Field Of Environmental Protection Research Articles

Environmental Protection in the Field of Human Rights

In the field of science, human rights and environmental protection are multidisciplinary fields. Hence different approaches to their interaction. In the context of the historical development of human rights, the right to a healthy environment belongs to the third generation of human rights. Due to the increase in industrialization around the world and the use of technologies which main feature is the easy availability and low cost of raw materials and processes, a number of global environmental problems have appeared (ozone depletion, global warming, climate change, etc.) which required a global response. The previous approaches (Stockholm Conference, etc.) were not enough, a new concept was needed that prevents the emergence of problems. A new concept, called sustainable development, implies economic development without permanent impact on the environment. Through the principle of sustainable development, the last UN concept for environmental protection and improvement of society in all segments was formulated, called Agenda 2030. BiH is a signatory to the agenda, but main driver of progress in the field of environmental protection and human rights is BiH’s aspiration to join the EU. One of the key meeting points of human rights and environmental protection should be the rights of activists for environmental protection, resolving their legal status through a law that will recognize their importance. The EU is specifically working on this, so it is expected that BiH will also make progress in the field of better status of activists for environmental protection, through the process of joining EU.

A critical review of enzymes immobilized on chitosan composites: characterization and applications.

Enzymes with industrial significance are typically used in biological processes. However, instability, high sensitivity, and impractical recovery are the major drawbacks of enzymes in practical applications. In recent years, the immobilization technology has attracted wide attention to overcoming these restrictions and improving the efficiency of enzyme applications. Chitosan (CS) is a unique functional substance with biocompatibility, biodegradability, non-toxicity, and antibacterial properties. Chitosan composites are anticipated to be widely used in the near future for a variety of purposes, including as supports for enzyme immobilization, because of their advantages. Therefor this review explores the effects of the chitosan's structure, molecular weight, degree of deacetylation on the enzyme immobilized, effect of key factors, and the enzymes immobilized on chitosan based composites for numerous applications, including the fields of biosensor, biomedical science, food industry, environmental protection, and industrial production. Moreover, this study carefully investigates the advantages and disadvantages of using these composites as well as their potential in the future.

Review of the Preparation and Application of Porous Materials for Typical Coal-Based Solid Waste.

The discharge and accumulation of coal-based solid waste have caused great harm to the ecological environment recently. Coal-based solid wastes, such as coal gangue and fly ash, are rich in valuable components, such as rare earth elements (REY), silicon dioxide, alkali metal oxides, and transition metal oxides, which can be used to synthesize various functional Si-based porous materials. This article systematically summarizes the physicochemical characteristics and general processing methods of coal gangue and fly ash and reviews the progress in the application of porous materials prepared from these two solid wastes in the fields of energy and environmental protection, including the following: the adsorption treatment of heavy metal ions, ionic dyes, and organic pollutants in wastewater; the adsorption treatment of CO2, SO2, NOx, and volatile organic compounds in waste gas; the energy regeneration of existing resources, such as waste plastics, biomass, H2, and CO; and the preparation of Li-Si batteries. Combining the composition, structure, and action mechanism of various solid-waste-based porous materials, this article points out their strengths and weaknesses in the above applications. Furthermore, ideas for improvements in the applications, performance improvement methods, and energy consumption reduction processes of typical solid-waste-based porous materials are presented in this article. These works will deepen our understanding of the application of solid-waste-based porous materials in wastewater treatment, waste gas treatment, energy regeneration, and other aspects, as well as providing assistance for the integration of new technologies into solid-waste-based porous material preparation industries, and providing new ideas for reducing and reusing typical Chinese solid waste resources.

Highly sensitive photoacoustic gas sensor with micro-embedded acoustic resonator for gas leakage detection.

In this work, a photoacoustic (PA) gas sensor with a micro-embedded acoustic resonator for gas leakage detection was demonstrated. The micro-embedded acoustic resonator was fabricated by putting a leaky hollow-core fiber (L-HCF) into a cylindrical buffer chamber. The L-HCF was utilized as the PA cavity and the light transmission media simultaneously. The optimal inner diameter of the L-HCF was 1.7 mm. The embedded acoustic resonator was experimentally proven to be equivalent to a T-type half-open acoustic resonator, but the structure became much more compact. The volume of the amount of gas in the cell was only ∼0.3 mL, and the gas diffusion time to fill the sensor under room temperature (25°C) and ambient pressure (101 kPa) was ∼44 s. Trace acetylene (C2H2) in pure nitrogen (N2) was chosen as the target gas, and the minimum detectable limit (MDL) reached 29 ppb when the lock-in integration time was 1 s. The normalized noise equivalent absorption (NNEA) coefficient was calculated to be 3.0 × 10-9 W·cm-1·Hz-1/2. The micro-resonant PA gas sensor, with merits of compactness, low gas consumption, and low cost, has the potential to be a remote gas sensing scheme in fields of environmental protection, industrial process monitoring, and so on.

