Environmental Problems Research Articles

Analisis Penerapan Inovasi Digital pada Pariwisata Berkelanjutan di Kabupaten Semarang

Semarang Regency is one of Central Java's leading tourist destinations with the attraction of Gedong Songo Temple and Rawa Pening. In addition, Semarang Regency also has other tourism wealth in the form of 51 interesting tourist attractions and 55 tourist villages that are always active and continuously developed. Sustainable digital innovation helps to apply the latest digital technology to achieve creative solutions that will address long-term social, economic, and environmental problems. This study aims to determine the urgency and application of digital innovation in sustainable tourism in Semarang Regency. Using a descriptive qualitative method, data were collected through triangulation techniques including interviews, observation, and documentation. Data validity was tested through credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. The data obtained were analyzed using qualitative methods starting from the pre-field stage, while in the field, until after the field activities were completed. The results show that the main implementation of Digital Innovation in Semarang Regency is the implementation of APIKS by the Tourism Office. However, there are challenges regarding technology adoption by local communities and the need for ongoing training, which require further attention from various relevant parties. This research is expected to provide an overview and serve as an evaluation of the importance of digital innovation in sustainable tourism management and suggests that local governments offer greater support in the form of policies and training programs to improve community digital skills. Future research can further explore the long-term impact of digital innovation on the social and environmental aspects of tourism.

Peran Komunikasi dalam Membangun Keberlanjutan dan Ketahanan Lingkungan

Environmental sustainability and sustainable development are the main problems in the world today. Environmental damage caused by human activities has reached an alarming level. Collective action is needed to restore ecological balance and protect the planet for future generations. Communication plays an important role in achieving environmental sustainability and sustainability. Effective communication can increase public awareness of environmental issues, encourage public participation in environmental projects, and facilitate cooperation between different interest groups. The aim of this research is to consider the role of communication in building sustainability and environmental sustainability. The importance of communication in increasing environmental awareness can help people understand the impact of human activities on the environment and the importance of nature conservation. The role of communication in encouraging community participation can motivate people to participate in environmental activities such as recycling, energy efficiency and environmental activities. Facilitating cooperation between different communication actors can bring together various related parties, such as the state, NGOs, the private sector and society, to jointly solve environmental problems. Communication is an important tool for building sustainability and environmental sustainability. Communication can help us achieve a greener and more sustainable future by raising awareness, encouraging community participation and facilitating collaboration.

Physicochemical, Morphological and Anticorrosive Properties of Electrodeposited ZnNi Alloy Coating

Corrosion in its many forms is a major problem for many types of materials, extending from machining to manufacturing and daily use. In fact, it affects practically all engineering projects, from the biggest to the smallest: energy production, construction, transport, medical sector, electronics, etc. Consequently, corrosion generates both economic and environmental problems. To prevent corrosion and preserve materials' durability, several protection methods can be applied. These included protection by applying a coating on the metal surface. In this context, Zinc based alloy coatings have attracted much interesting scientific community because of their excellent mechanical and anti-corrosive properties. In the present work, ZnNi coatings were electrodeposited on steel substrates using a chloride bath containing ammonium salts. The effect of some experimental parameters, namely, potential and metal ion concentration ratio on the deposition kinetics of ZnNi system as well as on its physicochemical, morphological and anticorrosive properties has been investigated. For this purpose, an appropriate experimental work was performed by using both electrochemical (cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, open circuit potential, potentiodynamic polarization) and nonelectrochemical (SEM-EDX) analysis methods. Based on the obtained results, it has been revealed that simultaneous codeposition of both elements Zn and Ni is possible in our experimental conditions. However, deposition kinetics exhibited a strong dependence on explored parameters. Also, morphological aspect and chemical composition of deposits are strongly influenced by metal ion concentration ratio. Investigation of corrosion behaviour confirms the protective effect of coatings acted as a sacrificial anode. Furthermore, increasing Ni content in the deposits induces a significant enhancement in corrosion resistance. Thus, Zn-Ni alloy coatings prepared from the Ni(II)-rich bath exhibited better corrosion resistance.

