Land use transformations in Sonipat District,Haryana,driven by urbanization,industrialization,and land acquisitions,have posed significant ecological and socio-economic challenges,particularly concerning food security...Land use transformations in Sonipat District,Haryana,driven by urbanization,industrialization,and land acquisitions,have posed significant ecological and socio-economic challenges,particularly concerning food security.This study investigates the interplay between these land use changes and their environmental implications at macro(district)and micro(village)levels,focusing on agricultural productivity and resource sustainability.The study employs a mixed-method approach,integrating secondary data from official datasets and primary data gathered through structured household surveys,focus group discussions,and visual analysis techniques.Data from 20 villages,selected based on predominant land use characteristics,were analysed using statistical and geospatial tools,including ArcGIS and STATA,to quantify food grain losses and evaluate environmental degradation.Findings of this study reveal a 19%reduction in agricultural land over two decades(2000-2024),correlating with increased residential and industrial areas.Groundwater resources face severe overexploitation,with pollution from industrial clusters further degrading water and soil quality.The study estimates a total food grain loss of 1.5 million kilograms across surveyed villages due to land acquisitions.A strong positive correlation(R^(2)=0.98)between land acquisition and food loss underscores the direct impact of urbanization on agricultural output.The research underscores the urgency of sustainable land management practices,including preserving agricultural lands,optimizing groundwater usage,and enhancing community involvement in planning.By addressing these challenges,the study advocates for balanced urban expansion and food security to ensure ecological and economic resilience in the region.展开更多
During times of war, it is rare to find a government willing and able to require the military to fund and support environmental impact studies. In the 1960s, many United States scientists expressed concerns about the ...During times of war, it is rare to find a government willing and able to require the military to fund and support environmental impact studies. In the 1960s, many United States scientists expressed concerns about the use of herbicides during the Vietnam War. This protest was led by Dr. Arthur Galston and eventually included scientists with the National Academy of Science. By 1970, the Department of Defense (DoD) was ordered to permit the scientists to visit South Vietnam during the war to document these impacts. In all 1500 scientist days were spent in South Vietnam. In addition, the US government and military funded research studies on the impact of herbicides on animals. The goal of military use of herbicides, as chemical weapons, was to defoliate jungle forests and destroy food crops as a strategy to win battles and the war. The primary objective of this research study is to describe how it is possible for a country to fund and carry out scientific studies during the conduct of a war rather than decades later. The environmental impact study findings often lack boots on the ground validation and can be inaccurate or misleading in some situations. The United States (US) and other countries, including Russia and Ukraine, need to learn the historical lessons from the US use of herbicides, containing dioxin TCDD and/or arsenic (As), as chemical weapons during the Vietnam War.展开更多
The well-facilitated farmland projects(WFFPs)involve the typical sustainable intensification of farmland use and play a key role in raising food production in China.However,whether such WFFPs can enhance the nitrogen(...The well-facilitated farmland projects(WFFPs)involve the typical sustainable intensification of farmland use and play a key role in raising food production in China.However,whether such WFFPs can enhance the nitrogen(N)use efficiency and reduce environmental impacts is still unclear.Here,we examined the data from 502 valid questionnaires collected from WFFPs in the major grain-producing area,the Huang-Huai-Hai Region(HHHR)in China,with 429 samples for wheat,328 for maize,and 122 for rice.We identified gaps in N use efficiency(NUE)and N losses from the production of the three crops between the sampled WFFPs and counties based on the statistical data.The results showed that compared to the county-level(wheat,39.1%;maize,33.8%;rice,35.1%),the NUEs for wheat(55.2%),maize(52.1%),and rice(50.2%)in the WFFPs were significantly improved(P<0.05).In addition,the intensities of ammonia(NH3)volatilization(9.9-12.2 kg N ha–1),N leaching(6.5-16.9 kg N ha–1),and nitrous oxide(N2O)emissions(1.2-1.6 kg N ha–1)from crop production in the sampled WFFPs were significantly lower than the county averages(P<0.05).Simulations showed that if the N rates are reduced by 10.0,15.0,and 20.0%for the counties,the NUEs of wheat,maize,and rice in the HHHR will increase by 2.9-6.3,2.4-5.2,and 2.6-5.7%,respectively.If the N rate is reduced to the WFFP level in each county,the NUEs of the three crops will increase by 12.9-19.5%,and the N leaching,NH3,and N2O emissions will be reduced by 48.9-56.2,37.4-42.9,and 46.0-66.5%,respectively.Our findings highlight that efficient N management practices in sustainable intensive farmland have considerable potential for reducing environmental impacts.展开更多
The NdFeB scrap,as a representative solid waste of rare earths,possesses significant recyclable value.This study focused on NdFeB waste and investigated the environmental impacts of pyro-and hydro-metallurgical proces...The NdFeB scrap,as a representative solid waste of rare earths,possesses significant recyclable value.This study focused on NdFeB waste and investigated the environmental impacts of pyro-and hydro-metallurgical process(PH-M process)and its improved version,the pyro-and hydro-metallurgical improvement process(PH-Mi process).The results demonstrate that,although the PH-Mi process consumes higher amounts of energy,electricity,and chemicals compared to the PH-M process,it is more environmentally friendly and economically efficient(i.e.,net profit increased by 34.12%).To quantify and compare the environmental performance of the two scenarios,life cycle assessment methodology was applied.It is concluded that the PH-Mi process is superior to the PH-M process for eutrophication potential(EP)and the total environmental impacts.In comparison with PH-Mi process,PH-M process exhibits a certain advantage in terms of carbon footprint due to increased consumption of electricity and chemicals after the technological upgrade.展开更多
