Follow-up of environmental impacts is an integral part of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, closely related to the effectiveness of the instrument. EIA follow-up has been receiving a lot of interest f...Follow-up of environmental impacts is an integral part of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, closely related to the effectiveness of the instrument. EIA follow-up has been receiving a lot of interest from scientists and practitioners, though it is recognized as one of the weakest points of EIA systems globally. Also, EIA follow-up is influenced by the context, mainly in terms of the types of projects or activities and their related impacts on the environment. Therefore, the present paper is focused on the investigation of the follow-up stage applied to the activity of seismic survey coupled with offshore oil & gas exploitation in Brazil. Research was based on a qualitative approach that included document analysis and semi-structured interviews with analysts involved in EIA processes, and sought to generate evidence of effectiveness of the EIA follow-up as conducted by the Federal Environment Agency (Ibama) in order to situate the practice of follow-up in the broader context of international best practice principles. Based on the findings, it was concluded that, due to the peculiarities of offshore seismic survey, it is necessary to promote adaptations in the procedures for monitoring impacts in order to ensure proper alignment with the principles and conceptual foundations that guide EIA practice. Specifically, the timing of the execution of the activity imposes challenges for its integration into the “conventional” cycle that has guided the monitoring of the impacts in the EIA of projects.展开更多
A good quality Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is key for the effectiveness of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processes and consequently to the acceptability of projects subject to EIA. The international l...A good quality Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is key for the effectiveness of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processes and consequently to the acceptability of projects subject to EIA. The international literature has contributed to the understanding of the essential aspects to be verified regarding the quality of EIS, offering a wide spectrum of good practice examples related to the content of the studies. Even so, there is a need for empirical studies that allow the identification of specific aspects related to the context of application of the EIS, which could lead to the identification of opportunities to improve both the quality of the reports and also the effectiveness of EIA. Therefore, the present paper is focused on the quality review of a number of EIS submitted to the Brazilian Federal Environmental Agency (Ibama) to instruct the assessment of electric power transmission systems. Based on the application of the EIS quality review package as proposed by Lee and Colley (1992), the outcomes reveal opportunities for improving the scope of EIA, analysis of alternatives, prediction of magnitude and the assessment of impact significance. Finally, the development and/or adaptation of a similar tool for the systematic review of the quality of EIA reports is recommended.展开更多
The paper discusses the importance of public engagement in environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and the benefits of stakeholder involvement in project design, environmental soundness, and social acceptability. It h...The paper discusses the importance of public engagement in environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and the benefits of stakeholder involvement in project design, environmental soundness, and social acceptability. It highlights the negative repercussions of mining activities in Ghana, including health consequences such as skin conditions, fever, coughs, diarrhea, malaria, and catarrh, as well as HIV/AIDS infection among those engaged in or connected to prostitution in mining towns. The environmental effects of mining in Ghana include noise pollution from heavy trucks, contamination of water bodies with chemicals from mineral refining, pollution of agricultural soils leading to reduced food productivity, and wildlife depletion from deforestation. The activities of small-scale miners, particularly those engaged in illicit mining, have a negative impact on water quality and increase the cost of water treatment for public consumption. Mining operations have detrimental effects on the social, cultural, and natural ecosystems in Ghana, affecting the quality of life of local communities. The study takes into consideration the impact of mining activities on the environment and natural resources in Ghana, as these are vital to the livelihoods of Ghanaian communities. Stakeholders in Tarkwa claim that mining operations have distorted the natural path of the river, leading to excessive pollution and making the water unfit for consumption. Ghana’s economy depends heavily on mining, which also contributes significantly to GDP and generates jobs for a large number of people. But mining also has a lot of negative repercussions, the effects of mining extend beyond the mineralized zone initially explored, highlighting the need to consider the environmental impact at every phase of the mining process.展开更多
At present,the plan environmental impact assessment of power transmission and transformation grid is relatively mature. How to further improve the quality of plan environmental impact assessment of power grid during t...At present,the plan environmental impact assessment of power transmission and transformation grid is relatively mature. How to further improve the quality of plan environmental impact assessment of power grid during the "14^(th) Five-Year Plan" period is very important. In this paper,the plan environmental impact assessment of power grid in the Development Plan for Power Grid in Nanjing during the "13^(th) Five-Year Plan" Period is studied to further discuss the ideas,evaluation system and content framework of plan environmental impact assessment of power grid.展开更多
Strategic Environmental Assessment is a frontier subject in the field of Environmental Impact Assessment. In the past two decades, especially in recent years, much more importance has been attached to Strategic Enviro...Strategic Environmental Assessment is a frontier subject in the field of Environmental Impact Assessment. In the past two decades, especially in recent years, much more importance has been attached to Strategic Environmental Assessment. The Environmental Impact Assessment Law of the P.R. China which was promulgated provides a great opportunity for the development of Planning Environmental Impact Assessment and brings great challenges for the development of traditional Project Environmental Impact Assessment and Planning Environmental Impact Assessment at the same time. In order to promote the implementation of "The EIA Law", the inherent limitations of Project Environmental Impact Assessment must be identified sufficiently and the theory research and practice of Planning Environmental Impact Assessment should be strengthened as well. Measures should be taken currently to enforce the operation system. The authors wish to offer a few references to the progress and implementation of Planning Environmental Impact Assessment in China.展开更多