Инструментарий зеленого бюджетирования и практический опыт его использования

Russia is following the course of implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and shaping its climate strategy. In March 2023, Russia approved the National Action Plan for the second phase of adaptation to climate change for the period until 2025. The public budget is the main tool for achieving the political goals of the government, therefore, in order to implement the public policy in the field of environmental protection and counteraction to climate change, green budgeting is being introduced. The purpose of this article is to actualize the ideas of green budgeting, systematize such budgeting tools within the framework of the general concept of green budgeting, taking into account foreign experience of their use. The author uses general scientific methods, in particular methods of analysis and synthesis of relevant scientific literature, legal information and publications of international organizations. The following conclusions are made: The public budget system is able to minimize those economic activities that are adverse for the environment by creating the possibility of tracking, analysis, evaluation and adjustment of budget expenditures using the tools of green budgeting. The latter does not require restructuring of the public finance management system; the prerequisite for its practical use is the presence of environmental care among the state national goals.

International Legal Support of Gender Equality in the Context of Climate Change

Introduction. Gender equality and human rights in the context of overcoming climate change is one of the key and debated topics at the annual UN Climate Conferences. The climate crisis creates social in justice between different population groups and has the greatest impact on the lives of vulnerable groups. Women, compared to men, are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change that limit their rights and opportunities. It is also worth noting that there is a widespread trend of feminization of poverty in the world, which means that poverty is increasing among women more than among men. In addition, women are under represented in international decision-making bodies related to climate change. This, above all, only confirms the lack of adequate support for womenʼs initiatives in climate decision-making. The aim of the article. The purpose of the research is to clarify the essence of gender equality and the peculiarities of its international legal support in the context of climate change based on the study of scientific works by reputable scholars and international legal acts. Results. Climate change is one of the major global problems of humanity, which is directly related to gender equality. As a result of climate change, women and men facenew challenges that affect the realization of their rights in the current environment.Women are more vulnerable to climate change and have fewer opportunities to adapt to it. The international community has faced a difficult task to eliminate the imbalance between the ability of women and men to realize equal rights in the context of climate change. Unfortunately, only a few of the international human rights instruments cover the issue of gender equality in the field of environmental protection, especially in the context of climate change. In addition, they donʼt enshrine the right to a safe, clean and sustainable environment, which is one of the main environmental human rights. The realization of this right is extremely important in the context of climate change. Conclusions. Thus, the issues of ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men in the context of climate change are not properly regulated ininternational law or in the national law of Ukraine. Certain aspects of gender equalityin the context of climate change are reflected in General Recommendation №37 to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women of 1979, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change of 1992, the Beijing Declaration of 1995, the Paris Agreement of 2015, UN General Assembly Resolution 70/1«Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development» and the Escazu Agreement of 2018. The solution to one of the global problems of humanity depends on the adoption of significant climate decisions that must take into account the gender principle. To date, the extent of womenʼs participation in shaping international climate policy is insufficient. That is why they must represent their governments internationally on equal terms with men, participate in the work of international organizations and in decision-making in the field of climate change. In turn, the needs of both women and men should be taken into account when developing strategic programs and measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change. As a future EU member, Ukraine is trying to integrate a gender component into environmental policy, especially in the area of climate change, by fulfilling its European integration commitments. Key words: gender equality, discrimination, climate change, human rights,sustainable development.

Международно-правовое регулирование защиты морской среды (исторический аспект)

The article analyzes the evolution of the adoption of international treaties in the field of marine environment protection. The environmental provisions of key international treaties and regional legal acts are analyzed. The special role of regional agreements on the protection of the marine environment is revealed.

Droplet-Driven Self-Propelled Devices Fabricated by a Femtosecond Laser.

Self-propelled autonomous devices have broad application prospects in energy conservation, environmental protection, and biomedical engineering. Nevertheless, the driving force always consumes external energy or special chemicals. Here, a novel and green droplet-driven device (DDD) consisting of superhydrophilic triangles on a superhydrophobic plate is processed only by a femtosecond laser. The water droplet flows into water along the superhydrophilic channel and forms a jet to provide driving force for the DDD, whose strength can be manipulated by changing the point angle of the triangle and the volume of the droplet. By fabricating multiple or special channels, the DDD can translate and rotate along the designed track and even carry objects. This provides a new route for the fabrication of green self-propelled autonomous devices and their applications in the fields of intelligent systems and environmental protection.