[Objective] The paper was to study the dynamic changes of nitrogen in saline-alkaline paddy field and its potential environment impacts. [Method] With typical sodic saline-alkaline paddy fields of Songnen Plain as stu...[Objective] The paper was to study the dynamic changes of nitrogen in saline-alkaline paddy field and its potential environment impacts. [Method] With typical sodic saline-alkaline paddy fields of Songnen Plain as study object,field test method was used to explore the dynamic changes was strong alkof nitrogen in paddy field of the region and its potential impact on environment. [Result] The soil in test regionaline with high CEC and C/N ratios,as well as poor preserving capacity of fertilizer. During the two-year field experiment,the indicators of salinization fluctuated. Initially,the concentrations of total nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen reached their maximum values,then decreased over time as a result of heavy rain. The maximum of nitrate concentration appeared later than those of total nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen. Ammonia volatilization accounted for 18.9%-28.8% of the nitrogen loss. The total nitrogen concentration in surface water was higher than the national Class Ⅲ surface water environmental quality standard. The concentration of ammonia from the recession flow of agricultural field was considerably high,which would potentially threaten the fishery in the downstream of Chagan Lake. [Conclusion] The study provided theoretical basis for saline-alkaline soil management and conservation of water and fishery resources.展开更多
Interbasin water-transfer schemes provide an engineering solution for reconciling the conflict between water demand and availability.In the context of climate change,which brings great uncertainties to water resource ...Interbasin water-transfer schemes provide an engineering solution for reconciling the conflict between water demand and availability.In the context of climate change,which brings great uncertainties to water resource distribution,interbasin water transfer plays an increasingly important role in the global water–food–energy nexus.However,the transfer of water resources simultaneously changes the hydrological regime and the characteristics of local water bodies,affecting biotic communities accordingly.Compared with high economic and technical inputs water-transfer projects require,the environmental and ecological implications of water-transfer schemes have been inadequately addressed.This work selects the largest water-transfer project in China,the South-to-North Water Diversion(SNWD)Project,to critically review its eco-environmental impacts on donor and recipient basins,as well as on regions along the diversion route.The two operated routes of the SNWD Project represent two typical water diversion approaches:The Middle Route uses an excavated canal,while the East Route connects existent river channels.An overview of the eco-environmental implications of these two routes is valuable for the design and optimization of future water-transfer megaprojects.展开更多
To investigate the environmental impacts of steel deck pavement through the whole life cycle,the steel deck pavement was divided into five stages:raw materials production,asphalt mixture mixing,pavement construction,o...To investigate the environmental impacts of steel deck pavement through the whole life cycle,the steel deck pavement was divided into five stages:raw materials production,asphalt mixture mixing,pavement construction,operation management,and pavement removing stage.Based on the process-based life cycle assessment(PLCA)method,the calculation methods of energy consumption and gas emissions of two typical steel deck pavement systems(EA+EA pavement and GA+SMA pavement)were determined.The data lists of two pavements were analyzed,and the calculation model was built.Four characteristic indices including primary energy demand(PED),global warming potential(GWP),acidification potential(AP)and respiratory inorganics(RI)were used to quantify the environmental impacts of two pavements.The results show that the environmental impact of the GA+SMA pavement is more than 1.3 times that of the EA+EA pavement.Moreover,the critical stage of energy-saving and emission-reduction of EA+EA pavement and GA+SMA pavement are the raw material production stage and asphalt mixture mixing stage,respectively.展开更多
The gastrointestinal tract(GIT)health impacts animal productivity.The poultry microbiome has functions which range from protection against pathogens and nutrients production,to host immune system maturation.Fluctuatio...The gastrointestinal tract(GIT)health impacts animal productivity.The poultry microbiome has functions which range from protection against pathogens and nutrients production,to host immune system maturation.Fluctuations in the microbiome have also been linked to prevailing environmental conditions.Healthy poultry birds possess a natural resistance to infection.However,the exploration of environmental impacts and other relevant factors on poultry growth and health have been underplayed.Since good performance and growth rate are central to animal production,the host-microbiome relationship remains integral.Prior to the emergence of metagenomic techniques,conventional methods for poultry microbiome studies were used and were low-throughput and associated with insufficient genomic data and high cost of sequencing.Fortunately,the advent of high-throughput sequencing platforms have circumvented some of these shortfalls and paved the way for increased studies on the poultry gut microbiome diversity and functions.Here,we give an up-to-date review on the impact of varied environments on microbiome profile,as well as microbiome engineering and microbiome technology advancements.It is hoped that this paper will provide invaluable information that could guide and inspire further studies on the lingering pertinent questions about the poultry microbiome.展开更多
