Environmental Destruction Research Articles

Pesticide Use and Civil Rights in Central California: Slow Violence and the State

This article presents the findings of the People’s Tribunal on Pesticide Use and Civil Rights (Lindsay, California, September 2023) which provides a nuanced account of the mechanisms by which the state perpetuates/organizes limited response to environmental harms. We apply a “slow violence” lens to community testimony, further informed by interviews and focus groups in English and Spanish, which included officials, scientists focusing on pesticide use and exposure, community leaders, and farmworkers. “Slow violence” illuminates practices and institutions that sustain, routinize, and normalize suffering over time. Ongoing and pervasive civil rights violations on farms and in agricultural communities are only identifiable via slow observation and differ from the “disparate impact” frame of civil rights practice in environmental law. Our results call for social scientists and legal scholars to revisit claims of intentional discrimination rather than disparate impact and point to the potential for civil rights enforcement by state agencies.

Relocating occupation: A critical environmental justice analysis of the US military migration from Okinawa to Guåhan

The US military buildup across the Pacific is an ongoing colonial project reproducing oppressive power structures, human rights violations, and systemic environmental injustices. As the United States bolsters its Pacific presence, islands and peoples living on them are particularly vulnerable. However, not all places face overtly growing military-colonial occupations. Following decades of substantial military presence in Okinawa, 2024 marks the beginning of a precarious troop withdrawal from the Japanese prefecture. This significant reduction in Marine Corps personnel is the result of decades of political activism by Okinawans, who have continually resisted occupation and longstanding patterns of violence and oppression. Yet these military forces are not just leaving, they are relocating. The withdrawal coincides with 5,000 Marines and a new base coming to Guåhan (Guam), a territory where about 30% of land is under military control. This article examines these processes of military buildup and relocation through a critical environmental justice lens. We expand upon research on these issues by centering the critical environmental justice pillars concerning intersectionality, multiple scales, state power, and indispensability. We analyze the interconnections between Okinawa and Guåhan and argue that environmental justice scholarship must consider global geopolitics, interconnectivity, and sovereignty to adequately approach environmental movements in the Pacific region. In addition, we demonstrate that environmental justice victories in non-self-governing territories remain vulnerable to reversal and we advocate for inter-island coalition-building to avoid passing environmental harms from one island to another.

Environmental Benefits of Hydrogen-Powered Buses: A Case Study of Coke Oven Gas

This study conducted a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of alternative (electric and hydrogen) and conventional diesel buses in a large metropolitan area. The primary focus was on hydrogen derived from coke oven gas, a byproduct of the coking process, which is a crucial step in the steel production value chain. The functional unit was 1,000,000 km traveled over 15 years. LCA analysis using SimaPro v9.3 revealed significant environmental differences between the bus types. Hydrogen buses outperformed electric buses in all 11 environmental impact categories and in 5 of 11 categories compared to conventional diesel buses. The most substantial improvements for hydrogen buses were observed in ozone depletion (8.6% of diesel buses) and global warming (29.9% of diesel buses). As a bridge to a future dominated by green hydrogen, employing grey hydrogen from coke oven gas in buses provides a practical way to decrease environmental harm in regions abundant with this resource. This interim solution can significantly contribute to climate policy goals.

What Type of Incentives Can be Used to Motivate Generations Z and Y to Prefer More Sustainable Delivery Options?

Given the environmental harm caused by factors such as carbon emissions and traffic congestion from the rise of online shopping, it is increasingly important to adopt sustainable delivery methods to lessen its impact on the planet and communities. This study was conducted to explore how various incentives can influence the delivery preferences of members of Generations (Gen) Z and Y. This study involves 384 Turkish Gen Z and Gen Y e-commerce users who had bought clothes online in the past 6 months. The research data were collected using a choice experiment survey and hypotheses were tested using the McNemar test. The study results show that different types of incentive significantly affect the delivery preferences of Gen Z and Gen Y. Younger consumers are more willing to choose sustainable delivery for their clothes shopping after receiving incentives such as information on CO2 emissions, traffic congestion, the number of acquaintances, as well as coupons and discounts. Additionally, they become more willing to pay more and wait longer for more sustainable delivery. Furthermore, the study shows that offering coupons and discounts to consumers has a greater impact on encouraging participants to choose a more sustainable delivery compared with providing information about CO2 emissions, traffic congestion, and the number of acquaintances.

