The Socioeconomic Determinants of Individual Environmental Concern: Evidence from Shanghai Data

OpenAIRE

Junyi Shen; Tatsuyoshi Saijo

2007-01-01

This study examines the influence of socioeconomic characteristics on eleven measures of environmental concern by applying a pooled sample of 1200 individuals in Shanghai, China. Previous studies, which made efforts to explain environmental concern as a function of social structure, suggest that there are traditionally five hypotheses (the age, gender, social class, residence, and political hypotheses) for socioeconomic determinants, which are associated with individual environmental concerns...

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN AND GREEN PURCHASING BEHAVIOR

OpenAIRE

Kasim Tatic; Merima Cinjarevic

2010-01-01

The aim of this paper was to establish the relationship between environmental concern and consumers’ green purchasing behavior. A survey instrument was developed that used scales to measure general environmental beliefs (HEP-NEP general environmental beliefs questions) and consumer’s intention to buy environmental friendly products. Data were collected from a convenient (non-probability sampling method) sample of 150 consumers in the Sarajevo region. The results indicated that significant pos...

Environmental risk concern and preferences for energy-saving measures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Poortinga, W; Steg, L.; Vlek, C.A.J.

It is often assumed that higher environmental concern goes with more positive attitudes toward environmental management strategies and more environmentally friendly behavior. Cultural theory argues this relationship is more complex. Cultural theory distinguishes four ways of life, involving distinct

Should environmental concern pay off? A Heideggerian perspective

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Painter-Morland, M.; Bos, R. ten

2016-01-01

Organizations often motivate their environmental efforts by arguing that ‘good ethics is good business’. Though instrumental arguments of this nature put environmental concerns firmly on the corporate agenda, it comes at a price. Such reasoning relies on age-old fact-value distinctions, from which

Environmental concerns gaining importance in industry operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that environmental concerns have leapt to the forefront of industry's concerns in operating in Latin America. The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro June 3-14 focused a strong world spotlight on the region's environmental and commercial resources. Protection of the region's rain forests, which accounts for a huge share of the world's total, is emerging as an especially contentious issue. Ecuador's Oriente region may well prove the litmus test of how or whether oil and gas companies are able to operate in Latin American rain forests. Controversy over industry operations in the Oriente have heated to the point that environmentalist and native groups have routinely picketed company offices in Quito and used mass fundraiser mailings in North America

Environmental Concerns

Science.gov (United States)

Alma, Peter

1995-04-01

This series of A-level social biology topic books responds to the changing demands of social biology syllabuses, with each text dealing with a particular area of interest. Although the series is primarily intended for students of A-level social biology, the books will appeal to students studying a wide range of biological subjects at A-level. Environmental Concerns covers topics common to several A-level human and social biology syllabuses. It is particularly relevant to the human ecology and conservation options. The text focuses on the social and economic implications of current ecological issues as well as the basic biological concepts involved. It deals with the causes, effects and prevention of atmospheric and water pollution as well as with the disruption of ecosystems by changes in land use. The conflict of interests between conservation and exploitation is discussed, along with management techniques including the controversial method of culling to maintain diversity. The moral and aesthetic aspects of conservation and management are emphasised throughout, in addition to the scientific background of these techniques.

Global environmental concerns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siddiqi, T.A.

1990-01-01

Increased concern about global climate change is leading to an examination of options for reducing the emissions of gases believed to be the principal contributors to the Greenhouse Effect. Carbon dioxide is believed to be the largest contributor to such an effect, and the use of fossil fuels is the largest source of carbon dioxide emissions. geothermal energy is likely to receive increased attention in the years ahead as a way to reduce emissions of CO 2 . Several countries in Asia and the Pacific already have active geothermal programs. The Philippines have the second-largest installed geothermal capacity in the world. Japan and New Zealand have used geothermal energy for several decades. The present and future contributions of geothermal energy to the overall energy supply and reductions in carbon dioxide emissions in Asia and the Pacific are discussed in this paper

Effects of Recreation Participation and Tildenian Interpretation on Tourists' Environmental Concern

Science.gov (United States)

Satchabut, Thitikan

2013-01-01

Evidence from correlational studies suggests outdoor recreation may enhance participants' environmental concern, but findings are inconclusive. Also, previous research has not systematically addressed the influence of interpretation services on environmental concern, and little research has been conducted in developing Eastern countries. Thus,…

Environmental concern and cooperative-competitive behavior in a simulated commons dilemma.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, J M; Bell, P A

1992-08-01

Commons-dilemma simulation games are designed to examine behavior associated with preservation and destruction of slowly regenerating natural resources. In Experiment 1, 120 introductory psychology students in the United States were assigned to high- or low-environmental-concern conditions based on a median split of their scores from a pretest. They then played either a points game, in which they selected numerical points from a slowly regenerating pool, or a tree game, in which they harvested trees from a jointly managed forest. After the game, subjects were asked to sign a petition for an environmental cause, to participate in a litter pick-up, and to participate in a recycling drive. Neither environmental concern nor proenvironmental behaviors were related to commons dilemma performance. In Experiment 2, 57 other introductory psychology students were assessed on environmental concern and Machiavellian personality, size of other players' harvesting choices, and other players' altruistic choices, all correlated with subjects' outcomes in the game. Overall, cooperation and competition were more important than environmental concern in predicting behavior in the commons dilemma simulation game.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN TO ATTITUDE TOWARDS GREEN PRODUCTS: EVIDENCES FROM INDIA

OpenAIRE

Mohd Danish Kirmani; Mohammed Naved Khan

2016-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship of environmental concern of consumers with their attitude towards green products and also to identify the predictors of environmental concern. The data was generated from a researcher controlled sample of graduate and post-graduate students enrolled in educational institutions located in the national capital of India (New Delhi) and surrounding areas popularly known as National Capital Region (NCR). The data generated was analysed em...

Evaluating minerals of environmental concern using spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Swayze, G.A.; Clark, R.N.; Higgins, C.T.; Kokaly, R.F.; Livo, K. Eric; Hoefen, T.M.; Ong, C.; Kruse, F.A.

2006-01-01

Imaging spectroscopy has been successfully used to aid researchers in characterizing potential environmental impacts posed by acid-rock drainage, ore-processing dust on mangroves, and asbestos in serpentine mineral deposits and urban dust. Many of these applications synergistically combine field spectroscopy with remote sensing data, thus allowing more-precise data calibration, spectral analysis of the data, and verification of mapping. The increased accuracy makes these environmental evaluation tools efficient because they can be used to focus field work on those areas most critical to the research effort. The use of spectroscopy to evaluate minerals of environmental concern pushes current imaging spectrometer technology to its limits; we present laboratory results that indicate the direction for future designs of imaging spectrometers.

Dietary Strategies to Reduce Environmental Impact: A Critical Review of the Evidence Base.

Science.gov (United States)

Ridoutt, Bradley G; Hendrie, Gilly A; Noakes, Manny

2017-11-01

The food system is a major source of environmental impact, and dietary change has been recommended as an important and necessary strategy to reduce this impact. However, assessing the environmental performance of diets is complex due to the many types of foods eaten and the diversity of agricultural production systems and local environmental settings. To assess the state of science and identify knowledge gaps, an integrative review of the broad topic of environment and diet was undertaken, with particular focus on the completeness of coverage of environmental concerns and the metrics used. Compared with the 14 discrete environmental areas of concern identified in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the located journal literature mainly addressed greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and, to a lesser extent, land and water use. Some relevant concerns were rarely addressed or not addressed at all. In the case of GHG emissions, changes in land use and soil carbon stocks were seldom considered. This represents a disconnect between the science informing strategic climate action in the agricultural sector and the science informing public health nutrition. In the case of land and water use, few studies used metrics that are appropriate in a life-cycle context. Some metrics produce inherently biased results, which misinform about environmental impact. The limited evidence generally points to recommended diets having lower environmental impacts than typical diets, although not in every case. This is largely explained by the overconsumption of food energy associated with average diets, which is also a major driver of obesity. A shared-knowledge framework is identified as being needed to guide future research on this topic. Until the evidence base becomes more complete, commentators on sustainable diets should not be quick to assume that a dietary strategy to reduce overall environmental impact can be readily defined or recommended. © 2017 American Society for

Concern With Environmental Deterioration and Attitudes Toward Population Limitation

Science.gov (United States)

Barnett, Larry D.

1970-01-01

Analysis of Gallup Poll data of Junuary 1969 reveals weak association between concern about environmental deterioration and the recognition of need for eventual limitation of human population. Suggests that to increase favorable attitudes to population control, role of overpopulation in causing environmental deterioration needs to be presented to…

Environmental Behavior's Dirty Secret: The Prevalence of Waste Management in Discussions of Environmental Concern and Action

Science.gov (United States)

Gould, Rachelle K.; Ardoin, Nicole M.; Biggar, Matt; Cravens, Amanda E.; Wojcik, Deb

2016-08-01

Humankind and the planet face many thorny environmentally related challenges that require a range of responses, including changing behaviors related to transportation, eating habits, purchasing, and myriad other aspects of life. Using data from a 1201-person survey and 14 Community Listening Sessions (CLSs), we explore people's perceptions of and actions taken to protect the environment. Our data indicate a striking prevalence of waste management-related actions. Survey respondents described actions and concerns related to trash, recycling, and composting as the most common environmental behaviors; similarly, participants in CLSs discussed waste-related topics, for which we did not prompt, as frequently as those topics for which we specifically prompted. Explanations for this prevalence emerging from the data include (1) the nature of waste-related behaviors (concrete, supported by infrastructure, simple, compatible with lifestyle); (2) norms and social dynamics (family interactions, feelings of belonging/participation, government policy); and (3) internal psychological processes (internalized norms and environmental concern). We also found that many waste-related discussions were relatively superficial, focusing on immediate waste-related issues (e.g., litter or recycling) rather than larger issues such as consumption. Our results may provide insight into future efforts to encourage pro-environmental behavior. Given that most pro-environmental behavior involves tasks more complex and lifestyle-changing than those related to simple aspects of waste management, we suggest focusing on the latter two intertwined categories that our data suggest are important: encouraging social dynamics and related development of norms concerning environmental behavior (category 2), and fostering internalized norms and environmental concern (category 3).

Secondary school studentsʹ environmental concerns : a case study from Slovenia

OpenAIRE

Torkar, Gregor

2017-01-01

Students ’ environmental concern s w ere investigated using a questionnaire with 1 2 items. The study sample comprised 410 first and second year students of general upper secondary school from NW Slovenia . Results provide evidence that students’ concerns for the consequences of environmental damage formed three correlated factors organized around self and family, all peop le, and the biosphere. The highest ...

Phytotoxins: environmental micropollutants of concern?

Science.gov (United States)

Bucheli, Thomas D

2014-11-18

Natural toxins such as mycotoxins or phytotoxins (bioactive compounds from fungi and plants, respectively) have been widely studied in food and feed, where they are stated to out-compete synthetic chemicals in their overall human and animal toxicological risk. A similar perception and awareness is yet largely missing for environmental safety. This article attempts to raise concern in this regard, by providing (circumstantial) evidence that phytotoxins in particular can be emitted into the environment, where they may contribute to the complex mixture of organic micropollutants. Exposures can be orders-of-magnitude higher in anthropogenically managed/affected (agro-)ecosystems than in the pristine environment.

Exploring domestic energy-saving: The role of environmental concern and background variables

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Urban, Jan; Ščasný, Milan

2012-01-01

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate whether residents' environmental concern has any effect on their energy-saving curtailments and efficiency investments. The novelty of the present work lies in the fact that it seeks to investigate this topic in a multi-country setting, exploiting data from nine OECD countries (Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Italy, South Korea, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden), and also in that it employs a latent variable model which allows us to examine the conditions necessary for the results to be comparable across different countries. Novel in this paper is also the focus on the role of environmental concern as a factor of several curtailments and efficiency investments. Our results suggest that people with higher environmental concern are on average more likely to perform energy-saving curtailments and also are more likely to have some energy-efficiency retrofits installed in dwellings. Most of the socio-economic and demographic variables have mixed effects on efficiency investments and curtailments. However, some interesting patterns emerged with respect to the age of respondents, household income, education and gender of respondents, and also the size of household. - Highlights: ► People with higher environmental concern are more likely to perform energy-saving curtailments. ► People with higher environmental concern are more likely to introduce some energy efficiency retrofits. ► Older people are more concerned about environmental problems, invest in efficiency and curtail more. ► Formal level of education does not play prominent role with respect to domestic energy-saving. ► Wealthier people are more likely to invest in energy efficiency but less likely to curtail.

The Role of the Internet in Shaping Environmental Concern. A Focus on Post-Communist Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Nistor

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Common sense, as well as scientific evidence, frequently use the generalization that compared to the citizens of the West, citizens of the ex-communist countries are less environmentally concerned asfar as during the communist past they were not socialized to behave in an environmentally conscious manner and after the regime change were much more concerned with the economical survival than with environmentally responsible attitudes and behaviours. The paper tries to answer the question if new communication technologies, particularly the Internet, can have a decisive role in socializing people towards environmental concern and environmental practices in the postcommunist countries. For this purpose the data set of the Special Eurobarometer 68.2 is used. Analysis shown that in the post-communist member states of the EU Internet use has a significantrole in enhancing people’s environmental concern both in terms of perceived environmental information, environmental attitudes and especially environmentally friendly consumerism. Energy saving behaviours and environmentally friendly travelling behaviours were not, or were less dependent on the Internet use when socio-demographics were controlled. Results suggested that technological flux, understood in terms of broadband Internet penetration, is also a decisive factor in enhancing environmental concern.

Evaluation and importance of the environmental concern within the environmental medicine; Erfassung und Bedeutung der Umweltbesorgnis in der Umweltmedizin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rethage, T.

2007-07-01

The book discusses the importance of environmental concerns and annoyance in connection with health-related parameters, such as discomfort, health-related life quality and sleep quality. The evaluation methods and materials (definition of evaluated collectives) are described. The discussion covers the characterization of environmental concerns, their multi-dimensionality and the concerns in case of specific exposures (smells, noise, electromagnetic fields, environment medical ambulance).

