Need For Environmental Protection Research Articles

Green Trade Barriers in the Context of Globalization: Legal Challenges and Countermeasures

The acceleration of globalization has brought about the deepening of economic cooperation, but also triggered an urgent need for environmental protection. Green trade barriers, as a trade restriction measure in the name of environmental protection, have gradually become an important factor in international trade. Major countries and regions have widely implemented green trade barriers, which have made enterprises face complex trade obstacles and affected the international trade order and domestic industrial competitiveness. Although previous studies have explored the impact and implementation of green trade barriers, there are still certain research gaps regarding their legitimacy under the framework of international law, their actual effects on environmental protection, and their specific impacts on domestic industries. Studying the legitimacy of green trade barriers under the framework of international law will help to clarify their reasonable limits. Evaluating their actual effects on environmental protection and analyzing their impact on domestic industries will help provide a scientific basis for policy making and promote a win-win situation for the economy and the environment. This article conducts research from three aspects: current dilemma, in-depth analysis, and optimization path, to provide possible opinions and response strategies for solving the problem of green trade barriers.

Optimal Economic Analysis of Battery Energy Storage System Integrated with Electric Vehicles for Voltage Regulation in Photovoltaics Connected Distribution System

The integration of photovoltaic and electric vehicles in distribution networks is rapidly increasing due to the shortage of fossil fuels and the need for environmental protection. However, the randomness of photovoltaic and the disordered charging loads of electric vehicles cause imbalances in power flow within the distribution system. These imbalances complicate voltage management and cause economic inefficiencies in power dispatching. This study proposes an innovative economic strategy utilizing battery energy storage system and electric vehicles cooperation to achieve voltage regulation in photovoltaic-connected distribution system. Firstly, a novel pelican optimization algorithm-XGBoost is introduced to enhance the accuracy of photovoltaic power prediction. To address the challenge of disordered electric vehicles charging loads, a wide-local area scheduling method is implemented using Monte Carlo simulations. Additionally, a scheme for the allocation of battery energy storage system and a novel slack management method are proposed to optimize both the available capacity and the economic efficiency of battery energy storage system. Finally, we recommend a day-ahead real-time control strategy for battery energy storage system and electric vehicles to regulate voltage. This strategy utilizes a multi-particle swarm algorithm to optimize economic power dispatching between battery energy storage system on the distribution side and electric vehicles on the user side during the day-ahead stage. At the real-time stage, the superior control capabilities of the battery energy storage system address photovoltaic power prediction errors and electric vehicle reservation defaults. This study models an IEEE 33 system that incorporates high-penetration photovoltaics, electric vehicles, and battery storage energy systems. A comparative analysis of four scenarios revealed significant financial benefits. This approach ensures economic cooperation between devices on both the user and distribution system sides for effective voltage management. Additionally, it encourages trading activities of these devices in the power market and establishes a foundation for economic cooperation between devices on both the user and distribution system sides.

ECtHR: Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v. Switzerland (Application No. 53600/20, 9 April 2024)

The present paper focuses on the analysis of the landmark decision of the European Court of Human Rights in which the Court has, for the first time, ruled on human rights violation due to climate change. It begins with the description of the convention as a so-called living instrument that aims at the interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights taking into account the current social circumstances and challenges, such as the growing need for environmental protection and addressing climate change. In the judgment in question, the Court held that Switzerland had violated the applicant's rights due to insufficient legislative measures to protect individuals from the adverse effects of climate change. As a result of the long-awaited but unconventional conclusion, the judgment has become the target of much criticism. The paper thus concentrates on the main seemingly innovative or rather surprising pillars of the judgment, such as the court's determination of locus standi, the scope of a state's positive obligations in the context of climate change and its related margin of appreciation, as well as the unprecedented consideration of scientific evidence. The paper concludes by summarising the possible implications of the court's arguments for similar future cases, which will undoubtedly increase in number.

