Environmental Management Capacity Research Articles

Criminal Sanctions For B3 Waste Management in Hospitals or Health Facilities

As a health service facility, the hospital is a gathering place for sick and healthy people, can be a place for disease transmission and allows environmental pollution and health problems. Today's management of the hospital environment is no longer a consumptive partial part but is a series of cycles and management strategies for homes. Hospitals need to develop hospital environmental management capacity to provide direct and indirect benefits to improve the quality of hospital services. Hospital environmental management has complex problems. One of them is the problem of hospital waste, which is very sensitive to government regulations. Hospitals, as one of the largest waste generators, have the potential to cause pollution to the surrounding environment, which will harm the community and even the hospital itself. Hospital environmental management is no longer a consumptive partial part but a series of hospital management cycles and strategies to develop hospital environmental management capacity to provide direct and indirect benefits to improving the quality of hospital services. Hospital environmental management has complex problems. One of them is the problem of hospital waste, which is very sensitive to government regulations. Hospitals, as one of the largest waste generators, have the potential to cause pollution to the surrounding environment, which will harm the community and even the hospital itself.

Developing ecological piety in pesantren: the Kyai’s cognition and the practice of living fiqh al-bī’ah in Banten

This study investigates the formation of ecological devotion within pesantren, led by kyai in the application of fiqh al-bī’ah. It delineates the developmental stages into three components aligned with Berger and Luckmann’s social construction theory: externalisation, objectification, and internalisation. Using qualitative methods and field studies, data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with three religious leaders from two eco-pesantren in Banten Province. Externalization is exemplified by the kyai’s teachings on humanity as caliphs, advocating against harming the Earth, emphasizing cleanliness as integral to faith, and prioritising thahhārah in fiqh. Objectification is seen in the prohibition of deforestation and embedded environmental preservation duties within the schools’ hidden curriculum. Internalisation reflects practical implementation aligned with established objectives, observed through growing pro-environmental consciousness, attitudes, and behaviours among school members, evolving progressively. This construction of ecological devotion resulted in tangible contributions to groundwater conservation and flood risk mitigation by the two schools. The findings highlight Islamic boarding schools’ potential to elevate environmental standards via fiqh al-bī’ah-rooted ecological wisdom. Collaborative efforts involving stakeholders, such as financial support and training programmes, are vital to enhancing the environmental management capacity, particularly in establishing impactful water management systems within these institutions.

Leveraging TOGAF ADM for Enterprise Architecture in West Seram Environment Agency

Despite its critical role in environmental governance, the West Seram Environment Agency in Maluku has yet to fully integrate information systems (IS) and information technology (IT) into its operational processes. Recognizing the pivotal role of IS/IT in enhancing organizational efficiency and effectiveness, this study proposes an innovative enterprise architecture planning approach to facilitate IS/IT development within the agency. Employing a qualitative research methodology, the study utilizes The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF) Architecture Development Method (ADM). This method concentrates on three key domains: business architecture, information systems architecture, and technology architecture. The results of this research offer a suite of IS/IT solutions tailored to the agency's needs. These include the strategic recruitment and development of appropriate work systems, implementation of comprehensive IS/IT work plans, advanced data processing techniques, creation of digital-based applications, and the design and implementation of efficient network topologies. These solutions are poised to revolutionize the agency's operations, significantly enhancing its capacity for environmental management and governance.

Knowledge exchange in the implementation of National Environmental Programmes (NEPs) in China: A complex picture.

Knowledge is an intrinsic element of environmental management. Understanding what kinds of knowledge are needed and how to communicate them effectively is crucial for building environmental management capacity. Despite extensive research, knowledge and its exchange are commonly considered from the viewpoint of its creators and disseminators, rather than that of its recipients. This can lead to mismatches between supply of and demand for knowledge, and futile knowledge exchange that undermines the effectiveness of interventions. Research is needed that looks carefully at the contexts and consequences of such scenarios. Addressing this gap, we examine the implementation of National Environmental Programs (NEPs) in north-western China, drawing from interviews and questionnaires with scientists, grassroots implementers, and farmers and herders, to identify what and how knowledge has been exchanged and what their perspectives are about knowledge exchange with other actors. We ascertain the positive impacts of knowledge exchange during NEP implementation, as well as the consequences when it is lacking, by analysing the interfaces and interactions between actors, seeking explanation for successes and failures. We conclude that with changing socio-ecological systems, knowledge and its exchange also need to change accordingly, extending beyond the environmental domain to integrate local socioeconomic concerns. Such efforts are necessary to improve environmental management outcomes and advance sustainable development.