Large-scale incinerators are applied widely as a result of the heavy burden of municipal solid waste（MSW） generated, while strong opposition is arising from the public living nearby. A large-scale working incinerati...Large-scale incinerators are applied widely as a result of the heavy burden of municipal solid waste（MSW） generated, while strong opposition is arising from the public living nearby. A large-scale working incineration plant of 1500 ton/day was chosen for evaluation using life cycle assessment. It was found that the corresponding human toxicity impacts via soil（HTs）, human toxicity impacts via water（HTw） and human toxicity impacts via air（HTa）categories are 0.213, 2.171, and 0.012 personal equivalents（PE）, and global warming（GW100）and nutrient enrichment（NE） impacts are 0.002 and 0.001 PE per ton of waste burned for this plant. Heavy metals in flue gas, such as Hg and Pb, are the two dominant contributors to the toxicity impact categories, and energy recovery could reduce the GW100 and NE greatly. The corresponding HTs, HTw and HTa decrease to 0.087, 0.911 and 0.008 PE, and GW100 turns into savings of- 0.007 PE due to the increase of the heating value from 3935 to5811 k J/kg, if a trommel screener of 40 mm mesh size is used to pre-separate MSW. MSW sorting and the reduction of water content by physical pressure might be two promising pre-treatment methods to improve the combustion performance, and the application of stricter standards for leachate discharge and the flue gas purification process are two critical factors for improvement of the environmental profile identified in this work.展开更多
The influences of coal mining in an arid environment on vegetation coverage, land-use change, desertification, soil and water loss were discussed. A series of available TM/ETM＋ images with no cloud cover from July/Au...The influences of coal mining in an arid environment on vegetation coverage, land-use change, desertification, soil and water loss were discussed. A series of available TM/ETM＋ images with no cloud cover from July/August in different years （1990, 1995, 2000 and 2005） were used to analyze the change in various land environmental factors over time. The results show that while mining activity initially had a marked adverse impact on the environment, mine rehabilitation measures have also subsequently played a great role in improving vegetation cover and controlling land desertification and loss of water and soil. The effect of coal mining on vegetation cover is dependent upon the soil type and natural indigenous flora. Results of this investigation imply that mining activity has a greater effect on the vegetation of loess areas than at sandy sites. Although local vegetation coverage was improved by planting in the mining area, the total area of land affected by desertification still in- creased from 26.81% in 1990 when large-scale mine construction was introduced, to 46.79% in 1995. With continuous efforts at rehabilitation, the vegetation cover in the Shendong coal mining area was increasing, and loss of water and soil were effec- tively controlled since 1995. Subsequently, the total area of extreme desertification decreased to 23.24% in 2000 and further to 18.68% in 2005. The total area affected by severe loss of water and soil also decreased since the early 1990＇s （70.61% in 1990, 71.43% in 1995）, to 43.64% in 2000 and 34.93% in 2005, respectively.展开更多
By the application of life cycle assessment(LCA) methodology, this paper estimates the environmental impacts of production and disposal of traction motors used in electric vehicles in China. The results show that the ...By the application of life cycle assessment(LCA) methodology, this paper estimates the environmental impacts of production and disposal of traction motors used in electric vehicles in China. The results show that the total energy use, the criteria emissions and the greenhouse gases(GHG) emissions of a traction motor production and disposal are about 2,899,MJ, 4.5,kg and 259.5,kg per motor, respectively. Among the regulated emissions, the SOxemission ranks first by total mass, followed by CO, PM10, NOx, PM2.5, and volatile organic compound(VOC). The motor material production stage accounts for most of the energy consumption and emissions, followed by the assembly stage and the end-of-life disposal stage. In this study, the environmental performance analysis is extended to the comparison between the use of secondary material and primary material for the material production stage. It is found that using 100% secondary material results in a 52.9% reduction in energy consumption, a 49.8% reduction in regulated emissions, and a 49.3% reduction in GHG emissions compared with the use of 100% primary material.展开更多
The complexity of the actual operating environment of EMU trains and the interaction between the reliability of system components have become a huge challenge for the maintenance scheduling of EMU trains. In response ...The complexity of the actual operating environment of EMU trains and the interaction between the reliability of system components have become a huge challenge for the maintenance scheduling of EMU trains. In response to these problems, the evolution of reliability and failure rate under the influence of environmental factors, failure correlations and economy correlations is analyzed. We assume bogie systems form the EMU train in series. The failure correlation matrix of the bogie systems is modeled. With the lowest total maintenance cost as the optimization objective, a decision-making model for EMU train maintenance is established. A dynamic maintenance strategy is proposed for the model, which can improve maintenance plans efficiently. Artificial bee colony algorithm is applied to further iteratively optimize the threshold parameters in the strategy. The results are calculated and verified by a numerical example. The results show the effectiveness of the maintenance decision model. The dynamic maintenance strategy in this paper is compared with the traditional opportunistic maintenance strategy. The proposed maintenance strategy outperforms the traditional opportunistic maintenance strategy in the numerical example.展开更多
Assessment system of implicit environmental impacts was established including environmental impact indicator, resources consumption indicator and energy consumption indicator. The quantification of environmental impac...Assessment system of implicit environmental impacts was established including environmental impact indicator, resources consumption indicator and energy consumption indicator. The quantification of environmental impact indicators is based on the life cycle assessment system of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry （SETAC） and the evaluation software BEES. Normalization reference values and weights of 12 categories of environmental impacts were identified, and the environmental impact indicators in the phases of raw material extraction, transportation, manufacturing, use and end of life were analyzed. By analyzing the environmental performance of a university refectory as a case study, it is demonstrated that human health, global wanning and acidification are the first three environmental impacts in 12 categories. The total implicit environmental impact load per square meter of this project is 18.448 × 10 ^-2 standard human equivalent weight. Moreover, 97.3% of total environmental impacts occur in the phase of raw material extraction.展开更多