Assessing Borneo’s tropical forests and plantations: a multi-sensor remote sensing and geospatial MCDA approach to environmental sustainability

The assessment of environmental sustainability is of utmost importance for the forests and plantations in Borneo, given the critical need for environmental protection through the identification and mitigation of potential risks. This study was conducted to assess the environmental sustainability of tropical forest and plantations landscape, a case study in northern Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Applications of the latest high-resolution multi-sensor remote sensing and geospatial MCDA are cost-effective and useful for large-scale environmental sustainability assessment. The land use land cover (LULC) of the study area was mapped with synergistic use of Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and Sentinel-2 optical and high-resolution PlanetScope satellite imageries, resulting in overall accuracy of 87.24%. Five sustainability indicator layers: slope erosion protection, river buffer, landscape connectivity and quality, high conservation value (HCV), and water turbidity were developed from the LULC map, ancillary datasets of SRTM, and forest operation basemap with reference to standards from the Environment Protection Department (EPD), Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), and Forest Management Plan (FMP) for the analysis using multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) model. The results revealed that overall, the study areas are in the high sustainability category at 61%, medium at 31%, and low at only 8%. We analyzed the environmental sustainability of five land use boundaries, and the results showed that Industrial Tree Plantations (ITP) and Village Reserve are mostly in the high category. Meanwhile, oil palm plantations, rubber plantations, and forest reserve (FR) are the majority in the medium category. Both oil palm and rubber plantations are a majority in the medium class due to monocropping land use type having low landscape connectivity and quality individual sustainability indicator layer. The study presented the concept of use of multi-sensor remote sensing for LULC mapping with geospatial MCDA for environmental sustainability assessment useful to stakeholders for improving the management plan also contributing toward the progress of achieving UNSDGs and addressing REDD+.

Linking PM2.5 to autism spectrum disorder

This paper elaborates the potential link between PM2.5 air pollution and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), exploring mechanisms such as placental transmission, oxidative stress, signal transduction, and endocrine disruption. Referencing studies from Southwestern Pennsylvania, Shanghai, and animal experiments, together they reveal a consistent association between PM2.5 exposure during prenatal development and an increased risk of ASD. Mechanistically, PM2.5 is found to affect placental function, induce oxidative stress, and disrupt endocrine pathways, providing insights into potential pathways for neurodevelopmental disorders. The analysis emphasizes the impact on communities of lower socioeconomic status, where PM2.5 exposure is higher, emphasizing the need for environmental protection. Hence, global research efforts are encouraged when considering the current lack of understanding on ASD prevalence in diverse populations. In the broad scope, this work contributes to the growing amount of evidence that links environmental factors, particularly air pollution, to neuropsychiatric development, urging further exploration into the impacts of pollution on human health.

Impact of Pickering Emulsions Composition on Lipase Catalyzed Peroxyacetic Acid Synthesis

AbstractDue to the need for environmental protection and sustainability, there has been a rising need to replace the traditionally harsh oxidative functionalization process, which is essential for syntheses of various organic compounds, by biocatalysis. However, the investigated alternative processes are still challenged with enzyme instability and/or low specific reaction rate. Due to these still existing challenges and the recognition of Pickering emulsions as an efficient platform for continuous biphasic biocatalysis, the first, enzymatic step of the lipase catalyzed oxidative functionalization was investigated in bioactive Pickering emulsions. The study focused on the impact of Pickering emulsion composition such as the volume phase fraction, type and concentration of the nanoparticles and enzymes on continuous peroxyacetic acids synthesis. The type of nanoparticles used and Candida antarctica lipase B concentration significantly impacted the process while the other named parameters only had a marginal influence.

VIDEO TOURS OF SUSTAINABLE BUILDING PROJECTS ON CAMPUS: A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO TEACHING SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainable design and construction have become increasingly important in today's world due to the need for environmental protection and resource conservation. This paper promotes sustainable principles and learning objectives that support related skills by describing a pedagogical tool that uses the built environment as a learning model. Specifically, the paper describes a video assignment used in classes at two Universities focused on teaching sustainability, where teams of graduate and undergraduate students select building projects and create video tours that highlight the sustainable strategies implemented. The assignment requires selecting a building with sustainable features such as energy, water, indoor air quality, materials, site, or social sustainability. The videos are posted on YouTube, making them accessible to a broader audience. This assignment allows students to explore and identify sustainability principles by creating video tours that educate the campus community about sustainable design and construction. By highlighting the sustainable strategies used in the built environment, the assignment aims to raise awareness about the presence and importance of sustainable design and construction, as well as encourage the adoption of these principles in future construction projects. In addition to describing this assignment as a pedagogical tool to improve the teaching of sustainability concepts, this paper presents a rubric to assess what is being taught (sustainable building features) and how it is being communicated.

Enhancing local governments' environmental attention through open government data: evidence from China.