Rangeland Degradation and Management Practice in Ethiopia: A Systematic review Paper

Globally, rangeland degradation is a serious environmental problem, especially in pastoral and semi-pastoral areas that are constantly shrinking. Ethiopian pastoralists are highly affected like other parts of Africa due to climate change and other associated environmental problems. Hence, rangeland degradation is considered as a major obstacle to the pastoralist economy in Ethiopia. This review analyzes rangeland degradation, its causes, effects, and management practices in Ethiopia. This review paper has collected data mostly from published and unpublished documents and analyzed its connection with the contemporary Ethiopian context. The main causes of rangeland degradation are climate change, overgrazing, bush encroachment, population pressure, drought, government policies, encroachment on rain-fed agriculture, and the demise of traditional resource management institutions. Rangeland degradation causes significant losses in biodiversity, water potential, soil condition, animal performance, domestic animal husbandry, and community poverty. Despite these implications, the adoption of alternative recovery strategies in the country is woefully inadequate and needs much attention in turning policies and proclamations into practical ones. Ethiopia's Rangeland is economically, socially, and politically marginalized, and the region urgently needs a significant increase in investment and strengthened political support for sustainable land management to address the rangeland degradation issues.

Study on the influencing factors of combined processing of active and passive surface-wave data on dispersion imaging

Active and passive surface-wave methods have garnered significant attention in the near-surface geophysical community for their non-destructive, non-invasive, low-cost, and accurate advantages in delineating subsurface shear (S)-wave velocity structures. They are increasingly being utilized to address numerous engineering and environmental problems. Surface waves obtained from actively excited sources such as a hammer and a harmonic shaker, however, lack low-frequency components, resulting in limited investigation depth. Conversely, passive surface waves such as microseisms (< 0.4 Hz, associated with natural ocean wave activity) and microtremor (>1 Hz, generated by cultural and wind sources) retrieved from ambient seismic noise typically lack high-frequency components, which is not conductive to characterizing fine near-surface structures. To overcome these frequency limitations, we employ a “mixed-source data” strategy, imposing active shot gathers into ambient noise data, to widen the frequency range of dispersion images and depth of investigative capabilities. We simulate both active and passive surface-wave data based on a two-layer model, noting that their dispersion images suffer from a mode kissing phenomenon at lower frequencies. By analyzing influencing factors such as the amplitude intensity, the signal-to-noise ratio and the excitation locations of active shot gathers, as well as the length of passive surface-wave data, we better understand their impacts on dispersion images from mixed-source surface-wave data. Simulation tests demonstrate that processing mixed-source data can effectively distinguish the mode kissing phenomenon. Moreover, the effectiveness of this strategy in enhancing the quality of dispersion image is verified, especially when surface-wave dispersion images perform poorly in either the low- or high-frequency bands. Additionally, a real-world example further demonstrates that processing mixed-source data offers significant advantages in improving the quality of dispersion images. This way provides a convenient and efficient measurement strategy for delineating shear-wave velocity profiles in finer shallow layers and deeper penetration depths.

Robust Security Guard Scheduling Problem in Dynamic Environment

Robust Security Guard Scheduling Problem in Dynamic Environment

Accurate PM2.5 Urban Air Pollution Forecasting using Multivariate Ensemble Learning Accounting for Evolving Target Distributions