Marine environmental contamination: public awareness, concern and perceived effectiveness in five European countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobs, Silke; Sioen, Isabelle; De Henauw, Stefaan; Rosseel, Yves; Calis, Tanja; Tediosi, Alice; Nadal, Martí; Marques, António; Verbeke, Wim

2015-11-01

Given the potential of Perceived Consumer Effectiveness (PCE) in shaping pro-environmental behavior, the relationships between PCE, awareness of causes of contaminants in the marine environment, and concern about marine environmental contamination were investigated using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). PCE is the belief that an individual has in being able to make a difference when acting alone. A web-based survey was performed in one western European country (Belgium), one northern European country (Ireland) and three southern European countries (Italy, Portugal and Spain), resulting in a total sample size of 2824 participants. The analyses confirm that European citizens are concerned about marine environmental problems. Participants from the southern countries reported the highest concern. In addition, the study participants did not have a strong belief in themselves in being capable of making a difference in tackling marine environmental problems. However, a higher awareness, which was associated with a higher degree of concern, enhanced the belief that an individual can make a difference in tackling marine environmental problems, though only when a concrete action was proposed. Consequently, information campaigns focusing on pro-environmental behavior are recommended to raise public awareness about marine environmental problems and at the same time explicitly refer to concrete possible actions. The findings indicate that when only awareness and concern are raised without mentioning a concrete action, PCE might even decrease and render the communication effort ineffective. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Age and Environmental Concern: Some Specification of Effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Honnold, Julie A.

1984-01-01

Distinguishes possible aging, cohort, and period effects, explaining time series differences by age groups in the General Social Survey data. Results indicate that the decline in environmental concern among most age groups can be accounted for by period effects, but an aging effect is important among young adults. (Author/JN)

Are Australians concerned about nanoparticles? A comparative analysis with established and emerging environmental health issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Capon, Adam; Rolfe, Margaret; Gillespie, James; Smith, Wayne

2015-02-01

Introducing new technologies into society raises considerable public concern. We determine the public concern about nanoparticles, and compare this concern to other environmental health issues such as wind farms and coal seam gas production. A repeat cross sectional survey examining views on environmental health issues, risk, chemicals and trust was undertaken in more than 1,300 Australian residents in 2000 and 2013. Logistic regression and principal component analysis was used to investigate predictors of nanoparticle concern and identify a component structure for environmental health issues that could explain a trend of future nanoparticle concern. Australians have a relatively low level of concern about the risks of nanoparticles to health when compared to their concerns about other environmental health issues. Items associated with concern included gender, a general wish to avoid chemicals and possibly trust in politicians. Concern over nanoparticles clustered with similar views on technological risks. Current public concern over the risks of nanoparticles is low. However, a reframing of the issue towards 'chemicals' is likely to have a negative effect on risk perceptions. This paper raises questions about appropriate channels for the effective communication of risk. © 2015 Public Health Association of Australia.

An urban survey of paediatric environmental health concerns: Perceptions of parents, guardians and health care professionals

Science.gov (United States)

Buka, Irena; Rogers, W Todd; Osornio-Vargas, Alvaro R; Hoffman, Harold; Pearce, Marni; Li, Yuen Yee

2006-01-01

OBJECTIVES To conduct a survey in Edmonton, Alberta, to gather information regarding concerns about the influence of environmental factors on children’s health and to use the information to set an agenda for the resources of the Paediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit at Misericordia Hospital (Edmonton, Alberta). METHODS Two questionnaires with 28 closed-ended questions were developed to examine parents’, guardians’ and health care professionals’ concerns. They comprised items about six environmental factors (air, water and food quality; household supplies; radiation; and waste disposal). Health care professionals were also asked four questions about their knowledge of and their needs in Paediatric Environmental Health. Parents and guardians attending the public health centres and nurses working therein received questionnaires. Physicians were surveyed by e-mail. RESULTS After verification, the questionnaire data from 400 parents or guardians and 152 health care professionals were used for analyses. Results from contingency table, Hotelling’s T2 and effect size analyses revealed similarities in the levels of concern in both groups, and the results were combined. The greatest concern of both groups was with environmental tobacco smoke, followed by pesticides in water. Concerns about six additional environmental elements were also expressed. The health care professionals showed a high level of concern about the need for resources, specific training and public education regarding paediatric environmental health. CONCLUSION A significant level of concern was consistently found between the two groups studied, regardless of professional training. The highest level of concern was with a well-documented topic (ie, environmental tobacco smoke). Less concern associated with decreased documentation calls for increasing the knowledge of society, including health care professionals, to address the adverse effects of environmental factors on children. PMID

Cohort change and the diffusion of environmental concern: A cross-national analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Nawrotzki, Raphael J; Pampel, Fred C

2013-09-01

This study explores value change across cohorts for a multinational population sample. Employing a diffusion-of-innovations approach, we combine competing theories predicting the relationship between socio-economic status (SES) and environmentalism: post-materialism and affluence theories, and global environmentalism theory. The diffusion argument suggests that high-SES groups first adopt pro-environmental views, but as time passes by, environmentalism diffuses to lower-SES groups. We test the diffusion argument using a sample of 18 countries for two waves (years 1993 and 2000) from the International Social Survey Project (ISSP). Cross-classified multilevel modeling allows us to identify a non-linear interaction between cohort and education, our core measure of SES, in predicting environmental concern, while controlling for age and period. We find support for the diffusion argument and demonstrate that the positive effect of education on environmental concern first increases among older cohorts, then starts to level off until a bend-point is reached for individuals born around 1940 and becomes progressively weaker for younger cohorts.

Institutional Variables and Perceived Environmental Concerns in Higher Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Michael, Steve O.

1995-01-01

Discusses the effects of worsening financial constraints evident in all aspects of higher education institutions. Examines differences and similarities in institutional leaders' opinions regarding environmental concerns. All Alberta, Canada, higher education institutions are experiencing similar problems. There is no deliberate shift in government…

Perceptions of general environmental problems, willingness to expend federal funds on these problems, and concerns regarding the Los Alamos national laboratory: Hispanics are more concerned than Whites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burger, Joanna; Myers, O.; Boring, C.S.; Dixon, C.; Lord, C.; Ramos, R.; Shukla, S.; Gochfeld, Michael

2004-01-01

Perceptions about general environmental problems, governmental spending for these problems, and major concerns about the US Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) were examined by interviewing 356 people attending a gun show in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The hypothesis that there are differences in these three areas as a function of ethnicity was examined. We predicted that if differences existed, they would exist for all three evaluations (general environmental problems, government spending, and environmental concerns about LANL). However, this was not the case; there were fewer ethnic differences concerning LANL. Hispanics rated most general environmental problems higher than Whites and rated their willingness to expend federal funds higher than Whites, although all groups gave a lower score on willingness than on concern. Further, the congruence between these two types of ratings was higher for Hispanics than for others. In general, the concerns expressed by subjects about LANL showed few ethnic differences, and everyone was most concerned about contamination. These data indicate that Hispanics attending a gun show are equally or more concerned than others about environmental problems generally but are not more concerned about LANL. The data can be useful for developing future research and stewardship plans and for understanding general environmental problems and their relationship to concerns about LANL. More generally, they indicate that the attitudes and perceptions of Hispanics deserve increased study in a general population

Parental Concern about Environmental Chemical Exposures and Children's Urinary Concentrations of Phthalates and Phenols.

Science.gov (United States)

Pell, Tripler; Eliot, Melissa; Chen, Aimin; Lanphear, Bruce P; Yolton, Kimberly; Sathyanarayana, Sheela; Braun, Joseph M

2017-07-01

To examine whether parents' concerns about environmental chemical exposures were associated with urinary phthalate and phenol concentrations in their school-age children. In a prospective cohort of 218 mother-child pairs from Cincinnati, Ohio (2010-2014), we measured 11 phthalate metabolites and 5 phenols in urine samples when children were age 8 years and used questionnaire data from caregivers. We estimated the covariate-adjusted percent difference in phthalates and phenols among children of parents who expressed concern about environmental chemical exposures compared with children whose parents did not. Concentrations of 4 phthalates, bisphenol S, and bisphenol A were lower among children whose parents expressed concern about environmental chemicals (n = 122) compared with those who did not (n = 96). Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate metabolites, bisphenol S, and bisphenol A concentrations were 23% (95% CI -38, -5), 37% (95% CI -49, -21), and 13% (95% CI -26, 3) lower, respectively, among children whose parents expressed concern compared with those whose parents did not. Triclosan concentrations were 35% greater (95% CI -2, 87) among children whose parents expressed concern compared with children whose parents did not. Parental concern about environmental chemicals was associated with lower childhood urine concentrations of several phthalates and phenols; unexpectedly, parental concern was associated with greater triclosan concentrations. These results suggest that parental concern may be an important factor in mitigating children's phthalate and phenol exposures. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Overview of the environmental concerns of coal transportation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bertram, K.; Dauzvardis, P.; Fradkin, L.; Surles, T.

1980-02-01

More than 30 environmental concerns were analyzed for the transportation of coal by rail, roads (trucks), high voltage transmission lines (that is, from mine-mouth generating plants to distribution networks), coal slurry pipelines, and barges. The following criteria were used to identify these problems: (1) real physical environmetal impacts for which control technologies must be developed, or regulation made effective where control technologies presently exist; (2) the level of impact is uncertain, although the potential impact may be moderate to high; (3) the concerns identified by the first two criteria are specific to or exacerbated by coal transportation. Generic transportation problems are not included. The significant environmental problems identified as a result of this study are: (1) rail transport - community traffic disruption and human health, safety, and habitat destruction; (2) coal haul roads - road degradation, traffic congestion and safety, air quality, and noise; (3) high voltage transmission lines - changed land use without local benefits, biological health and safety effects, and disruption of world weather patterns; (4) slurry pipelines - water availability, water quality, and possible spills from non-water slurry pipelines; and (5) barge transport - impacts common to all barge traffic. (DMC)

Cohort change and the diffusion of environmental concern: A cross-national analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Nawrotzki, Raphael J.; Pampel, Fred C.

2013-01-01

This study explores value change across cohorts for a multinational population sample. Employing a diffusion-of-innovations approach, we combine competing theories predicting the relationship between socio-economic status (SES) and environmentalism: post-materialism and affluence theories, and global environmentalism theory. The diffusion argument suggests that high-SES groups first adopt pro-environmental views, but as time passes by, environmentalism diffuses to lower-SES groups. We test the diffusion argument using a sample of 18 countries for two waves (years 1993 and 2000) from the International Social Survey Project (ISSP). Cross-classified multilevel modeling allows us to identify a non-linear interaction between cohort and education, our core measure of SES, in predicting environmental concern, while controlling for age and period. We find support for the diffusion argument and demonstrate that the positive effect of education on environmental concern first increases among older cohorts, then starts to level off until a bend-point is reached for individuals born around 1940 and becomes progressively weaker for younger cohorts. PMID:24179313

Strategies for reducing the environmental impacts of room air conditioners in Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grignon-Masse, Laurent; Riviere, Philippe; Adnot, Jerome

2011-01-01

In Europe, buildings tend to be equipped with individual air conditioners, which constitute a fast growing electrical end-use. In this context, this study aims to assess the environmental impacts of European individual air conditioners and to analyse policy strategies to reduce these impacts. After analysing the European context concerning individual air conditioners, the environmental impacts of European air conditioners are assessed using a Life Cycle Analysis approach. The following step consists in studying, both technically and economically, different improvement options aiming at reducing the environmental impacts of these appliances. These results, obtained at the product level, are then generalised at the European level and different policy measures are defined and analysed. The main conclusion is that the implementation of a Minimum Energy Performance Standard based on Least Life Cycle Costs could save up to 49 TWh and 20 MtCO 2-eq in 2020 and be economically beneficial to the European end-user. - Research highlights: → A methodology based on Life Cycle Analysis is applied to European air conditioners. → Environmental impacts are mainly due to energy consumption. → There is a high potential for energy savings at very low costs for end users.

Environmental Health concerns in natural and man-made environments

Science.gov (United States)

Bergtholdt, C. P.

1975-01-01

Industrial hygene and environmental health aspects of ground operation at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory were investigated. Major areas of concern are: (1) toxic substances, (2) noise pollution, (3) electromagnetic radiation; and (4) biohazards and sanitation. Each of these categories are also studied in a closed environment, such as encountered aboard of a spacecraft.

Environmental concerns regarding electric power transmission in North America

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DeCicco, J.M.; Bernow, S.S.; Beyea, J.

1992-01-01

The electric utilities of North America have become ever more interconnected via transmission facilities, largely to insure reliability. Current policy discussions regarding transmission include calls for improved access, increased capacity, and deregulation to facilitate trade in electric power. From an environmental perspective, two issues have been notably absent in much of the debate: (1) a recognition of the full range of environmental impacts related to electricity transmission; and (2) the potential for end-use efficiency to address the reliability and economy requirements that motivate attention to transmission. This paper broaches these issues, starting with an elaboration of the environmental impacts, which range from global and regional effects to local concerns, including the potential health risks associated with electric and magnetic fields. We emphasize that transmission planning should occur as part of an integrated planning process, in which the environmental and social costs of various options are fully considered. We discuss the potential for end-use efficiency to lessen environmental impacts of both transmission and generation. We conclude that there is a need to ensure that environmental externalities and demand-side alternatives are adequately considered when transmission network expansions are proposed. (Author)

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN AND ENVIRONMENTALLY ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

critique of theoretical approaches towards understanding the formation of environmental attitudes, a model has been developed ... instances, people must have the motivation and know- ... feelings and emotion, and behaviour to behavioural.

Why Should I Care? Exploring the Use of Environmental Concern as a Frame of Communication in Zoos

Science.gov (United States)

Yocco, Victor S.; Bruskotter, Jeremy; Wilson, Robyn; Heimlich, Joseph E.

2015-01-01

Effectively communicating environmental issues to motivate visitors' behavior is critical for zoos to accomplish their missions. We examined the relationship between zoo visitors' environmental concern and agreement with messages framed by environmental concern. Findings from two zoos (N = 298; N = 400), using two message formats, provided nearly…

Personal and social factors that influence pro-environmental concern and behaviour: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Gifford, Robert; Nilsson, Andreas

2014-06-01

We review the personal and social influences on pro-environmental concern and behaviour, with an emphasis on recent research. The number of these influences suggests that understanding pro-environmental concern and behaviour is far more complex than previously thought. The influences are grouped into 18 personal and social factors. The personal factors include childhood experience, knowledge and education, personality and self-construal, sense of control, values, political and world views, goals, felt responsibility, cognitive biases, place attachment, age, gender and chosen activities. The social factors include religion, urban-rural differences, norms, social class, proximity to problematic environmental sites and cultural and ethnic variations We also recognize that pro-environmental behaviour often is undertaken based on none of the above influences, but because individuals have non-environmental goals such as to save money or to improve their health. Finally, environmental outcomes that are a result of these influences undoubtedly are determined by combinations of the 18 categories. Therefore, a primary goal of researchers now should be to learn more about how these many influences moderate and mediate one another to determine pro-environmental behaviour. © 2014 International Union of Psychological Science.