Abstract The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus Outbreak 2019 (COVID-19) has caused worldwide concern and has affected all aspects of human life. The study objective is to assess and evaluate the direct and...Abstract The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus Outbreak 2019 (COVID-19) has caused worldwide concern and has affected all aspects of human life. The study objective is to assess and evaluate the direct and indirect positive and negative environmental effects of COVID-19 in urban areas. Collected data for Iran as a case study is presented, comprehensively completing the dynamic effect of COVID-19 on the environment. The analysis results indicate that despite the temporarily positive effects of coronavirus on the environment, such as improvement in air quality (15% - 20% reduction of NO2 in Tehran), environmental noise reduction, cleaner beach and coastal areas due to implementing lockdowns, there are negative short- and long-term effects such as excessive water consumption (10% - 40% increase in Iranian cities), reduce in waste recycling and significant increase in both residential and medical solid waste generation (10% - 77% increase in medical waste generation and 10% - 50% increase residential waste generation in Iranian cities), which leads to pollution or/and degradation of the environment (air, water and land). Moreover, with the global economic relaunching relaunch in most countries in the coming months, it could result in adverse effects such as increase in the greenhouse gas emissions. Assessment of environmental impacts, type and scale, could help for better planning and mitigation of the future pandemics.展开更多
An extensive review and analysis of the available global energy sources data and information from 38 countries including Pakistan, and their impacts （socio-economic, environmental, and health） shows that one of the ...An extensive review and analysis of the available global energy sources data and information from 38 countries including Pakistan, and their impacts （socio-economic, environmental, and health） shows that one of the most sustainable and environment friendly energy options （especially considering rural areas） is renewable energy （solar and wind）, while other options （in descending order） are hydro, nuclear and coal. The use of ＂oil and gas＂ as energy option is not cost effective due to its serious environmental, health and financial implications. The cost of producing 1 KWh of energy from oil and gas in Pakistan is around Rs. 20 （U.S. $ 0.19）, while the same costs for hydro power and coal are 1/10th and ~nd respectively. Appropriate and suitable energy options are proposed in view of the current energy situation, available natural resources （water, coal, wind and sun）, serious energy conservation efforts and efficient usage of available energy.展开更多
This research study was conducted to review the environmental and social impact of mini hydropower plants （run-of-the-river type） by selecting Denawaka Ganga mini hydropower plant, which is located in Ratnapura dist...This research study was conducted to review the environmental and social impact of mini hydropower plants （run-of-the-river type） by selecting Denawaka Ganga mini hydropower plant, which is located in Ratnapura district, Sri Lanka. Field visits and discussions among the authors, authorities and the residents were carried out. Then, the environmental and social impacts were scientifically analysed using regulation degree （RD） and environmental impact value （EIV） scores. It was found out that the Denawaka Ganga mini hydropower plant has induced some environmental concerns; however, significant positive social impact to the society. This is in addition to the green energy generation. Therefore, it can be concluded herein that the Denawaka Ganga mini hydropower is an asset to the country, Sri Lanka.展开更多
The contemporary demands of the forestry exploitation for quantitative and qualitative increase of timber production are directly related with the mechanization of the wood skidding works. In Greece, the suitable mach...The contemporary demands of the forestry exploitation for quantitative and qualitative increase of timber production are directly related with the mechanization of the wood skidding works. In Greece, the suitable machinery for wood skidding are those with low amortization, operation and installation expenses, are flexible, and may also be used for other farming works （since they are not used very often for wood skidding） and cause the smaller damages to the wood, the forest, the soil and the environment in general. In this paper, it studies the environmental impacts in the remaining stand as much as during the pre-skidding as well as during the main wood skidding with tractor in the forest of Arnaia, Prefecture of Halkidiki, in order to draw out useful conclusions for the improvement of the machinery application methods and the protection of the environment.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
Irrigation is an agricultural practice adopted in Rwanda to fight against poverty by increasing agricultural production as a big sector which occupies a central place in the economy of the country. Once irrigation pro...Irrigation is an agricultural practice adopted in Rwanda to fight against poverty by increasing agricultural production as a big sector which occupies a central place in the economy of the country. Once irrigation project is made without taking into account the environmental impacts that may occur, it may fail before the design period or may persist with the excessive generated negative impacts exceeding the targeted objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate environmental impacts of an already implemented irrigation project in Kanyonyomba swamp located in Gatsibo District of Eastern Province of Rwanda in order to quantify the benefits and to increase agricultural production by mitigating negative impacts generated by this project. The Kanyonyomba earth dam has been constructed on Kanyonyomba River in Gatsibo District with a length, a spillway crest width and a reservoir height of 210 m, 4 m and 8.5 m respectively. The site observations on land, the interviews analysis and water and soil laboratory tests were conducted to assess various environmental impacts. The analysis of the results reveals the presence of positive impacts including increased agricultural space and agricultural production through the introduction of rice cultivation in this medium. However, this project has led to multiple adverse effects in the hosting environment impacts that need to be mitigated including the increased incidence of diseases in the surrounding population and accidents resulting from an increased exposure of people to the dam reservoir. Moderation of soil acidity, the use of the dam reservoir as a water supply source, the provision of boots and gloves to protect farmers from being contaminated by water living microorganisms and the development of impacts monitoring plan are among the proposed measures in order to mitigate these environmental impacts.展开更多