Library books as environmental management capacity building opportunities exclude most South African languages

Social inclusion in South Africa’s environmental management remains a concern regardless of equality being enshrined in the country’s environmental management policy. This policy makes provisions for citizens to be afforded equal opportunities to learn about the environment and develop capacity to participate in environmental management. As South Africa is a multilingual country where most of the population does not use English as their primary language, environmental capacity development opportunities should ideally be linguistically accessible to all citizens to avoid perpetuating the pre-democratic exclusion of the languages spoken by most of the population of African descent. Given that public libraries play a role in promoting democracy, the books they catalogue are assumed to provide environmental management capacity development opportunities. Here we use the language of publication of public library books as an indicator for assessing the role of native South African languages in promoting environmental management opportunities. The books from South African public libraries considered in this study’s sample were found to provide environmental management capacity development opportunities in mostly English. Dominance of English in these capacity development opportunities excludes many citizens as most South Africans do not use English as their primary language. This study argues that such exclusion is at odds with South Africa’s inclusive environmental management policy and decreasing exclusion will require actions that support policy by encouraging publishing in Indigenous languages and elevating the status of marginalised languages.

Inter-regional ecological compensation in the Yellow River Basin based on the value of ecosystem services

Ecological compensation in the Yellow River Basin aims to improve its ecological and environmental management capacity. Based on data on land-use changes in the Yellow River Basin from 2010 to 2020, this study used the equivalent factor method to assess the value of ecosystem services in the basin. This was measured at three spatial scales in the upper, middle, and lower reaches, encompassing; nine provinces and 72 cities. The priority and amount of ecological compensation were determined for the Yellow River Basin regions. Results show that (1) The total value of ecosystem services in the Yellow River Basin increased from 1798.317 billion yuan in 2010 to 1838.259 billion yuan in 2020. Grasslands had the highest total ecosystem service value in 2020, accounting for 46.11%. (2) The value of ecosystem services in the Yellow River Basin region is upstream > midstream > downstream. Qinghai Province has the highest value of ecosystem services among the nine provinces, and the level of economic development in each region is inversely correlated with the value of ecosystem services. (3) The ecosystem service value and the economic development level of the cities in the Yellow River Basin are positively and negatively correlated with the priority of ecological compensation, respectively. Among them, the cities in the upper reaches are the most urgent targets for national ecological compensation. (4) The total ecological compensation in the Yellow River Basin in 2020 was approximately 122.63 billion yuan. Further, the amount of vertical ecological compensation to be paid by the state was approximately 114.673 billion yuan, and the horizontal compensation to be borne between provinces was approximately 7.957 billion yuan. The findings of this study provide novel insights into improving ecological compensation in the Yellow River Basin regions.

Urban agglomerations and cities’ capacity in environmental enforcement and compliance

Transboundary pollution issues present significant challenges to local governments. Many places around the world have addressed these issues by initiating a regional approach for environmental management. While such strategies are often asserted to positively influence localities' environmental governance capacity, empirical evidence for these claims is thin. This study explores the association between regional integration plans and the involved localities' environmental management capacity using the valuable but understudied case of China's national-level city clusters. It constructs novel measures to assess 137 Chinese cities' actual performance in air pollution mitigation and applies structural equation modeling tools to analyze whether cities' capacity in environmental enforcement and compliance is different inside and outside of the major urban agglomerations. Results show that enforcement activities are done differently in these two studied groups, and differences in cities' enforcement-compliance capacity better explain the differences in the un-clustered cities' average air quality. Moreover, this study shows that the two studied groups face different capacity-building opportunities in environmental enforcement and compliance. These opportunities mainly exist in areas such as environmental impact assessment of new construction projects, supervisory monitoring of nationally monitored polluters, and spot-check on daily polluters. Our study is the first to empirically evaluate Chinese cities' capacity in environmental enforcement and compliance with reference to both the procedural outcomes and the environmental outcomes. Our results have important managerial implications for local environmental protection bureaus, major industrial polluters, and policy makers who are involved in the design and implementation of China's urban agglomeration development plans.

