Environmental Programs Research Articles

Remote sensing insights into land cover dynamics and socio-economic Drivers: The case of Mtendeli refugee camp, Tanzania (2016–2022)

The purpose of this article is to present the scope and the dynamics of the environmental changes unfolded in the vicinity of Mtendeli refugee camp. It presents a new method, which combines geospatial analysis of high-resolution Earth observation data (Sentinel-1&2) with ground-based observations and input from local experts. Time series classifications of annual land use/land cover in the surroundings of the camp is developed from remote data. Subsequently main transitions and trends are quantitatively achieved. This is a first study which, not only treats the land transition process in a comprehensive manner, but also tracks the changes and their main drivers on an annual scale over the lifetime of the camp (2016–2021) and the post-closure situation in 2022. Most importantly, thanks to the involvement of social studies, it unfolds the socio-economical drivers of those changes. Drawing upon a random forest algorithm and available databases, we achieve overall classification accuracies of 83.5% (2020) and 82.0% (2022). Our findings indicate an ongoing expansion of cropland between 2016 and 2021, to the detriment of natural vegetation classes. The impact of environmental restoration programs implemented in the former camp area is visible by 2022. The proposed method can be used to identify areas of environmental risk and thus support decisions linked with sustainable development and land management.

Using Hardware Events to Detect Side-Channel Attacks

The article discusses the monitoring system being developed by authors for the detection of Side-Channel Attacks, SCA. The theoretical justification of the chosen method of detecting SCA attacks is given: analysis of hardware events of the target system. The architecture of the monitoring system is described, including low-level data collection processes and an expert system that analyzes the collected data. The results of the proof-of-concept on various classes of SCA-attacks are presented. The paper considers a class of attacks on side-channels that use the processor cache to obtain secret information. A method of countering attacks of this class based on the use of a hardware event mechanism is proposed. As a result of the analysis of existing hardware events, predicates have been built for the Intel architecture, allowing one to identify the suspicious behavior of programs in the Linux OS environment. To test the proposed method, a prototype monitoring system was implemented that successfully coped with the detection of simulated SCA-attacks. The advantages and disadvantages of this method are considered, and the direction of further research is indicated.

Eco-toxic Risk Assessment of microplastics in water and sediment across Nigeria Offshore, Gulf of Guinea.

Globally, the environmental impacts of microplastics (MPs) as emerging pollutants have drawn a lot of attention. This study aimed to assess the distribution and associated potential ecotoxic risk of MPs in the water and sediment of Nigeria's offshore waters. Water and sediment samples were collected from sixteen (16) stations in October 2023 and analysed using Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy and stereomicroscopy. For physical characterization, the composition of MPs in sediment and water was 73 particles/kg and 48 particles/L, respectively, while the ATR-FTIR composition at the Eastern Zone (EZ) was 705 particles/L and 1033 particles/kg, the Central Zone (CZ) was 212 particles/L and 338 particles/kg, and the Western Zone (WZ) was 223 particles/L and 218 particles/kg. The identified MPs shapes were filaments, plastic films, fibre, and microbeads. Polychloroprene (CR) (18.10% and 16.86%) at EZ and CZ and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) (20.64%) at WZ were most abundant in sediment, respectively. In comparison, PVA (22.3%, 22.2%, and 21.08%) was most abundant across EZ, CZ, and WZ in water. The polymer-based plastic contamination factors (ppCf) and pollution load index (pPLI) showed low contamination and pollution load, and the polymer risk index (pRi) showed medium and low risk in water and sediment, respectively. The polymer ecological risks index (pERI) showed a high-risk level (pERI: 1,001-10,000) in water and sediment across the EZ, CZ, and WZ of the Nigerian offshore waters. In marine environments, an extensive environmental monitoring program and trend forecasting for microplastics are crucial. This study will provide theoretical and technical support for developing efficient legislation or policy on the prevention and control of plastic pollution.

Consumo responsable y cadena de valor hacia un modelo sostenible en el desarrollo local del cantón Quevedo

The objective of this study was to analyze responsible consumption and the value chain as foundations for the development of a sustainable model in the Quevedo Canton. The sample size was calculated with Decision Analyst STATSTM 2.0 software. The information was obtained by applying a questionnaire to 123 consumers. Statistical analysis was performed with the SPSS program (Version 22.0). Consumption, availability of environmentally friendly products and the value chain were addressed. The results revealed a high degree of reliability for the 12 items, according to Cronbach's Alpha method, with a value of 0.80. Responsible consumption mainly allows the reduction of waste, conservation of resources and the choice of sustainable products and services, an educational model used is awareness and environmental education programs through digital means to provide effective solutions in the transition towards eco-friendly products. More sustainable consumption practices were adopted, cooperation between actors in the value chain allows them to promote educational awareness programs and community commitment, implementing environmental regulations in each of the links and executing permits to guarantee the quality in each of the products that are demanded.