The Government’s Environmental Attention and the Sustainability of Environmental Protection Expenditure: Evidence from China

Transformation to a green economy depends on long-term, continuous government financial investments in the environmental protection field. This study used the budget and final accounts of provincial environmental protection expenditure in China from 2007 to 2019 to establish a two-way fixed-effects model to verify the impact of government attention on environmental protection expenditure. The sustainability of Chinese local governments’ environmental protection expenditure is weak, and the fluctuations conform to the punctuated equilibrium characteristics. Fluctuations in government attention have a significant positive impact on changes in fiscal environmental protection expenditure, and the characteristics of campaign governance are relatively obvious. Fiscal transparency can strengthen the relationship between government attention and the environmental protection expenditure budget; however, the adjustment effect on the final accounts of environmental protection expenditure, which depend more on the budget implementation process, is not significant. To improve the effectiveness of environmental governance, government departments must pay long-term and sustained attention to environmental issues, improve the transparency of the implementation process of environmental protection expenditure budgets, strengthen the role of public supervision, and ensure investment in environmental governance.

Liability for environmental damage: the civil law aspect

The problems of liability for environmental damage are investigated. Attention is paid to the international nature of the problems associated with compensation for environmental damage, the inadmissibility of establishing territorial boundaries in the problem of environmental protection. The characteristic of the main international organizations related to environmental protection is given, the factors influencing the international cooperation in the field are analyzed. Particular attention is paid to the problem of developing the system of management in the field of environmental protection and bringing to civil responsibility of entities that cause damage to natural objects. The article justifies the necessity of strengthening international cooperation in a number of directions in the sphere of environmental protection, elaboration of a unified approach to the understanding of environmental damage and its structural components, as well as elaboration of unified rules at the international level for determination of the amount of compensation payments, exacted from the inflicter of damage and aimed at compensation for the environmental damage caused.

Controllable Preparation and Research Progress of Photosensitive Antibacterial Complex Hydrogels.

Hydrogels are materials consisting of a network of hydrophilic polymers. Due to their good biocompatibility and hydrophilicity, they are widely used in biomedicine, food safety, environmental protection, agriculture, and other fields. This paper summarizes the typical complex materials of photocatalysts, photosensitizers, and hydrogels, as week as their antibacterial activities and the basic mechanisms of photothermal and photodynamic effects. In addition, the application of hydrogel-based photoresponsive materials in microbial inactivation is discussed, including the challenges faced in their application. The advantages of photosensitive antibacterial complex hydrogels are highlighted, and their application and research progress in various fields are introduced in detail.

The role of regional environmental criminology in the digital age

Aim: To highlight the increasing importance of environmental criminology in addressing environmental safety challenges in the digital age.Discussion. In the digital age, it is important to shape environmental consciousness and culture through the system of countering environmental crime. To achieve this goal, the foundations of environmental safety should be promoted by attracting new technologies from the digital world. Content analysis of electronic mass media showed that in some regions of the Russian Federation there are environmental crowdsourcing projects, network communities and virtual civil platforms as a corollary of offline (traditional) civil participation. The republics of the North Caucasus need to take into account the positive experience of key regions of Russia, for example, Moscow, in creating digital databases for environmental supervision. Crimes in the field of ecology should be singled out in an independent section of the Special Part of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation as a priority area of criminal law policy. The authors propose the improvement of the system of execution of punishments for committing crimes in the field of environmental protection by creating specialised correctional centres for the implementation of punishment against persons who have committed environmental crimes directed at their resocialization.Conclusion. Strengthening state control over the use of the digital space in the regions of the Russian Federation will be facilitated by the formation of environmental justice as an element of improving the general system of combating crime. The effectiveness of such an environmental protection countermeasure system also depends on the quality of research in the field of protecting the natural world, which increases the importance of environmental criminology in the digital age

Improving hydrogen peroxide stability of a dye-decolorising peroxidase from Irpex lacteus F17 by site-directed mutagenesis