Consumer’s Intention to Purchase Green Brands: the Roles of Environmental Concern, Environmental Knowledge and Self Expressive Benefits

OpenAIRE

Anees Ahmad; K. S. Thyagaraj

2015-01-01

Companies are striving to minimize environmental impact through sustainable business practices. Consumers have become more aware of environmental issues and many companies have recognized the relevance of green marketing in gaining competitive advantage. As a part of green marketing strategy, companies are developing green brands. This paper focuses on the effect of consumer’s concern for environment, environmental knowledge and self expressive benefits on attitude and intention to purchase g...

Environmental concern of university students in the federal education institute in rural Goiás, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aurélio Ferreira Borges

2013-11-01

Full Text Available In this research the adaptation and validation of the Environmental Concern Scale (ECS for Brazilian Portuguese and the environmental concerns of students were described. After being translated with the assistance of an expert teacher in Spanish language, the ECS was administered to two samples: one of university students (N=153 from Federal Institute of Education Goiano (IF GOIANO, Rio Verde campus, and another of public servants evaluators (N=13 from Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Rondônia (IFRO, Colorado do Oeste campus. Content validity, reliability and construct validity were evaluated. Statistical properties obtained proved the quality of the measurement instrument of Environmental Concern. The agreement style of evaluators with the ECS admitted values for average central tendency, median and mode close to 4.00, in a scale of values from 1.00 to 5.00. The environmental concern of students was low.

Framework for Identifying Key Environmental Concerns in Marine Renewable Energy Projects- Appendices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kramer, Sharon; Previsic, Mirko; Nelson, Peter; Woo, Sheri

2010-06-17

Marine wave and tidal energy technology could interact with marine resources in ways that are not well understood. As wave and tidal energy conversion projects are planned, tested, and deployed, a wide range of stakeholders will be engaged; these include developers, state and federal regulatory agencies, environmental groups, tribal governments, recreational and commercial fishermen, and local communities. Identifying stakeholders’ environmental concerns in the early stages of the industry’s development will help developers address and minimize potential environmental effects. Identifying important concerns will also assist with streamlining siting and associated permitting processes, which are considered key hurdles by the industry in the U.S. today. In September 2008, RE Vision consulting, LLC was selected by the Department of Energy (DoE) to conduct a scenario-based evaluation of emerging hydrokinetic technologies. The purpose of this evaluation is to identify and characterize environmental impacts that are likely to occur, demonstrate a process for analyzing these impacts, identify the “key” environmental concerns for each scenario, identify areas of uncertainty, and describe studies that could address that uncertainty. This process is intended to provide an objective and transparent tool to assist in decision-making for siting and selection of technology for wave and tidal energy development. RE Vision worked with H. T. Harvey & Associates, to develop a framework for identifying key environmental concerns with marine renewable technology. This report describes the results of this study. This framework was applied to varying wave and tidal power conversion technologies, scales, and locations. The following wave and tidal energy scenarios were considered: 4 wave energy generation technologies 3 tidal energy generation technologies 3 sites: Humboldt coast, California (wave); Makapu’u Point, Oahu, Hawaii (wave); and the Tacoma Narrows, Washington (tidal

The big five personality traits and environmental concern: the moderating roles of individualism/collectivism and gender

OpenAIRE

Abbas Abdollahi; Simin Hosseinian; Samaneh Karbalaei; Ahmad Beh‐Pajooh; Yousef Kesh; Mahmoud Najafi

2017-01-01

Environmental pollution has become a serious challenge for humanity and the environment. Therefore, this study aims to examine the relationships between the Big Five personality traits, individualism, collectivism, participant’s age, and environmental concern, and testing the moderating roles of individualism/collectivism and gender in the relationship between the Big Five personality traits and environmental concern. In this quantitative study, the multi-stage cluster random sampling method ...

The big five personality traits and environmental concern: the moderating roles of individualism/collectivism and gender

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abbas Abdollahi

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Environmental pollution has become a serious challenge for humanity and the environment. Therefore, this study aims to examine the relationships between the Big Five personality traits, individualism, collectivism, participant’s age, and environmental concern, and testing the moderating roles of individualism/collectivism and gender in the relationship between the Big Five personality traits and environmental concern. In this quantitative study, the multi-stage cluster random sampling method was used to recruit a total of 1,160 respondents (614 females and 546 males from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Structural Equation Modeling proved that respondents of high neuroticism, conscientiousness, extraversion, collectivism, and older ages were conscious of the environmental quality. Also, the findings showed that individualism, collectivism, and gender emerged as significant moderators in the link between the Big Five personality traits and the environmental concern.

13 CFR 121.801 - May patent fees be reduced if a concern is small?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false May patent fees be reduced if a concern is small? 121.801 Section 121.801 Business Credit and Assistance SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION... for Paying Reduced Patent Fees § 121.801 May patent fees be reduced if a concern is small? These...

New safety valve addresses environmental concerns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taylor, J.; Austin, R.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that Conoco Pipeline is using a unique relief valve to reduce costs while improving environmental protection at its facilities. Conoco Pipeline Co. Inc. began testing new relief valves in 1987 to present over-pressuring its pipelines while enhancing the safety, environmental integrity and profitability of its pipelines. Conoco worked jointly with Rupture Pin Technology Inc., Oklahoma City, to seek a solution to a series of safety, environmental, and operational risks in the transportation of crude oil and refined products through pipelines. Several of the identified problems were traced to a single equipment source: the reliability of rupture discs used at pipeline stations to relieve pressure by diverting flow to tanks during over-pressure conditions. Conoco's corporate safety and environmental policies requires solving problems that deal with exposure to hydrocarbon vapors, chemical spills or the atmospheric release of fugitive emissions, such as during rupture disc maintenance. The company had used rupture pin valves as vent relief devices in conjunction with development by Rick Austin of inert gas methods to protect the inner casing wall and outer carrier pipeline wall in pipeline road crossings. The design relies on rupture pin valves set at 5 psi to isolate vent openings from the atmosphere prior to purging the annular space between the pipeline and casing with inert gas to prevent corrosion. Speciality Pipeline Inspection and Engineering Inc., Houston, is licensed to distribute the equipment for the new cased-crossing procedure

Relevance of environmental concerns in contemplating development of fission fusion hybrids: a personal view

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holdren, J.

1974-01-01

A brief comparison of hybrids to pure fusion systems with respect to timing and economics is given. The relevance of environmental concerns is discussed along with environmental criteria for hybrid designs. (U.S.)

Public accept for environmental taxes: self-interest, environmental and distributional concerns

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kallbekken, Steffen; Saelen, Haakon

2010-07-15

While strongly recommended by economists, it has often been politically difficult to impose taxes on externalities. There is a substantial literature on public attitudes towards environmental taxes. There have, however, been few comprehensive attempts to understand attitudes towards environmental taxes, and few attempts to isolate the effects of selfish and social preferences. The main research question in this paper is which factors influence support for fuel taxation. We propose a model of attitudes towards fuel taxation, and test this model as well as more specific hypotheses, using data from a representative survey of the adult Norwegian population. Our results suggest that support for fuel taxation is best predicted by beliefs about environmental consequences, followed by beliefs about consequences to others. Beliefs about consequences to self ( self interest ) is the factor that explains the least variation in support for fuel taxation. The academically interesting result that support cannot be well explained without capturing a broad range of motivational factors is also highly policy relevant. It implies that there is no magic formula for increasing public support for environmental taxes. There are, however, some issues which can be addressed: trust in how well the government spends the revenue, and the perception that taxation does very little to change behaviour and thus to reduce environmental problems. (Author)

LMFBR conceptual design study: an overview of environmental and safety concerns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brenchley, D.L.

1981-06-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) initiated the Liquid Metal Fast Breeder (LMFBR) Conceptual Design Study (CDS) with the objective of maintaining a viable breeder option. The project is scheduled to be completed in FY-1981 but decisions regarding plant construction will be delayed until at least 1985. This report provides a review of the potential environmental and safety engineering concerns for the CDS and recommends specific action for the Environmental and Safety Engineering Division of DOE

LMFBR conceptual design study: an overview of environmental and safety concerns

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brenchley, D.L.

1981-06-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) initiated the Liquid Metal Fast Breeder (LMFBR) Conceptual Design Study (CDS) with the objective of maintaining a viable breeder option. The project is scheduled to be completed in FY-1981 but decisions regarding plant construction will be delayed until at least 1985. This report provides a review of the potential environmental and safety engineering concerns for the CDS and recommends specific action for the Environmental and Safety Engineering Division of DOE.

Environmental impact statements concerning final deposition of spent nuclear fuels a.o

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larsen, B.; Schibbye, K.; Andersson, Johan; Norrby, S.; Timm, T.; Haegg, C.; Johansson, Gunnar

1995-02-01

Five governmental authorities concerned in licensing a swedish nuclear waste repository have outlined recommendations for what should be covered by an environmental impact statement, i.e. defined which laws should be applied, tried to develop a consensus on the handling the EIS in the licensing procedure, to identify potential problems due to prevailing (or non-existing) rules on EIS especially concerning roles and conflicts of objective

Progress in reducing the environmental impacts of offshore drilling wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flemming, D; Candler, J.E.

2002-01-01

Full text:Over the past several years, great progress has been made in understanding and reducing the environmental impacts of offshore drilling wastes. Our understanding of sea floor impacts has been helped along by new environmental assessment tools such us computer modeling of sea floor deposition of drilling discharges, sediment profile imaging, and in situ sediment toxicity bioassays. To further reduce environmental impacts, new pollution prevention technologies have been developed that can shrink the environmental footprint of offshore drilling. These technologies reduce the total amount of drilling wastes discharged and include cuttings dryers and centrifuges that can reduce the drilling fluid content of drill cuttings to below 10 percent. In conclusion, the oil and gas industry is adopting more environmentally compatible drilling fluids, new environmental assessment tools and pollution prevention technologies that dramatically reduce the amount of drilling wastes discharged. Together, all of these elements have the potential to reduce environmental impacts of offshore drilling

Human exposure to environmental health concern by types of urban environment: The case of Tel Aviv

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schnell, Izhak; Potchter, Oded; Yaakov, Yaron; Epstein, Yoram

2016-01-01

This study classifies urban environments into types characterized by different exposure to environmental risk factors measured by general sense of discomfort and Heart Rate Variability (HRV). We hypothesize that a set of environmental factors (micro-climatic, CO, noise and individual heart rate) that were measured simultaneously in random locations can provide a better understanding of the distribution of human exposure to environmental loads throughout the urban space than results calculated based on measurements from close fixed stations. We measured micro-climatic and thermal load, CO and noise, individual Heart Rate, Subjective Social Load and Sense of Discomfort (SD) were tested by questionnaire survey. The results demonstrate significant differences in exposure to environmental factors among 8 types of urban environments. It appears that noise and social load are the more significant environmental factors to enhance health risks and general sense of discomfort. - Highlights: • Indoor and outdoor environments were classified by exposure to health concern. • Measurements taken by people provide better knowledge than fixed stations. • Social stress and noise are more stressing factors than Thermal load and CO. • The most stressful places are crowded ones like markets etc. • Short visit in green spaces are effective in reducing levels of stress.

Reduced empathic concern leads to utilitarian moral judgments in trait alexithymia.

Science.gov (United States)

Patil, Indrajeet; Silani, Giorgia

2014-01-01

Recent research with moral dilemmas supports dual-process model of moral decision making. This model posits two different paths via which people can endorse utilitarian solution that requires personally harming someone in order to achieve the greater good (e.g., killing one to save five people): (i) weakened emotional aversion to the prospect of harming someone due to reduced empathic concern for the victim; (ii) enhanced cognition which supports cost-benefit analysis and countervails the prepotent emotional aversion to harm. Direct prediction of this model would be that personality traits associated with reduced empathy would show higher propensity to endorse utilitarian solutions. As per this prediction, we found that trait alexithymia, which is well-known to have deficits in empathy, was indeed associated with increased utilitarian tendencies on emotionally aversive personal moral dilemmas and this was due to reduced empathic concern for the victim. Results underscore the importance of empathy for moral judgments in harm/care domain of morality.

Reduced empathic concern leads to utilitarian moral judgments in trait alexithymia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Indrajeet ePatil

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Recent research with moral dilemmas supports dual-process model of moral decision making. This model posits two different paths via which people can endorse utilitarian solution that requires personally harming someone in order to achieve the greater good (e.g., killing one to save five people: (i weakened emotional aversion to the prospect of harming someone due to reduced empathic concern for the victim; (ii enhanced cognition which supports cost-benefit analysis and countervails the prepotent emotional aversion to harm. Direct prediction of this model would be that personality traits associated with reduced empathy would show higher propensity to endorse utilitarian solutions. As per this prediction, we found that trait alexithymia, which is well-known to have deficits in empathy, was indeed associated with increased utilitarian tendencies on emotionally aversive personal moral dilemmas and this was due to reduced empathic concern for the victim. Results underscore the importance of empathy for moral judgments in harm/care domain of morality.

Public acceptance for environmental taxes: Self-interest, environmental and distributional concerns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kallbekken, Steffen; Saelen, Hakon

2011-01-01

While strongly recommended by economists, it has often been politically difficult to impose taxes on externalities. There is a substantial literature on public attitudes towards environmental taxes. There has, however, been few comprehensive attempts to understand attitudes towards environmental taxes. The main research question in this paper is which factors influence support for fuel taxation. We propose a model of attitudes towards fuel taxation, and test this model as well as more specific hypotheses, using data from a representative survey of the adult Norwegian population. Our results suggest that support for fuel taxation is best predicted by beliefs about environmental consequences, followed by beliefs about consequences to others. Beliefs about consequences to self (self-interest) is the factor that explains the least variation in support for fuel taxation. The academically interesting result that support cannot be well explained without capturing a broad range of motivational factors is also highly policy relevant. It implies that there is no magic formula for increasing public support for environmental taxes. There are, however, some issues which can be addressed: trust in how well the government spends the revenue, and the perception that taxation does very little to change behaviour and thus to reduce environmental problems. - Research highlights: → Which factors influence support for fuel taxation? → We test a model of attitudes towards fuel taxes with data from a Norwegian survey. → Support for fuel taxation best predicted by beliefs about environmental consequences. → Support for fuel taxation followed by beliefs about consequences to others. → Self-interest is the factor that explains the least variation in support.