The land disturbance and its ecological impacts are the most significant one in the environmental problems which arise from increase of coal mining,processing and utilization. And the environmental impact assessment a...The land disturbance and its ecological impacts are the most significant one in the environmental problems which arise from increase of coal mining,processing and utilization. And the environmental impact assessment as one of the most powerful planning tools has been playing a good part in the environment protection in China. This paper ,based on EIA experience, discribes the methods of identification, prediction and analysis of the impacts of mining subsidence,the operational procedures and mitigating measures likely to take.展开更多
文摘Land use transformations in Sonipat District,Haryana,driven by urbanization,industrialization,and land acquisitions,have posed significant ecological and socio-economic challenges,particularly concerning food security.This study investigates the interplay between these land use changes and their environmental implications at macro(district)and micro(village)levels,focusing on agricultural productivity and resource sustainability.The study employs a mixed-method approach,integrating secondary data from official datasets and primary data gathered through structured household surveys,focus group discussions,and visual analysis techniques.Data from 20 villages,selected based on predominant land use characteristics,were analysed using statistical and geospatial tools,including ArcGIS and STATA,to quantify food grain losses and evaluate environmental degradation.Findings of this study reveal a 19%reduction in agricultural land over two decades(2000-2024),correlating with increased residential and industrial areas.Groundwater resources face severe overexploitation,with pollution from industrial clusters further degrading water and soil quality.The study estimates a total food grain loss of 1.5 million kilograms across surveyed villages due to land acquisitions.A strong positive correlation(R^(2)=0.98)between land acquisition and food loss underscores the direct impact of urbanization on agricultural output.The research underscores the urgency of sustainable land management practices,including preserving agricultural lands,optimizing groundwater usage,and enhancing community involvement in planning.By addressing these challenges,the study advocates for balanced urban expansion and food security to ensure ecological and economic resilience in the region.
文摘During times of war, it is rare to find a government willing and able to require the military to fund and support environmental impact studies. In the 1960s, many United States scientists expressed concerns about the use of herbicides during the Vietnam War. This protest was led by Dr. Arthur Galston and eventually included scientists with the National Academy of Science. By 1970, the Department of Defense (DoD) was ordered to permit the scientists to visit South Vietnam during the war to document these impacts. In all 1500 scientist days were spent in South Vietnam. In addition, the US government and military funded research studies on the impact of herbicides on animals. The goal of military use of herbicides, as chemical weapons, was to defoliate jungle forests and destroy food crops as a strategy to win battles and the war. The primary objective of this research study is to describe how it is possible for a country to fund and carry out scientific studies during the conduct of a war rather than decades later. The environmental impact study findings often lack boots on the ground validation and can be inaccurate or misleading in some situations. The United States (US) and other countries, including Russia and Ukraine, need to learn the historical lessons from the US use of herbicides, containing dioxin TCDD and/or arsenic (As), as chemical weapons during the Vietnam War.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2022YFB3903505)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(72221002)。
文摘The well-facilitated farmland projects(WFFPs)involve the typical sustainable intensification of farmland use and play a key role in raising food production in China.However,whether such WFFPs can enhance the nitrogen(N)use efficiency and reduce environmental impacts is still unclear.Here,we examined the data from 502 valid questionnaires collected from WFFPs in the major grain-producing area,the Huang-Huai-Hai Region(HHHR)in China,with 429 samples for wheat,328 for maize,and 122 for rice.We identified gaps in N use efficiency(NUE)and N losses from the production of the three crops between the sampled WFFPs and counties based on the statistical data.The results showed that compared to the county-level(wheat,39.1%;maize,33.8%;rice,35.1%),the NUEs for wheat(55.2%),maize(52.1%),and rice(50.2%)in the WFFPs were significantly improved(P<0.05).In addition,the intensities of ammonia(NH3)volatilization(9.9-12.2 kg N ha–1),N leaching(6.5-16.9 kg N ha–1),and nitrous oxide(N2O)emissions(1.2-1.6 kg N ha–1)from crop production in the sampled WFFPs were significantly lower than the county averages(P<0.05).Simulations showed that if the N rates are reduced by 10.0,15.0,and 20.0%for the counties,the NUEs of wheat,maize,and rice in the HHHR will increase by 2.9-6.3,2.4-5.2,and 2.6-5.7%,respectively.If the N rate is reduced to the WFFP level in each county,the NUEs of the three crops will increase by 12.9-19.5%,and the N leaching,NH3,and N2O emissions will be reduced by 48.9-56.2,37.4-42.9,and 46.0-66.5%,respectively.Our findings highlight that efficient N management practices in sustainable intensive farmland have considerable potential for reducing environmental impacts.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(No.2020YFC1909005).
