Sustainability Impact Assessment Research Articles

Sustainability Impact Assessment of Waste to Energy Technologies in Iran

Introduction: Current energy sources are coming to end and one of the main priorities of the country’s management is the energy recovery from renewable energy. Considerable quantity of municipal solid waste (MSW) is one of the most serious urban pollution sources. Impact assessment matrix is a new and fast tool for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Materials and Methods: In this regard, renewable energy like waste-to-energy was investigated. Environmental assessment method was performed to evaluate the environmental impacts of common Waste to Energy (WTE) technologies by Wooten and Rau matrix. Most available WTE technologies (anaerobic digestion, sanitary landfill with gas recovery, waste incineration, and gasification) were environmentally assessed and compared. Results: Results showed that anaerobic digestion could be most environmental friendly WTE technology for production of renewable energy from organic waste and could be considered. Furthermore, executives as green minded managements can improve the quality of waste management by finding new solutions. Other technologies such as landfill by gas recovery and gasification will be ranked second and third in terms of environmental effect. Conclusion: Results showed that performing anaerobic digestion technology will produce less environmental impact in long term. Then landfilling by gas recovery and gasification technologies will be ranked second and third in terms of environmental effect.

Four years of sustainability impact assessments accompanying the implementation of improved cooking stoves in Tanzania

Development projects and innovations are often implemented based on scientific recommendations and do not incorporate local knowledge and demand for interventions. In this paper, we demonstrate the successful engagement of local stakeholders in the implementation and evaluation process of improved cooking stoves; a technology that improves food security in two climatically contrasting regions in Tanzania.The Framework for Participatory Impact Assessment tool was used to conduct impact assessments on firewood-based improved cooking stoves to evaluate their contribution to food security at local stakeholder level. Between 2014 and 2017, four annual impact assessments were conducted with local stakeholders in four villages in the semi-arid Dodoma and the sub-humid Morogoro regions to assess the impact of improved cooking stoves on locally defined nine food security criteria. The Framework for Participatory Impact Assessment was used to (i) ex-ante identify the expected impact, and (ii) to ex-post assess the experienced impact of improved cooking stoves on the nine food security criteria. The impact assessments showed that the perceived contribution of improved cooking stoves towards the food security criteria was positive throughout all assessments. In particular, improved cooking stoves addressed relevant food security criteria such as social relations, food availability, and market participation. The Framework for Participatory Impact Assessment tool supported continuous knowledge exchange between scientists and local stakeholders, thus improving communication and co-learning; while identifying merits and demerits of the improved cooking stoves that could be addressed during the project lifetime.

Sustainability Assessment of Alternative Strip Clear Cutting Operations for Wood Chip Production in Renaturalization Management of Pine Stands

In Mediterranean regions, afforested areas were planted to ensure the permanence of land cover, and to protect against erosion and to initiate the vegetation processes. For those purposes, pine species were mainly used; however, many of these stands, without silvicultural treatments for over fifty-sixty years, were in a poor state from physical and biological perspective, and therefore, clear-cutting on strips was conducted as silvicultural operation with the aim to eliminate 50% of the pine trees and to favor the affirmation of indigenous broadleaves seedlings. At the same time, the high and increasing demand of the forest based sector for wood biomass related to energy production, needs to be supplied. In a modern and multifunctional forestry, in which society is asking for sustainable forestry and naturalistic forest management, forestry operations should ideally be carried out in a sustainable manner, thus support the concept of sustainable forest management. All these aspects are also related to the innovation in forestry sector for an effective energetic sustainability. Three different forest wood chains were applied in pine plantations, all differing in the extraction system (animal, forestry-fitted farm tractor with winch, and double drum cable yarder). The method of the sustainability impact assessment was used in order to assess potential impacts of these alternative management options, and a set of 12 indicators covering economic, environmental, and social dimensions was analyzed. Further, to support decision makers in taking informed decisions, multi-criteria decision analysis was conducted. Decision makers gave weight towards the indicators natural tree regeneration and soil biological quality to support the achievement of the forest management goal. Results showed that first ranked alternative was case 2, in which extraction was conducted by a tractor with a winch. The main reason for that lies in the fact that this alternative had best performance for 80% of the analyzed criteria.