Áreas prioritárias na implantação de esquemas de Pagamento por Serviços Ambientais: Uma análise cienciométrica

Payment for Environmental Services schemes and programs emerge as economic instruments that aim to complement command and control instruments in environmental management. Due to their relevance and the need for allocation in places that can have the best performance, because they have a counterpart in financial resources, which are also scarce, research for the selection of priority areas is extremely important. To support researchers who aim to explore the line of research related to payment for environmental services, scientometric analysis presents the state of research in the area with measurement and quantitative analysis of bibliometric data, guiding the main sources and authors of reference and geolocating the scientific productions related to the subject. In the present research, a scientometric analysis and literature review was carried out with data from the Scopus and Web of Science databases, unifying the databases and analyzing the bibliometric information through the R-bilbiometrix interface, resulting in images, graphs, tables and maps that allowed an analysis of the state of the art and scientific research on the proposed theme. With the results, it was possible to observe the need for further studies on methodologies for selecting priority areas for PES schemes, as it is a fundamental tool for sustainable development

Pengaruh Pengetahuan Lingkungan terhadap Sikap dan Perilaku Konsumen dalam Memilih Produk Ramah Lingkungan: Studi Kasus Mahasiswa Universitas Negeri Medan

This study aims to uncover the impact of environmental knowledge on consumer attitudes and behaviors in selecting environmentally friendly products, especially among students at Universitas Negeri Medan. A quantitative analysis method was applied by collecting data through online surveys using Google Forms, involving 35 randomly selected respondents from various faculties. The analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, confirming that environmental knowledge significantly influences consumer attitudes and behaviors. These findings emphasize the importance of environmental knowledge in shaping environmentally conscious attitudes and behaviors among consumers, particularly among students. Furthermore, this research identifies consumer attitudes as a mediator in the relationship between environmental knowledge and consumer behavior. Based on these results, it is recommended to develop comprehensive environmental education programs, conduct further research on other influencing factors, collaborate with industries, develop supportive campus policies, and launch environmental awareness campaigns. These steps are expected to enhance awareness and consumer behavior regarding environmentally friendly products among students and provide directions for further research in this field.

Considering Responsibilities: The Indonesian Government at the Intersect of Environmental Damage and Sustainable Development Goals

The purpose of this study is to investigate a pressing policy concern for the Indonesian government: environmental degradation. The study will focus on the law and its more advanced principles within the context of contemporary legal theory. Research methodology is known as yuridis normatif, which entails a focused examination of relevant documents to determine the relevant principles, standards, and guidelines, as well as theoretical frameworks and administrative regulations. The findings of this study suggest that governments should integrate environmental principles into environmental programs to avert ecological crises, update development policies to place equal emphasis on economic, social, cultural, and environmental factors, and reconstruct environmental law as a solution to environmental problems. The hope is that the research will contribute to a more thorough understanding of environmental law in the context of contemporary jurisprudence and shed light on pressing issues of government transparency and accountability in Indonesia. It is hoped that this research will provide a solid foundation for improving Indonesia's legal framework and legal practice to be more comprehensive and environmentally conscious.

Perception of Undergraduates on Government Interventions in Environmental Issues in Southwest, Nigeria

This study examined the perception of undergraduates on government interventions in environmental issues in Southwest, Nigeria. This study further examined the differences in the perception of undergraduates on government interventions in environmental issues in Southwest, Nigeria based on gender and ownership of University. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised all university undergraduates in Southwest, Nigeria. A sample of 1752 male and female Undergraduates in Federal, State and Private Universities were used for the study. Multistage sampling procedure was employed for the sample selection. Questionnaire on Perception of Undergraduates on Government Interventions in Environmental Issues {QPUGIEI) was used in this study. The validity of the instrument was ensured through face and content validity procedures and the reliability of the QPUGIEI was established using Cronbach Alpha method and the alpha value of 0.74 was obtained. The data generated for this study were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The descriptive statistics of frequency counts, mean and percentages were used to provide answers to the research question while inferential statistics of t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The finding of the study showed that university undergraduates had favourable perception of government interventions in environmental issues in Southwest, Nigeria, there was a significant difference in the perception of male and female undergraduates towards government interventions in environmental issues, there was a significant difference in the perception of undergraduates towards government interventions in environmental issues based on the ownership of University. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that irrespective of the gender of undergraduates and ownership of the university government should intensify effort on environmental education programmes such that all undergraduates will have same favourable perception on government interventions in environmental issues.