Environmental conservation has ascended to a prominent position on the global agenda, and China, recognizing the urgent need for environmental protection, has implemented nationwide measures. However, varying levels of environmental attentiveness among local governments have resulted in uneven implementation of these national directives across regions. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate the factors that drive local governments' environmental attention. Our study explores the impact of open government data (OGD) on local governments' environmental attention. Utilizing city-level data from 2010 to 2020, we employ a staggered difference-in-differences (DID) model for empirical analysis. The results reveal that OGD significantly and positively influences local governments' environmental attention. This influence is partly attributed to OGD's role in promoting government digitization, mitigating fiscal pressures, and increasing energy demand. Further analysis, including heterogeneity assessments, demonstrates that OGD has a more pronounced positive effect on environmental attention in cities with higher online political participation activity and a larger internet user base. Such empirical insights underscore the imperative for an integrative policy framework that accentuates the refinement of OGD platform in tandem with strategic enhancements in political participatory mechanisms and digital infrastructure investments, thereby fostering robust local environmental stewardship paradigms.

Process modelling of waste tyre pyrolysis for gas production using response surface methodology

The search for cleaner and renewable energy sources coupled with the need for environmental protection has necessitated the conversion of municipal solid wastes to energy sources. In this study, the pyrolysis of waste tyres in a fixed-bed reactor was carried out in a bid to generate non-condensable gases. The influence of process variables such as sample weight, reaction temperature, and reaction time were modelled and optimized using the central composite design of the response surface methodology. Based on the central composite design of the response surface methodology, the R2, adjusted R2 and predicted R2 values of 0.968, 0.941 and 0.750 respectively, indicated that the model properly fitted the experimental data. This implied the accuracy of the model prediction. The maximum predicted gas yield of 10.212 wt% was estimated under optimal conditions with desirability of 0.697, a dimensionless value indicating the closeness of the combination of input variables to the desired values for the response variables. The gases obtained upon pyrolysis of waste tyres can serve as a source of hydrocarbon gases in the petroleum and petrochemical industry.

Sustaining the future: How green capabilities and digitalization drive sustainability in modern business

In recent years, the unprecedented growth in environmental vulnerabilities has made the firms realize the need for environmental protection. With this, the rapid surge for ecological preservation has made worldwide businesses divert their focus toward greener practices that ensure the firm’s financial and environmental performance. This study examines the relationships between green management strategies (green dynamic capabilities, internal green supply chain management and green technology adoption), and organizational outcomes, specifically environmental and financial performance. The data was collected from the 471 employees working in the manufacturing firms. Utilizing the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) method via Smart-PLS, our findings show the importance of integrating green practices in supply chain management, dynamic capabilities, and technology adoption to enhance both environmental and financial outcomes under the moderating role of industry dynamism and green knowledge acquisition.

Water Quality Assessment of The Three Lakes of Barandabhar Forest Corridor, Central Nepal

Addressing the global challenge of securing water for both human needs and ecosystem health is crucial. This study aims to characterize the physiochemical parameters of three lakes in the Bharandabhar forest corridor, Chitwan, Central Nepal: Tiger Lake, Kalimati Lake, and Rhino Lake. During the pre-monsoon season, four different sites (Eastern, Western, Northern, and Southern) of each lake were examined. To ensure precision, five replicated water samples were collected from each site, and standard protocols were applied to analyze various physiochemical parameters, such as pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, free carbon dioxide, total hardness, chloride, total alkalinity, conductivity, nitrate, inorganic phosphorus, and total solid matter. Also, the Water Quality Index (WQI) was calculated. Results show that physiochemical parameter values mostly align with permissible limits according to regional and international guidelines. However, the mean phosphorous concentration and pH values of Tiger and Kalimati lakes exceed these limits. Rhino Lake displayed a mildly alkaline pH, while Kalimati and Tiger lakes exhibited slightly acidic characteristics. An interesting observation is the significant negative correlation between temperature and dissolved oxygen, indicating that as temperature rises, dissolved oxygen levels decrease. Additionally, WQI suggests that all three lakes maintain good water quality. However, a concerning finding is that all three lakes exhibited hyper-eutrophic conditions based on their phosphorous concentration. The lakes face significant threats due to high levels of organic pollutants and a rapid eutrophication process. Authorities must take significant actions to safeguard the lakes and ensure their future well-being. This research highlights the urgent need for environmental protection and conservation efforts to preserve the water quality and ecological balance of the Bharandabhar forest corridor lakes for the well-being of both human communities and the ecosystem.