Public acceptance for environmental taxes: Self-interest, environmental and distributional concerns

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kallbekken, Steffen, E-mail: steffen.kallbekken@cicero.uio.n [CICERO Center for International Climate and Environmental Research-Oslo, PO Box 1129 Blindern, 0318 Oslo (Norway); Saelen, Hakon [CICERO Center for International Climate and Environmental Research-Oslo, PO Box 1129 Blindern, 0318 Oslo (Norway)

2011-05-15

While strongly recommended by economists, it has often been politically difficult to impose taxes on externalities. There is a substantial literature on public attitudes towards environmental taxes. There has, however, been few comprehensive attempts to understand attitudes towards environmental taxes. The main research question in this paper is which factors influence support for fuel taxation. We propose a model of attitudes towards fuel taxation, and test this model as well as more specific hypotheses, using data from a representative survey of the adult Norwegian population. Our results suggest that support for fuel taxation is best predicted by beliefs about environmental consequences, followed by beliefs about consequences to others. Beliefs about consequences to self (self-interest) is the factor that explains the least variation in support for fuel taxation. The academically interesting result that support cannot be well explained without capturing a broad range of motivational factors is also highly policy relevant. It implies that there is no magic formula for increasing public support for environmental taxes. There are, however, some issues which can be addressed: trust in how well the government spends the revenue, and the perception that taxation does very little to change behaviour and thus to reduce environmental problems. - Research highlights: {yields} Which factors influence support for fuel taxation? {yields} We test a model of attitudes towards fuel taxes with data from a Norwegian survey. {yields} Support for fuel taxation best predicted by beliefs about environmental consequences. {yields} Support for fuel taxation followed by beliefs about consequences to others. {yields} Self-interest is the factor that explains the least variation in support.

Biomass stakeholder views and concerns: Environmental groups and some trade association

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peelle, E.

2000-01-01

This exploratory study of the views and concerns of 25 environmental organizations found high interest and concern about which biomass feedstocks would be used and how these biomass materials would be converted to energy. While all favored renewable energy over fossil or nuclear energy, opinion diverged over whether energy crops, residues, or both should be the primary source of a biomass/bioenergy fuel cycle. About half of the discussants favored biomass ``in general'' as a renewable energy source, while the others were distributed about equally over five categories, from favor-with-conditions, uncertain, skeptical, opposed, to ``no organizational policy.''

Biomass stakeholder views and concerns: Environmental groups and some trade associations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peelle, E.

2000-01-01

This exploratory study of the views and concerns of 25 environmental organizations found high interest and concern about which biomass feedstocks would be used and how these biomass materials would be converted to energy. While all favored renewable energy over fossil or nuclear energy, opinion diverged over whether energy crops, residues, or both should be the primary source of a biomass/bioenergy fuel cycle. About half of the discussants favored biomass ''in general'' as a renewable energy source, while the others were distributed about equally over five categories, from favor-with-conditions, uncertain, skeptical, opposed, to ''no organizational policy.''

40 CFR 720.50 - Submission of test data and other data concerning the health and environmental effects of a...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... concerning the health and environmental effects of a substance. 720.50 Section 720.50 Protection of... environmental effects of a substance. (a) Test data on the new chemical substance in the possession or control... concerning the health and environmental effects of the new chemical substance that are known to or reasonably...

National differences in environmental concern and performance are predicted by country age.

Science.gov (United States)

Hershfield, Hal E; Bang, H Min; Weber, Elke U

2014-01-01

There are obvious economic predictors of ability and willingness to invest in environmental sustainability. Yet, given that environmental decisions represent trade-offs between present sacrifices and uncertain future benefits, psychological factors may also play a role in country-level environmental behavior. Gott's principle suggests that citizens may use perceptions of their country's age to predict its future continuation, with longer pasts predicting longer futures. Using country- and individual-level analyses, we examined whether longer perceived pasts result in longer perceived futures, which in turn motivate concern for continued environmental quality. Study 1 found that older countries scored higher on an environmental performance index, even when the analysis controlled for country-level differences in gross domestic product and governance. Study 2 showed that when the United States was framed as an old country (vs. a young one), participants were willing to donate more money to an environmental organization. The findings suggest that framing a country as a long-standing entity may effectively prompt proenvironmental behavior.

Exploring the Effects of Communication Framed by Environmental Concern in Informal Science Education Contexts

Science.gov (United States)

Yocco, Victor S.

Informal science education (ISE) venues such as zoos, nature centers, parks, and natural history museums play a critical role in allowing the general public to learn scientific concepts (National Research Council, 2009; 2010). Most adult learning of scientific concepts takes place outside of classrooms and away from work (Rennie and Williams, 2006). It is also true that zoos and natural history museums have stated missions regarding conveying concepts related to the conservation of our natural resources (Krishtalka and Humphrey, 2000; Patrick, Mathews, Ayers, and Tunicliffe, 2007). Theoretically, the successful communication of the desired message of these ISE institutions would inspire a more informed citizenry on the use and conservation of our natural resources. Framing communication is to present a topic in a manner that promote a specific view of the information. Effectively framing information can be an avenue to achieving the goal of ISE institutions (Chong & Druckman, 2007; Nisbet, 2009). Shultz and Zelezny (2003) posit that messages framed by egoistic concerns, concerns which focus on the individual, will be better received by the general public, leading to a greater likelihood for them to become engaged. This dissertation reports on a series of descriptive mixed methods studies conducted at a zoo, a natural history museum, and a science center, exploring the framing effects of communications framed by environmental concern (Schultz, 2001). In two of the studies the researcher examined the relationship between individuals' perceptions of the overlap between their lives and nature, their levels of environmental concern, and their preferences for statements designed to align with the types of environmental concern (i.e. egoistic, social-altruistic, and biospheric). Two studies were conducted using a quasi-experimental design in which the researcher randomly assigned messages framed by environmental concern while also taking measurements of prior involvement

Ethnic differences in ecological concerns: Spanish-speaking Hispanics are more concerned than others

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burger, Joanna; Greenberg, Michael

2006-01-01

We postulated that environmental concern encompasses a wide range of different issues, often lumping pollution with habitat loss (or land use) and ecological resources (fish and wildlife). In this paper, we compare perceptions about a range of environmental and ecological resource issues, and explore ethnic/racial differences. We surveyed 1513 residents of New Jersey about 'environmental concerns', using both general environmental questions (two questions: How serious are environmental problems in New Jersey? Are you concerned about the loss of open space?) and ecological resource questions (12 questions: e.g., how important is planting trees in your neighborhood, how concerned are you about loss of breeding and feeding habitat for fish and birds?) in New Jersey. Not all concerns were rated equally. For the ecological questions, there were no ethnic differences in concerns over preserving areas around water supplies, loss of places to hunt and fish, and loss of places for quiet walks and cycling, but there were for the other 9 ecological concerns. For eight of these nine concerns, Spanish-speaking Hispanics were more concerned than others (including English-speaking Hispanics). We divided the ecological resources into three categories: ecological services (clean water and safety), ecological resources (fish and wildlife), and recreational services. The strongest correlates of people's association with enlarging and enhancing recreational services were Spanish-speaking Hispanics, who are supportive of regulations and believe local government is not doing enough for environmental problems. People concerned about the loss of ecological resources and open space believe the federal government and the state are not doing enough for the environment, were non-Hispanic White, want continued environmental regulations, were longer-term residents, were high school graduates, and were older (45-54 years). People interested in ecological services were college-educated, non

The Local Residents’ Concerns about Environmental Issues in Northwest China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fanus A. Aregay

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This paper analyzes public awareness and perception about current issues of environmental and water resources in China in comparison to the socio-economic issues. The ranking, Likert scale, and ordered logit analysis were applied to data from 1773 sample residents in northwest China. The results show that the residents rank the degradation of the ecological environment and water resources as the most important issue, and education, political involvement, gender, employment, and residential location play significant roles in explaining the observed differences in concern. Of the possible environmental and water resource restoration policies, residents ranked water quantity and quality, agricultural and industrial water use, erosion control, vegetation restoration, wildlife habitat, animal brooding and migration services, biodiversity landscape, and eco-tourism from one to nine in order of importance, respectively. The results are relevant for policymaking and imply that environmental restoration is a high public demand. Welfare gains from investments in it would be higher or equal to gains from other socio-economic and livelihood activities. Thus, public policies must emphasize restoring and maintaining a sustainable ecological environment.

Women's Environmental Literacy As Social Capital In Environmental Management For Environmental Security of Urban Area

Science.gov (United States)

Asteria, Donna; Herdiansyah, Herdis; Wayan Agus Apriana, I.

2016-02-01

This study is about experience of women's role in environmental management to raise environmental security and form of women's emancipation movement. Environmental concerns conducted by residents of urban women who become environmental activists based on environmental literacy. Because of that, women's experience in interacting with both physic and social environment have differences in managing the environment including managing household waste by applying the principles of the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) and their persuasive efforts on their communities. This is the key to achieving sustainable development by anticipating environmental problem and preserving the environment. This study is conducted qualitative research method and its type is descriptive-explanative. The result of this study is environmental literacy of women activist on pro-environment action in their community that has achieved spiritual environmental literacy. Environmental literacy may differ due to internal and external condition of each individual. Pro-environment activities conducted as a form of responsibility of environmental concern such as eco-management, educational, and economic action, by persuading residents to proactively and consistently continue to do environmental management and develop a sense of community in shaping the networks of environmental concern in local context for global effect.

Concern about Environmental Pollution: How Much Difference Do Race and Ethnicity Make? A New Jersey Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Greenberg, Michael R.

2005-01-01

A survey conducted among 1,513 residents of New Jersey during March–May 2004 showed that non-Hispanic black, non-Hispanic white, and English-speaking Hispanic Americans were significantly more concerned about environmental pollution problems than were Asian Americans and Spanish-language Hispanic Americans. For example, an average of > 40% of the first three groups was very concerned about New Jersey’s environmental problems, compared with 15% of the last two populations. There were also racial/ethnic differences among these groups in their desire for government action to protect the environment and in their personal support of the environmental movement. Regression analyses suggest that the 1970s and 1980s model of core support for environmental protection from white, female, young, educated, and politically liberal people has largely, but not completely, continued among non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and English-language Hispanic populations. But these demographic pointers do not hold for Asian and Spanish-language Hispanic Americans, except indicating more support among the more formally educated. The last two groups are the two fastest-growing subpopulations in the United States, and although acculturation may slowly increase their concern about environmental pollution, it is more prudent for proponents of environmental protection not to wait and instead to try to better understand the environmental perceptions of these groups. PMID:15811824

Environmental performance data in environmental report 2008

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Yoshinori; Noritake, Kazumitsu; Kawasaki, Takanori; Nemoto, Asako

2009-02-01

Japan Atomic Energy Agency published the Environmental Report 2008 concerning the activities of FY 2007 in August, 2008 under 'Law Concerning the Promotion of Business Activities with Environmental Consideration by Specified Corporations, etc, by Facilitating Access to Environmental Information, and Other Measures'. This report has been edited to show detailed environmental performance data in FY 2007 as the base of the Environmental Report 2008. This report would not only ensure traceability of the data in order to enhance the reliability of the environmental report, but also make useful measures for promoting activities of environmental considerations in JAEA. The environmental objectives in FY 2007 were to reduce the amounts of electric power consumption, fossil fuel usage, carbon dioxide emissions, and water usage by more than one percent in comparison with those in the previous fiscal year. The detailed environmental performance data in this report has shown that the numerical targets of the environmental objectives in FY 2007 were achieved. (author)

Panel discussion: environmental concerns and natural gas exports, exploration and development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tipton, D.G.

1995-01-01

Environmental issues faced by power companies were reviewed from the perspective of a major power company that is very much involved in the competitive revolution now underway in the U.S. The battles fought by the U.S. Generating Company of Bethesda, Maryland with environmental groups in the creation of its Hermiston Generating Plant in Oregon were recounted as an example of the different perspectives and the resulting daily challenges facing utility companies in the United States, problems not unlike those faced by natural gas companies in Canada.The principal problems arose when U.S. Generating was trying to secure financing for the Hermiston plant while being challenged by environmentalists in obtaining National Energy Board (NEB) licence to import Canadian gas. It was recommended that to avoid these types of problems, environmental concerns should be addressed when wells are being constructed, not at later stages when power companies are trying to purchase the gas. Several measures taken by U.S. Generating in taking environmental responsibility were outlined, among them its stated objective to investigate environmental impacts of any project prior to beginning of the project. To further illustrate its seriousness about environmental issues the company's standard have been set much higher than the minimum standards required by government. For example, an environmental training program was implemented as well as a recycling program. Contractors employed by the company must have and have to support a positive environmental philosophy. It was concluded that power companies could be successful in business, provided that they used the proper strategies while taking environmental responsibility

Green Consumption: A Cross Cultural Study about Environmental Beliefs, Concerns, and Attitudes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro Luiz Côrtes

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Even though young college students, from different countries, have ever growing access to information about environmental practices, this does not mean that they develop an awareness that leads to good practices of green consumption. Using a new scale, applied to 2372 college students from Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Portugal, and Spain, it was verified whether the perception of the environment of those youngsters is expressed by a construct which is reasonably structured by beliefs, concerns, and environment-friendly attitudes, through the analysis of the impacts caused by those dimensions onto their consumption practices. As a strategy for data analysis, was used exploratory factor analysis, with the use of the Mann-Whitney test on factors scores and Spearman correlation between the mean values of the factors. It was possible to conclude that, although there are similarities between the youngsters from Latin America and the group from Iberia (Spain and Portugal, there are significant differences on how such a perception is structured. The Iberians have an anthropocentric motivation, linked to the idea of preserving resources for the future, while the Latin Americans have a more holistic vision, in which the environmental beliefs play a role of an important background. Between the two groups there are also differences regarding the possibility to conciliate economical development with environmental conservation. It was noted that the green consumption is an answer to the environmental concerns for both groups, which are less influenced by other dimensions, and this fact could impact the marketing strategies towards those groups.  

Integrated manure management to reduce environmental impact: II. Environmental impact assessment of strategies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vries, de J.W.; Groenestein, C.M.; Schroder, J.J.; Hoogmoed, W.B.; Sukkel, W.; Groot Koerkamp, P.W.G.; Boer, de I.J.M.