Over the past decades, air pollution has caused severe environmental and public health problems. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), a key component reflecting air quality, is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide after cardiovascular disease, smoking, and diet. Various research efforts have aimed to develop PM2.5 forecasting models that can be integrated into a solution to mitigate the adverse effects of air pollution. However, PM2.5 forecasting is challenging because air pollution data are non-stationary and influenced by multiple random effects. This paper proposes an effective multivariate multi-step ensemble machine learning model for predicting continuous 24-h PM2.5 concentrations, considering meteorological conditions, the rolling mean of PM2.5 time series, and temporal features. PM2.5 is strongly correlated with space and time. Therefore, forecasting results from one location are insufficient to represent the level of air pollution for an entire city. In this study, we established six real-time air quality monitoring sites in different regions, including traffic, residential, and industrial areas in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), and generated forecasting results for each station. Various statistical methods are incorporated to evaluate the performance of the model. The experimental results confirm that the model performs well, substantially improving its forecasting accuracy compared to existing PM2.5 forecasting models developed for HCMC. In addition, we analyze to determine the contribution of different feature groups to model performance. The model can serve as a reference for citizens scheduling local travel and for healthcare providers to provide early warnings.

Reducing residual chlortetracycline in wastewater using a whole-cell biocatalyst

Antibiotic contamination has become an increasingly important environmental problem as a potentially hazardous emergent and recalcitrant pollutant that poses threats to human health. In this study, manganese peroxidase displayed on the outer membrane of Escherichia coli as a whole-cell biocatalyst (E. coli MnP) was expected to degrade antibiotics. The manganese peroxidase activity of the whole-cell biocatalyst was 13.88 ± 0.25U/L. The typical tetracycline antibiotic chlortetracycline was used to analyze the degradation process. Chlortetracycline at 50mg/L was effectively transformed via the whole-cell biocatalyst within 18h. After six repeated batch reactions, the whole-cell biocatalyst retained 87.2% of the initial activity and retained over 87.46% of the initial enzyme activity after storage at 25°C for 40 days. Chlortetracycline could be effectively removed from pharmaceutical and livestock wastewater by the whole-cell biocatalyst. Thus, efficient whole-cell biocatalysts are effective alternatives for degrading recalcitrant antibiotics and have potential applications in treating environmental antibiotic contamination.

Electric light-duty vehicles have decarbonization potential but may not reduce other environmental problems

AbstractElectric vehicles are promoted as ‘clean’ technologies and offer promising reductions in transportation emissions. Nevertheless, their environmental benefits critically depend on the local electricity grid mix and the type of emission being considered. Here, we conduct a comparative life cycle assessment of the four dominant light-duty vehicle categories at both the global scale and in three representative countries: Norway, the US, and China. By analyzing different environmental indicators, particularly global warming potential and respiratory effects, and quantifying related parametric uncertainties, we reveal that the advantages of electric vehicles vary across these regions and across environmental impact types. While electric vehicles offer considerable decarbonization potential as the grid mix becomes cleaner, they might not mitigate other environmental impacts, such as increased respiratory effects on rural, low-income communities. Our results support stakeholders in identifying environmentally friendly vehicle and policy options while considering multiple factors, and emphasize the importance of tailored approaches over one-size-fits-all solutions in sustainable transportation.

THE INFLUENCE OF CRITICAL RISKS ON THE MECHANISM OF DEFENCE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

The continuation of warfare in the territory of the country causes many economic, environmental and social problems. That is why it is important to study the influence of critical risks on the mechanism of managing defence resources, which the state’s ability to withstand in difficult times and to ensure the protection of state borders depends on. The main purpose of the paper is the evaluation of scientific and practical principles of determination and analysis of critical risks in the defence industry.Subject to the foregoing, the paper investigates the main scientists’ approaches to the definition and classification of critical risks, which affect the mechanism of defence resource management. It also provides a multiple-factor analysis of critical risks, which affect the mechanism of defence resource management. An effective system for managing critical risks that affect the mechanism of defence resource management was developed in the work. It gives recommendations aimed at reducing the degree of influence of critical risks on the mechanism of defence resource management.The study uses general and special methods of scientific research, in particular, the method of scientific abstraction to timely find and use in practice the indicators of evaluation of critical risks and effective methods of their reduction; the methods of comparative and structural factor analysis to evaluate the indicators under study; the method of logical generalization to provide directions and recommendations for reducing the influence of critical risks on the defence resource management system.The paper is the first to comprehensively analyze the influence of critical risks on the mechanism of defence resource management. The authors highlighted the concepts of responding to critical risks that influence the mechanism. The practical importance of the paper is that the introduction of an effective critical risk management system will allow improving the efficiency of this mechanism.