Arctic marine shipping development and governance in Canada: A historical overview

Shipping in the Canadian Arctic has a long history, encompassing diverse maritime pursuits, ranging from traditional Inuit subsistence practices to European exploratory expeditions, whaling, and fur trading. The escalating impacts of climate change in the Canadian Arctic have created ample opportunities for Arctic shipping activities related to fishing, cruise tourism, resource (mineral) transportation, research, and government services. Nowadays, the necessity of developing a sustainable economy, the need for environmental protection, and the imperative of reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples present considerable challenges for the Canadian government in regulating Arctic shipping. To comprehend the contemporary issues of Arctic shipping governance, this paper conducts an overview of the history of Arctic shipping activities in Canada and reviews Canada’s diverse policies and laws that have been instituted to govern Arctic shipping. Drawing upon the analysis of these policies, the article advocates for a collaborative governance framework to cope with the multifaceted challenges confronting the governance of Arctic shipping in Canada. Such a framework ought to prioritize enhancing cooperation, integrating unilateral and multilateral policies and laws, respecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and involving Inuit in Arctic shipping governance.

The Use of Administrative Court for Climate Change Litigation

Climate change litigation is a litigation which directly and indirectly related to climate change or climate change policy. Administrative court is one of the forums where parties can challenge this issue. The broader competency of the Indonesian Administrative Court based on Government Administration Law, making issues regarding climate change caused by government actions can be resolved in a more favorable manner. This can be achieved through the addition of sustainability in General Principles of Good Corporate Governance. This paper will analyze relevant law and regulations, and cases to explore the advantages of administrative court in climate litigation. This paper provides a suggestion to optimize the role of Indonesia’s administrative court to be in accordance with the need of environmental protection.

A multi-objective energy efficiency optimization method of ship under different sea conditions

With the increasing need for environmental protection and the related advancement of relevant laws and regulations, ship energy efficiency optimization has become an important research topic. In this study, a multi-objective optimization model of ship energy efficiency based on the multi-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm is designed. The model uses the main engine speed as the optimization variable, and the ship's fuel consumption and sailing time as optimization objectives. Additionally, considering that the ship's sailing state can be affected by different sea conditions, the sea conditions are clustered by using the K-means clustering algorithm. Then, the route is divided, and the main engine speed is optimized for each segment. The results show that the solutions can reduce the fuel consumption by up to 25.28 % or the sailing time by up to 17.08 %. In the Ideal Solutions can reduce the fuel consumption by up to 3.98% or reduce the sailing time by up to 2.37%. Thus, the proposed model could effectively optimize the ship's energy efficiency. And it is necessary to consider the relationship between fuel consumption and sailing time when identifying the most suitable solution to meet real-world needs.

Research progress in cardiotoxicity of organophosphate esters

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) have been extensively utilized worldwide as a substitution for brominated flame retardants. With an increased awareness of the need for environmental protection, the potential health risks and ecological hazards of OPEs have attracted widespread attention. As the dynamic organ of the circulatory system, the heart plays a significant role in maintaining normal life activities. Currently, there is a lack of systematic appraisal of the cardiotoxicity of OPEs. This article summarized the effects of OPEs on the morphological structure and physiological functions of the heart. It is found that these chemicals can lead to pericardial edema, abnormal looping, and thinning of atrioventricular walls in the heart, accompanied by alterations in heart rate, with toxic effects varying by the OPE type. These effects are primarily associated with the activation of endoplasmic reticulum stress response, the perturbation of cytoplasmic and intranuclear signal transduction pathways in cardiomyocytes. This paper provides a theoretical basis for further understanding of the toxic effects of OPEs and contributes to environmental protection and OPEs’ ecological risk assessment.

Changing consumer attitudes to make the Corporate Social Responsibility investment in sustainable fish production, a worthwhile investment to corporates

AbstractThe need for environmental protection, especially of depleting natural resources such as fish stocks, remains a global challenge. Global population growth increases food consumption. Some socially responsible corporate entities in the fish sector are producing and selling sustainable fish products, but beyond meeting their altruistic motives, they need consumers to respond favorably to these CSR initiatives to make the investments worthwhile and to encourage more organizations to invest in CSR for sustainable development. This paper reports the findings of research on the factors which influence consumers in the emerging market of South Africa, to respond favorably to sustainable fish product CSR initiatives. A causal research design and quantitative method was employed with a sample of consumers who were part of the South African LinkedIn community and who eat fish, whether concerned or not about sustainability. An online questionnaire was developed using an extension of the Theory of Planned Behavior. Univariate, regression and mediation analyses were carried out. Attitude towards sustainable fish products was found to be the only significant predictor of intention to purchase sustainable fish but it was also found to mediate the impact of health consciousness and environment concern. This paper thus focuses specifically on the role of attitudes in sustainable fish consumption in South Africa. Recommendations are provided for improving these consumer responses so as to make these CSR investments worthwhile to corporates and thus also positively impact fish sustainability.