Since 2015, a “reform storm” of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) opened up in China. This study tries to answer the question of whether these reforms improve the effectiveness of EIA. First, we elaborate on the...Since 2015, a “reform storm” of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) opened up in China. This study tries to answer the question of whether these reforms improve the effectiveness of EIA. First, we elaborate on the reforms along with three well-acknowledged components, including EIA legislation, administration, and process. Then, evaluate the reformed EIA system against revised Ahmad and Wood’s criteria. The results demonstrate that the revised laws and regulations are more stringent than the old versions. The EIA process is simplified, and its coordination with the pollutant discharge permit system is promoted. The interim and post-event supervision is currently more robust and the penalties are more severe than before. However, the hierarchical position of the Environmental Protection Law is not high enough and the coordination of different government departments is still challenging. In summary, despite the problems occurring at the initial phase of reforms, the effectiveness of the EIA system has largely been improved.展开更多
Baseline Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of mining projects in Sierra Leone creates a challenging environment for data collection and impact prediction. Application of geographic information systems provides sui...Baseline Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of mining projects in Sierra Leone creates a challenging environment for data collection and impact prediction. Application of geographic information systems provides suitable spatial analysis data collection methods to reduce the challenges created by mining environments. This research develops a baseline spatial geodatabase template for evaluating potential and predicted environmental impacts assessment of mining projects in Sierra Leone. It is observed that spatial analysis of impacts of mining projects on the environmental attributes, especially air, noise, water, land, and socio-economy in mining areas is largely unexplored in Sierra Leone. The literature review revealed that no complete GIS spatial data geodatabase collection template appears to have been developed to date to provide an integrated sustainable spatial analysis and modelling tool for EIA and environmental management of mining in Sierra Leone. Therefore developing a Geographic Information Systems baseline geodatabase template for the evaluation of potential and predicted environmental impact for sustainable environmental impact assessment of mining in Sierra Leone will: 1) provide support to the data acquisition process of environmental impact assessment, 2) offer a concept for developing analysis methods for environmental management of mining, 3) minimize the undesired environmental impacts of mining, and 4) give an optimal proposal for data collection and analysis of mining industry in attaining sustainable development in Sierra Leone. Due to the limited available data, a conceptual GIS database template has been developed rather than a database case study of a mining site. No site investigation and data collection were undertaken. The geospatial database template was designed using ArcCatalog, ArcGIS 10.7.1. software, through the following steps: exploration of the general data requirement of environmental impact assessment studies of mining, the definition of the general baseline datasets requirement of environmental impact assessment in mining, structuring of the environmental impact assessment baseline spatial geodatabase, creating the geographic geodatabase dictionary, selecting, matching geographic data with geodatabase structure, designing the feature class and attributes, creating the baseline GIS geodatabase template. The GIS spatial geodatabase template has several advantages for environmental impact assessment of mining including avoiding data redundancy, integrating data into a single database, creating uniformity in data collection, easy to find and track data, integrated spatial and non-spatial data, and reducing the volume of data.展开更多
Wetland plays an extremely important role in economy and ecological environment,and the construction of constructed wetland also has a certain impact on the environment.Via the evaluation on environmental status of co...Wetland plays an extremely important role in economy and ecological environment,and the construction of constructed wetland also has a certain impact on the environment.Via the evaluation on environmental status of constructed wetland,the main environmental problems are found out,and the impact of construction of constructed wetland project on local water environment and ecological environment is analyzed,and evaluation conclusion is obtained.展开更多
Environmental Impact Assessment Studies (EIA) for four developmental projects were chosen for this study viz-a-viz., oil and gas, river diversion, hydropower and gold mining. The EIA studies for these activities have ...Environmental Impact Assessment Studies (EIA) for four developmental projects were chosen for this study viz-a-viz., oil and gas, river diversion, hydropower and gold mining. The EIA studies for these activities have been conducted in three different ecological regions: the flood region in the former southern Sudan, low rainfall Savannah and desert region. Trees, shrubs and herbaceous species were identified and recorded in each region. Species encountered for the first time, endangered, invasive and increasers were also reported. The EIA studies have produced lists of natural flora in areas which were difficult to access without the EIA missions. During the EIA study for Jonglei Canal project the new mono specific genus Suddia sagitifolia was discovered in the flood region as the only endemic aquatic plant in Sudan. Within the same region, the smallest floating plant in Sudan (Wollfia hyaline) was reported. The critically endangered “Argon Palm” (Medemia argun) was encountered in the Nubian Desert of the Red Sea State during a gold mining EIA study. The Seha (Belpharis persica), not reported to exist in desert conditions, has been found in the Great Desert west of the Nile during an EIA study for Kajbar Hydropower project. The paper calls for the publication of the above findings and highlights the need for further detailed studies in order to enhance knowledge of the Sudanese biodiversity status.展开更多