IoT- enabled crop waste mulching machine for sustainable farming: perspective of circular economy

Abstract A large amount of crop waste is generated after crop harvesting. A substantial quantity of waste on the farm is burnt to clear the field, contributing to environmental harm and global warming. The study aims to develop a technological solution for crop waste management (CWM) by designing and developing an IoT-enabled crop waste mulching machine. This initiative addresses the environmental and health issues caused by burning crop waste on farms. The research involves designing and developing an IoT-enabled mulching machine that can be attached to the back side of a tractor. The machine consists of power-transmitting elements, supports, and mechanisms to distribute mulching material evenly onto the plant bed. It incorporates advanced IoT load cell sensors, soil moisture sensors, and proximity sensors to optimize the mulching process based on soil moisture content and to prevent machinery blockages. The IoT-enabled mulching machine effectively manages crop waste by utilizing it in mulch, thus preventing the harmful practice of burning waste. This machine ensures a more efficient, safer, and environmentally friendly approach to mulching, offering significant improvements over traditional manual mulching methods.
The novelty of this research lies in integrating IoT technologies within mulching machine. The mulching machine uses sensors to automate and optimize the mulching process, representing a significant technological advancement over conventional methods. The study offers practical benefits by reducing labour requirements, minimizing the risk of injuries, and ensuring a more uniform mulch application. This technology facilitates more sustainable farming practices, aligning with global sustainability goals. The study can potentially revolutionize the agricultural equipment manufacturing industry (AEMI) by shifting the focus toward environmental sustainability. It promotes replacing plastic film mulching machines with more eco-friendly crop waste mulching solutions. This technology has the potential to reduce air pollution, carbon emissions, and mitigate climate. It also enhances soil health through better mulching practices.

Compensation landscapes

In this contribution, I explore compensation landscapes as a concept through which we can question the nature of ecological urbanism today, as an alliance of environmental degradation, urban development and landscape design. In urbanism and landscape studies, there is currently almost no debate on the spatial dynamics created by the compensation of environmental harm. This is remarkable, as green urban landscapes are increasingly developed through biodiversity offsetting, i.e. the process where open space assets that have been destroyed through urban development are replaced elsewhere. While the literature on these topics is booming in critical geography and political ecology, I explore three scopes in which biodiversity offsetting can be studied as part of urbanism and landscape studies. Through the spatialization of compensation, the linking of offsetting to planning research, and by giving attention to landscape design, this paper frames compensation as a socio-spatial urbanisation project.

“Because we’re dying in here”: A study of environmental vulnerability and climate risks in incarceration infrastructure

This article draws on the stories of formerly incarcerated people to examine the ways in which the physical and social infrastructures of carceral facilities increase incarcerated people's vulnerability to environmental hazards exacerbated by climate change. We present qualitative data from interviews and focus groups with people who have been incarcerated in prisons and/or jails in Colorado regarding their experiences with incarceration infrastructure, amplifying the voices of formerly incarcerated people to identify vulnerabilities which have been deliberately hidden by carceral social and institutional processes, and adding them to the academic dialogue around incarceration and climate change. By providing testimony on the ways in which incarceration infrastructure—how they are designed, built, and maintained—amplify environmental harm, we identify how incarceration infrastructures create environmental vulnerability along axes of temperature, air quality, and water supply even before incarcerated people are exposed to climate hazards. Then, we illustrate ways incarcerated people encounter limits to their agency to mitigate this vulnerability, suggesting the need for structural change. Finally, we provide evidence that climate-related extreme temperatures, wildfires, and flood events experienced by our participants exploited the axes of vulnerability laid out above, affecting the majority (65%) of our 35 study participants. Overall, we argue current carceral infrastructure creates material realities that regularly cross the threshold of cruel and unusual punishment, and our argument supports decarceration as a necessary public policy intervention for robust, just, and humane climate resilience.

Применение экосистемного подхода к ликвидации и возмещению накопленного вреда окружающей среде

The process of formation and recognition of responsibility for accumulated environmental damage is considered. The possibilities of applying the ecosystem approach to the legal regulation of organizing the elimination of accumulated environmental harm are explored, including assessing the results of the restoration measures taken and the formation of criteria for recognizing objects of accumulated harm as liquidated. A justification is given for the need to apply an ecosystem approach to eliminating accumulated environmental damage in order to achieve the goal of rational environmental management (restoring and increasing the sustainability of natural ecological systems and ensuring their equilibrium state).