2015-01-01

Manure management contributes to adverse environmental impacts through losses of nitrogen (N), phosphorus, and carbon (C). In this study, we aimed to assess the potential of newly designed strategies for integrated manure management (IS) to reduce environmental impact. An important aspect of the

Gender, ethnic identity, and environmental concern in Asian Americans and European Americans

Science.gov (United States)

Shawn M. Burn; Patricia L. Winter; Brittany Hori; N Clayton Silver

2012-01-01

There are relatively few articles in sociology and psychology on gender, ethnicity, and the environment, yet ethnic and gender neutral approaches to sustainability may be incomplete. We studied gender, ethnicity, and environmental concern with an internet sample of Asian American women (n=157) and men (n=69), and European American women (n=222) and men (n=99)....

Clustering the Consumers According to Their Environmental Concern: A Study In the Turkish Market

OpenAIRE

Ahu Ergen; Filiz Bozkurt; Caner Giray

2014-01-01

The consumption of natural resources and environmental pollution is still one of our planets most serious problems. Accordingly, the number of consumers who are worried about diminishing natural resources is increasing rapidly. Knowing more about these consumers will give companies the opportunity to define their strategies appropriately. The objective of this study is to profile consumers regarding environmental concern and green buying behavior. Three distinct clusters are identified and th...

Psychometric evaluation of the Environmental Reality Shock-Related Issues and Concerns instrument for newly graduated nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Eun-Young; Yeo, Jung Hee; Park, Hyunjeong; Sin, Kyung Mi; Jones, Cheryl B

2018-02-01

Reality shock is a critical representation of the gap between nursing education and clinical practice and it is important to explore the level of reality shock among nurses. However, there is no relevant instrument to assess the level of reality shock in South Korea. The purpose of this is to determine the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the Environmental Reality Shock-Related Issues and Concerns instrument. A cross-sectional study design was used in this study. The data collection was conducted in selected 15 hospitals in South Korea. A convenience sample of 216 newly graduated nurses participated in the study. The Korean version of the Environmental Reality Shock-Related Issues and Concerns instrument was developed through the forward-backward translation technique, and revision based on feedback from expert groups. The internal consistency reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, and the construct validity was determined via exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The Korean version of the Environmental Reality Shock-Related Issues and Concerns has reliable internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.91). Exploratory factor analysis revealed five factors including job, relationships, expectations, private life, and performance, which explained 61.92% of variance. The factor loadings ranged from 0.451 to 0.832. The five-factor structure was validated by confirmatory factor analysis (RMR0.9). It was concluded that the Korean version of the Environmental Reality Shock-Related Issues and Concerns instrument has satisfactory construct validity and reliability to measure the reality shock of newly graduated nurses in South Korea. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[The effects of an environmental education with newspaper in education (NIE) on the environmental concern and practice].

Science.gov (United States)

Sung, Ki-Wol

2008-12-01

The purpose of this study was to develop an environmental education program using newspaper articles in education (NIE) and to evaluate changes in concern and practice for environmental protection after NIE. The design was a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The participants were university students in nursing, of which 31 were assigned to the experimental group and 43 to the control group. The education was carried out for 2 hr, once a week for 7 weeks. Data were analyzed with SPSS WIN 14 program, and included chi2 test, independent t-test, and repeated measure ANOVA. NIE showed significant differences in the changes of attitude toward environment (F=4.461, p=.036). Findings suggest that this NIE in environmental education was effective in changing students' attitudes toward the environment. Therefore this NIE is recommended for inclusion in education for university students in nursing.

Are modern health worries, environmental concerns, or paranormal beliefs associated with perceptions of the effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicine?

Science.gov (United States)

Jeswani, Mamta; Furnham, Adrian

2010-09-01

To investigate to what extent paranormal beliefs, modern health worries (MHWs), and environmental concerns were related to beliefs about, and behaviour associated with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Of the participants, 150 completed a four-part questionnaire measuring use and perception of CAM, MHWs, paranormal beliefs, and environmental concerns. A factor analysis on the CAM questions revealed three clear components, labelled efficacy of CAM, attitudes to CAM, and safety of CAM. Age, total MHWs, paranormal beliefs, and environmental concerns were used as predictor variables in regression analyses with efficacy as criterion variable. Age was found to be a significantly related to efficacy of CAM. When total MHW score, paranormal belief score, and environmental concern score were added to the model, the r(2) increased by 29%. Environmental concern did not significantly relate to efficacy but spiritualism beliefs did. A factor analysis of the MHW scale items revealed nine factors. Out of these, radiation, doctors playing God, disasters, and epidemics, as well as harmful rays and air contaminants significantly predict belief in the efficacy of CAM. Overall, older people, with more MHWs, and who believe in the paranormal are more likely to believe that CAM works, possibly because of a more intuitive, 'holistic', thinking style. Limitations of the study are considered.

Health and fracking: Should the medical profession be concerned ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

fracking) may reduce carbon emissions relative to the use of coal and have substantial economic benefits for South Africa. However, concerns have been raised regarding the health and environmental impacts. The drilling and fracking processes ...

Environmental concern and ecological responsible behavior in university students: A comparative analysis between Chilean and Spanish students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mireya Palavecinos

2016-12-01

Full Text Available As part of a pilot study aimed at the transcultural analysis of environmental concern and its relationship with ecological behavior, a questionnaire assessing these was developed in Spain, and tested in Spain and in Chile. Chilean (n=88 and Spanish (n=149 students filled out the questionnaire. The results were analysed according to the model of multidimensional conceptualisation of concern for the environment manifested in 4 types of attitude: apathetic, anthropocentric, connected and emotional affinity (Amérigo et al., 2012. Results differed between the two groups, and cultural and psychosocial variables appear to play a significant role in this. This suggest that it is important to have instruments that facilitate environmental studies in the Chilean context, and to take contextual factors (such as the exacerbation of the country's environmental crisis and citizens' concern about the situation into account in such studies. Transcultural studies are key to deepening our understanding of the subject at the worldwide level.

Investigating the impact of environmental attitude on the decision to purchase a green product with the mediating role of environmental concern and care for green products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Esmaeilpour Majid

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The intention to purchase green products is the tendency of a person who prefers to purchase a product with optimal environmental characteristics rather than usual products. Nowadays, the environment is very important and maintaining it is a vital issue for all groups of people, whether in the customer's position or in the distributor’s position. However, in spite of the increased environmental awareness among consumers and encouragements made by producers for them to buy green products, we require further investigation in this area in order to increase green purchasing among different group of people. The main objective of this study is to investigate the impact of the environmental attitude on the decision to purchase a green product with the mediating role of environmental concerns and care for green products. This research is an applied research, and correlational-descriptive in terms of data analysis. The research population includes consumers from Bushehr city, sampled based on availability. In this research, 300 questionnaires were distributed among consumers. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. The findings of this research showed that the environmental attitude of customers has significant and positive impact on caring for green products and environmental concerns. In addition, environmental concerns and care for green products have a significant and positive impact on green purchasing decision.

Potential of low-temperature anaerobic digestion to address current environmental concerns on swine production.

Science.gov (United States)

Massé, D I; Masse, L; Xia, Y; Gilbert, Y

2010-04-01

Environmental issues associated with swine production are becoming a major concern among the general public and are thus an important challenge for the swine industry. There is now a renewed interest in environmental biotechnologies that can minimize the impact of swine production and add value to livestock by-products. An anaerobic biotechnology called psychrophilic anaerobic digestion (PAD) in sequencing batch reactors (SBR) has been developed at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. This very stable biotechnology recovers usable energy, stabilizes and deodorizes manure, and increases the availability of plant nutrients. Experimental results indicated that PAD of swine manure slurry at 15 to 25 degrees C in intermittently fed SBR reduces the pollution potential of manure by removing up to 90% of the soluble chemical oxygen demand. The process performs well under intermittent feeding, once to 3 times a week, and without external mixing. Bioreactor feeding activities can thus be easily integrated into the routine manure removal procedures in the barn, with minimal interference with other farm operations and use of existing manure-handling equipment. Process stability was not affected by the presence of antibiotics in manure. The PAD process was efficient in eliminating populations of zoonotic pathogens and parasites present in raw livestock manure slurries. Psychrophilic anaerobic digestion in SBR could also be used for swine mortality disposal. The addition of swine carcasses, at loading rates representing up to 8 times the normal mortality rates on commercial farms, did not affect the stability of SBR. No operational problems were related to the formation of foam and scum. The biotechnology was successfully operated at semi-industrial and full commercial scales. Biogas production rate exceeded 0.20 L of methane per gram of total chemical oxygen demand fed to the SBR. The biogas was of excellent quality, with a methane concentration ranging from 70 to 80%. The

Sowing Seeds for Future Generations: Development of Generative Concern and Its Relation to Environmental Narrative Identity

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Fanli; Soucie, Kendall; Alisat, Susan; Pratt, Michael

2016-01-01

In this longitudinal study, we examined the relationship between the trajectory of generative concern measured at ages 23, 26 and 32 and environmental narrative identity at age 32. Canadian participants completed a questionnaire on generative concern at ages 23, 26 and 32 and were then interviewed about their personal experiences with the…

Refractory of Furnaces to Reduce Environmental Impact

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanzawa, Shigeru

2011-01-01

The energy load of furnaces used in the manufacturing process of ceramics is quite large. Most of the environmental impact of ceramics manufacturing is due to the CO 2 produced from this high energy load. To improve this situation, R and D has focused on furnace systems and techniques of control in order to reduce energy load. Since furnaces are comprised of refractory, consideration of their mechanical and thermal characteristics is important. Herein are described several refractory types which were chosen through comparison of the characteristics which contribute to heat capacity reduction, heat insulating reinforcement and high emissivity, thereby improving thermal radiation heat transfer efficiency to the ceramic articles. One selected refractory material which will reduce the environmental impact of a furnace, chosen considering low heat capacity and high emissivity characteristics, is SiC. In this study, thermal radiation heat transfer efficiency improvement and its effect on ceramic articles in the furnace and oxidation behaviour were investigated at 1700K. A high density SiC refractory, built into the furnace at construction, has relatively high oxidation durability and has the ability to reduce environmental impact-CO 2 by 10 percent by decreasing the furnace's energy load. However, new oxidation prevention techniques for SiC will be necessary for long-term use in industrial furnaces, because passive to active oxidation transition behaviour of commercial SiC refractory is coming to close ideal.

Refractory of Furnaces to Reduce Environmental Impact

Science.gov (United States)

Hanzawa, Shigeru

2011-10-01

The energy load of furnaces used in the manufacturing process of ceramics is quite large. Most of the environmental impact of ceramics manufacturing is due to the CO2 produced from this high energy load. To improve this situation, R&D has focused on furnace systems and techniques of control in order to reduce energy load. Since furnaces are comprised of refractory, consideration of their mechanical and thermal characteristics is important. Herein are described several refractory types which were chosen through comparison of the characteristics which contribute to heat capacity reduction, heat insulating reinforcement and high emissivity, thereby improving thermal radiation heat transfer efficiency to the ceramic articles. One selected refractory material which will reduce the environmental impact of a furnace, chosen considering low heat capacity and high emissivity characteristics, is SiC. In this study, thermal radiation heat transfer efficiency improvement and its effect on ceramic articles in the furnace and oxidation behaviour were investigated at 1700K. A high density SiC refractory, built into the furnace at construction, has relatively high oxidation durability and has the ability to reduce environmental impact-CO2 by 10 percent by decreasing the furnace's energy load. However, new oxidation prevention techniques for SiC will be necessary for long-term use in industrial furnaces, because passive to active oxidation transition behaviour of commercial SiC refractory is coming to close ideal.

Environmental concerns of deforestation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahman, A.

1995-01-01

The loss of forests as a result of deforestation is a serious problem in Pakistan as well as in other developing world. The forests play important role in environmental protection through soil conservation, regulation of hydrological cycles and micro climate amelioration. At the global scale, forests act as carbon sinks, maintain biodiversity and regulate climate, especially in the context of greenhouse effect. The deforestation should be countered through enforcement of strict laws and elaborating environmental role of forests through media and local councils. Various economic analysis indicate that tropical forests have greater overall benefits if left intact, rather than destroying them for timber. (author)

Traditional food consumption behaviour and concern with environmental contaminants among Cree schoolchildren of the Mushkegowuk territory

Science.gov (United States)

Hlimi, Tina; Skinner, Kelly; Hanning, Rhona M; Martin, Ian D.; Tsuji, Leonard J.S.

2012-01-01

Objectives To investigate factors influencing consumption of traditional foods (e.g. wild game, fish) and concerns about environmental contaminants among schoolchildren of the Mushkegowuk Territory First Nations (Moose Factory, Fort Albany, Kashechewan, Attawapiskat, and Peawanuck). Study design Cross-sectional data collection from a Web-based Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (WEB-Q). Methods Schoolchildren in grades 6–12 (n =262) responded to 4 of the WEB-Q questions: (a) Do you eat game? (b) How often do you eat game? (c) How concerned are you about the environmental contaminants in the wild game and fish that you eat? (d) I would eat more game if… [6 response options]. Data were collected in 2004 (Fort Albany), 2005 (Peawanuck), 2006 (Attawapiskat), 2007 (Moose Factory) and 2009 (Kashechewan). Hierarchical log-linear modelling (LLM) was used for analyses of multi-way frequency data. Results Of the schoolchildren answering the specific questions: 174 consumed game; 95 reported concerns about contaminants in game; and 84 would increase their game consumption if it were more available in their homes. LLM revealed significant differences between communities; schoolchildren in Moose Factory consumed game “rarely or never” at greater than expected frequency, and fewer than expected consumed game “at least once a day”. Schoolchildren in Kashechewan had greater frequency of daily game consumption and few were concerned about contaminants in game. Using LLM, we found that sex was an insignificant variable and did not affect game consumption frequency or environmental contaminant concern. Conclusion The consumption of traditional foods differed between communities and appears to be related to contamination concerns. In addition, latitudinal variation appears to influence the frequency of traditional food consumption in children; children in the most southerly location consumed traditional food less frequently. PMID:22456047

Traditional food consumption behaviour and concern with environmental contaminants among Cree schoolchildren of the Mushkegowuk territory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tina Hlimi

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Objectives: To investigate factors influencing consumption of traditional foods (e.g. wild game, fish and concerns about environmental contaminants among schoolchildren of the Mushkegowuk Territory First Nations (Moose Factory, Fort Albany, Kashechewan, Attawapiskat, and Peawanuck. Study design: Cross-sectional data collection from a Web-based Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (WEB-Q. Methods: Schoolchildren in grades 6–12 (n = 262 responded to 4 of the WEB-Q questions: (a Do you eat game? (b How often do you eat game? (c How concerned are you about the environmental contaminants in the wild game and fish that you eat? (d I would eat more game if… [6 response options]. Data were collected in 2004 (Fort Albany, 2005 (Peawanuck, 2006 (Attawapiskat, 2007 (Moose Factory and 2009 (Kashechewan. Hierarchical log-linear modelling (LLM was used for analyses of multi-way frequency data. Results: Of the schoolchildren answering the specific questions: 174 consumed game; 95 reported concerns about contaminants in game; and 84 would increase their game consumption if it were more available in their homes. LLM revealed significant differences between communities; schoolchildren in Moose Factory consumed game “rarely or never” at greater than expected frequency, and fewer than expected consumed game “at least once a day”. Schoolchildren in Kashechewan had greater frequency of daily game consumption and few were concerned about contaminants in game. Using LLM, we found that sex was an insignificant variable and did not affect game consumption frequency or environmental contaminant concern. Conclusion: The consumption of traditional foods differed between communities and appears to be related to contamination concerns. In addition, latitudinal variation appears to influence the frequency of traditional food consumption in children; children in the most southerly location consumed traditional food less frequently.