Pengelolaan Limbah Medis Rumah Sakit Gigi Mulut

Background: Hospital environmental management is a series of cycles and management strategies to develop environmental management capacity. The hospital is one of the biggest waste producers that has the potential to cause pollution to the surrounding environment, both the community and the hospital itself. Hospitals produce waste that increases every day, especially solid waste which can be divided into medical and non-medical waste. Management of hospital medical and non-medical solid waste is needed for the comfort and cleanliness of the hospital environment, because it can prevent health problems. Method: This type of research is qualitative with a research design a Focus Group Discussion (FGD), with a sample of 5 respondents. The types of data used are primary and secondary data. Result: Based on results of the research, it was found that the Unimus Dental Hospital has a permit and also corporation with third parties related to medical management, where in this case, of course, the Unimus Dental Hospital already has a storage room for medical and non-medical waste according to applicable standards. Conclusion: Management of medical waste at RSGM Unimus is already good, it needs regular mentoring and evaluation so that performance in medical waste management is well monitored.

Regulatory and social dynamics of voluntary agreement adoption: The case of voluntary energy efficiency and GHG reduction agreement in South Korea

What are the forces that drive increasing adoption of voluntary agreements in the policy field? This paper attempts to answer the question by analyzing the mechanism behind the adoption by 877 entities of the voluntary energy efficiency and GHG reduction agreement (VA) that was in place between 1999 and 2010 in South Korea. We argue that in South Korea's distinct regulatory context, participation in a public voluntary program (PVP), a VA, is a manifestation of participant entities' varied motivations as well as regulatory and social-normative pressures that arise from the institutionalization of the VA program. In addition, aligning the PVP with other policy programs such as eco-labelling program was found to have provided additional incentives for adoption while public ownership, socioeconomic status and environmental management capacity of targeted entities were significant factors. Thus, this study analyzes changes in the motives of participant entities over the course of the program's maturation and demonstrates how government and industries adopt and manage a PVP for policy learning and strategic regulation in the area of energy efficiency management and GHG reduction.

Reflooding the Faguibine floodplain system, northern Mali: potential benefits and challenges

The Faguibine system, northern Mali, consists of a series of interconnected floodplains of which the flooded surface area declined from about 1 000 km² in the late 19th century to only some 90 km² in 2010. Flood extent depends on the height of the Niger River flood peak at Diré. Satellite imagery analysis indicated that a phase shift may have occurred in the year 2000, probably as a delayed consequence of the Sahelian drought of the 1970s compounded by the collapse of societal controls on water use during recent civil conflict. An economic evaluation of the system in 2011 showed US$100 000 per year of net income per flooded km² in Lake Faguibine, allowing vulnerable people to practise recession agriculture, to fish and to graze livestock. An intensive investment phase, combined with an approach of rebuilding local governance systems and environmental management capacity, could yield net benefits to the user communities of the order of ten times the maintenance costs, contributing to human well-being. The system is currently threatened by the building of the Fomi Dam in Guinea and by the planned expansion of irrigation upstream. There is also a risk of the return of a prolonged drought linked to the Atlantic multi-decadal oscillation index.

Sea warming affects bream (Sparus aurata) tissues and stress proteins (HSP70)

The increase in CO2 emissions from anthropogenic sources may not only result in temperature increase on a global scale but also in increased ocean acidification (OA), by lowering the ocean's capacity to absorb additional atmospheric CO2. As a consequence, changes in ocean chemistry are prone to occur through the imbalancing of sea-atmosphere gas exchange, thus affecting O2 absorption as well.There are many studies on the potential effects of OA and increased ocean temperatures on the physiology of marine organisms but little is known about changes at histological level and there are still several gaps at molecular level which must be studied for a better understanding of all biological mechanisms involved. With regard to hypoxia, alterations to the stress response can provide information on the organisms’ physiological effects and coping strategies triggered by anoxia. For instance, it is known that organisms respond by reducing protein synthesis. Once temperature affects physiological, behavioral and ecological processes, there is a need to understand what mechanisms are behind the organisms’ response to stress, enhancing our predictive and environmental management capacities considering a climate change scenario. This is of great importance, in particular to countries with a sea-based economy.The aim of the present study is to assess the stress response of a marine fish, sea bream (Sparus aurata) exposed to increasing water temperature and different water acidity (alone or in combination). Here we present preliminary data on temperature effects on S. aurata at a cellular and molecular level. In addition, tissue samples from muscle, livers, gills and intestine are examined to evaluate any alterations caused by altering this physical parameter.Fish were distributed randomly in tanks (n=96) and allowed to acclimate at 18ºC (the same temperature of the hatchery) before the beginning of the bioassays. After assessment of the upper thermal limits (UPL), water temperature was increased at a rate of 1ºC per hour using a thermostatized bath with a constant rate of water-temperature until reaching the endpoint, following the dynamic method of Critical Thermal Maximum (CTM). Every 2ºC step, fish were euthanized by cervical transection and the selected organs removed and stored at -80ºC until further analysis. Sub-samples were taken and processed for histological examination following standard techniques. Frozen samples were analysed for heat stress proteins (HSP70) as described by Madeira et al. The histological observations were carried out using a Leica microscope (DMLB model). Preliminary results of the histological examination showed changes in the cellular structure, with visible damage at higher temperatures in liver and gills (Fig. 1). Regarding HSP70, significant changes were observed throughout the temperature assay. The results indicate that elevated water temperature can be a major stressor that will affect fish due to potential climate changes, thus compelling the need to perform these studies to enhance our predictive and environmental management capacities.The authors acknowledge the funding by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia through grant PTDC/MAR/119068/2010 and through project no. PEst-C/EQB/LA0006/2011 granted to Requimte.