SHARE IT: Co-designing a sustainability impact assessment framework for urban food sharing initiatives

Urban food systems must undergo a significant transformation if they are to avoid impeding the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goals. One reconfiguration with claimed sustainability benefits is ICT-mediated food sharing – an umbrella term used to refer to technologically-augmented collective or collaborative practices around growing, cooking, eating and redistributing food – which some argue improves environmental efficiencies by reducing waste, providing opportunities to make or save money, building social networks and generally enhancing well-being. However, most sustainability claims for food sharing have not been evidenced by systematically collected and presented data. In this paper we document our response to this mismatch between claims and evidence through the development of the SHARECITY sustainability Impact assessment Toolkit (SHARE IT); a novel Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) framework which has been co-designed with food sharing initiatives to better indicate the impact of food-sharing initiatives in urban food systems. We demonstrate that while several SIA frameworks have been developed to evaluate food systems at the urban scale, they contain few measures that specifically account for impacts of the sharing that initiatives undertake. The main body of the paper focuses on the co-design process undertaken with food sharing initiatives based in Dublin and London. Attention is paid to how two core goals were achieved: 1) the identification of a coherent SIA framework containing appropriate indicators for the activities of food sharing initiatives; and 2) the development of an open access online toolkit for in order to make SIA reporting accessible for food sharing initiatives. In conclusion, the co-design process revealed a number of technical and conceptual challenges, but it also stimulated creative responses to these challenges.

Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) in fisheries: Implementation in EU fishing regions

An Impact Assessment (IA) is a process aimed at structuring and supporting the development of policies. Besides the fact that IA assumes different features when applied to different sectors, really it should help policy makers in evaluating the contribution to the fisheries sustainability of new regulations. The recent improvements and development around the IA methodologies go more and more toward the concept of a Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA). The evolution of IA in the fishery sector has followed the general and increasing need in having a more and more integrated type of analysis, focusing on the three dimensions of sustainability (environmental, economic and social). This paper synthesizes the methodology developed under the EU FP7 SOCIOEC project,11Socio economic effects of management measures of the future CFP (grant agreement 289192), financed by the FP7. whose main objective was the application of the most recent EU guidelines on IA to the current (and future) EU fishery management. The result is an integrated approach taking into account the main pillars of sustainability and a strong stakeholders’ involvement. A clear step-by-step procedure based on both qualitative and quantitative type of analyses has been defined, the last step being the “rating” phase, an essential step in a SIA, that provides the possibility to assess the results of different policy options (allowing policy makers to select the most appropriate one) in terms of acceptability, effectiveness, coherence and efficiency. The overall methodology has been tested on different EU regions, fisheries and management measures.

E-Waste and Sustainability: Impact Assessment Indicators

This paper responds to the call for sustainability by providing a comprehensive framework for sustainability impact assessment of firms in IT and electronic industry. Firm forms the unit of analysis where all the externalities created by the firm are considered, regarding suppliers, vendors and distributors. Sustainability performance gets assessed by 24 indicators to measure social, environmental and economic impacts. These indicators are then tested on eight e-waste producing firms in India. The indicators outline impacts in terms of factors like impact of resource use, environmental efficiency, compliance and voluntary actions, labor practices, collaboration, community and society, financial performance, investment and reduce, reuse and recycle practices. The result highlights popular practice of reporting sustainability performance through social indicators and calls for better sustainability reporting practices using triple bottom line i.e. economic, environmental and social indicators.

Government Guide to Sustainability Impact Assessments

Global sustainability is becoming an increasingly important issue, as evidenced by the numerous conferences of the UN and its sister organizations with worldwide participation. The goal is a critical inventory of the desirable goals, as well as the questioning of the current status quo and the procedure. There are obvious gaps that will be briefly discussed. This paper does not only deal with state sustainability, but shows the approach of this topic by the German state. Not only the basic assumptions and the goals are documented, but these are, as far as possible, checked for their realism or feasibility. Method comparison of the defined procedure by the German Federal Government with the goals set by the UN and the finding of possible deviations. Research findings are shown within a brief summary to offer an opportunity for further analysis, discussions, or results. The sustainability test is an accepted possibility to measure effects on nature, based on indicators and values. The estimation of legal consequences must be borne in full by all decision makers. Ecology, Society, Technology and Economy have to go hand in hand and people have to be taught their current behavior regarding environment costs money. Results and implications for practice, applications and consequences are identified. Sustainability and its effects can be evaluated in the short, mid and long term run. All people worldwide are influenced by lived or just not lived sustainability massive in their lives. Avenues of future research should always include sustainability tests and estimations of legal consequences regarding the decisions done by politicians at this matter. This paper deals with sustainability and the associated consequences in the area of legislation, as well as with the verification of the achievement of individual environmental goals.