New and future developments in catalysis catalysis for remediation and environmental concerns

CERN Document Server

Suib, Steven L

2013-01-01

New and Future Developments in Catalysis is a package of seven books that compile the latest ideas concerning alternate and renewable energy sources and the role that catalysis plays in converting new renewable feedstock into biofuels and biochemicals. Both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts and catalytic processes will be discussed in a unified and comprehensive approach. There will be extensive cross-referencing within all volumes. The various sources of environmental pollution are the theme of this volume. The volume lists all current environmentally friendly catalytic chemical processes used for environmental remediation and critically compares their economic viability. Offers in-depth coverage of all catalytic topics of current interest and outlines future challenges and research areas A clear and visual description of all parameters and conditions, enabling the reader to draw conclusions for a particular case Outlines the catalytic processes applicable to energy generation and design of green proce...

Environmental remediation: Addressing public concerns through effective community relations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, S.; Heywood, J.; Wood, M.B.; Arellano, M.; Pfister, S.

1998-01-01

The public's perception of risk drives their response to any potential environmental remediation project. Even if the actual environmental and health risks may be relatively low, public perception of high risk may doom the project to an uphill struggle characterized by heated public meetings, negative media coverage, reluctant regulators, project delays and increased costs. The ultimate Catch 22 in such a case is that the contamination remains in-place until the public drama is concluded. This paper explores the development and implementation of a Community Relations Plan for the clean up of a Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) site owned and operated by corporate predecessors of Arizona Public Service Company (APS) near the turn of the century. The unique challenges associated with this project were that the former MGP was located in downtown Phoenix at the site of a future federal courthouse. Although the MGP site had been under investigation for some time, the clean-up schedule was driven by a tight courthouse construction schedule. Compounding these challenges were the logistics associated with conducting a large-scale cleanup in a congested, highly visible downtown location. An effective Community Relations Plan can mean the difference between the success and failure of an environmental remediation project. Elements of an effective plan are: identifying key stakeholders and involving them in the project from the beginning; providing timely information and being open and honest about the potential environmental and health risks; involving your company's community relations and media staff; and educating affected company employees. The Community Relations Plan developed for this project was designed to alleviate public concern about potential risks (perceived or real) associated with the project by keeping key stakeholders informed of all activities well in advance

Children's Environmental Concerns: Expressing Ecophobia

Science.gov (United States)

Strife, Susan Jean

2012-01-01

While numerous quantitative studies across disciplines have investigated children's knowledge and attitudes about environmental problems, few studies examine children's feelings about environmental problems--and even fewer have focused on the child's point of view. Through 50 in-depth interviews with urban children (ages 10-12) this research aimed…

Reducing Environmental Allergic Triggers: Policy Issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Abramson, Stuart L

The implementation of policies to reduce environmental allergic triggers can be an important adjunct to optimal patient care for allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma. Policies at the local level in schools and other public as well as private buildings can make an impact on disease morbidity. Occupational exposures for allergens have not yet been met with the same rigorous policy standards applied for exposures to toxicants by Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Further benefit may be obtained through policies by local, county, state, and national governments, and possibly through international cooperative agreements. The reduction of allergenic exposures can and should be affected by policies with strong scientific, evidence-based derivation. However, a judicious application of the precautionary principle may be needed in circumstances where the health effect of inaction could lead to more serious threats to vulnerable populations with allergic disease. This commentary covers the scientific basis, current implementation, knowledge gaps, and pro/con views on policy issues in reducing environmental allergic triggers. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

"An Inconvenient Truth" Increases Knowledge, Concern, and Willingness to Reduce Greenhouse Gases

Science.gov (United States)

Nolan, Jessica M.

2010-01-01

Since May 24, 2006 millions of people have seen the movie "An Inconvenient Truth." Several countries have even proposed using the film as an educational tool in school classrooms. However, it is not yet clear that the movie accomplishes its apparent goals of increasing knowledge and concern, and motivating people to reduce their…

Proposed nuclear weapons nonproliferation policy concerning foreign research reactor spent nuclear fuel: Appendix A, environmental justice analysis. Volume 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-03-01

This is Appendix A to a draft Environmental Impact Statement on a Proposed Nuclear Weapons Nonproliferation Policy Concerning Foreign Research Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel. This appendix addresses environmental justice for the acceptance of foreign research reactor spent nuclear fuel containing uranium enriched in the United States. Analyses of environmental justice concerns are provided in three areas: (1) potential ports of entry, (2) potential transportation routes from candidate ports of entry to interim management sites, and (3) areas surrounding potential interim management sites. These analyses lead to the conclusion that the alternatives analyzed in this Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) would result in no disproportionate adverse effects on minority populations or low-income communities surrounding the candidate ports, transport routes, or interim management sites

Perceptions of on-site hunters: Environmental concerns, future land use, and cleanup options at the Savannah River Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burger, J.; Sanchez, J.

1999-01-01

The Department of Energy owns land in 34 states, and most of these lands have been off limits to the public for over 50 years. Although some parts of each site are contaminated, most of many sites are not. With the ending of the Cold War, the department is considering alternative land uses. In this article, the perceptions of hunters and fishermen allowed on site for a limited time were examined, about environmental concerns, future land use, and cleanup options. Although loss of jobs was the foremost concern, preserving parts of the site had more support as a future land use than continuing the nuclear mission, and nearly three-quarters of the sample supported cleanup, regardless of cost. On-site employment was a significant indicator of lower concern about safety and environmental issues, less support for designating the site for research, and more concern for maintaining jobs

Future land use and concerns about the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory: A survey of urban dwellers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burger, J.; Roush, D.; Wartenberg, D.; Gochfeld, M.

1999-01-01

The authors examined environmental concerns and future land-use preferences of 487 people attending the Boise River Festival in Boise, Idaho, USA, about the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (NEEL), owned by the US Department of Energy (DOE). They were particularly interested in the perceptions of urban dwellers living at some distance from the facility, since attitudes and perceptions are usually examined for people living near such facilities. More than 50% of the people were most worried about contamination and about waste storage and transport, another 23% were concerned about human health and accidents and spills, and the rest listed other concerns such as jobs and the economy of education. When given a list of possible concerns, accidents and spills, storage of current nuclear materials, and storage of additional nuclear materials were rated the highest. Thus both open-ended and structured questions identified nuclear storage and accidents and spills as the most important concerns, even for people living far from a DOE site. The highest rated future land used were National Environmental Research Park, recreation, and returning the land to the Shoshone-Bannock tribes; the lowest rated future land uses were homes and increased nuclear waste storage. These relative rankings are similar to those obtained for other Idahoans living closer to the site and for the people living near the Savannah River Site. The concern expressed about accidents and spills and waste storage translated into a desire not to see additional waste brought to INEEL and a low rating for using INEEL for building homes

Short Review: Mitigation of Current Environmental Concerns from Methanol Synthesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew Young

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Methanol has become a widely used and globally distributed product. Methanol is very important due to the current depletion of fossil fuels. Industrially, methanol produced from the catalytic reaction of synthetic gas composed of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. Methanol production has brought great attention due to carbon dioxide as the main source of greenhouse gas emissions. Combined of reducing CO2 emissions and supplying an alternative fuel source has created the idea of a carbon neutral cycle called “the methanol economy”. The best catalyst for the methanol economy would show a high CO2 conversion and high selectivity for methanol production. This paper investigates research focused on catalyst development for efficient methanol synthesis from hydrogenation of carbon dioxide through added various supports and additives such as silica, zirconium, and palladium. Catalysts that displayed the highest activity included a zirconia and silicon-titanium oxide promoted Cu/Zn/Al2O3 catalyst. Alternative method of catalyst preparation, include the oxalate-gel, solid-state reaction, co-precipitation and combustion method also investigated.  © 2013 BCREC UNDIP. All rights reservedReceived: 10th October 2012; Revised: 7th February 2012; Accepted: 10th February 2013[How to Cite: Young, A., Lesmana, D., Dai, D.J., Wu, H.S. (2013. Short Review: Mitigation of Current En-vironmental Concerns from Methanol Synthesis. Bulletin of Chemical Reaction Engineering & Catalysis, 8 (1: 1-13. (doi:10.9767/bcrec.8.1.4055.1-13][Permalink/DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.9767/bcrec.8.1.4055.1-13] | View in  |

Pretreatment technologies for industrial effluents: Critical review on bioenergy production and environmental concerns.

Science.gov (United States)

Prabakar, Desika; Suvetha K, Subha; Manimudi, Varshini T; Mathimani, Thangavel; Kumar, Gopalakrishnan; Rene, Eldon R; Pugazhendhi, Arivalagan

2018-07-15

The implementation of different pretreatment techniques and technologies prior to effluent discharge is a direct result of the inefficiency of several existing wastewater treatment methods. A majority of the industrial sectors have known to cause severe negative effects on the environment. The five major polluting industries are the paper and pulp mills, coal manufacturing facilities, petrochemical, textile and the pharmaceutical sectors. Pretreatment methods have been widely used in order to lower the toxicity levels of effluents and comply with environmental standards. In this review, the possible environmental benefits and concerns of adopting different pretreatment technologies for renewable energy production and product/resource recovery has been reviewed and discussed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Relationship between Concern for Environmental Sustainability and the Capacity for Wisdom and Other Factors among Postgraduate Business Students

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

McKenna, Bernard; Sigurjonsson, Olaf; Arnardottir, Audur

-term planetary sustainability. Other variables were considered. Students were more inclined to the New Ecological Paradigm [NEP], with a significant strong correlation between the level of wisdom and environmental concern. Stronger NEP and wisdom scores were positively correlated with subjective wellbeing...... and psychological wellbeing. Although there was no correlation between gender and wisdom, there was a positive correlation between wisdom and those with children as well as those who are partnered, suggesting the importance of experience in wisdom formation. Gender also did not correlate with environmental concern...

Strategic environmental noise mapping: methodological issues concerning the implementation of the EU Environmental Noise Directive and their policy implications.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Murphy, E

2010-04-01

This paper explores methodological issues and policy implications concerning the implementation of the EU Environmental Noise Directive (END) across Member States. Methodologically, the paper focuses on two key thematic issues relevant to the Directive: (1) calculation methods and (2) mapping methods. For (1), the paper focuses, in particular, on how differing calculation methods influence noise prediction results as well as the value of the EU noise indicator L(den) and its associated implications for comparability of noise data across EU states. With regard to (2), emphasis is placed on identifying the issues affecting strategic noise mapping, estimating population exposure, noise action planning and dissemination of noise mapping results to the general public. The implication of these issues for future environmental noise policy is also examined.

Using a Physical Education Environmental Survey to Identify Areas of Concern and Improve Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, Grant; Hulbert, George

2007-01-01

School environmental conditions can impact learning in physical educational classes. It is important for schools to control environmental health hazards, not only to promote a conducive school learning environment, but to also reduce associated health risks. To help physical education leaders determine the quality of physical education facilities…

A multimodal logistics service network design with time windows and environmental concerns.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Dezhi; He, Runzhong; Li, Shuangyan; Wang, Zhongwei

2017-01-01

The design of a multimodal logistics service network with customer service time windows and environmental costs is an important and challenging issue. Accordingly, this work established a model to minimize the total cost of multimodal logistics service network design with time windows and environmental concerns. The proposed model incorporates CO2 emission costs to determine the optimal transportation mode combinations and investment selections for transfer nodes, which consider transport cost, transport time, carbon emission, and logistics service time window constraints. Furthermore, genetic and heuristic algorithms are proposed to set up the abovementioned optimal model. A numerical example is provided to validate the model and the abovementioned two algorithms. Then, comparisons of the performance of the two algorithms are provided. Finally, this work investigates the effects of the logistics service time windows and CO2 emission taxes on the optimal solution. Several important management insights are obtained.

THE INFLUENCE OF MEDIA EXPOSURE, SAFETY AND HEALTH CONCERNS, AND SELF-EFFICACY ON ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDES TOWARDS ELECTRONIC GREEN PRODUCTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iman Khalid A. Qader

2011-07-01

Full Text Available As the high-tech industry evolves at a rapid pace, vast amounts of hazardous materials are used in fuelling its global expansion. These rapid changes in production processes are significantly depleting natural resources. With the surge of popular interest and awareness pertaining to environmental issues, organisations may be in peril if consumers' attitudes towards their products are ignored. This study intends to understand consumers' environmental attitudes towards electronic green products and to identify the effect of three factors, namely, media exposure, safety and health concerns, and self- efficacy, on this attitude. Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire among 170 respondents in a public university. The results of the study indicated that safety and health concerns as well as self-efficacy had significant positive impacts on consumers' environmental attitudes. Surprisingly, however, media exposure did not exhibit any significant influence on consumers' environmental attitude. It is recommended that campaign and awareness projects focus on safety and health issues. Additionally, media should play a more active role in increasing environmental awareness among consumers.