Generally,plastics pose a variety of environmental impacts due to their increased use and non-biodegradability.End-of-life treatment is a viable way of recovering energy from plastics while at the same time reducing t...Generally,plastics pose a variety of environmental impacts due to their increased use and non-biodegradability.End-of-life treatment is a viable way of recovering energy from plastics while at the same time reducing the amount of plastics disposed of in landfills.This paper studies the environmental impact of Non-Recycled Plastics(NRP)-to-energy processes.Three waste treatment processes were considered for NRP:pyrolysis,waste-to-energy(WtE),and landfill.The environmental impact assessment results indicated that conversion technologies such as pyrolysis and WtE are preferred over landfill.The total energy consumed in the pyrolysis process was 24635.7 MJ/tonne.The conversion technologies have a lower environmental impact and produced net positive energy from NRP.The global warming potential shows that pyrolysis(3.91 kg eq.CO_(2))contributes the least to global warming than waste-to-energy(18.56 kg eq.CO_(2))and landfill(17.5 kg eq.CO_(2)).However,sensitivity analysis suggested that the inefficiencies of the current conversion technologies should be addressed.Between the two technologies studied,pyrolysis contributed less environmental burden,having a lower global warming potential,a higher efficiency in energy conversion,and less harmful emissions such as selenium and methane.展开更多
Environmental impact assessment(EIA)system has been established in China since 1973.In present EIA cases,there are four participants in general:governments,enterprises,EIA organizations and the public.The public has h...Environmental impact assessment(EIA)system has been established in China since 1973.In present EIA cases,there are four participants in general:governments,enterprises,EIA organizations and the public.The public has held responsible for both social costs and social duties.The public supervises social costs produced by enterprises discharging pollutant in EIA.However public participation is mostly deputized by governments,which severely weaken the independence of the public as one participant in EIA.In this paper,EIA refers to the different attitudes of the par-ticipants whose optional strategies may be described by a proper game model.According to disfigurements in EIA,three sides(governments,enterprises,and EIA organizations)dynamic iterative game theory of many phases is established referring to iterative game theory,dynamic game theory of incomplete information,and perfect Bayesian equilibrium theory to analyze the reciprocity relation among governments,EIA organizations and enterprises.The results show that in a short period,economic benefit is preponderant over social benefit.Governments and enterprises both do not want to take EIA to reveal social costs.EIA organizations’income comes from enterprises and the collusions are built between them to vindicate economic benefit.In a long run,social benefit loss caused by environmental pollution must be recuperated sooner or later and environmental deterioration will influence the achievements of economic benefit,so both governments and enterprises are certain to pursue high social benefit and willing to take EIA,helpful to increase private benefit.EIA organizations will make fair assessment when their economic benefit are ensured.At present,the public as silent victims can not take actual part in EIA.The EIA system must be improved to break the present equilibrium of three sides,bringing the public to the equilibrium to exert public supervision.展开更多
The non-metallic lightning strike protection film covering carbon fiber reinforced polymers(NM-LSP covering CFRP)can reduce the weight and thus the fuel consumption of aircraft by replacing the traditional lightning s...The non-metallic lightning strike protection film covering carbon fiber reinforced polymers(NM-LSP covering CFRP)can reduce the weight and thus the fuel consumption of aircraft by replacing the traditional lightning strike protection(LSP)materials.In the present study,in order to study the environmental influence of utilizing NM-LSP covering CFRP in an aircraft elevator,a new elevator was designed and manufactured,replacing the aluminium net and glass fiber reinforced polymers(GFRP)with NM-LSP covering CFRP,with the same mechanical and LSP abilities.A comparative life cycle assessment was conducted between the two kinds of aircraft elevators,including material extraction,transportation,elevator manufacturing phase,service phase,and end-of-life procedures.Additionally,the environmental impacts of producing two LSP materials were compared by considering the environmental effects of different buy-to-fly ratios and recycling strategies on the production of aluminium net.The analysis indicates that the new elevator achieved reduction for all the environmental impact categories used,such as human toxicity potential and marine aquatic ecotoxicity potential(3.83%and 3.20%reduction).Furthermore,it is found that the service phase makes the greatest contribution to the environmental impact of the elevators under investigation.When recycling is excluded,NM-LSP covering CFRP is more environmentally friendly than the traditional material.At the same time,CFRP prepreg and electricity from the production of NM-LSP covering CFRP contribute to a higher environmental impact compared to the NM-LSP film.From the sensitivity analysis,it is believed that NM-LSP covering CFRP can reduce environmental impact compared with traditional LSP materials.展开更多
Starting from the historical evolution of China s regional coordinated development policy and practice,three stages of"enlightenment stage","development stage"and"maturity stage",as well ...Starting from the historical evolution of China s regional coordinated development policy and practice,three stages of"enlightenment stage","development stage"and"maturity stage",as well as the connotation,characteristics and content of implementing regional coordinated development strategy were analyzed.On this basis,from different aspects of industrial distribution,pollutant characteristics and regional environmental protection policy,the existing ecological and environmental protection problems in China s regional coordinated development in the new era were analyzed,and some suggestions for the next step were put forward.It is necessary to follow the"four ones"concept from the overall point of view,implement"three lines and one list"from the perspective of the width of the access red line,strengthen"joint prevention and control"from the perspective of the depth of regional regulation,deepen the"planning environmental impact assessment"from the perspective of the breadth of industrial distribution,and promote the"green-way model"from the perspective of ecological low carbon.展开更多
The management of livestock waste is an effective way to achieve emission reduction and carbon fixation in agriculture and rural areas.At present,aerobic composting and anaerobic fermentation are widely used in livest...The management of livestock waste is an effective way to achieve emission reduction and carbon fixation in agriculture and rural areas.At present,aerobic composting and anaerobic fermentation are widely used in livestock waste treatment technology.In this study,pig manure management was taken as an example,a comprehensive environmental load index was constructed to quantitatively evaluate the environmental impacts of global warming,environmental acidification,eutrophication,and photochemical ozone synthesis during aerobic composting and anaerobic fermentation based on the life cycle assessment.The results showed that the potential values of aerobic composting and anaerobic fermentation were similar,and the order was global warming,environmental acidification,eutrophication,and photochemical ozone synthesis.Anaerobic fermentation contributed more to global warming,while aerobic composting contributed more to environmental acidification,eutrophication,and photochemical ozone synthesis.In addition,the environmental load index of aerobic composting was significantly higher than that of anaerobic fermentation.There were certainly regional differences in the environmental load index,and the environmental impact effect of anaerobic fermentation was low and more environmentally friendly.These findings provided a technical basis for livestock manure management in different regions of China,which was conducive to promoting animal husbandry emission reduction and carbon sequestration.展开更多