An Interoperable, GIS-oriented, Information and Support System for Water Resources Management

Important objectives of the four-year enviroGRIDS project encompass the improvement of transnational cooperation, the use of state of the art Information and Communication Technologies for data analysis and sharing and the application of environmental models for monitoring present and predicting future states of the environment for the Black Sea region. In such a transnational context, there is a dire need for the environmental sciences to evolve from a simple, local-scale vision toward a complex, multi-user, multilayered holistic approach. BASHYT (http://swat.crs4.it/) is a Web based, GIS oriented, information and support tool, part of the Black Sea Catchment – Observation System (BSC-OS). It exposes a set of applications for data management, analysis and visualization and a complete server and client side development framework (wiki like) to create Web contents. The core of the portal relies on the hydrological semi distributed SWAT code to model the water cycle and predict the effect of management decisions on water, sediment, nutrient and pesticide yields on large river basins. Furthermore, BASHYT aims at quantifying the interconnectedness between (human and natural) pressures and states of water body receptors at different space and time scales. The aim is to enhance environmental management capacity to assess water resource and to share and process large amounts of key environmental information. Within an experimental and innovative programming environment, modules have been developed to run near real-time applications based on numerical solvers (SWAT is just one example), run pre- and post-processing codes, query and map results through the Web browser. A set of web OGC services and a complete Application Programming Interface (API) are also exposed by the portal. We expect to improve the ways in which land management systems can operate and improve model usability to aid in making management decisions and watershed-scale modeling.

Reforestation Strategies Amid Social Instability: Lessons from Afghanistan

Foreign and domestic government agencies and other international organizations pursue reforestation programs in rural upper watershed areas of Afghanistan over the past decade to alleviate poverty, combat the insurgency and rehabilitate a depleted forest resource base. Popular programs incorporate cash-for-work to conduct hillside terracing, check dam construction and tree-planting for nut production, fuel wood, timber, dune stabilization, and erosion abatement. Programmatic approaches have varied as a function of accessibility, security and local objectives. Uncertain land tenure and use rights, weak local environmental management capacity, and a focus on agricultural production to meet immediate needs limit interest, nationally and locally. Unreliable security, a lack of high quality tree planting stock, limited technical knowledge and coordination among government agencies, and poor security hamper program expansion. Reforestation success would be most likely where these issues are least acute. The Afghan government should focus on supporting community based natural resource management, developing and disseminating improved conservation tree nursery strategies, and promoting watershed management schemes that incorporate forestry, range management and agronomic production. Reforestation practitioners could benefit from the human and material resources now present as part of the international war effort. Successes and failures encountered in Afghanistan should be considered in order to address similar problems in insecure regions elsewhere when reforestation may help reverse environmental degradation and contribute to broader social stabilization efforts.

Sustainable Production: Practices and Determinant Factors of Green Supply Chain Management of Chinese Companies

ABSTRACTThis paper explores the green supply chain management (GSCM) of companies based in the Yangtze River Delta, China. The companies' overall GSCM practice level (LGSCM) is measured by using the data from 165 valid respondents in a questionnaire survey conducted during April and May 2009. The relationships between LGSCM and the classified determinant factors are analyzed. It is indicated that Chinese companies are still at a preliminary stage of GSCM practices. Their environmental management in cooperation with external members of the supply chain is very marginal. A company's LGSCM is significantly and positively associated with the external pressures from regulatory, domestic clients and business competitors. As an internal factor, a company's learning capacity greatly determines LGSCM. We also confirm that the internal factors function as intermediate variables of external pressures in influencing a company's GSCM. A company's environmental management capacities will be strongly enhanced by frequent internal training of employees to increase its involvement in GSCM practices. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

An Empirical Study of the Methodology for Assessing Social Capacity : The Case of Urban Air Quality Management

This study proposes a methodology for assessing social capacity for environmental management (SCEM which contributes to urban air quality improvement by identifying the actors and factors constituting the social capacity explicitly. To do so a confirmatory factor analysis and a structural equation model are applied to estimate the effects of social actors (i.e. government firms and citizens and factors (i.e. policies & measures resource management and knowledge & technology on urban air quality management in 2 major cities (i.e. Osaka Kitakyushu in Japan. Using a panel data set for years between 1971 and 2000 a new evaluation method for capacity development is proposed called aActor‑Factor Matrix evaluationby using the results obtained in the analyses. Our results also show the difference of structure in SCEM and contribution to urban air quality by each city.