The shaping of environmental concern in product chains: analysing Danish case studies on environmental aspects in product chain relations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Forman, Marianne; Hansen, Anne Grethe; Jørgensen, Michael Søgaard

indirect demand for greening activities. The analysis shows the co-construction of environmental concerns and demands, companies’ environmental practices and technological developments, and their stabilisation in the supply chain. The case studies also point to how the greening of frontrunners might make...... the systems of production, consumption, knowledge and regulation are discussed. The role of boundary objects is discussed with eco-labelling as case. The role of and the impact on the product chain relations are analysed as part of these mechanisms. From the case studies, green innovations in the product...... chain, which the case company represents, are identified. Direct customer and regulatory demands, as well as indirect societal and regulatory demands are mapped, and their role for product chain greening analysed. The case studies point to the importance of customer demand, regulation and potentially...

Strategic environmental noise mapping: methodological issues concerning the implementation of the EU Environmental Noise Directive and their policy implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, E; King, E A

2010-04-01

This paper explores methodological issues and policy implications concerning the implementation of the EU Environmental Noise Directive (END) across Member States. Methodologically, the paper focuses on two key thematic issues relevant to the Directive: (1) calculation methods and (2) mapping methods. For (1), the paper focuses, in particular, on how differing calculation methods influence noise prediction results as well as the value of the EU noise indicator L(den) and its associated implications for comparability of noise data across EU states. With regard to (2), emphasis is placed on identifying the issues affecting strategic noise mapping, estimating population exposure, noise action planning and dissemination of noise mapping results to the general public. The implication of these issues for future environmental noise policy is also examined. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reducing environmental damages caused by transportation: towards an heterodox approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marletto, Gerardo

2006-01-01

According to orthodox economics, monetary incentives are the best way to reduce environmental damages caused by transportation. This approach is consistent with the consideration of environmental damages as a market failure and with the use of pigouvian taxes to re-establish market equilibrium. Using heterodox economics both the theoretical and the policy approach will change radically. Indeed, market is just one of the structural components of the existing transport system; others being: institutions, technologies, values. Then, a shift in policy approaches is needed: from the orthodox efficient allocation of existing resources, to the heterodox promotion of new development patterns, needed to alter the given structural situation. Consistently with this paradigmatic shift, environmental damages caused by transportation can be reduced only by making the transition to a new transport system viable. Moreover, an heterodox approach to the reduction of environmental damages caused by transportation gives rise to a sound revision of policy tools; among these must be considered: selective industrial policies to foster the ecological reconversion of transport supply (instead of a non-discriminatory support to ecological innovations); participatory decision procedures to evaluate and select transport policies (instead of neutral technical tools - such as Cba or Eia); information campaigns based on ethical considerations (instead of economic incentives to transport demand); attribution of the status of commons to environmental resources, in order to protect them from the free riding of transport activities (instead of the attribution to them of private property rights). This essay is composed of four parts. In the first one, some data on environmental damages caused by transportation in Italy are shown. In the second one, orthodox and heterodox paradigms of public interventions in the economy are compared, with a specific attention to environmental applications. In the

Age and Environmental Concern: A Multivariate Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Buttel, Frederick H.

1979-01-01

This paper provides detailed evidence on the relationships among age, education, and environmental values. The relative strengths of association of age and education in predicting environmental attitudes are evaluated. Present and future generational politics of environmentalism are discussed. (Author/EB)

Reducing the local environmental impacts of passenger transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maentynen, J.; Kalenoja, H.; Maekelae, S. [Tampere Univ. of Technology (Finland). Inst. of Transportation Engineering

1995-12-31

The local injurious effects of traffic appear mostly in densely populated areas, where the demand for transport is high. The local environmental effects of transportation can be reduced by measures of urban planning, traffic planning, vehicle technology and economical restrictions. Land use planning, concentration of urban structure and promoting distance working are examples of expedients of urban planning. The methods of urban planning usually affect very slowly on transport structure, but they also have a significant and continuous influence on travel demand. The methods of traffic planning generally tend to increase the fluency of traffic flow or reduce private car traffic with diverse restrictions by supporting environmentally more favourable vehicles or modes of travel. The improvements in vehicle technology can be significant in the short run. By economical regulations it is possible to guide the demand for traffic to a desirable direction. The local injurious effects of traffic vary by the size of urban areas. Local conditions, such as urban structure, population density, structure of employment, and composition of transport structure, influence on travel pattern and modal split. In Tampere University of Technology several measures to reduce environmental effects and energy consumption of transportation has been evaluated. This article presents three types of categories. As technological measures the introduction of electric vehicles and the alternative bus fuels have been studied. In addition, the effects of introducing midibuses, the car pool system and the increasing of vehicle occupancy have been evaluated as measures, which generally increase transportation system efficiency. (author)

Reducing the local environmental impacts of passenger transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maentynen, J; Kalenoja, H; Maekelae, S [Tampere Univ. of Technology (Finland). Inst. of Transportation Engineering

1996-12-31

The local injurious effects of traffic appear mostly in densely populated areas, where the demand for transport is high. The local environmental effects of transportation can be reduced by measures of urban planning, traffic planning, vehicle technology and economical restrictions. Land use planning, concentration of urban structure and promoting distance working are examples of expedients of urban planning. The methods of urban planning usually affect very slowly on transport structure, but they also have a significant and continuous influence on travel demand. The methods of traffic planning generally tend to increase the fluency of traffic flow or reduce private car traffic with diverse restrictions by supporting environmentally more favourable vehicles or modes of travel. The improvements in vehicle technology can be significant in the short run. By economical regulations it is possible to guide the demand for traffic to a desirable direction. The local injurious effects of traffic vary by the size of urban areas. Local conditions, such as urban structure, population density, structure of employment, and composition of transport structure, influence on travel pattern and modal split. In Tampere University of Technology several measures to reduce environmental effects and energy consumption of transportation has been evaluated. This article presents three types of categories. As technological measures the introduction of electric vehicles and the alternative bus fuels have been studied. In addition, the effects of introducing midibuses, the car pool system and the increasing of vehicle occupancy have been evaluated as measures, which generally increase transportation system efficiency. (author)

Environmental concerns regarding a materials test reactor fuel fabrication facility at the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute - IPEN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, G. R. T.; Durazzo, M.; Carvalho, E. F. U.; Riella, H. G.

2008-01-01

The aim of the industrial activities success, front to a more and more informed and demanding society and to a more and more competitive market demands an environmental administration policy which doesn't limit itself to assist the legislation but anticipate and prevent, in a responsible way, possible damages to the environment. One of the maim programs of the Institute of Energetic and Nuclear Research of the national Commission of Nuclear Energy located in Brazil, through the Center of Nuclear Fuel - CCN - is to manufacture MTR-type fuel elements using low-enrichment uranium (20 wt% 2 35U), to supply its IEA-RI research reactor. Integrated in this program, this work aims at well developing and assuring a methodology to implant an environment, health and safety policy, foreseeing its management with the use of detailed data reports and through the adoption of new tools for improving the management, in order to fulfil the applicable legislation and accomplish all the environmental, operational and works aspects. The applied methodology for the effluents management comprises different aspects, including the specific environmental legislation of a country, main available effluents treatment techniques, process flow analyses from raw materials and intakes to products, generated effluents, residuals and emissions. Data collections were accomplished for points gathering and tests characterization, classification and compatibility of the generated effluents and their eventual environmental impacts. This study aims to implant the Sustainable Concept in order to guarantee access to financial resources, allowing cost reduction, maximizing long-term profits, preventing and reducing environmental accident risks and stimulating both the attraction and the keeping of a motivated manpower. Work on this project has already started and, even though many technical actions have not still ended, the results have being extremely valuable. These results can already give to CCN

Green Supply Chain Network Design with Economies of Scale and Environmental Concerns

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dezhi Zhang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This study considers a design problem in the supply chain network of an assembly manufacturing enterprise with economies of scale and environmental concerns. The study aims to obtain a rational tradeoff between environmental influence and total cost. A mixed-integer nonlinear programming model is developed to determine the optimal location and size of regional distribution centers (RDCs and the investment of environmental facilities considering the effects of economies of scale and CO2 emission taxes. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the applications of the proposed model. Moreover, comparative analysis of the related key parameters is conducted (i.e., carbon emission tax, logistics demand of customers, and economies of scale of RDC, to explore the corresponding effects on the network design of a green supply chain. Moreover, the proposed model is applied in an actual case—network design of a supply chain of an electric meter company in China. Findings show that (i the optimal location of RDCs is affected by the demand of customers and the level of economies of scale and that (ii the introduction of CO2 emission taxes will change the structure of a supply chain network, which will decrease CO2 emissions per unit shipment.

Assessment of elements in coal related to environmental concern

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diah Dwiana Lestiani; Muhayatun Santoso; Natalia Adventini

2010-01-01

National energy consumption increases rapidly in line with the economic growth and population. Indonesian government plans to develop electrical power plant 10 000 MW program to anticipate this matter, first step of which is focused on coal power plant. In this study, coal combustion was assessed on its environmental impact. Determination of trace and toxic elements was applied by instrumental neutron activation analysis. Samples were irradiated in Rabbit System at GA Siwabessy, Serpong, in reactor with neutron flux ~10 13 n.cm -2 .s -1 , then counted using HPGe detector. The method was validated by analysis of standard reference material NIST SRM 1633b coal fly ash. The results showed that Al and Cr concentrations were 2.1 0±0.80 and 7.63±1.45 mg/kg, respectively, and other elements such as Al, Co, Cs, Ce, Fe, K, La, Mn, Na, Sc, Sm, Ti, and V were still in the range of those in other world coals. Comparison the elements in coal with the elements in fly ash and bottom ash for relative enrichment index, mass balance calculation and mass flow estimation using assumption was also carried out to estimate the total emission estimation related the environmental concerned elements. The total emission of As, Co and Cr were in the range of 0.84-2.28 kg/day or equivalent to 0.49-1.23 % of total elemental mass content in coal. This also indicated that these elements were captured 98-99 % before released to the environment. (author)

To buy green or not to buy: environmental concerned companies and individuals' rewarding behaviour

OpenAIRE

Rodr??guez-Priego, Nuria; Montoro-R??os, Francisco J.

2014-01-01

The present research aim to examine individuals?? purchasing behavioural intention related with corporations who are environmental concerned. Two Structural Equations Models are proposed and tested independently for the behavioral intention or rewarding and punishing companies by buying or not their products. Results highlight the importance of increasing perceived consumer effectiveness of their energy saving actions, as well as involvement to enhance the risk perceived of global climate cha...

Environmental management in the Dutch Food and Beverage industry. A longitudinal study into the joint impact of business network and firm characteristics on the adoption of environmental management capabilities

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Haverkamp, D.J.; Omta, S.W.F.

2007-01-01

Because of the growing societal concerns regarding industrial environmental pollution, it is essential to get a deeper understanding of the factors influencing firms to reduce their environmental impact. This book considers these concerns by evaluating the importance of these factors in reference to

Reducing the environmental impact of concrete and asphalt: a scenario approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blankendaal, T.; Schuur, Peter; Voordijk, Johannes T.

2014-01-01

In this paper, measures are evaluated to reduce the environmental impact of concrete and asphalt. Several composition scenarios are designed for these materials and are evaluated based on their environmental performance using life-cycle assessment (LCA). The effect of low-energy production

A twin study of body dysmorphic concerns.

Science.gov (United States)

Monzani, B; Rijsdijk, F; Anson, M; Iervolino, A C; Cherkas, L; Spector, T; Mataix-Cols, D

2012-09-01

Dysmorphic concern refers to an excessive preoccupation with a perceived or slight defect in physical appearance. It lies on a continuum of severity from no or minimal concerns to severe concerns over one's appearance. The present study examined the heritability of dysmorphic concerns in a large sample of twins. Twins from the St Thomas UK twin registry completed a valid and reliable self-report measure of dysmorphic concerns, which also includes questions about perceived body odour and malfunction. Twin modelling methods (female twins only, n=3544) were employed to decompose the variance in the liability to dysmorphic concerns into additive genetic, shared and non-shared environmental factors. Model-fitting analyses showed that genetic factors accounted for approximately 44% [95% confidence intervals (CI) 36-50%] of the variance in dysmorphic concerns, with non-shared environmental factors and measurement error accounting for the remaining variance (56%; 95% CI 50-63%). Shared environmental factors were negligible. The results remained unchanged when excluding individuals reporting an objective medical condition/injury accounting for their concern in physical appearance. Over-concern with a perceived or slight defect in physical appearance is a heritable trait, with non-shared environmental factors also playing an important role in its causation. The results are relevant for various psychiatric disorders characterized by excessive concerns in body appearance, odour or function, including but not limited to body dysmorphic disorder.

Using Motivational Interviewing to reduce threats in conversations about environmental behavior

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Florian Erik Klonek

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Human behavior contributes to a waste of environmental resources and our society is looking for ways to reduce this problem. However, humans may perceive feedback about their environmental behavior as threatening. According to self-determination theory (SDT, threats decrease intrinsic motivation for behavior change. According to self-affirmation theory (SAT, threats can harm individuals’ self-integrity. Therefore, individuals should show self-defensive biases, e.g., in terms of presenting counter-arguments when presented with environmental behavior change. The current study examines how change recipients respond to threats from change agents in interactions about environmental behavior change. Moreover, we investigate how Motivational Interviewing (MI—an intervention aimed at increasing intrinsic motivation—can reduce threats at both the social and cognitive level. We videotaped 68 dyadic interactions with change agents who either did or did not use MI (control group. We coded agents verbal threats and recipients’ verbal expressions of motivation. Recipients also rated agents’ level of confrontation and empathy (i.e., cognitive reactions. As hypothesized, threats were significantly lower when change agents used MI. Perceived confrontations converged with observable social behavior of change agents in both groups. Moreover, behavioral threats showed a negative association with change recipients’ expressed motivation (i.e., reasons to change. Contrary to our expectations, we found no relation between change agents’ verbal threats and change recipients’ verbally expressed self-defenses (i.e., sustain talk. Our results imply that MI reduces the adverse impact of threats in conversations about environmental behavior change on both the social and cognitive level. We discuss theoretical implications of our study in the context of SAT and SDT and suggest practical implications for environmental change agents in organizations.