In accordance with the canonical sources of the right of legal claim,the targets of judicial review,and the intensity of judicial review intervention policies,lawsuits that directly and indirectly activate the functio...In accordance with the canonical sources of the right of legal claim,the targets of judicial review,and the intensity of judicial review intervention policies,lawsuits that directly and indirectly activate the function of human rights protection amid climate risks can be divided into the following categories:climate change lawsuits based on international human rights law,climate change lawsuits based on the domestic constitution,and judicial review of administrative procedures.Due to the singularity of the legal status and force of international human rights law,its“direct applicability”and“explanatory applicability”limit its function in protecting human rights;Climate change lawsuits based on domestic constitutions have the identification of basic right of claim,the judgment of basic rights and function,and the scope of state obligations as the judgment process.Factors such as the difficulty in right typification caused by the integration of climate law and interests,the expansion of discretionary and administrative power in legislation under the context of risk prevention,and the functional boundary of the judicial system cause the dysfunction of the dichotomous review standard of positive rights and negative rights.Procedural rights represent an important dimension of climate-related human rights.With the standardization of administrative procedures on addressing climate risks,the courts are gradually reinforcing decision-making authorities’obligation of due diligence through judicial review of risk decision-making procedures,thus indirectly guaranteeing the realization of tangible human rights.展开更多
Assessment of the exposure dose for workers is crucial to protecting workers from the radiological risk.This preliminary study estimates the potential radiological exposure for a soil remediation worker at a nuclear d...Assessment of the exposure dose for workers is crucial to protecting workers from the radiological risk.This preliminary study estimates the potential radiological exposure for a soil remediation worker at a nuclear decommissioning site contaminated with Cs-137 in Korea,and then calculates the maximum workable soil concentration to comply with the occupational dose constraint of 20 mSv per year.The Korean characteristic data,detailed exposure scenarios for workers by the type of work,and relevant exposure pathways were used in the dose estimation.As a result,the most severe exposure-induced work type was identified as the excavator operation with an annual individual dose of 5.92×10^-5 mSv for a unit concentration of soil,from which the derived maximum workable soil concentration was 3.38×105 Bq/kg.Furthermore,dose contribution by each exposure pathway was found to be decreased in the following order:external radiation exposure,soil ingestion,dust inhalation,and skin contamination.The results of this study are expected to be used effectively to optimize radiation protection for workers and establish appropriate work procedures for future site remediation.展开更多
Based on the revised reduction models of the 14 low-carbon ICT solutions from Chongqing Mobile of the China Mobile Group,the CO2e emission reduction brought about by low-carbon ICTs of the wireless telecom sector of C...Based on the revised reduction models of the 14 low-carbon ICT solutions from Chongqing Mobile of the China Mobile Group,the CO2e emission reduction brought about by low-carbon ICTs of the wireless telecom sector of Chongqing Mobile,the entire China Mobile Group and the whole China in 2009 is calculated.And then the CO2e emission reduction potentials in 2010,2020 and 2030 are calculated in four main important fields of China,i.e.,intelligent transportation,dematerialization,smart work and smart appliances.The ICTs in the telecom sector are mostly dedicated to these fields.It provides a valuable insight into future reduction targets that should be set up for China.展开更多
Cetaceans are aquatic mammals living in an environment that is more suited for hearing than vision.As such,their sensory systems largely utilize acoustic cues for navigation,communication,foraging,and predator avoidan...Cetaceans are aquatic mammals living in an environment that is more suited for hearing than vision.As such,their sensory systems largely utilize acoustic cues for navigation,communication,foraging,and predator avoidance.However,the elevation of underwater sound levels from increased human activities has adversely affected cetaceans’use of sound to perform vital life functions.To address those impacts,scientific studies have been conducted to understand the behavioral,psychoacoustical,physiological,and physical responses by cetaceans that have been exposed to anthropogenic sound.These studies range from captive experiments involving auditory thresholds and noise-induced threshold shifts,to field observations of behavioral disturbance from sound exposure,to post-mortem examinations of physical manifestations in stranded animals.Over the years,results from these studies have assisted regulatory agencies in developing a series of criteria and thresholds for cetacean conservation and management around the world.This paper provides a high-level overview of worldwide research efforts that have been dedicated to understanding the effects of underwater sound on cetaceans.The review is not intended to be exhaustive but rather to capture major efforts and significant findings in this field.In addition,the review excludes synthesis studies and modeling exercises that do not involve direct research on target species.展开更多