Developing Indicators Based on Life Cycle Sustainability Impact Assessment for Strategic Environmental Assessment

Developing Indicators Based on Life Cycle Sustainability Impact Assessment for Strategic Environmental Assessment

Farmland abandonment in Europe: an overview of drivers, consequences, and assessment of the sustainability implications

In the last decades, there have been large areas of agricultural land that were abandoned in Europe, producing significant social and environmental impacts. Land abandonment is a dynamic process, which is influenced by a complex range of drivers that vary over time and space. This process is driven by a combination of socio-economic, political, and environmental factors by which formerly cultivated fields are no longer economically viable under existing land-use and socio-economic conditions. The implications of land abandonment on biodiversity and other ecosystem services can be positive or negative depending on the conservation status of the area, agro-climatic conditions, and local factors. Therefore, the scope and extent of environmental impacts vary over time and location. Considering that land abandonment is a contentious issue in Europe, there is still growing need for research on this topic. This paper reviews (i) drivers and consequences of farmland abandonment in Europe, (ii) policy measures and tools developed by the European Union in relation to land abandonment process, (iii) the impacts and indicators that are used to assess ecosystem services that are related to land abandonment, and (iv) the methods by which socio-economic, environmental, and cultural values can be assessed. An overview of key impacts and indicators and the impact assessment methodologies will guide policy-making and planning processes that focus on sustainability impact assessment of land abandonment related to ecosystem services in Europe.

Sustainability Impact Assessment of Increased Plastic Recycling and Future Pathways of Plastic Waste Management in Sweden

Plastic is a versatile material that has contributed to numerous product innovations and convenience in everyday life. However, plastic production is growing at an alarming rate, and so has the generation of plastic waste. Unsound waste management results in plastic leakage to the environment with multiple adverse effects to ecosystems. Incineration of plastic waste produces excessive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, while plastic as a material is consumed and cannot be used again as a resource within a circular economy framework. For this reason, the European Union (EU) takes measures to increase plastic recycling, introducing higher targets for recycling in its revised waste legislation. Sweden follows suit, prioritising actions for improving the management of plastic waste. In this contribution, three scenarios of future plastic waste management are analysed for their sustainability impacts by 2030. The analysis is enabled by a plastic waste management flow model that calculates environmental, economic, and social impacts. The indicators used in the model to describe the impacts in each axis of sustainability are (1) GHG emissions, (2) monetary costs and benefits, and (3) number of jobs created. The results indicate several trade-offs between the different scenarios and between the different sustainability aspects of future plastic waste management, with their strengths and weaknesses duly discussed. Concluding, the most promising and sustainable future scenario for plastic waste management in Sweden includes high targets for recycling—in line with EU targets—and a gradual phase-out of plastic incineration as a waste management option.

Sustainability Assessment of Alternative Thinning Operations in Mediterranean Softwood Plantations

Mediterranean pines account for 14,000 ha in Tuscany alone, where they form large and homogeneous stands and represent an important resource for the forest economy. Among the harvesting systems applied to thinning operations, the most popular are whole-tree and cut-to-length harvestings. Both systems can be deployed with different levels of mechanization. The decision about which system might be the best option in a specific case possibly leads to conflicts due to different management goals, for instance when the shift from cut-to-length to whole-tree harvesting systems results in a decrease of costs and an increase of environmental burdens. Thus, an accurate determination of economic, environmental and social indicators is crucial to make balanced decisions. With that in mind, we carried out a sustainability impact assessment of typical forest-wood chain alternatives applied to young Mediterranean pine plantations and made a comparative evaluation by means of multi-criteria analyses. Trials were carried out in umbrella pine (Pinus pinea L.) plantations in Tuscany. The analyzed cases considered four thinning operations and included the processes of harvesting, extraction and chipping. In the analysis, 12 indicators were considered (e.g., global warming potential, fatal accidents). Results of the investigation allow quantifying possible sustainability impacts and, thus, supporting management decisions.