Assessment of the spaceborne EnMAP hyperspectral data for alteration mineral mapping: A case study of the Reko Diq porphyry Cu[sbnd]Au deposit, Pakistan

For over four decades, spaceborne multispectral data have played a crucial role in supporting mineral exploration and geologic mapping. The spaceborne multispectral datasets, however, have a restricted number of bands with coarse spectral resolution and, thus are very limited in mineral mapping. The advent of high-quality spaceborne imaging spectroscopic data like the Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program (EnMAP), has bridged this gap initiating a new era in global hyperspectral mineral mapping. The EnMAP satellite, operational since November 2022, covers the spectral range of 420 and 2450 nm in 224 bands, offering a spatial resolution of 30 m and a mean spectral sampling distance of 8.1 and 12.5 nm in the visible-near infrared and shortwave infrared regions, respectively. In this paper, we demonstrate the enhanced mapping capabilities of EnMAP using datasets acquired over the Reko Diq mining district, a cluster of Miocene porphyries located in Pakistan's Chagai Belt hosting an undeveloped world-class porphyry Cu-Au ± Mo deposit. The EnMAP's Level 2A data product was processed using the polynomial fitting technique to characterize the diagnostic absorption features of the alteration minerals in the Reko Diq porphyry system. This involved retrieving the minimum wavelength, depth, width, and asymmetry parameters for key absorption features and employing them interactively for mineral characterization. A diverse array of minerals were successfully mapped over the study area and validated by ground spectroscopy. This includes abundance/composition maps for white micas, chlorite, epidote, calcite, kaolinite, gypsum, jarosite, and ferric and ferrous iron minerals. The minimum wavelength of white mica was found to vary between 2195 and 2210 nm, with the shorter wavelengths (Al-rich) white mica occurring proximal to the known mineralized zones. The potassic alteration cores and the outer propylitic zones were identified by the ferrous iron and chlorite-epidote-calcite mineral maps, respectively. This study demonstrated the superiority of EnMAP hyperspectral data in delineating the alteration mineralogy and zonation pattern of porphyry copper systems. This capability can potentially contribute to the exploration of new deposits in exposed terrains worldwide.

Improving a continuous mercury analyzer with circulated carrier gas: Economic and operational advancements

Elevated mercury (Hg) emissions since industrialization have created worldwide elevated levels of Hg in environment, causing ecosystem and human health impacts. Addressing these concerns requires across-nation efforts and international cooperation. In cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), through its implementation of the Minamata Convention (MC), several international and intranational projects have monitored Hg levels in the atmosphere, water, soil and biota for decades. Obviously, these global monitoring projects require substantial resources, such as government funding, human resources, and analytic instruments. Different types of Hg analyzers have been developed and used in these global monitoring projects, however, most of them require inert carrier gas (i.e. Ar, He) supply, especially if detection requires fluorescence spectroscopy. Frequent consumption and replenishment of carrier gas during normal operation incur substantial financial and human resource costs. Therefore, these instruments cannot operate autonomously for long periods of time and require a carrier gas cylinder exchange, a limitation especially in remote regions and on ocean research cruise campaigns where it is challenging to function autonomously for long duration, limiting data collection in these locations. To address this issue, we developed a novel prototype automated Hg analyzer with a new design using a circulated carrier gas system. This development decreases the carrier gas consumption and increases the Hg analyzer operation duration, saving up to 99% on carrier gas consumption compared to the widely used Tekran 2537 and NIC AM-6F atmospheric Hg analyzers instruments. By using the circulated carrier gas design, our Hg analyzer only consumes 1 L per week. Overall, this improvement not only saves carrier gas but also enhances the instrument's self-operating capability in remote areas and reduces the financial and human resource costs associated with frequent replacement of the carrier gas.