文摘The NdFeB scrap,as a representative solid waste of rare earths,possesses significant recyclable value.This study focused on NdFeB waste and investigated the environmental impacts of pyro-and hydro-metallurgical process(PH-M process)and its improved version,the pyro-and hydro-metallurgical improvement process(PH-Mi process).The results demonstrate that,although the PH-Mi process consumes higher amounts of energy,electricity,and chemicals compared to the PH-M process,it is more environmentally friendly and economically efficient(i.e.,net profit increased by 34.12%).To quantify and compare the environmental performance of the two scenarios,life cycle assessment methodology was applied.It is concluded that the PH-Mi process is superior to the PH-M process for eutrophication potential(EP)and the total environmental impacts.In comparison with PH-Mi process,PH-M process exhibits a certain advantage in terms of carbon footprint due to increased consumption of electricity and chemicals after the technological upgrade.
基金Supported by Major Projects of State Water Pollution Control and Management (2008ZX07207-006-04)Shanghai Leading Academic Discipline Project (B604)~~
文摘[Objective] The paper was to study the dynamic changes of nitrogen in saline-alkaline paddy field and its potential environment impacts. [Method] With typical sodic saline-alkaline paddy fields of Songnen Plain as study object,field test method was used to explore the dynamic changes was strong alkof nitrogen in paddy field of the region and its potential impact on environment. [Result] The soil in test regionaline with high CEC and C/N ratios,as well as poor preserving capacity of fertilizer. During the two-year field experiment,the indicators of salinization fluctuated. Initially,the concentrations of total nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen reached their maximum values,then decreased over time as a result of heavy rain. The maximum of nitrate concentration appeared later than those of total nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen. Ammonia volatilization accounted for 18.9%-28.8% of the nitrogen loss. The total nitrogen concentration in surface water was higher than the national Class Ⅲ surface water environmental quality standard. The concentration of ammonia from the recession flow of agricultural field was considerably high,which would potentially threaten the fishery in the downstream of Chagan Lake. [Conclusion] The study provided theoretical basis for saline-alkaline soil management and conservation of water and fishery resources.
基金supported by National Key Science and Technology Program of China(2022YFC3203802)National Natural Science Foundation of China(52121006,92047303,and 51879165)+1 种基金supported by the Xplorer Prizesupported by the Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by China Association for Science and Technology(2021QNRC001)。
文摘Interbasin water-transfer schemes provide an engineering solution for reconciling the conflict between water demand and availability.In the context of climate change,which brings great uncertainties to water resource distribution,interbasin water transfer plays an increasingly important role in the global water–food–energy nexus.However,the transfer of water resources simultaneously changes the hydrological regime and the characteristics of local water bodies,affecting biotic communities accordingly.Compared with high economic and technical inputs water-transfer projects require,the environmental and ecological implications of water-transfer schemes have been inadequately addressed.This work selects the largest water-transfer project in China,the South-to-North Water Diversion(SNWD)Project,to critically review its eco-environmental impacts on donor and recipient basins,as well as on regions along the diversion route.The two operated routes of the SNWD Project represent two typical water diversion approaches:The Middle Route uses an excavated canal,while the East Route connects existent river channels.An overview of the eco-environmental implications of these two routes is valuable for the design and optimization of future water-transfer megaprojects.
基金The National Key Research and Development Project of China(No.2018YFB1600304)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.51878167,51678146)the National Natural Science Foundation of Xizang,China(No.XZ2018ZRG-10)。
文摘To investigate the environmental impacts of steel deck pavement through the whole life cycle,the steel deck pavement was divided into five stages:raw materials production,asphalt mixture mixing,pavement construction,operation management,and pavement removing stage.Based on the process-based life cycle assessment(PLCA)method,the calculation methods of energy consumption and gas emissions of two typical steel deck pavement systems(EA+EA pavement and GA+SMA pavement)were determined.The data lists of two pavements were analyzed,and the calculation model was built.Four characteristic indices including primary energy demand(PED),global warming potential(GWP),acidification potential(AP)and respiratory inorganics(RI)were used to quantify the environmental impacts of two pavements.The results show that the environmental impact of the GA+SMA pavement is more than 1.3 times that of the EA+EA pavement.Moreover,the critical stage of energy-saving and emission-reduction of EA+EA pavement and GA+SMA pavement are the raw material production stage and asphalt mixture mixing stage,respectively.