THE PROMOTION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH TRADE INSTRUMENTS IN THE EU: CASE STUDY FOR UKRAINE

Ukraine is lacking a systematic and comprehensive approach to achieving the goals of sustainable development in trade, since these goals are not integrated into the public policy-making process. The aim of this article is to analyze the European Union (EU) experience of using the trade instruments to implement sustainable development. The authors give special consideration to the use of the „new generation‟ free trade agreements, which include the chapters devoted to sustainable development, in the EU. The Opinion of the European Court of Justice on the EU-Singapore free trade agreement in terms of sustainable development provisions is highlighted; since it may change the future EU trade policy and affect the EU‟s soft approach to the means ensuring the implementation of trade agreements, making the provisions of sustainable development agreements more effective. In this paper, we also explore the chapters of trade agreements on sustainable development, to which Ukraine is a party. Based on analysis of the EU trade policy, it is proposed to change the conceptual basis of implementing Ukraine's trade policy in order to achieve the sustainable development goals. Keywords: sustainable development, trade policy, free trade agreement, generalized system of preferences, sustainability impact assessment, the EU, Ukraine.

Model based decision support system for land use changes and socio-economic assessments

Hydrological models are often linked with other models in cognate sciences to understand the interactions among climate, earth, water, ecosystem, and human society. This paper presents the development and implementation of a decision support system (DSS) that links the outputs of hydrological models with real-time decision making on social-economic assessments and land use management. Discharge and glacier geometry changes were simulated with hydrological model, water availability in semiarid environments. Irrigation and ecological water were simulated by a new commercial software MIKE HYDRO. Groundwater was simulated by MODFLOW. All the outputs of theses hydrological models were taken as inputs into the DSS in three types of links: regression equations, stationary data inputs, or dynamic data inputs as the models running parallel in the simulation periods. The DSS integrates the hydrological data, geographic data, social and economic statistical data, and establishes the relationships with equations, conditional statements and fuzzy logics. The programming is realized in C++. The DSS has four remarkable features: (1) editable land use maps to assist decision-making; (2) conjunctive use of surface and groundwater resources; (3) interactions among water, earth, ecosystem, and humans; and (4) links with hydrological models. The overall goal of the DSS is to combine the outputs of scientific models, knowledge of experts, and perspectives of stakeholders, into a computer-based system, which allows sustainability impact assessment within regional planning; and to understand ecosystem services and integrate them into land and water management.

Integrating fast pyrolysis reactor with combined heat and power plant improves environmental and energy efficiency in bio-oil production

Abstract Biomass as a renewable energy source is an alternative to fossil fuels. Due to its lower energy density compared to fossil fuels, different ways of converting biomass into an energy-dense fuel are sought after. Fast pyrolysis of biomass into pyrolysis oil represents such method, allowing wider substitution of fossil fuels. Pyrolysis is an energy-intensive process but its efficiency can be improved by integration of pyrolysis reactor into a combined heat and power plant. In this study environmental analyses are conducted on the production of 50 000 tons of pyrolysis oil from wood to substitute for heavy fuel oil. The pyrolysis oil is produced either in a stand-alone reactor or as an integrated part of a combined heat and power plant. The combined heat and power plant is wood and peat fueled, producing of 820 GWh of energy. The cradle-to-grave emissions of CO2-eq, NOx, SO2, and PM are calculated by using two methods: 1) life cycle assessment and 2) the Tool for Sustainability Impact Assessment. Reductions in environmental loads of over 75% in (fossil) CO2-eq and over 90% in NOx, SO2, and PM can be achieved when heavy fuel oil is replaced by pyrolysis oil. The pyrolysis is 20% more efficient if integrated with CHP production. The potential reductions vary several percent between the applied methods because of different system boundaries. Nevertheless, integrating the pyrolysis reactor into a combined heat and power plant appears as the best option irrespective of the method used. Extending the system boundaries with the life cycle inventories results in significant increases of emissions in many processes; however, combustion in plants has a dominant role in overall emissions but is not subject to the boundary extensions, and thus, the totals of emissions between the methods are nearly the same.

Maintenance of a High-Voltage Overhead Transmission Line: Sustainability and Noise Impact Assessment

Overhead high-voltage lines are a common choice for power transmission, but their planning, installation and management are often challenging tasks because of the surrounding public interest and of their importance as critical infrastructures. This is particularly true in the case of industrial installations requiring a high continuity of service. The working group formed by the University of Brescia (UniBS), the University of Padova (UniPD), and Torino Transmission Operating Area (AOT) of Terna Rete Italia S.p.A. (Terna) has studied an innovative solution featuring a remotely-operated switchgear mounted directly on the trellis holding the conductors. This strategy reduces visual impact, land use and vulnerability of the system to weather adversity, but noise exposure of the population requires appropriate study. This work introduces a new technical solution, discusses its benefits, and assesses the audible noise impact of the improved transmission line, considering the combined effect of switchgear action and corona discharge around the conductors. The sound emission data are fed as input into a sound propagation software enabling evaluating the noise perceived by people living in the neighborhoods. A mitigation solution is proposed and analyzed.