Il-DyP4, a dye-decolorizing peroxidase (DyP) from Irpex lacteus F17, has a strong ability to oxidise harmful aromatic compounds, implying application potential in the field of environmental protection. However, the low H2O2 stability of Il-DyP4 hinders its practical application. To improve the H2O2 stability of Il-DyP4, oxidation-sensitive amino acids including three Met, one Cys and ten Tyr residues were mutated to less easily oxidizable residues such as Leu, Val and Phe by site-specific mutagenesis. Mutation of the M207 site, located on the surface of the enzyme and far away from the haem group, improved H2O2 stability by 5.3-fold or more. In addition, Y234, also on the enzyme surface, was replaced with Phe and the Y234F mutant displayed 7.3-fold increased H2O2 stability. Furthermore, mutants M207V and Y234F were selected for the decolorization of various types of synthetic dyes, revealing high decolorization activities, especially for M207V with enhanced catalytic activity. The stable DyP mutant M207V has the potential for decolorization of industrial dye wastewater.

ANALYSIS AND IMPROVEMENT OF REGULATIONS GOVERNING FIRE AND CONSTRUCTION SUPERVISION OF PROTECTED OBJECTS

Ensuring fire safety is one of the main directions in the field of environmental protection and ecology. In the course of the work, the data of the Center for Fire Statistics of the International Association of Fire and Rescue Services on the total number of fires and on the objects of their occurrence were used to find dependencies and root causes of disasters from 2017 to 2021, an analysis of the activities of fire supervision was also carried out and problems and imperfections in them. The result of the work is a formed list of procedures to eliminate the identified shortcomings of the existing fire safety system, which can have a proper impact on the result of the fire safety of citizens and thereby reduce the number of victims from fires.

Whispering Gallery Mode Microresonator Sensor Integrated in Exposed Core Fiber for Label-Free DNA Hybridization Detection

A novel optical fiber sensor using exposed-core fiber (ECF) to excite whispering gallery modes (WGMs) within a high refractive index barium titanate glass microsphere is proposed for achieving label-free real-time specific DNA detection. The microsphere is encapsulated into the exposed channel of the ECF allowing for physical stability while excited WGMs via the evanescent field. The structure enables the sensing area to be exposed to a large amount of aqueous solution and better contact with the sample to be analyzed. Using a transmission measurement, a high Q-factor in the order of 10 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">4</sup> is obtained in an aqueous environment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the best Q-factor level obtained by the in fiber WGM sensor in an aqueous environment. Specific sequences of probe DNA are then bound to the surface of the microsphere so that specific detection of complementary DNA can be realized by tracking the wavelength shift the WGM resonance. Experimental results show a red shift of 5.6 pm for complementary DNA hybridization detection and less than 1 pm fluctuation for non-complementary DNA detection. The portable integrated sensor with miniature size has great potential for aqueous environmental sensing applications in the fields of diseases diagnostics, chemical analysis, and environmental protection.

Cohesion Policy and environmental protection: The attitude of Polish public organisations

The quality of public organisations, which is highly dependent on the institutional quality, is one of the fundamental factors determining policy effectiveness and socio-economic growth trajectories in a long-term perspective. The article provides an insight into the topic of the informal institutions characterising Polish public organisations by paying special attention to informal institutions referring to the awareness of the need for sustainability and an attitude towards Cohesion Policy implementation in the field of environmental protection. Therefore, the main research goal was to verify the following hypothesis: “The staff of Polish public organisations are characterised by the awareness of the need for sustainability and a positive attitude towards Cohesion Policy implementation in the field of environmental protection”. To this end, a direct research technique (e-questionnaire) involving representatives of organisations responsible for Cohesion Policy implementation and for natural environment protection was applied. This made it possible to gather unique data and to elaborate the structure indicators describing the beliefs of staff employed in public organisations. Overall, their positive attitude towards the directions and assumptions of Cohesion Policy in the field of environmental protection was proved. The examined groups of organisations were characterised by a similar way of thinking about Cohesion Policy funds as an environmental protection factor, which seems to be an important institutional building block affecting Cohesion Policy effectiveness. Some of the respondents demonstrated critical thinking, and they developed their own ideas regarding the most important environmental protection factors including mainly both formal and informal institutional elements, such as legal regulations or ecological education.