基金The funding support of the Bill and Melinda Foundation (African Enteric Viruses Genome Initiative grant number BMGF OPP1180423 2017) to Prof. M.Nyagathe assistance of the Directorate of Research and Postgraduate Support,Durban University of Technology,Durban,South Africa and the National Research Foundation (NRF-research development grant for rated researchers, grant number 120433)。
文摘The gastrointestinal tract(GIT)health impacts animal productivity.The poultry microbiome has functions which range from protection against pathogens and nutrients production,to host immune system maturation.Fluctuations in the microbiome have also been linked to prevailing environmental conditions.Healthy poultry birds possess a natural resistance to infection.However,the exploration of environmental impacts and other relevant factors on poultry growth and health have been underplayed.Since good performance and growth rate are central to animal production,the host-microbiome relationship remains integral.Prior to the emergence of metagenomic techniques,conventional methods for poultry microbiome studies were used and were low-throughput and associated with insufficient genomic data and high cost of sequencing.Fortunately,the advent of high-throughput sequencing platforms have circumvented some of these shortfalls and paved the way for increased studies on the poultry gut microbiome diversity and functions.Here,we give an up-to-date review on the impact of varied environments on microbiome profile,as well as microbiome engineering and microbiome technology advancements.It is hoped that this paper will provide invaluable information that could guide and inspire further studies on the lingering pertinent questions about the poultry microbiome.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 41173108, 51278350)the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2010), Shanghai Rising-Star Program (14QA1402400)+1 种基金Key project of Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (No. 13DZ0511600)National Key Technology R&D Program (No. 2014BAL02B03-4)
文摘Large-scale incinerators are applied widely as a result of the heavy burden of municipal solid waste（MSW） generated, while strong opposition is arising from the public living nearby. A large-scale working incineration plant of 1500 ton/day was chosen for evaluation using life cycle assessment. It was found that the corresponding human toxicity impacts via soil（HTs）, human toxicity impacts via water（HTw） and human toxicity impacts via air（HTa）categories are 0.213, 2.171, and 0.012 personal equivalents（PE）, and global warming（GW100）and nutrient enrichment（NE） impacts are 0.002 and 0.001 PE per ton of waste burned for this plant. Heavy metals in flue gas, such as Hg and Pb, are the two dominant contributors to the toxicity impact categories, and energy recovery could reduce the GW100 and NE greatly. The corresponding HTs, HTw and HTa decrease to 0.087, 0.911 and 0.008 PE, and GW100 turns into savings of- 0.007 PE due to the increase of the heating value from 3935 to5811 k J/kg, if a trommel screener of 40 mm mesh size is used to pre-separate MSW. MSW sorting and the reduction of water content by physical pressure might be two promising pre-treatment methods to improve the combustion performance, and the application of stricter standards for leachate discharge and the flue gas purification process are two critical factors for improvement of the environmental profile identified in this work.
文摘The influences of coal mining in an arid environment on vegetation coverage, land-use change, desertification, soil and water loss were discussed. A series of available TM/ETM＋ images with no cloud cover from July/August in different years （1990, 1995, 2000 and 2005） were used to analyze the change in various land environmental factors over time. The results show that while mining activity initially had a marked adverse impact on the environment, mine rehabilitation measures have also subsequently played a great role in improving vegetation cover and controlling land desertification and loss of water and soil. The effect of coal mining on vegetation cover is dependent upon the soil type and natural indigenous flora. Results of this investigation imply that mining activity has a greater effect on the vegetation of loess areas than at sandy sites. Although local vegetation coverage was improved by planting in the mining area, the total area of land affected by desertification still in- creased from 26.81% in 1990 when large-scale mine construction was introduced, to 46.79% in 1995. With continuous efforts at rehabilitation, the vegetation cover in the Shendong coal mining area was increasing, and loss of water and soil were effec- tively controlled since 1995. Subsequently, the total area of extreme desertification decreased to 23.24% in 2000 and further to 18.68% in 2005. The total area affected by severe loss of water and soil also decreased since the early 1990＇s （70.61% in 1990, 71.43% in 1995）, to 43.64% in 2000 and 34.93% in 2005, respectively.
基金Supported by National High Technology Research and Development Program of China("863"Program,No.2011AA11A288)
文摘By the application of life cycle assessment(LCA) methodology, this paper estimates the environmental impacts of production and disposal of traction motors used in electric vehicles in China. The results show that the total energy use, the criteria emissions and the greenhouse gases(GHG) emissions of a traction motor production and disposal are about 2,899,MJ, 4.5,kg and 259.5,kg per motor, respectively. Among the regulated emissions, the SOxemission ranks first by total mass, followed by CO, PM10, NOx, PM2.5, and volatile organic compound(VOC). The motor material production stage accounts for most of the energy consumption and emissions, followed by the assembly stage and the end-of-life disposal stage. In this study, the environmental performance analysis is extended to the comparison between the use of secondary material and primary material for the material production stage. It is found that using 100% secondary material results in a 52.9% reduction in energy consumption, a 49.8% reduction in regulated emissions, and a 49.3% reduction in GHG emissions compared with the use of 100% primary material.
基金Sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No. 72061022)。
文摘The complexity of the actual operating environment of EMU trains and the interaction between the reliability of system components have become a huge challenge for the maintenance scheduling of EMU trains. In response to these problems, the evolution of reliability and failure rate under the influence of environmental factors, failure correlations and economy correlations is analyzed. We assume bogie systems form the EMU train in series. The failure correlation matrix of the bogie systems is modeled. With the lowest total maintenance cost as the optimization objective, a decision-making model for EMU train maintenance is established. A dynamic maintenance strategy is proposed for the model, which can improve maintenance plans efficiently. Artificial bee colony algorithm is applied to further iteratively optimize the threshold parameters in the strategy. The results are calculated and verified by a numerical example. The results show the effectiveness of the maintenance decision model. The dynamic maintenance strategy in this paper is compared with the traditional opportunistic maintenance strategy. The proposed maintenance strategy outperforms the traditional opportunistic maintenance strategy in the numerical example.
基金The Research Fund for the Doctoral Pro-gram of Higher Education of China(No.20050487017)
文摘Assessment system of implicit environmental impacts was established including environmental impact indicator, resources consumption indicator and energy consumption indicator. The quantification of environmental impact indicators is based on the life cycle assessment system of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry （SETAC） and the evaluation software BEES. Normalization reference values and weights of 12 categories of environmental impacts were identified, and the environmental impact indicators in the phases of raw material extraction, transportation, manufacturing, use and end of life were analyzed. By analyzing the environmental performance of a university refectory as a case study, it is demonstrated that human health, global wanning and acidification are the first three environmental impacts in 12 categories. The total implicit environmental impact load per square meter of this project is 18.448 × 10 ^-2 standard human equivalent weight. Moreover, 97.3% of total environmental impacts occur in the phase of raw material extraction.