Human Rights in the Trade and Sustainability Impact Assessment of the EU–Tunisia Free Trade Agreement

This article critically examines the integration of human rights in the trade and sustainability impact assessment of the proposed Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement between the EU and Tunisia. The main contribution of this article is to list the basic requirements of a human rights impact assessment methodology in the form of a list of questions as a means to evaluate impact assessments of trade agreements. Using this list, the article demonstrates how the EU–Tunisia assessment meets many of the formal requirements of human rights impact assessment but that the underlying human rights analysis and recommendations were weak and that the approach to consultation and participation of individuals and groups in the assessment process needs review and strengthening. The article recommends the continued professionalization of human rights impact assessment of trade agreements and concludes by noting that the 2015 adoption by the European Commission of Guidelines on the analysis of human rights impacts in impact assessments of trade-related policy initiatives provides a clearer framework to guide and improve future assessments.

Sustainability Impact Assessment of Construction Ecology to Engineering Systems and Climate Change

Sustainability Impact Assessment of Construction Ecology to Engineering Systems and Climate Change

Sustainability Impact Assessment of Developmental Programmes Undertaken by Mining Industries as Part of the Corporate Social Responsibility for Value Creation

Sustainability Impact Assessment of Developmental Programmes Undertaken by Mining Industries as Part of the Corporate Social Responsibility for Value Creation

Sustainability impact assessment tools for land use policy advice: A comparative analysis of five research approaches

Since 2007, a range of new modeling approaches and tools have been developed for sustainability impact assessment (SIA), but a lack of universal acceptance of SIA tools in applied policy making is observed. The current article gives an overview of experiences from several European and international projects, critically reviews the selected SIA tools and then discusses a number of reasons for the observed disconnect of the tools with the potential users. Largely based on the experiences of the presented SIA tools focusing land use policy advice, a decision tree is designed, which may facilitate an adequate, region and developmental phase specific selection of tool-box components for the development of SIA tools in future. Elements to ensure end-user participation are also integrated in the decision tree in order to increase the likelihood of the tool in applied land use policy advice. In addition, the Challenges in SIA tool development and use are further discussed.

Sustainability impact assessments of different urban short food supply chains: examples from London, UK

AbstractGreater London has a vibrant food scene comprising of many different types of urban and peri-urban ‘short food supply chains’ (SFSCs). This paper reports on exploratory research, which used examples of SFSCs from London to build a more detailed understanding of different types of urban SFSC and their relative performance compared to each other. To do this, we undertook a participatory sustainability impact assessment (SIA) in which local food system stakeholders were asked to rank the perceived impacts of five different urban and peri-urban SFSCs compared with the current ‘mainstream’ food supply system (defined as supermarkets retailing mass-produced, standardized food products). The SFSCs ranked were: (1) urban gardening (self-supply), (2) urban gardening (commercial), (3) community supported agriculture (CSA), (4) direct sale (on-farm) and (5) direct sale (off-farm). Results from the SIA showed that CSAs were regarded as delivering the highest overall social, economic and environmental benefits, followed by urban gardening (commercial), urban gardening (self-supply) and direct sales (off-farm). The lowest overall rating was for the supply chain direct sales (on-farm). All five SFSCs were ranked highest on the social aspects of sustainability. Following the participatory SIA of perceived sustainability, we next developed a questionnaire in order to test the feasibility of measuring the specific (rather than ‘perceived’) impacts of an urban SFSC. We applied the test at a community-led local food market in South London, where we conducted face-to-face interviews with all market stallholders (18 respondents) and a random sample of consumers (51 respondents). Results from the community-led market were similar to those acquired at the SIA workshop, with greater agreement about the social benefits of the market, compared with economic and environmental impacts. The results also suggest that producers underestimated consumers’ willingness to share the risks that the producers face and we identify this as an important aspect for future research. The paper concludes with reflections on the strengths and weaknesses of the SIA methodology.