in the field of ecology, then in the fields of biology, soil science and other natural sciences.

Nexus of COVID-19 and carbon prices in the EU emission trading system: evidence from multifractal and the wavelet coherence approaches.

In this paper, we analyzed the role of carbon pricing as a vital tool for achieving the sustainable energy transition and discussed policy implications for reaching this goal in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. To investigate the connection and cross-correlation between COVID-19 cases and carbon price returns in EU ETS, we applied two novel approaches: the multifractal detrending moving average cross-correlation (MF-X-DMA) and the wavelet coherence techniques. The coverage of data is from 2 March 2020 to 19 March 2021. The results of the MF-X-DMA method show that the cross-correlation is substantial and negatively correlated. Moreover, the results imply the presence of multifractal cross-correlations and that a significant change in the number of COVID-19 cases further impacts carbon price fluctuations. Concerning the wavelet coherence method results, we can also find a strong (negative) relationship between selected variables, and this strong correlation is observed throughout the whole study period. In addition, we observe that in the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak, the changes in the COVID-19 cases are leading the CO2 price returns (particularly in the 16–32 time scale). The results of this study can have significant implications for policymakers and contributions for environmental experts and investors.

Assessing the Visualization-Based Decision Support System for Environmental Impact Assessments.

Even though environmental impact assessments (EIAs) have been an important tool for environmental decision-making, most EIAs are published as a mix of text and tabular data that is not easily accessible to or understandable for the public. In this paper, we present a decision support system (DSS) that supports the decision-making of stakeholders in the EIA stage. The system was designed to improve the public’s understanding of stakeholders before and after a construction project by providing visualization of key environmental elements. We recruited 107 participants to test the usability of the system and examined the impacts of individual differences between the participants on their perceptions of the system, including their environmental expertise and computer self-efficacy. The results showed that the proposed system had high usability, especially for users with high computational efficacy and environment expertise. The system could thus help to improve the communication between the public and experts during public hearings and enhance the environmental literacy of the public.

Using Stakeholders’ Perception to Evaluate the Prospects of Establishing Marine Protected Areas in the Niger Delta Coastal Ecosystem

This study assesses the Political, Economic, Social, Technical, Legal, and Environmental (PESTLE) factors for establishing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Niger Delta coastal waters. Interview and questionnaire methods were used to collect the needed information from locals and environmental experts. The locals include fishermen from four (4) coastal locations in the Niger Delta while experts include relevant government institutions, researchers, and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). Data collected from the survey were analyzed and used to determine the state of 18 PESTLE sub-criteria, and Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) was used to find the sub-criteria weights (importance). The stakeholder’s perceptions on potential MPAs were analyzed and compared with Relative Importance Index (RII). Results show stakeholders agree more on the prioritization of MPA implementation criteria and expected benefits but agree less on the MPA objectives and beneficiaries. Environmental prospects for MPAs in the Niger Delta have the highest performance score and vice versa for the political and technical capacity for MPA implementation and management. The study concludes Niger Delta has potentials for MPAs which can be achieved through addressing the identified weaknesses and threats.

The concept of one health applied to the problem of zoonotic diseases.

Zoonotic diseases are a burden on healthcare systems globally, particularly underdeveloped nations. Numerous vertebrate animals (e.g., birds, mammals and reptiles) serve as amplifier hosts or reservoirs for viral zoonoses. The spread of zoonotic disease is associated with environmental factors, climate change, animal health as well as other human activities including globalization, urbanization and travel. Diseases at the human-animal environment interface (e.g., zoonotic diseases, vector-borne diseases, food/water borne diseases) continue to pose risk to animals and humans with a great significant mortality and morbidity. It is estimated that of 1400 infectious diseases known to affect humans, 60% of them are of animal origin. In addition, 75% of the emerging infectious diseases have a zoonotic nature, worldwide. The one health concept plays an important role in the control and prevention of zoonoses by integrating animal, human, and environmental health through collaboration and communication among osteopaths, wildlife, physicians, veterinarians professionals, public health and environmental experts, nurses, dentists, physicists, biomedical engineers, plant pathologists, biochemists, and others. No one sector, organization, or person can address issues at the animal-human-ecosystem interface alone.

Micro plastics in soil ecosystem - A review of sources, fate, and ecological impact

In recent years, environmental experts and stakeholders have paid increased attention to the pollution of micro plastics in the soil. As persistent pollutants, micro plastics have a significant impact on the soil ecology, agricultural production, and the overall health of the ecological environment. Micro plastics can influence soil bio-physicochemical properties and the mobility of other contaminants in soil, with potentially significant implications on soil ecosystem functionality. Thus, functions including litter decomposition, soil aggregation or those related to nutrient cycling can be altered. Furthermore, micro plastics can influence soil biota at different trophic levels, and even threaten human health through food chains. Despite this potential negative interaction, there is limited research on micro plastics in the soil environment. The primary goals of this review are to summarise the sources, distribution characteristics, migration and degradation laws of micro plastics in the soil ecosystem, to summarise the combined effects of micro plastics and other pollutants in the soil ecosystem, to analyse the effects of micro plastics on soil physical and chemical properties, animals, plants, and microorganisms, and to reveal the effects of micro plastics on soil ecosystem and to according to the distribution characteristics of soil micro plastics, degradation, migration and ecological effects, propose pollution control measures. This current review will provide a comprehensive understanding of soil pollution by micro plastic and offer a scientific basis for the formulation of novel management practices that will protect and improve soils, and contribute to the sustainable development of the ecological environment and highlight important areas for future research.

What makes an effective Quality Improvement Manager? A qualitative study in the New Zealand Health System

PurposeQuality improvement is an international priority, and health organisations invest heavily in this endeavour. Little, however, is known of the role and perspectives of Quality Improvement Managers who are responsible for quality improvement implementation. We explored the quality improvement managers’ accounts of what competencies and qualities they require to achieve day-to-day and long-term quality improvement objectives.DesignQualitative exploratory design using an interpretivist approach with semi-structured interviews analysed thematically.Setting and participants.Interviews were conducted with 56 quality improvement managers from 15 (out of 20) New Zealand District Health Boards. Participants were divided into two groups: traditional and clinical quality improvement managers. The former group consisted of those with formal quality improvement education—typically operations managers or process engineers. The latter group was represented by clinical staff—physicians and nurses—who received on-the-job training.ResultsThree themes were identified: quality improvement expertise, leadership competencies and interpersonal competencies. Effective quality improvement managers require quality improvement experience and expertise in healthcare environments. They require leadership competencies including sense-giving, taking a long-term view and systems thinking. They also require interpersonal competencies including approachability, trustworthiness and supportiveness. Traditional and clinical quality improvement managers attributed different value to these characteristics with traditional quality improvement managers emphasising leadership competencies and interpersonal skills more than clinical quality improvement managers.ConclusionsWe differentiate between traditional and clinical quality improvement managers, and suggest how both groups can be better prepared to be effective in their roles. Both groups require a comprehensive socialisation and training process designed to meet specific learning needs.