One third of African rivers fail to meet the ’good ambient water quality’ nutrient targets

The ambition of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 6.3 is to improve global water quality by 2030. SDG indicator 6.3.2 monitors progress towards this target by assessing water bodies against ‘good’ ambient water quality criteria, with nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) as part of the key metrics. However, large data gaps present a fundamental challenge, especially for Africa on how to assess the progress being made with respect to both the current and desired future situations. Here, a continental water quality model for Africa is presented to simulate river sediment load, Total Nitrogen (TN) and Total Phosphorus (TP) loads and concentrations. Furthermore, critical areas and hotspots of TN and TP pollution are mapped for the period 2017 – 2019, in relation to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) target thresholds used for the assessment of SDG indicator 6.3.2. Utilizing the UNEP’s criteria, which designates a water body as having “good ambient water quality” if 80% or more of its monitored values meet their targets, it is estimated that 44 % and 15 % of African rivers fail to meet the set water quality thresholds for simulated TP and TN, respectively. When synthesizing data for both TP and TN, 34 % of the rivers do not qualify as having “good ambient water quality”. Geographically, the most pronounced nutrient pollution hotspots were in North Africa, Niger River Delta, Nile River basin, Congo River basin and specific zones in Southern Africa. These areas correlate with regions characterized by high inputs of fertilizers, manure and wastewater discharge.

Education4Conservation, an evolving international program and 14-year curriculum of environmental education.

Education4Conservation evolved from an environmental education program in Balikpapan Bay, Indonesian Borneo, after its critical evaluation. The initial goal of the program was to support the development of future conservation leaders who would join the ongoing efforts to conserve proboscis monkeys (Nasalis larvatus) and their coastal forest habitat in Balikpapan Bay. We realized that to achieve this goal, we would need to work with students from the age of 4 years and continue to educate them for many years. We also realized that we needed to focus more on mentoring teachers and incorporating their feedback into the curriculum. The new program, which is in line with the new Indonesian national curriculum (Kurikulum Merdeka), has proved attractive to teachers and has spread from Kalimantan to other Indonesian islands and countries outside Asia. The curriculum continues to improve through regular monthly revisions that incorporate feedback from teachers, while teachers' pedagogical skills have improved through guidance provided by responses to each of their reports. We have been following and supervising participants since the Education4Conservation program began in 2022. Although a preliminary evaluation seems to indicate substantial improvements over the earlier program (in terms of high participation, positive teacher response, improved reporting skills, and increased clarity and applicability of the curriculum), it remains to be seen whether the program ultimately achieves its primary goal to help raise some of the students into conservation leaders.

ФИНАНСИРОВАНИЕ «СИНЕЙ» ЭКОНОМИКИ: МИРОВАЯ И РОССИЙСКАЯ ПРАКТИКА

The article briefly describes the prerequisites for the emergence of the blue economy concept. Characteristics are given of the international innovative business standards that have emerged on its basis (Practical guidance for implementing the Sustainable Ocean Principles of the UN Global Compact, Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles of the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative) and new types of financial instruments (blue bonds and debt-for-nature swap). Particular attention is paid to the development of the market for financing a sustainable development in the Russian Federation and the prospects for the emergence of blue bonds on it.

Mengintegrasikan Praktik Sufi Dalam Pendidikan: Kerangka Strategis Untuk Mengembangkan Karakter Religius Pada Siswa

Religion is the primary foundation for character formation. However, religious values have not yet fully integrated into the students’ psyche. This research explores the development of religious character by integrating Sufi practices in education. The study was conducted at an Islamic boarding school, Aliyah madrasah, in Malang. The findings indicate that integrating Sufi practices into the educational curriculum significantly impacts the development of religious character. The strategy begins with the preparation of a clear vision and mission, an integrated curriculum, and the presence of teacher role models, all of which are crucial for fostering religious character. A conducive environment, regular evaluations, and religious extracurricular programs are also essential. In conclusion, a comprehensive educational process emphasizing responsibility, obedience, regular evaluations, religious extracurricular programs, partnerships with families and communities, and spiritual strengthening activities can effectively enhance students' religiosity.