Improving indoor air quality and cooling efficiency: Indirect dew-point evaporative cooling in South China summers

The escalating impact of global warming and the increase in respiratory illnesses have heightened the demand for fresh air systems. However, the substantial power consumption and environmental harm associated with traditional air conditioning systems conflict with current international aspirations for carbon neutrality. To address these issues, a high-performance and compact counterflow indirect dew-point evaporative cooler have developed. This innovative design eliminates the U-turn of the working air seen in conventional M-cycle coolers, resulting in reduced pressure drop and enhanced energy efficiency. This study evaluates the performance of the newly developed dew-point cooler and explores its potential use in providing cool and fresh air for indoor spaces during the sub-tropical summer season in Zhenjiang city, Jiangsu province, China. The results indicate that despite the relatively low fan efficiency (ranging from 5% to 36%), a high cooling coefficient of performance (COP) between 5.2 and 9.3 was achieved. The cooler has demonstrated its effectiveness in improving both thermal comfort and air quality indoors. In Zhenjiang, the cooler can function as a standalone cooling device in June. However, during the hotter months of July and August, it is more suitable as an efficient pre-cooling device when used in conjunction with a conventional air conditioner. The developed cooler exhibited highly stable performance over a three-month test period, consistently maintaining effective cooling and fresh air supply. This study confirms the potential of the counterflow indirect dew-point evaporative cooler as a sustainable and efficient solution for improving indoor air ventilation and thermal comfort.

Development of Eco-Friendly Refrigerants for Industrial Refrigeration to Minimize Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Environmental Harm

Development of Eco-Friendly Refrigerants for Industrial Refrigeration to Minimize Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Environmental Harm

Effects of Waste Generation on the Load Capacity Factor: A Novel Waste Management Assessment for OECD Countries

ABSTRACTThe increase in global waste generation is an important issue directly addressed in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)‐12 and OECD countries produce large amounts of waste. In this context, the study examines the influence of waste generated and recycled on the load capacity factor (biocapacity/ecological footprint) in 28 OECD countries from 2000 to 2021 using novel panel data approaches. The study employs augmented mean group and novel half‐panel jackknife estimation approaches within the Load Capacity Curve (LCC) hypothesis and confirms the LCC for OECD nations. In addition, the long‐term prediction results illustrate that waste generation increases environmental destruction, while waste recycled supports the increase in the load capacity factor. The study recommends policymakers in OECD countries to support economic growth and increase investment in waste recycling technologies to achieve SDG‐12.

Procedure Design and Reliability Analysis for Prediction of Surface Subsidence of a Metal Mine Induced by Block Caving Method—A Case Study of Pulang Copper Mine in China

Surface subsidence resulting from block caving mining causes considerable environmental and economic harm in mining areas, highlighting the critical need for accurate predictions of surface subsidence. Given the unique features of the block caving technique and the resemblance between the released ore pillars and the mining processes, this paper developed a lightweight model to forecast surface settlement utilizing the probability integration approach to address the issue of predicting surface settlement in metallic mines. This study focuses on the Pulang Copper Mine, situated in the northeast of Shangri-La County within the Yunnan Province, as a case example. This mine employs the block caving method, which results in substantial surface subsidence. A visual mining simulation program is designed to combine the ore mining plan with the prediction model, manage the ore output of each mining point in batches, treat the ore pillars released in the planning cycle as strip work, and simulate and calculate the surface area above the ore pillars settlement value. The calculated values of surface subsidence induced by ore drawing are then interpreted as the downward displacement of the surface subsidence beneath the strip workings. Furthermore, to verify the reliability of the model, three-dimensional laser point cloud data of the Pulang Copper Mine in recent years were collected, and the differences between the predicted surface and the measured surface were calculated and analyzed.

(Re) framing the politics of climate change: resilience, reparative critique and affective life in situations of extreme heat