Effective emission control of cooking oil fumes(COFs),particularly for grease particles,has always been a cause of great concern for catering industry.The review and evaluation of combinations of purification technolo...Effective emission control of cooking oil fumes(COFs),particularly for grease particles,has always been a cause of great concern for catering industry.The review and evaluation of combinations of purification technology are urgently required.This work presents a literature review and combination strategy evaluation of purification technology of grease particles of commercial kitchens.A variety of mainstream purification technologies,such as mechanical separation(M),filtration(F),washing absorption(W)and electrostatic deposition(E)are discussed.In order to establish a complete and efficient fume purification system for commercial kitchen,this study proposes the four-point principles of combined purification technologies as:(1)from easy to difficult(for grease particle diameter);(2)fire prevention and noise reduction;(3)electrostatic deposition postposition;(4)Absorption and dissolution(by-product from electrostatic).Based on the above principles and separation characteristics,the recommended combinations of purification strategies are M-E,F-E,M-F-E and M-E-F.The combination strategy of M-F-E is adopted as an example to evaluate and optimize COFs purification system use life cycle assessment approach.The results indicate that the optimization of the M-F-E purification system using rotating mesh plate instead of baffle filter can reduce the environmental impact of global warming and eutrophication by about 35%which reduces the emissions of CO_(2)and SO_(2)from 92.533 kg and 0.110 kg to 60.214 kg and 0.072 kg,respectively.Besides the review of relevant purification technologies,the study also proposes the combination of principles of purification technologies and the evaluation and optimization of life cycle assessment for the optimal design of combined purification system.展开更多
文摘Follow-up of environmental impacts is an integral part of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, closely related to the effectiveness of the instrument. EIA follow-up has been receiving a lot of interest from scientists and practitioners, though it is recognized as one of the weakest points of EIA systems globally. Also, EIA follow-up is influenced by the context, mainly in terms of the types of projects or activities and their related impacts on the environment. Therefore, the present paper is focused on the investigation of the follow-up stage applied to the activity of seismic survey coupled with offshore oil & gas exploitation in Brazil. Research was based on a qualitative approach that included document analysis and semi-structured interviews with analysts involved in EIA processes, and sought to generate evidence of effectiveness of the EIA follow-up as conducted by the Federal Environment Agency (Ibama) in order to situate the practice of follow-up in the broader context of international best practice principles. Based on the findings, it was concluded that, due to the peculiarities of offshore seismic survey, it is necessary to promote adaptations in the procedures for monitoring impacts in order to ensure proper alignment with the principles and conceptual foundations that guide EIA practice. Specifically, the timing of the execution of the activity imposes challenges for its integration into the “conventional” cycle that has guided the monitoring of the impacts in the EIA of projects.
文摘A good quality Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is key for the effectiveness of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processes and consequently to the acceptability of projects subject to EIA. The international literature has contributed to the understanding of the essential aspects to be verified regarding the quality of EIS, offering a wide spectrum of good practice examples related to the content of the studies. Even so, there is a need for empirical studies that allow the identification of specific aspects related to the context of application of the EIS, which could lead to the identification of opportunities to improve both the quality of the reports and also the effectiveness of EIA. Therefore, the present paper is focused on the quality review of a number of EIS submitted to the Brazilian Federal Environmental Agency (Ibama) to instruct the assessment of electric power transmission systems. Based on the application of the EIS quality review package as proposed by Lee and Colley (1992), the outcomes reveal opportunities for improving the scope of EIA, analysis of alternatives, prediction of magnitude and the assessment of impact significance. Finally, the development and/or adaptation of a similar tool for the systematic review of the quality of EIA reports is recommended.
文摘The paper discusses the importance of public engagement in environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and the benefits of stakeholder involvement in project design, environmental soundness, and social acceptability. It highlights the negative repercussions of mining activities in Ghana, including health consequences such as skin conditions, fever, coughs, diarrhea, malaria, and catarrh, as well as HIV/AIDS infection among those engaged in or connected to prostitution in mining towns. The environmental effects of mining in Ghana include noise pollution from heavy trucks, contamination of water bodies with chemicals from mineral refining, pollution of agricultural soils leading to reduced food productivity, and wildlife depletion from deforestation. The activities of small-scale miners, particularly those engaged in illicit mining, have a negative impact on water quality and increase the cost of water treatment for public consumption. Mining operations have detrimental effects on the social, cultural, and natural ecosystems in Ghana, affecting the quality of life of local communities. The study takes into consideration the impact of mining activities on the environment and natural resources in Ghana, as these are vital to the livelihoods of Ghanaian communities. Stakeholders in Tarkwa claim that mining operations have distorted the natural path of the river, leading to excessive pollution and making the water unfit for consumption. Ghana’s economy depends heavily on mining, which also contributes significantly to GDP and generates jobs for a large number of people. But mining also has a lot of negative repercussions, the effects of mining extend beyond the mineralized zone initially explored, highlighting the need to consider the environmental impact at every phase of the mining process.
文摘At present,the plan environmental impact assessment of power transmission and transformation grid is relatively mature. How to further improve the quality of plan environmental impact assessment of power grid during the "14^(th) Five-Year Plan" period is very important. In this paper,the plan environmental impact assessment of power grid in the Development Plan for Power Grid in Nanjing during the "13^(th) Five-Year Plan" Period is studied to further discuss the ideas,evaluation system and content framework of plan environmental impact assessment of power grid.
文摘Strategic Environmental Assessment is a frontier subject in the field of Environmental Impact Assessment. In the past two decades, especially in recent years, much more importance has been attached to Strategic Environmental Assessment. The Environmental Impact Assessment Law of the P.R. China which was promulgated provides a great opportunity for the development of Planning Environmental Impact Assessment and brings great challenges for the development of traditional Project Environmental Impact Assessment and Planning Environmental Impact Assessment at the same time. In order to promote the implementation of "The EIA Law", the inherent limitations of Project Environmental Impact Assessment must be identified sufficiently and the theory research and practice of Planning Environmental Impact Assessment should be strengthened as well. Measures should be taken currently to enforce the operation system. The authors wish to offer a few references to the progress and implementation of Planning Environmental Impact Assessment in China.