TIER 3 RESPONSE FOR SOUTH AMERICA

ABSTRACT As an integral part of the new investment plan for the improvement of the Company'S environmental management capacity, Petrobras has set up then Environmental Defense Centers throughout important Brazilian regions. The Centers are endowed with ca. R$133 million investment for facilities and gear, and ca. R$ 65 million are to be devoted to operations and maintenance for one-year period. These Defense Centers are capable of facing the main emergencies that may spring out of oil and oil by-product spills. Together, they make up South America'S first environmental safety complex, a system that is fully capable of even providing services to other companies, thus foreseeing a demand that will certainly come through as oil E&P activities in the region grow.

The ISO 14001 environmental management standard in Japan: results from a national survey of facilities in four industries

Since establishment of the ISO 14001 environmental management system in 1996, Japanese facilities have led the world in numbers of certifications. This research utilises survey data from more than 1700 Japanese facilities as well as follow-up interviews to identify the determinants of ISO certification, to examine the differences between early, recent and in-process certifiers, and to understand how ISO 14001 certification affects various environmental and managerial outcomes in Japan. Findings show that ISO certified facilities are larger and report higher levels of environmental management capacity. In addition, early certifiers are more likely to have established voluntary environmental agreements and are more active in international trade and business. Findings also provide evidence that while many facilities believe that ISO 14001 certification is excessively costly, they also report that certification has resulted in the establishment of new energy efficiency and waste reduction targets and higher target levels. Nevertheless, evidence indicates that certification does not generally result in longer-term outcomes such as post-certification adjustment of non-regulated targets.

Building Capacity for Environmental Management: local knowledge and rehabilitation on the Gippsland Red Gum Plains

Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) continues to attract interest as a way of achieving social and environmental outcomes at the local and regional scale. Central to the success of CBNRM is the importance of capacity building and participatory approaches to research and management. This paper discusses an initiative in East Gippsland which involved a facilitated process to assist local residents build their capacity to manage their landscape. Through conducting a community survey, the project facilitated landholders to voice, develop and refine their understanding of remnant vegetation management, dieback and revegetation on private land. In doing so, landholders have improved not only their understanding of the issues but also their ability to act upon them. The empirical findings of the study highlight two issues of relevance to dieback on the East Gippsland Red Gum Plains. First, there is a perception that dieback has remained stable for at least 10 years. Second, scattered trees and small patches of trees are more vulnerable to dieback than clumped trees in larger patch sizes, as well as roadside vegetation. The research demonstrates the value of a community-based approach to NRM in terms of harnessing local knowledge, fostering human and social capital and engaging with interested landholders.

A Causal Analysis for the Development Process of Social Capacity for Environmental Management

A Causal Analysis for the Development Process of Social Capacity for Environmental Management

Uneven Environmental Management: A Canadian Perspective

Advocates of community-based approaches to environmental management argue that by respecting local circumstances, skills, and concerns we may improve the prospects of achieving environmental sustainability; yet, within nation states such as Canada, environmental conditions, management and enforcement costs and capabilities, and power differentials within and among civic and public sectors may result in a highly differentiated capacity for environmental management across different localities and regions. This article draws on insights of political ecology to 1) create a conceptual framework that identifies key elements shaping regional environmental management regimes and to 2) undertake a comparative analysis to assess how elements interact to generate uneven management outcomes. I compare experiences of two Canadian biosphere reserves designated in 2000: Clayoquot Sound, BC; and Redberry Lake, SK. Analysis reveals that differences in governance and institutional capacities in the biosphere reserves are key to explaining uneven local outcomes. Where the public and civic sectors are strong, a robust and publicly vetted form of management will emerge. Where these sectors are weak and land is held as private property, environmental nongovernmental organizations can set the type and level of management, to the exclusion of effective civic and state involvement. This result may improve environmental sustainability but hinder social sustainability of a management regime and raises questions about the efficacy of community-based management.