ABSTRACT One of the ways we know climate change is through the emergencies that make it present. But how does the connection between singular events (emergencies) and a meta-stable condition (climate change) become perceivable to us? Through what knowledges? And with what political implications? In this paper I apply these questions to deepen critical understanding of government-orchestrated efforts to enhance climate resilience. Pursuing an alternative pathway to critiques that reduce resilience to neoliberalism, I bring resilience into dialogue with Lauren Berlant’s concept of situations. The importance of situations rests in its ability to diversify our understanding of the emergencies to which resilience responds. Initially, situations prompt us to explore emergencies fundamentally as ruptures in people’s ongoing affective encounter with the world. They also capture how our experience of emergencies is colored by the broader historical significance they hold as critical events that change collective life. And, as with all events read through affect, situations are also an object of mediation. Thinking with situations, I demonstrate how, through resilience, government actors mediate our sense of the relationship between emergencies, on one hand, and climate change as an epochal condition, on the other. By distributing responsibility, resilience allows a wide catalogue of voices to influence common perceptions of this relationship and, consequently, evidences potential to integrate what Eve Kosofsky-Sedgwick calls reparative critique into climate consciousness by highlighting the ramifications climate-related emergencies have on specific communities because of environmental harms visited upon them over time and orienting future action towards attending to these harms. I make this argument through research into the US’ Environmental Protection Agency’s attempts to raise situational awareness of extreme heat risk. While seeking to mobilize people’s embodied knowledges in sensing imminent danger, these practices push concurrently for understanding, and acting upon, climate change vulnerability by its entanglement with violent processes that underpinned the modernization projects fundamental to American life now.

“You walk on glass if you are in that space”: Risks and harms of corruption in wildlife justice pathways in Uganda

Wildlife crime drives existential harms including biodiversity loss and climate change, disproportionately affecting the Global South. Criminal justice approaches dominate the public response, yet scant evidence exists on how corruption, an economic crime, undermines deterrence and exacerbates inequalities. This primary research study utilises a qualitative approach to examine the risks and harms of corruption within wildlife enforcement and justice in Uganda. Using a red-green criminological perspective and drawing upon semi-structured interviews with experts and practitioners from government and civil society, this paper identifies corruption risks in wildlife criminal justice and explores their related harms and consequences. The study finds wildlife enforcement in Uganda suffers from institutional corruption, including perverse incentives which distort targeting and resource prioritisation, leading to discrimination against low-level offenders. Furthermore, differential access to individualist corruption opportunities along the justice pathway enables wealthy or well-connected suspects to avoid sanctions, resulting in sentencing inequities. Despite resulting in differential outcomes for affluent and subsistence offenders, the study concludes that corruption in wildlife justice neutralises deterrence for both offender types. By creating impunity for elites, organised crime actors are attracted to the trade. Moreover, by amplifying sentencing inequalities, subsistence offenders are further impoverished, increasing re-offending. Corruption in wildlife justice thus drives significant long-term environmental, socioeconomic, and political harms, and erodes the rule of law.

Development of ExG, ExR, ExGR, HSV, CIELAB Images from RGB Images Using Image Segmentation Algorithm in Computer Vision Based Herbicide Spraying Applications

Weed management in agriculture is critical for preventing crop yield losses, with traditional methods often leading to environmental harm and increased production costs. This study explores the development of color indices and models for weed detection in computer vision-based herbicide spraying applications. Among the all sensors, RGB colour cameras offer several advantages, including low cost and wide availability of image processing libraries tailored for RGB image analysis. In present study a Logitech C270 webcam was used for acquiring the RGB images and a specially python algorithm was developed for image segmentation based on color. Excess Green (ExG), Excess Red (ExR), Excess Green minus Red (ExGR), HSV, and CIELAB color model images are developed by using algorithm. The research demonstrates that while ExG and ExGR indices are effective under specific conditions, the CIELAB model offers superior segmentation results across varying lighting environments. Among all these color indices and models, particularly CIELAB, can enhance the precision of weed detection in automated herbicide applications, thereby reducing environmental impact and improving agricultural efficiency.

Sandwich structures in bio-composite material for sustainable acoustic solutions

The use of bio-based materials in acoustic applications has gained a lot of attention recently as a functional and environmentally friendly alternative for synthetic materials. This is because conventional synthetic fibers have a significant impact on the environment and the health risks of people. The focus is now on developing composite systems that minimize environmental harm by using energy and materials more efficiently, and by substituting synthetic or petroleum-based materials with more sustainable options, such as natural fibers. These natural fibers are favoured for their biodegradability, sustainability, and widespread availability, earning them the label of "green materials." Thus, this paper aims to investigate the soundproofing capabilities of a novel sandwich structure composed of hemp fibers and bio-epoxy resin, aiming to broaden the application field of natural fiber composite materials.