文摘Since 2015, a “reform storm” of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) opened up in China. This study tries to answer the question of whether these reforms improve the effectiveness of EIA. First, we elaborate on the reforms along with three well-acknowledged components, including EIA legislation, administration, and process. Then, evaluate the reformed EIA system against revised Ahmad and Wood’s criteria. The results demonstrate that the revised laws and regulations are more stringent than the old versions. The EIA process is simplified, and its coordination with the pollutant discharge permit system is promoted. The interim and post-event supervision is currently more robust and the penalties are more severe than before. However, the hierarchical position of the Environmental Protection Law is not high enough and the coordination of different government departments is still challenging. In summary, despite the problems occurring at the initial phase of reforms, the effectiveness of the EIA system has largely been improved.
文摘Baseline Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of mining projects in Sierra Leone creates a challenging environment for data collection and impact prediction. Application of geographic information systems provides suitable spatial analysis data collection methods to reduce the challenges created by mining environments. This research develops a baseline spatial geodatabase template for evaluating potential and predicted environmental impacts assessment of mining projects in Sierra Leone. It is observed that spatial analysis of impacts of mining projects on the environmental attributes, especially air, noise, water, land, and socio-economy in mining areas is largely unexplored in Sierra Leone. The literature review revealed that no complete GIS spatial data geodatabase collection template appears to have been developed to date to provide an integrated sustainable spatial analysis and modelling tool for EIA and environmental management of mining in Sierra Leone. Therefore developing a Geographic Information Systems baseline geodatabase template for the evaluation of potential and predicted environmental impact for sustainable environmental impact assessment of mining in Sierra Leone will: 1) provide support to the data acquisition process of environmental impact assessment, 2) offer a concept for developing analysis methods for environmental management of mining, 3) minimize the undesired environmental impacts of mining, and 4) give an optimal proposal for data collection and analysis of mining industry in attaining sustainable development in Sierra Leone. Due to the limited available data, a conceptual GIS database template has been developed rather than a database case study of a mining site. No site investigation and data collection were undertaken. The geospatial database template was designed using ArcCatalog, ArcGIS 10.7.1. software, through the following steps: exploration of the general data requirement of environmental impact assessment studies of mining, the definition of the general baseline datasets requirement of environmental impact assessment in mining, structuring of the environmental impact assessment baseline spatial geodatabase, creating the geographic geodatabase dictionary, selecting, matching geographic data with geodatabase structure, designing the feature class and attributes, creating the baseline GIS geodatabase template. The GIS spatial geodatabase template has several advantages for environmental impact assessment of mining including avoiding data redundancy, integrating data into a single database, creating uniformity in data collection, easy to find and track data, integrated spatial and non-spatial data, and reducing the volume of data.
文摘Wetland plays an extremely important role in economy and ecological environment,and the construction of constructed wetland also has a certain impact on the environment.Via the evaluation on environmental status of constructed wetland,the main environmental problems are found out,and the impact of construction of constructed wetland project on local water environment and ecological environment is analyzed,and evaluation conclusion is obtained.
文摘Environmental Impact Assessment Studies (EIA) for four developmental projects were chosen for this study viz-a-viz., oil and gas, river diversion, hydropower and gold mining. The EIA studies for these activities have been conducted in three different ecological regions: the flood region in the former southern Sudan, low rainfall Savannah and desert region. Trees, shrubs and herbaceous species were identified and recorded in each region. Species encountered for the first time, endangered, invasive and increasers were also reported. The EIA studies have produced lists of natural flora in areas which were difficult to access without the EIA missions. During the EIA study for Jonglei Canal project the new mono specific genus Suddia sagitifolia was discovered in the flood region as the only endemic aquatic plant in Sudan. Within the same region, the smallest floating plant in Sudan (Wollfia hyaline) was reported. The critically endangered “Argon Palm” (Medemia argun) was encountered in the Nubian Desert of the Red Sea State during a gold mining EIA study. The Seha (Belpharis persica), not reported to exist in desert conditions, has been found in the Great Desert west of the Nile during an EIA study for Kajbar Hydropower project. The paper calls for the publication of the above findings and highlights the need for further detailed studies in order to enhance knowledge of the Sudanese biodiversity status.
文摘Generally,plastics pose a variety of environmental impacts due to their increased use and non-biodegradability.End-of-life treatment is a viable way of recovering energy from plastics while at the same time reducing the amount of plastics disposed of in landfills.This paper studies the environmental impact of Non-Recycled Plastics(NRP)-to-energy processes.Three waste treatment processes were considered for NRP:pyrolysis,waste-to-energy(WtE),and landfill.The environmental impact assessment results indicated that conversion technologies such as pyrolysis and WtE are preferred over landfill.The total energy consumed in the pyrolysis process was 24635.7 MJ/tonne.The conversion technologies have a lower environmental impact and produced net positive energy from NRP.The global warming potential shows that pyrolysis(3.91 kg eq.CO_(2))contributes the least to global warming than waste-to-energy(18.56 kg eq.CO_(2))and landfill(17.5 kg eq.CO_(2)).However,sensitivity analysis suggested that the inefficiencies of the current conversion technologies should be addressed.Between the two technologies studied,pyrolysis contributed less environmental burden,having a lower global warming potential,a higher efficiency in energy conversion,and less harmful emissions such as selenium and methane.