Critical Individual and Organizational Drivers of Circular Economy Implementation in SMEs in Bangladesh

This study aims to examine the influence of individual and organizational factors on the implementation of circular economy (CE) practices in SMEs in Bangladesh. A non-probability sampling technique is utilized to select a sample of 280 respondents from the textile and leather industries. Data are collected through a survey assessing individual factors such as environmental consciousness and innovation propensity, as well as organizational factors including leadership commitment and training and development programs. A frequency table is used to give the respondents’ details, and skewness and kurtosis are conducted to find the data normality. Reliability and validity analyses are conducted to ensure the robustness of the measurement instruments. A correlation matrix is generated to examine the relationships between variables, followed by a multiple regression analysis to test the hypothesized relationships. The preliminary findings indicate a significant correlation between individual and organizational factors and the implementation of CE practices. The multiple regression analysis reveals that both sets of factors contribute significantly to explaining the variance in CE implementation. The results indicate that environmental consciousness, innovation propensity, leadership commitment, and training and development programs emerge as significant predictors of CE implementation within these industries. This study offers valuable insights and sheds light on the role of individual and organizational factors in shaping sustainable practices. The findings contribute to the explanatory literature on CE implementation, providing empirical evidence to inform policymaking and business strategies aimed at promoting sustainability in the SME sector and beyond.

Tackling global crises with the humanities: ASU's new BA in culture, technology, and environment

Arizona State University recently announced their new BA program in Culture, Technology, and Environment, which “engages all three” of their “humanities schools to uncover how English, film, history, language, culture, religion, and philosophy can work together to solve the significant issues that societies and environments face.” ASU's is the first U.S. undergraduate program to combine culture, technology, and environment, and is available online or face‐to‐face.

Environmental programs of Russian political parties. Electoral preferences

The article analyzes the influence of environmental programs of Russian political parties on electoral preferences. The All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center research shows that despite the satisfactory assessment of the environmental situation by the population, the growth of concern about the deterioration of the environmental situation in the regions is noticeable.

Weighting factors for LCA—a new set from a global survey

PurposeThis paper provides global weights (weighting factors) for the three endpoint impact categories (areas of protection (AoPs)) of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Life Cycle Initiative’s “Global Guidance for Life Cycle Impact Assessment Indicators and Methods” (GLAM) project, namely human health, ecosystem quality, and natural resources and ecosystem services.MethodsA discrete choice experiment (DCE) was conducted to elicit the preferences of respondents on the GLAM AoPs, and they were then used to calculate the respective weights. Responses were obtained from a subset of countries pertaining to each income level defined by the World Bank (i.e. low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high). The adimensional (between 0 and 1) weights were derived using two different approaches: econometric and multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA). The econometric approach obtained weights by transforming the estimated preference parameters from a multinomial logit model. The MCDA approach obtained weights representing the vectors that best reconstitute the choices of each individual, using linear programming to fit an additive value function.ResultsWhen considering responses from all income groups, the weights from the econometric approach are 0.42, 0.31, and 0.26 for human health, ecosystem quality, and natural resources and ecosystem services, respectively. Following the same order for the AoPs, the weights from the MCDA approach are 0.41, 0.32, and 0.27. For high-income countries, ecosystem quality has the highest weight; for upper-middle-income countries, ecosystem quality and human health have the same weights using the econometric approach, while in the MCDA approach, human health is weighted higher than ecosystem quality. For the two lower income country groups, the priority is given to human health with both approaches. Recommendations for the use of these weights are also provided, as well as a comparison with other existing weights.ConclusionThe two methods obtained similar weights overall, although with some differences when disaggregated by income groups. The weights proposed in this paper are suitable for decision-makers or users who want to use survey-derived weights for endpoint-based LCA when using the AoPs of GLAM. These weights can be used in projects where the decision-makers do not want to or have no resources to identify a set of weights themselves, or when decision-makers are not involved.

Incorporating core concepts into an undergraduate neuroscience program in a resource-restricted environment

Recently, community-derived core concepts for neuroscience higher education were developed and published. These core concepts can serve as a valuable resource to ensure that a neuroscience-based educational program is not only concept-focused but also addresses the call for reform of higher education, as noted in the vision and change report. The number of undergraduate neuroscience programs is expanding throughout the nation, but unfortunately, the existing blueprints to design and launch such programs do not incorporate these core concepts. Furthermore, unpacking these core concepts in a resource-limited setting is logistically challenging. We reflected on the coverage of these core concepts within our existing neuroscience minor at a medium-sized, primarily residential, high undergraduate, public 4-year institution. In addition to assessing the number of community-derived core concepts addressed in our courses, our reflection discusses strategies for addressing challenges associated with (1) a departmental home for the program, (2) a meaningful student experience with limited resources, and (3) growing and developing the program into a minor, or from a minor into a major. These strategies may provide a roadmap for other institutions to launch or grow their own neuroscience program.

Air quality, chemical mixtures, and local governance: findings from a national environmental health research program in Colombia

Air quality, chemical mixtures, and local governance: findings from a national environmental health research program in Colombia