Environmental Education Implementation Analysis by Social Studies Teacher at Junior High School Sukoharjo Regency, Indonesia

Environmental problems pose serious challenges, necessitating urgent action to prevent further damage. Implementing environmental education in junior high schools can engage students in maintaining and preventing environmental harm both within schools and communities. This study aims to evaluate how social studies teachers in Junior High Schools in Sukoharjo Regency implement environmental education and identify their obstacles. Employing a qualitative approach, the research describes data obtained through triangulation techniques, with analysis based on the Miles and Huberman model. Findings reveal that, as of 2022, 36 junior high schools in Sukoharjo Regency have been awarded the Adiwiyata program, categorized into four levels: 33 district-level, 21 provincial-level, four national-level, and four independent-level schools. Positive environmental impacts include maintained cleanliness, reduced pollution, and minimized environmental damage. However, challenges persist, such as limited funding, insufficient quality of human resources, and constrained space. These obstacles hinder the effective implementation of environmental education, underscoring the need for targeted support and resources to enhance program effectiveness.

Narrativizing the Nexus between Climate Crisis and Immigration in Amitav Ghosh's Gun Island: An Ecocritical Exploration

Eco-criticism is a branch of literary scholarship that finds tangible connections between the environment and literature. The environmental problem is one of the most prominent issues of current generation. Climate crisis stands as a sole factor in the environment in view of ecological imbalance. This is an ever increasingly presence in our daily lives. prominent causes of climate change are an increase of green house gasses, deforestation to develop human settlements, excessive use of fossil fuels and so on. Decline in agricultural productivity is another impact of climate change. Thus, this is widely recognized as a contributing and exacerbating factor in immigration. The climate crisis, migration and refugees' acute situation have allegedly lost security and stability of humans and non-humans. The paper attempts to look how Amitav Ghosh has put his best endeavors to discover the inordinate use of nature by human beings. The materialistic and anthropocentric attitudes of human beings undergo extreme climate crisis and the displacement of livings. Now, the major environmental issues become the ethical concerns in the eco pages of literary writers to highlight the problems of ecosystem. The novel "Gun Island" deals with the issue of climate crisis and immigration. Planetary environmentalism identifies the planetary crisis caused by climate change. It seeks environmental justice both for humans and nonhumans across the planet. The whole planet goes beyond geographical boundary because of threatening of climate change. Ghosh in this novel wants to procure awareness among the readers regarding the impending calamities of the global environment and thus a warning to mend exploitative attitudes towards our Mother Nature.

Performance of Hydrothermally Prepared NiMo Dispersed on Sulfated Zirconia Nano-Catalyst in The Conversion of Used Palm Cooking Oil into Jet Fuel Range Bio-Hydrocarbons

Human efforts to overcome environmental problems from using fossil fuels continue, such as hydroconversion of biomass into bio-jet fuel. Research on producing a jet fuel range of bio-hydrocarbons from used palm cooking oil catalyzed by sulfated zirconia impregnated with nickel-molybdenum bimetal has been successfully conducted. The hydrothermal method synthesized the nano-catalyst material in the sulfation and impregnation processes. The hydroconversion process was carried out at atmospheric pressure and a temperature of 300–600 °C for 2 h with a hydrogen gas flow rate of 20 mL/min and a catalyst-to-feed ratio of 1:100 (wt%). Compared with zirconia and sulfated zirconia, NiMo-impregnated sulfated zirconia showed the best activity and selectivity in bio-jet fuel production with liquid product and selectivity of 61.07% and 43.49%, respectively. This catalyst also performed well in three consecutive runs, with bio-jet fuel selectivity in the second and third runs of 51.68% and 30.86%, respectively. Copyright © 2024 by Authors, Published by BCREC Publishing Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).