Environmental Enforceable Undertakings: An Innovative Tool to Repair and Prevent Environmental Harm

Abstract This article identifies an emerging form of sanction for addressing environmental harm: the environmental enforceable undertaking (EEU). Currently used for environmental protection in Australia and the UK, the EEU is a cooperative, timely, and accountable regulatory instrument targeted at encouraging offenders to voluntarily invest in repairing and preventing harm, frequently going beyond basic regulatory compliance. We identify four regulatory objectives met by EEUs (strategic; responsive; deterrent; and preventative) before discussing how EEUs might contribute to the environmental regulation landscape, exploring examples primarily from Australia, but also the UK. Finally, we discuss how EEUs can benefit not only the regulator and regulated but can also involve the community in environmental regulation. We then assert a fifth regulatory objective: they can serve as a restorative form of regulation.

In Vitro Antagonistic Activity of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria Against Aggressive Biotypes of the Green Mold.

During the cultivation of button mushrooms, the green mold epidemic, which causes a decrease in productivity, is a very important problem. The environmental harm of chemicals used in the control of such epidemics and the demand of consumers for organic products without chemicals have brought environmentally friendly biological control to the fore. Biological control can be achieved by the use of antagonistic microorganisms and their metabolites. In this study, the effectiveness of Bacillus spp. and Pseudomonas spp. for the biological control of the aggressive biotypes of the green mold disease agent Trichoderma aggressivum strains was examined in vitro. For this purpose, the antifungal effects of Bacillus spp. and Pseudomonas spp. against T. aggressivum strains were examined by in vitro dual culture test. Afterward, the antifungal activity of Bacillus spp. metabolites was assessed further using the agar well diffusion method. Then, it was determined whether the bacterial strains showing antifungal activity showed antagonistic activity against A. bisporus. Although none of the Pseudomonas spp. showed antifungal activity against T. aggressivum strains, most of the Bacillus spp. were found to have high activity. It has been concluded that Bacillus sp. Ö-4-82 may be potential biological control agent for button mushroom cultivation.

Experimentation on Sargassum wightii as a flash powder igniter for attaining eco-friendly combustion on pyrotechnics

Firecrackers are a vital element of cultural festivities that happen worldwide. However, the hazardous by-products they emit have a significant impact on environmental pollution, leading to the greenhouse effect and climate change. Aluminium powder serves as the fuel in the traditional flash powder mixture, nitrate of potassium serves as an oxidizing agent, and sulphur acts as the igniter at exact concentrations. The presence of sulfur in the flash powder mixture is critical as it acts as an igniter, contributing to the formation of sulfur dioxide, which can cause environmental harm. We carried out an experiment employing Sargassum wightii brown seaweed powder as a replacement for sulphur at specific amounts to lessen the effects of sulphur in flash powder. We discovered that Sargassum wightii brown seaweed powder may replace up to 50% of the sulphur significance in the flash powder mixture without impairing the flash powder's traditional performance. Our experiments included impact and friction sensitivity, SEM, and FTIR analyses to evaluate the improved flash powder composition. The results revealed that the modified flash powder mixture SP5 and SP10 emits less emission by 12% and 21%, and produces similar noise performance of 108 and 107 dB(A) to the normal flash powder composition (SP), affirming that the SP10 flash powder is a viable alternative. Moreover, in our relentless pursuit to mitigate the detrimental effects on our environment, we have ingeniously introduced a novel product—the Chinese cracker made from vegetable waste paper. Not only does this innovative solution address concerns regarding land pollution, but it also presents a sustainable approach to consumer goods.

Green versus green: The case against holistic environmental permitting processes

Globally, there is a strong interest in investments in zero‑carbon technologies, e.g., in industry and the electricity generation sector, but projects supporting the climate transition are argued to be held back by environmental permitting challenges. For this reason, there are calls for novel regulatory reforms that broaden the scope of environmental permitting, and the underlying legal rules, by assigning a more prominent place for projects' climate benefits, i.e., the carbon dioxide emissions displaced elsewhere in the economy. This commentary argues against such a reform, which could create more problems than it solves. It risks increasing the complexity and the uncertainty of environmental permitting process, e.g., by making it more difficult to evaluate how various legal rules should be applied in the context of individual permit applications. Such a reform also clashes with the anti-anti-environment task of environmental law and permitting. The development of zero‑carbon projects and the protection of environmental harms involve difficult trade-offs, but the main role of environmental permitting is to identify measures that allow these goals to co-exist. The solution to this green versus green dilemma is not to reform the scope of permitting processes, but rather improve the ways in which existing legislation is implemented.