文摘Environmental impact assessment(EIA)system has been established in China since 1973.In present EIA cases,there are four participants in general:governments,enterprises,EIA organizations and the public.The public has held responsible for both social costs and social duties.The public supervises social costs produced by enterprises discharging pollutant in EIA.However public participation is mostly deputized by governments,which severely weaken the independence of the public as one participant in EIA.In this paper,EIA refers to the different attitudes of the par-ticipants whose optional strategies may be described by a proper game model.According to disfigurements in EIA,three sides(governments,enterprises,and EIA organizations)dynamic iterative game theory of many phases is established referring to iterative game theory,dynamic game theory of incomplete information,and perfect Bayesian equilibrium theory to analyze the reciprocity relation among governments,EIA organizations and enterprises.The results show that in a short period,economic benefit is preponderant over social benefit.Governments and enterprises both do not want to take EIA to reveal social costs.EIA organizations’income comes from enterprises and the collusions are built between them to vindicate economic benefit.In a long run,social benefit loss caused by environmental pollution must be recuperated sooner or later and environmental deterioration will influence the achievements of economic benefit,so both governments and enterprises are certain to pursue high social benefit and willing to take EIA,helpful to increase private benefit.EIA organizations will make fair assessment when their economic benefit are ensured.At present,the public as silent victims can not take actual part in EIA.The EIA system must be improved to break the present equilibrium of three sides,bringing the public to the equilibrium to exert public supervision.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(No.2017YFC0703007)the Chinese MIIT Special Research Plan on Civil Aircraft(No.MJ-2015-H-G-103)+1 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52008137)the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(Nos.2019TQ0079 and 2019M661288)。
文摘The non-metallic lightning strike protection film covering carbon fiber reinforced polymers(NM-LSP covering CFRP)can reduce the weight and thus the fuel consumption of aircraft by replacing the traditional lightning strike protection(LSP)materials.In the present study,in order to study the environmental influence of utilizing NM-LSP covering CFRP in an aircraft elevator,a new elevator was designed and manufactured,replacing the aluminium net and glass fiber reinforced polymers(GFRP)with NM-LSP covering CFRP,with the same mechanical and LSP abilities.A comparative life cycle assessment was conducted between the two kinds of aircraft elevators,including material extraction,transportation,elevator manufacturing phase,service phase,and end-of-life procedures.Additionally,the environmental impacts of producing two LSP materials were compared by considering the environmental effects of different buy-to-fly ratios and recycling strategies on the production of aluminium net.The analysis indicates that the new elevator achieved reduction for all the environmental impact categories used,such as human toxicity potential and marine aquatic ecotoxicity potential(3.83%and 3.20%reduction).Furthermore,it is found that the service phase makes the greatest contribution to the environmental impact of the elevators under investigation.When recycling is excluded,NM-LSP covering CFRP is more environmentally friendly than the traditional material.At the same time,CFRP prepreg and electricity from the production of NM-LSP covering CFRP contribute to a higher environmental impact compared to the NM-LSP film.From the sensitivity analysis,it is believed that NM-LSP covering CFRP can reduce environmental impact compared with traditional LSP materials.
基金Supported by Special Project for Prevention and Control of Air Pollution from Fixed Sources of Ministry of Ecology and Environment,China(2020A060).
文摘Starting from the historical evolution of China s regional coordinated development policy and practice,three stages of"enlightenment stage","development stage"and"maturity stage",as well as the connotation,characteristics and content of implementing regional coordinated development strategy were analyzed.On this basis,from different aspects of industrial distribution,pollutant characteristics and regional environmental protection policy,the existing ecological and environmental protection problems in China s regional coordinated development in the new era were analyzed,and some suggestions for the next step were put forward.It is necessary to follow the"four ones"concept from the overall point of view,implement"three lines and one list"from the perspective of the width of the access red line,strengthen"joint prevention and control"from the perspective of the depth of regional regulation,deepen the"planning environmental impact assessment"from the perspective of the breadth of industrial distribution,and promote the"green-way model"from the perspective of ecological low carbon.
基金This work was financially supported by the Public Welfare Industry(Agriculture)Research Funding Project(Grant No.201303091).
文摘The management of livestock waste is an effective way to achieve emission reduction and carbon fixation in agriculture and rural areas.At present,aerobic composting and anaerobic fermentation are widely used in livestock waste treatment technology.In this study,pig manure management was taken as an example,a comprehensive environmental load index was constructed to quantitatively evaluate the environmental impacts of global warming,environmental acidification,eutrophication,and photochemical ozone synthesis during aerobic composting and anaerobic fermentation based on the life cycle assessment.The results showed that the potential values of aerobic composting and anaerobic fermentation were similar,and the order was global warming,environmental acidification,eutrophication,and photochemical ozone synthesis.Anaerobic fermentation contributed more to global warming,while aerobic composting contributed more to environmental acidification,eutrophication,and photochemical ozone synthesis.In addition,the environmental load index of aerobic composting was significantly higher than that of anaerobic fermentation.There were certainly regional differences in the environmental load index,and the environmental impact effect of anaerobic fermentation was low and more environmentally friendly.These findings provided a technical basis for livestock manure management in different regions of China,which was conducive to promoting animal husbandry emission reduction and carbon sequestration.