Pendekatan Pedagogic dan Skema Pembelajaran Pendidikan Kewarganegaraan untuk Mempromosikan Kewarganegaraan Ekologi

Environmental problems as a world issue require the importance of preparing citizens to have the ability to prevent environmental problems. This research aims to present a study of pedagogical approaches and citizenship education learning schemes in strengthening the integration of ecological citizenship into education as an effort to provide a foundation for citizenship education to develop ecological citizenship in schools. This research uses a comprehensive literature review research method, involving analysis and synthesis of findings from various literature to gain an understanding of the ecological citizenship education learning scheme. The research results show that the pedagogical landscape of ecological citizenship education can be packaged in learning approaches (1) place-based learning; (2) problem-based learning; (3) environmental justice pedagogy; (4) ecological citizenship education; (5) action competency learning; (6) learning to serve; (7) participatory action research; (8) socio-scientific inquiry-based learning (SSIBL). the pedagogical approach to ecological citizenship education includes six (6) stages: (1) inquiry; (2) planning action; (3) critical and active involvement; (4) community participation and networking on a scale (local, national, global), (5) maintaining environmental and social change, and (6) evaluation and reflection.

Exploring the Income-Increasing Benefits of Rural E-Commerce in China: Implications for the Sustainable Development of Farmers

The slowdown in income not only hinders the sustainable development of farmers but also exacerbates ecological and environmental problems. Likewise, the digital economy model represented by e-commerce has become a key path for growing farmers’ income. This article is based on 2020 China Rural Revitalization Survey data and uses the OLS and mediation effect models to examine the impact and mechanism of e-commerce operations on farmers’ income. The research results indicate that e-commerce operations can significantly improve the income level of farmers. After robustness and endogeneity tests, this conclusion still holds. The mechanism analysis results indicate that e-commerce operations promote farmers’ income growth by enhancing information acquisition, reducing operating costs, and enhancing financial support. The results of the heterogeneity analysis indicate that the impact of e-commerce on farmers’ income is heterogeneous in terms of income structure, education level, and regional distribution. Specifically, e-commerce significantly increases farmers’ agricultural operating income, non-agricultural operating income, and transfer income but significantly reduces their wage income. At the same time, e-commerce has a more significant income-increasing effect on highly educated and central and western farmers. Therefore, in promoting the development of a rural digital economy, it is necessary to improve the supporting facilities of e-commerce in rural areas; strengthen the supply of information, technology, capital, talent, and other elements; continue to improve the inclusiveness of rural e-commerce; and promote the sustainable growth of farmers’ income. The above findings not only provide new channels and ideas for farmers to increase income through e-commerce operations, but also help relevant decision-making departments to formulate new policies to promote farmers’ income growth and the development of e-commerce in China.

Sustainability of the Urban System Planning in Shu City, Kazakhstan: An Evaluation through Residents’ Perception

It is important to consider the local people’s evaluation in increasing the effectiveness of the sustainable planning process in urban system planning. In this work, the sustainability of urban system planning in Shu city of Kazakhstan is evaluated according to the defined dimensions, which play a key role in determining the population’s living standard, and the indicators of each dimension are compared. The data are obtained mainly through the household questionnaire survey, field observations, in depth interviews, and focus group discussion. In total, 832 representative respondents were surveyed with five-point Likert scale questions in this paper. The study used 42 indicators based on six dimensions: environmental, social, cultural, economic, religious/spiritual, and institutional dimensions. The results of this analysis show that the sustainability level of urban system planning in Shu city is at a low level in all six dimensions. The results of the indicator analysis show that the people of this region are generally not satisfied with the solution of some environmental, social, and economic problems in Shu city. At the same time, residents rated the indicators of institutional stability as better, on the contrary, they rated cultural and religious/spiritual indicators relatively high. As a result, we initially asserted that the sustainability of the urban system planning in Shu city is not satisfactory considering the existing possibilities. To eliminate this shortcoming, the authorities responsible for planning the urban system should jointly develop a project policy for sustainable development with all interested parties.