A Combined Fuzzy AHP and GA Approach to Machine Scheduling Problems from an Environmental Perspective

With increasing concerns about the need for environmental protection and reduction of energy consumption, enterprises have to demonstrate their capabilities in lowering resource consumption by enhancing the efficiency of their systems. Although some approaches to quantifying the environmental burden generated by a product or service system such as life cycle assessment (LCA) and carbon auditing have been developed, expert judgments are often required to implement them. From an industry’s perspective, small- and medium-sized enterprises need an efficient tool to determine the best solution when considering various attributes simultaneously. Thus, a combination of fuzzy analytical hierarchy process and genetic algorithm has been introduced to solve scheduling problems and support the decision-making process. This study aims to effectuate the green scheduling on optimized machine-task assignments with fuzzy evaluation. The proposed approach is illustrated using a case example from a centralized dishwashing company. Results show that the global warming potential value can be reduced by 1.86% and the cost of operation is slightly increased by only 1.28%. The result of the proposed approach is presented simply in the form of machine-task assignments with optimized environmental impact values and associated costs. Therefore, no further result interpretation by environmental experts is required. This study can be a reference for government policymakers in formulating policies to synthesize operation optimization and business sustainability.

Edible Packaging: A Technological Update for the Sustainable Future of the Food Industry

This review aims to address the current data on edible packaging systems used in food production. The growing global population, changes in the climate and dietary patterns, and the increasing need for environmental protection, have created an increasing demand for waste-free food production. The need for durable and sustainable packaging materials has become significant in order to avoid food waste and environmental pollution. Edible packaging has emerged as a promising solution to extend the shelf life of food products and reduce dependence on petroleum-based resources. This review analyzes the history, production methods, barrier properties, types, and additives of edible packaging systems. The review highlights the advantages and importance of edible packaging materials and describes how they can improve sustainability measures. The market value of edible packaging materials is expanding. Further research on and developments in edible food packaging materials are needed to increase sustainable, eco-friendly packaging practices that are significant for environmental protection and food safety.

Environmental protection or economic growth? The effects of preferences for individual freedoms

Environmental protection is often seen in conflict with individual freedom and economic growth. The proponents of environmental protection suggest that the environment is a global resource that must be protected for future generations, even at the expense of economic growth and individual freedoms. The opponents claim that environmental protection should not come at the expense of individual rights and liberties, economic growth included. This paper studies the associations between public preferences for environmental protection, economic growth, and individual freedoms in eleven post-soviet countries on a representative dataset (N = 20006, age 18+, M ± SD: 46,04 ± 17,07; 58% women, 46,8% upper education). Methodologically we rely on correlations, principal component analysis, and ordinal regression analyses. The results suggest that preferences for most personal freedoms studied predict environmental protection and economic growth preferences. In addition, preferences for civil rights, rights for democracy, gender equality, income inequality, and the low role of the army in politics predicted higher preferences for environmental protection and economic growth. Interestingly, the government’s right to video surveillance in public areas, though diminishing personal freedoms in terms of anonymity, predicted higher preferences for environmental protection and economic growth. The importance of God in lives proved to increase preferences for environmental protection but was negatively related to preferences for economic growth. We suggest the government communicate the need for environmental protection as a part of the rights for individual freedom to live in a clean environment.

Impact of land use dynamics on land surface temperature using optical remote sensing data integrated with statistical analysis in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Changes in land use and cover (LULC) are now considered as a significant concern because they have a great impact on biodiversity loss and climate changes. Therefore, the present study was applied to assess the effect of land use dynamic on land surface temperature (LST). LULC maps of years; 1991, 2001, 2014, and 2022 were applied using Maximum likelihood classification MLC) while the LST was developed using thermal bands of Landsat images. LULC maps showed a considerable development and improvement in vegetation cover and urbanization. Results showed a negative and positive correlation between LST with NDVI and NDBI respectively. It was revealed that the estimated and predicted LST confirm the reliability of the present model with R2 = 0.95. The study calculated that the maximum LST in 2022 to simulate current state of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and the results were 32.1, 45.5, 38.7 and 41.3 in winter, summer, autumn and spring respectively. We are now sounding the alarm because the state must act quickly and decisively to stop intensive forestation if it is to avoid very high temperatures by 2030. Our findings point to the need for environmental protection in response to the study area's quick conversion of LULC and increasing trend of LST.