文摘In accordance with the canonical sources of the right of legal claim,the targets of judicial review,and the intensity of judicial review intervention policies,lawsuits that directly and indirectly activate the function of human rights protection amid climate risks can be divided into the following categories:climate change lawsuits based on international human rights law,climate change lawsuits based on the domestic constitution,and judicial review of administrative procedures.Due to the singularity of the legal status and force of international human rights law,its“direct applicability”and“explanatory applicability”limit its function in protecting human rights;Climate change lawsuits based on domestic constitutions have the identification of basic right of claim,the judgment of basic rights and function,and the scope of state obligations as the judgment process.Factors such as the difficulty in right typification caused by the integration of climate law and interests,the expansion of discretionary and administrative power in legislation under the context of risk prevention,and the functional boundary of the judicial system cause the dysfunction of the dichotomous review standard of positive rights and negative rights.Procedural rights represent an important dimension of climate-related human rights.With the standardization of administrative procedures on addressing climate risks,the courts are gradually reinforcing decision-making authorities’obligation of due diligence through judicial review of risk decision-making procedures,thus indirectly guaranteeing the realization of tangible human rights.
基金This study was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF)grant funded by the Korean government(No.NRF-2017-M2A8A4015252)it has been conducted as a part of the project of emergency preparedness for nuclear research facilities in Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute(KAERI).
文摘Assessment of the exposure dose for workers is crucial to protecting workers from the radiological risk.This preliminary study estimates the potential radiological exposure for a soil remediation worker at a nuclear decommissioning site contaminated with Cs-137 in Korea,and then calculates the maximum workable soil concentration to comply with the occupational dose constraint of 20 mSv per year.The Korean characteristic data,detailed exposure scenarios for workers by the type of work,and relevant exposure pathways were used in the dose estimation.As a result,the most severe exposure-induced work type was identified as the excavator operation with an annual individual dose of 5.92×10^-5 mSv for a unit concentration of soil,from which the derived maximum workable soil concentration was 3.38×105 Bq/kg.Furthermore,dose contribution by each exposure pathway was found to be decreased in the following order:external radiation exposure,soil ingestion,dust inhalation,and skin contamination.The results of this study are expected to be used effectively to optimize radiation protection for workers and establish appropriate work procedures for future site remediation.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 71001010Fundamental Research Funds for Central Universities under Grant No.2009RC1001
文摘Based on the revised reduction models of the 14 low-carbon ICT solutions from Chongqing Mobile of the China Mobile Group,the CO2e emission reduction brought about by low-carbon ICTs of the wireless telecom sector of Chongqing Mobile,the entire China Mobile Group and the whole China in 2009 is calculated.And then the CO2e emission reduction potentials in 2010,2020 and 2030 are calculated in four main important fields of China,i.e.,intelligent transportation,dematerialization,smart work and smart appliances.The ICTs in the telecom sector are mostly dedicated to these fields.It provides a valuable insight into future reduction targets that should be set up for China.
文摘Cetaceans are aquatic mammals living in an environment that is more suited for hearing than vision.As such,their sensory systems largely utilize acoustic cues for navigation,communication,foraging,and predator avoidance.However,the elevation of underwater sound levels from increased human activities has adversely affected cetaceans’use of sound to perform vital life functions.To address those impacts,scientific studies have been conducted to understand the behavioral,psychoacoustical,physiological,and physical responses by cetaceans that have been exposed to anthropogenic sound.These studies range from captive experiments involving auditory thresholds and noise-induced threshold shifts,to field observations of behavioral disturbance from sound exposure,to post-mortem examinations of physical manifestations in stranded animals.Over the years,results from these studies have assisted regulatory agencies in developing a series of criteria and thresholds for cetacean conservation and management around the world.This paper provides a high-level overview of worldwide research efforts that have been dedicated to understanding the effects of underwater sound on cetaceans.The review is not intended to be exhaustive but rather to capture major efforts and significant findings in this field.In addition,the review excludes synthesis studies and modeling exercises that do not involve direct research on target species.
基金This research was financially supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(No.2017YFC0211500).
文摘Effective emission control of cooking oil fumes(COFs),particularly for grease particles,has always been a cause of great concern for catering industry.The review and evaluation of combinations of purification technology are urgently required.This work presents a literature review and combination strategy evaluation of purification technology of grease particles of commercial kitchens.A variety of mainstream purification technologies,such as mechanical separation(M),filtration(F),washing absorption(W)and electrostatic deposition(E)are discussed.In order to establish a complete and efficient fume purification system for commercial kitchen,this study proposes the four-point principles of combined purification technologies as:(1)from easy to difficult(for grease particle diameter);(2)fire prevention and noise reduction;(3)electrostatic deposition postposition;(4)Absorption and dissolution(by-product from electrostatic).Based on the above principles and separation characteristics,the recommended combinations of purification strategies are M-E,F-E,M-F-E and M-E-F.The combination strategy of M-F-E is adopted as an example to evaluate and optimize COFs purification system use life cycle assessment approach.The results indicate that the optimization of the M-F-E purification system using rotating mesh plate instead of baffle filter can reduce the environmental impact of global warming and eutrophication by about 35%which reduces the emissions of CO_(2)and SO_(2)from 92.533 kg and 0.110 kg to 60.214 kg and 0.072 kg,respectively.Besides the review of relevant purification technologies,the study also proposes the combination of principles of purification technologies and the evaluation and optimization of life cycle assessment for the optimal design of combined purification system.