RESEARCH ON COOKING OIL ABSORBENT PADS USING WATER HYACINTH MATERIALS

Cooking oil is an indispensable ingredient in everyday family cooking. The oil after use is often discharged directly into wastewater systems, leading to risks of environmental pollution, water pollution, clogging of drainage systems... In recent years, water hyacinth plants have been considered weeds, floating on rivers, canals, ponds and lakes, obstructing the circulation of boats and preventing water flow. Water hyacinth plants are often found in large rivers and almost no one cares about their uses, making them truly wasteful. Realizing the flexibility of water hyacinth when dried, it can be woven into pieces with good absorbent properties, our team has researched using water hyacinth as a material to absorb used cooking oil that is discarded into the environment. school. The research uses the main methods of experimental method and sample analysis method in its research. The result is that a product that absorbs discarded cooking oil scum is formed and is tested for cooking oil contaminated water with results consistent with QCVN 14:2008/BTNMT. The purpose of the research is to find effective products to absorb discarded cooking oil to save costs and contribute to environmental protection. The problem of using naturally available materials to create products that absorb cooking oil scum at the same time solves two current environmental problems. The research is a preliminary result, so there are still many shortcomings. We hope that in the future there will be further research to make the product more and more perfect

Environmental certifications in Peruvian aquaculture

Peruvian aquaculture has undergone significant development in the last three decades, however Peruvian aquaculture faces, as every country does, fierce competition and environmental challenges. To overcome these key challenges, environmental certifications can be a strategic tool. This paper analyzes the implementation of environmental certificates in Peruvian aquaculture. Peruvian aquaculture companies with international environmental certificates were located and analyzed through a case study analysis based on a closed-ended questionnaire. In parallel, the same questionnaire was sent to an equal number of non-certified Peruvian aquaculture companies for comparison purposes. Analysis was carried out to characterize the Peruvian aquaculture companies that are environmentally certified and to determine the degree of concern for and commitment to the environmental problems of aquaculture. Finally, the reasons that led to obtaining the certification or not were studied, as were the elements that act as facilitators or barriers to its implementation and the future prospects for the certification of Peruvian aquaculture companies.

Applications of machine learning & Internet of Things for outdoor air pollution monitoring and prediction: A systematic literature review

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills seven million people every year. Outdoor air pollution is a major environmental health problem affecting low, middle, and high-income countries. In the past few years, the research community has explored IoT-enabled machine learning applications for outdoor air pollution prediction. The general objective of this paper is to systematically review applications of machine learning and Internet of Things (IoT) for outdoor air pollution prediction and the combination of monitoring sensors and input features used. Two research questions were formulated for this review. 1086 publications were collected in the initial PRISMA stage. After the screening and eligibility phases, 37 papers were selected for inclusion. A cost-based analysis was conducted on the findings to highlight high-cost monitoring, low-cost IoT and hybrid enabled prediction. Three methods of prediction were identified: time series, feature-based and spatio-temporal. This review’s findings identify major limitations in applications found in the literature, namely lack of coverage, lack of diversity of data and lack of inclusion of context-specific features. This review proposes directions for future research and underlines practical implications in healthcare, urban planning, global synergy and smart cities.

Air pollution, health status and public awareness of environmental problems in China.

Understanding public awareness of environmental problems is vital for effectively formulating sustainable policies. This paper aims to investigate the impacts of two perspectives-external air pollution and individual health status-on public awareness by leveraging panel data from two waves of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) conducted between 2018 and 2020. The model integrates provincial-level PM2.5 concentration indicators and SO2, PMs, and NOx emissions. The results reveal a significantly positive correlation between air pollution and public awareness of environmental problems in China. Additionally, this study examines the impact of self-assessed health shock by categorizing it into worse and better health. The influence of better health is insignificant. Conversely, when individuals experience worse health, they may perceive it as a psychological loss, leading to a significant increase in public awareness of environmental problems. This study provides valuable insights for mitigating air pollution and reinforcing public health in developing countries.