Adaptation of environmental protection legislation of Ukraine to the conditions of marital state

The essence of environmental protection legislation is analyzed. For this purpose, foreign and Ukrainian scientific literature as well as normative and legal documents, in which the right of nature protection is enshrined, was studied. It has been proven, that in the conditions of martial law in Ukraine, environmental protection legal acts should be aimed at mitigating the consequences of the armed aggression of the russian federation. For this, it is advisable to use the development of the law of the World Trade Organization.&#x0D; Environmental legislation is considered in the system of international environmental law (International Environmental Law). This approach is due to the global consequences of Russia's military aggression against Ukraine. Since mitigating the consequences of military actions on the territory of Ukraine requires a return from imbalance to stability, the issue of sustainable development has been brought up to date. Therefore, the essence is outlined and the main goals of sustainable development are listed, the implementation of which guarantees stability in the world, in particular in the field of nature protection. Implementation of the goals of sustainable development in life, restoration of balance in nature and international relations depends on specific subjects, so a list of them is given, and the main powers in the field of nature protection are outlined.&#x0D; Some decisions of such an international organization as the World Trade Organization regarding the provision of nature protection by economic methods are commented on.&#x0D; The importance of nature protection organizations in the field of environmental protection, their interaction with subjects of authority is also outlined.&#x0D; Since nature protection is closely related to the use of natural resources in the process of agricultural production, which guarantees the food security of humanity in general and Ukraine in particular, new approaches of the European Union to the regulation of the Common Agricultural Policy have been studied.&#x0D; In general, this work is based on the statement about the importance of applying all possible measures to mitigate the impact of Russian military aggression on the environment, in particular in the field of nuclear security. This will make it possible to return to the implementation of the model of sustainable development, the creation of which was aimed at solving the global problems of our time, but the implementation of which is made impossible by the active warfare on the territory of Ukraine

ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF METALLURGICAL INDUSTRY ON THE CONDITION OF ATMOSPHERIC AIR AND WAYS OF ITS REDUCTION

The article examines the impact of metallurgical enterprises on the environment in Ukraine. It is established that metallurgical enterprises are a powerful source of threat to the environmental safety of urban agglomerations and have a significant impact on the health of people living in the surrounding areas. The sources and consequences of the environmental impact of the metallurgical industry on the environment, as well as the composition of emissions from the main ferrous metallurgy processes into the atmosphere are considered. It has been established that the assessment of the impact of metallurgical enterprises on the environment in Ukraine is a very promising area for further research on the level of environmental safety. An urgent issue is the development and improvement of the air pollution control system aimed at a certain type of anthropogenic sources.&#x0D; In order to ensure constant monitoring, improve the performance of enterprises, meet the requirements of stakeholders, promptly respond to violations, and reduce the negative impact on the environment, the article offers practical recommendations for reducing the negative impact. These recommendations relate to the introduction of comprehensive monitoring of metallurgical production, as well as improving the quality of environmental information in the field of environmental protection, which will lead to an improvement in the quality of public administration in a broader sense.

THEORETICAL AND LEGISLATIVE ASPECTS OF THE CONCEPT OF CLIMATE PROTECTION

Abstract. This article discusses the theoretical problems of the concept of climate protection, the ecological state of climate protection. The main attention is paid to the analysis of the basics of defining the concept of climate protection as an object of relations in the field of legal environmental protection, as well as the study of its legal properties that determine the features of regulatory regulation of this sphere of public relations. Climate is a condition in which a legal analysis of weather (atmospheric) conditions of a long-term period characteristic of a particular region is carried out. In addition, it can be said that at present the word "climate", mainly from the category of natural science, has become part of the active lexicon of man, has become a widespread and widespread word, has acquired various meanings. For the main purposes of this article, it seems necessary to determine the completeness of the concept of "climate" in its primary, natural-scientific application, to study the established generally accepted concept of climate and how the concept of "climate" is used in legal science, what content it receives within the framework of legal regulation. Climate protection is the main branch of effective management of natural resources. Climate protection is the basis for combating air pollution. The air will contribute to the spread of other diseases on the health of society. The State Climate Cadastre is a legal analysis of a systematized data set based on meteorological information about air temperature, cloud cover, and the totality of atmospheric conditions.

Environmental movements in a material world. A relational perspective on single-use plastic in Penzance, UK

In the discursive battle about the big and important ideas, some topics are considered more important than others and more likely to mobilize society. More recently, marine plastic pollution has become a key topic for environmental movements. In this study, we aimed to contribute to a more detailed understanding of how specific issues of sustainability are brought forth. Conceptually, we argue that recourse to relational theories from science and technology studies might help to strengthen the conceptualization of social movement research. By drawing on the concept of “boundary objects”, we extend the range of social movement approaches in order to better understand how the process of framing is put to work materially. The focus on boundary objects can therefore explain the selective formation of environmental discourses and policies when applied to the field of environmental protection and sustainability.