文摘Abstract The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus Outbreak 2019 (COVID-19) has caused worldwide concern and has affected all aspects of human life. The study objective is to assess and evaluate the direct and indirect positive and negative environmental effects of COVID-19 in urban areas. Collected data for Iran as a case study is presented, comprehensively completing the dynamic effect of COVID-19 on the environment. The analysis results indicate that despite the temporarily positive effects of coronavirus on the environment, such as improvement in air quality (15% - 20% reduction of NO2 in Tehran), environmental noise reduction, cleaner beach and coastal areas due to implementing lockdowns, there are negative short- and long-term effects such as excessive water consumption (10% - 40% increase in Iranian cities), reduce in waste recycling and significant increase in both residential and medical solid waste generation (10% - 77% increase in medical waste generation and 10% - 50% increase residential waste generation in Iranian cities), which leads to pollution or/and degradation of the environment (air, water and land). Moreover, with the global economic relaunching relaunch in most countries in the coming months, it could result in adverse effects such as increase in the greenhouse gas emissions. Assessment of environmental impacts, type and scale, could help for better planning and mitigation of the future pandemics.
文摘An extensive review and analysis of the available global energy sources data and information from 38 countries including Pakistan, and their impacts （socio-economic, environmental, and health） shows that one of the most sustainable and environment friendly energy options （especially considering rural areas） is renewable energy （solar and wind）, while other options （in descending order） are hydro, nuclear and coal. The use of ＂oil and gas＂ as energy option is not cost effective due to its serious environmental, health and financial implications. The cost of producing 1 KWh of energy from oil and gas in Pakistan is around Rs. 20 （U.S. $ 0.19）, while the same costs for hydro power and coal are 1/10th and ~nd respectively. Appropriate and suitable energy options are proposed in view of the current energy situation, available natural resources （water, coal, wind and sun）, serious energy conservation efforts and efficient usage of available energy.
文摘This research study was conducted to review the environmental and social impact of mini hydropower plants （run-of-the-river type） by selecting Denawaka Ganga mini hydropower plant, which is located in Ratnapura district, Sri Lanka. Field visits and discussions among the authors, authorities and the residents were carried out. Then, the environmental and social impacts were scientifically analysed using regulation degree （RD） and environmental impact value （EIV） scores. It was found out that the Denawaka Ganga mini hydropower plant has induced some environmental concerns; however, significant positive social impact to the society. This is in addition to the green energy generation. Therefore, it can be concluded herein that the Denawaka Ganga mini hydropower is an asset to the country, Sri Lanka.
文摘The contemporary demands of the forestry exploitation for quantitative and qualitative increase of timber production are directly related with the mechanization of the wood skidding works. In Greece, the suitable machinery for wood skidding are those with low amortization, operation and installation expenses, are flexible, and may also be used for other farming works （since they are not used very often for wood skidding） and cause the smaller damages to the wood, the forest, the soil and the environment in general. In this paper, it studies the environmental impacts in the remaining stand as much as during the pre-skidding as well as during the main wood skidding with tractor in the forest of Arnaia, Prefecture of Halkidiki, in order to draw out useful conclusions for the improvement of the machinery application methods and the protection of the environment.
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Irrigation is an agricultural practice adopted in Rwanda to fight against poverty by increasing agricultural production as a big sector which occupies a central place in the economy of the country. Once irrigation project is made without taking into account the environmental impacts that may occur, it may fail before the design period or may persist with the excessive generated negative impacts exceeding the targeted objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate environmental impacts of an already implemented irrigation project in Kanyonyomba swamp located in Gatsibo District of Eastern Province of Rwanda in order to quantify the benefits and to increase agricultural production by mitigating negative impacts generated by this project. The Kanyonyomba earth dam has been constructed on Kanyonyomba River in Gatsibo District with a length, a spillway crest width and a reservoir height of 210 m, 4 m and 8.5 m respectively. The site observations on land, the interviews analysis and water and soil laboratory tests were conducted to assess various environmental impacts. The analysis of the results reveals the presence of positive impacts including increased agricultural space and agricultural production through the introduction of rice cultivation in this medium. However, this project has led to multiple adverse effects in the hosting environment impacts that need to be mitigated including the increased incidence of diseases in the surrounding population and accidents resulting from an increased exposure of people to the dam reservoir. Moderation of soil acidity, the use of the dam reservoir as a water supply source, the provision of boots and gloves to protect farmers from being contaminated by water living microorganisms and the development of impacts monitoring plan are among the proposed measures in order to mitigate these environmental impacts.
文摘The land disturbance and its ecological impacts are the most significant one in the environmental problems which arise from increase of coal mining,processing and utilization. And the environmental impact assessment as one of the most powerful planning tools has been playing a good part in the environment protection in China. This paper ,based on EIA experience, discribes the methods of identification, prediction and analysis of the impacts of mining subsidence,the operational procedures and mitigating measures likely to take.