Using Motivational Interviewing to reduce threats in conversations about environmental behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Klonek, Florian E; Güntner, Amelie V; Lehmann-Willenbrock, Nale; Kauffeld, Simone

2015-01-01

Human behavior contributes to a waste of environmental resources and our society is looking for ways to reduce this problem. However, humans may perceive feedback about their environmental behavior as threatening. According to self-determination theory (SDT), threats decrease intrinsic motivation for behavior change. According to self-affirmation theory (SAT), threats can harm individuals' self-integrity. Therefore, individuals should show self-defensive biases, e.g., in terms of presenting counter-arguments when presented with environmental behavior change. The current study examines how change recipients respond to threats from change agents in interactions about environmental behavior change. Moreover, we investigate how Motivational Interviewing (MI) - an intervention aimed at increasing intrinsic motivation - can reduce threats at both the social and cognitive level. We videotaped 68 dyadic interactions with change agents who either did or did not use MI (control group). We coded agents verbal threats and recipients' verbal expressions of motivation. Recipients also rated agents' level of confrontation and empathy (i.e., cognitive reactions). As hypothesized, threats were significantly lower when change agents used MI. Perceived confrontations converged with observable social behavior of change agents in both groups. Moreover, behavioral threats showed a negative association with change recipients' expressed motivation (i.e., reasons to change). Contrary to our expectations, we found no relation between change agents' verbal threats and change recipients' verbally expressed self-defenses (i.e., sustain talk). Our results imply that MI reduces the adverse impact of threats in conversations about environmental behavior change on both the social and cognitive level. We discuss theoretical implications of our study in the context of SAT and SDT and suggest practical implications for environmental change agents in organizations.

EUROPEAN POLICY CONCERNING THE PROTECTION OF THE QUALITY OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTOR - WATER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

FLORICA BRASOVEANU

2012-05-01

Full Text Available European Union environmental policy, as was established in the EC Treaty aims at ensuring environmental sustainability activities through its inclusion in EU sectoral policies, by developing measures to prevent by following the basic principles of sustainable development and by taking joint responsibilities. Environmental legislation is one of those tools that combine management of natural resources with the prevention and control of the pollution. These laws attempt to prevent, or at least limit the effects of environmental degradation caused by the phenomenon of pollution. Environmental legislation should primarily be flexible in the sense to allow the fulfillment of current and the future goals in order to stimulate sustainable development concept and to base on general criteria for the purposes of allowing the extension to complex environmental problems. The environmental legislation is due to focus on integrating the source - effect policy, that is to focus on regulations for issuing permits for pollution, but also the responsibility of companies and citizens.Despite the significant improvements that have occurred especially in reducing air and water pollution, European legislation should be developed further. It is true that there are still many points that require completion and perfection, but the path followed is the best. In the European Union the process of implementation and adoption of new regulations on environmental protection (regulations, directives, decisions,recommendations to combat the causes of degradation of environmental quality and life quality time with them continues.

Environmental concerns in regarding a materials test reactor fuel fabrication facility at the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute - IPEN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, Glaucia R.T.; Durazzo, Michelangelo; Carvalho, Elita F.U.; Riella, Humberto G.

2008-01-01

The aim of the industrial activities success, front to a more and more informed and demanding society and to a more and more competitive market demands an environmental administration policy which doesn't limit itself to assist the legislation but anticipate and prevent, in a responsible way, possible damages to the environment. One of the main programs of the Institute of Energetic and Nuclear Research of the national Commission of Nuclear Energy located in Brazil, through the Center of Nuclear Fuel -CCN- is to manufacture MTR-type fuel elements using low-enrichment uranium (20 wt % 235 U), to supply its IEA-R1 research reactor. Integrated in this program, this work aims at well developing and assuring a methodology to implant an environment, health and safety policy, foreseeing its management with the use of detailed data reports and through the adoption of new tools for improving the management, in order to fulfil the applicable legislation and accomplish all the environmental, operational and works aspects. The applied methodology for the effluents management comprises different aspects, including the specific environmental legislation of a country, main available effluents treatment techniques, process flow analyses from raw materials and intakes to products, generated effluents, residuals and emissions. Data collections were accomplished for points gathering and tests characterization, classification and compatibility of the generated effluents and their eventual environmental impacts.This study aims to implant the Sustainability Concept in order to guarantee access to financial resources, allowing cost reduction, maximizing long-term profits, preventing and reducing environmental accident risks and stimulating both the attraction and the keeping of a motivated manpower. Work on this project has already started and, even though many technical actions have not still ended, the results have being extremely valuable. These results can already give to CCN

Trade in the US and Mexico helps reduce environmental costs of agriculture

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez-Melendez, Luz A.; Bennett, Elena M.

2016-05-01

Increasing international crop trade has enlarged global shares of cropland, water and fertilizers used to grow crops for export. Crop trade can reduce the environmental burden on importing countries, which benefit from embedded environmental resources in imported crops, and from avoided environmental impacts of production in their territory. International trade can also reduce the universal environmental impact of food production if crops are grown where they are produced in the most environmentally efficient way. We compared production efficiencies for the same crops in the US and Mexico to determine whether current crop trade between these two countries provides an overall benefit to the environment. Our economic and environmental accounting for the key traded crops from 2010 to 2014 shows that exports to Mexico are just 3% (∼16 thousand Gg) of the total production of these crops in the US, and exports to US represent roughly 0.13% (∼46 Gg) of Mexican total production of the same crops. Yields were higher in US than Mexico for all crops except wheat. Use of nitrogen fertilizer was higher in US than in Mexico for all crops except corn. Current trade reduces some, but not all, environmental costs of agriculture. A counterfactual trade scenario showed that an overall annual reduction in cultivated land (∼371 thousand ha), water use (∼923 million m3), fertilizer use (∼122 Gg; ∼68 Gg nitrogen) and pollution (∼681 tonnes of N2O emissions to the atmosphere and ∼511 tonnes of leached nitrogen) can be achieved by changing the composition of food products traded. In this case, corn, soybeans and rice should be grown in the US, while wheat, sorghum and barley should be grown in Mexico. Assigning greater economic weight to the environmental costs of agriculture might improve the balance of trade to be more universally beneficial, environmentally.

Integrated nutrient management (INM) for sustaining crop productivity and reducing environmental impact: A review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Wei; Ma, Baoluo

2015-01-01

The increasing food demands of a growing human population and the need for an environmentally friendly strategy for sustainable agricultural development require significant attention when addressing the issue of enhancing crop productivity. Here we discuss the role of integrated nutrient management (INM) in resolving these concerns, which has been proposed as a promising strategy for addressing such challenges. INM has multifaceted potential for the improvement of plant performance and resource efficiency while also enabling the protection of the environment and resource quality. This review examines the concepts, objectives, procedures and principles of INM. A comprehensive literature search revealed that INM enhances crop yields by 8–150% compared with conventional practices, increases water-use efficiency, and the economic returns to farmers, while improving grain quality and soil health and sustainability. Model simulation and fate assessment further reveal that reactive nitrogen (N) losses and GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions are reduced substantially under advanced INM practices. Lower inputs of chemical fertilizer and therefore lower human and environmental costs (such as intensity of land use, N use, reactive N losses and GHG emissions) were achieved under advanced INM practices without compromising crop yields. Various approaches and perspectives for further development of INM in the near future are also proposed and discussed. Strong and convincing evidence indicates that INM practice could be an innovative and environmentally friendly strategy for sustainable agriculture worldwide. - Highlights: • The increasing pressure to meet global cereal demand poses great challenge. • A changing environment further threatens cereal production. • Literature summary shows 8–150% yield advantage from use of INM method. • INM contributions to mitigation of environmental costs are remarkable. • High crop productivity and less environmental impact can be

Integrated nutrient management (INM) for sustaining crop productivity and reducing environmental impact: A review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Wei, E-mail: weiwu@nwsuaf.edu.cn [College of Agronomy, Northwest A& F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100 (China); Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre (ECORC), Ottawa, ON K1A 0C6 (Canada); Ma, Baoluo, E-mail: Baoluo.Ma@AGR.GC.CA [Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre (ECORC), Ottawa, ON K1A 0C6 (Canada)

2015-04-15

The increasing food demands of a growing human population and the need for an environmentally friendly strategy for sustainable agricultural development require significant attention when addressing the issue of enhancing crop productivity. Here we discuss the role of integrated nutrient management (INM) in resolving these concerns, which has been proposed as a promising strategy for addressing such challenges. INM has multifaceted potential for the improvement of plant performance and resource efficiency while also enabling the protection of the environment and resource quality. This review examines the concepts, objectives, procedures and principles of INM. A comprehensive literature search revealed that INM enhances crop yields by 8–150% compared with conventional practices, increases water-use efficiency, and the economic returns to farmers, while improving grain quality and soil health and sustainability. Model simulation and fate assessment further reveal that reactive nitrogen (N) losses and GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions are reduced substantially under advanced INM practices. Lower inputs of chemical fertilizer and therefore lower human and environmental costs (such as intensity of land use, N use, reactive N losses and GHG emissions) were achieved under advanced INM practices without compromising crop yields. Various approaches and perspectives for further development of INM in the near future are also proposed and discussed. Strong and convincing evidence indicates that INM practice could be an innovative and environmentally friendly strategy for sustainable agriculture worldwide. - Highlights: • The increasing pressure to meet global cereal demand poses great challenge. • A changing environment further threatens cereal production. • Literature summary shows 8–150% yield advantage from use of INM method. • INM contributions to mitigation of environmental costs are remarkable. • High crop productivity and less environmental impact can be

An objective decision model of power grid environmental protection based on environmental influence index and energy-saving and emission-reducing index

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Jun-shu; Jin, Yan-ming; Hao, Wei-hua

2017-01-01

Based on modelling the environmental influence index of power transmission and transformation project and energy-saving and emission-reducing index of source-grid-load of power system, this paper establishes an objective decision model of power grid environmental protection, with constraints of power grid environmental protection objectives being legal and economical, and considering both positive and negative influences of grid on the environmental in all-life grid cycle. This model can be used to guide the programming work of power grid environmental protection. A numerical simulation of Jiangsu province’s power grid environmental protection objective decision model has been operated, and the results shows that the maximum goal of energy-saving and emission-reducing benefits would be reached firstly as investment increasing, and then the minimum goal of environmental influence.

The role of coal in the US energy economy: Interfuel competition, environmental concerns, and the impact of utility restructuring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raschke, M.G.

1988-01-01

This paper briefly examines the role coal plays in the US energy economy and its competition with nuclear power, and then in greater detail the impact of environmental regulation, changes in utility regulation, and inter fuel competition on the future of coal. The US as the world's number two coal producer, shares many of the same problems and concerns as China, the world's number one coal producer. The use of coal in electric generation has been and will continue to be the only growth sector for the coal industry. The steel industry remains in permanent long-term decline. Forecasts vary, but there are indications that even in conservative forecasts, there is more down side risk than upside potential. Poor performance in the nuclear power sector can be expected to favorably impact coal consumption in the long term. Continued escalation of operating costs could erode any cost advantage that nuclear plants currently enjoy. However, environmental concerns could also escalate operating costs for coal fired plants. Also, concern over the greenhouse effect may lead policy makers to reexamine the nuclear option of inherently safe reactors. The greatest challenge to expanded use of coal comes from environmental concerns. Acid rain is a complex political, economic, and scientific issue. Clean coal technologies are seen by many as the answer to the threat posed by various forms of clean air legislation and regulation. Significant changes in the regulatory environment for electric and gas utilities and technological developments are likely in the 1990's to alter the nature of the electric generation industry

Final environmental statement concerning proposed rule making action: acceptance criteria for emergency core cooling systems for light-water-cooled nuclear power reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1973-01-01

Information on the ECCS requirements for PWR and BWR reactors are presented concerning environmental impact, alternatives, adverse environmental effects, relationship between short-term uses of the environment and long-term productivity, irreversible and irretrievable commitment of resources, cost-benefit analysis, and discussion of significant comments received on the draft environmental statement. (U.S.)

Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers.

Science.gov (United States)

Poore, J; Nemecek, T

2018-06-01

Food's environmental impacts are created by millions of diverse producers. To identify solutions that are effective under this heterogeneity, we consolidated data covering five environmental indicators; 38,700 farms; and 1600 processors, packaging types, and retailers. Impact can vary 50-fold among producers of the same product, creating substantial mitigation opportunities. However, mitigation is complicated by trade-offs, multiple ways for producers to achieve low impacts, and interactions throughout the supply chain. Producers have limits on how far they can reduce impacts. Most strikingly, impacts of the lowest-impact animal products typically exceed those of vegetable substitutes, providing new evidence for the importance of dietary change. Cumulatively, our findings support an approach where producers monitor their own impacts, flexibly meet environmental targets by choosing from multiple practices, and communicate their impacts to consumers. Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

Oceania's most pressing environmental concerns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dahl, A.L.

1984-01-01

The islands and coastal waters of Oceania are unique eco-systems. The characteristics which set them apart, however, also make them vulnerable to a wide range of environmental threats. This article provides an overview of the various regional and localized problems in the South Pacific and outlines the principles for sustained use of island resources

Cosmetic Ingredients as Emerging Pollutants of Environmental and Health Concern. A Mini-Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudia Juliano

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Cosmetic and personal care products are used in huge quantities throughout the world; as a result of their regular use, they are continuously released into the environment in very large amounts. Many of these products are biologically active and are characterized by persistence and bioaccumulation potential, posing a threat to ecosystem and human health. On the basis of the most recent scientific literature available on this subject, this paper provides an overview of some cosmetic ingredients that are considered environmental emerging pollutants of particular concern such as UV filters, some preservatives (parabens, triclosan, and microplastics.

Environmental assessment of incinerator residue utilisation

OpenAIRE

Toller, Susanna

2008-01-01

 In Sweden, utilisation of incinerator residues outside disposal areas is restricted by environmental concerns, as such residues commonly contain greater amounts of potentially toxic trace elements than the natural materials they replace. On the other hand, utilisation can also provide environmental benefits by decreasing the need for landfill and reducing raw material extraction. This thesis provides increased knowledge and proposes better approaches for environmental assessment of incinerat...

Environmental Awareness Course 32461

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hall, Debora Lynn [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2016-12-02

Los Alamos National Laboratory is committed to an environmental management strategy aimed at reducing the Laboratory's environmental impacts, while still maintaining or increasing operating efficiencies. This training is designed to help you understand the critical importance of environmental management to the continuing success of the Laboratory and your personal role in this essential endeavor. If you are new to this training, you may wish to explore the various links that will take you to more in-depth information. If this is refresher training, you will find new information concerning the Laboratory's current institutional objectives and targets for environmental management.

Environmental concerns and regulatory initiatives related to hydraulic fracturing in shale gas formations: potential implications for North American gas supply

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sumi, Lisa [Earthworks (Canada)

2010-09-15

Shale gas resources have been referred to as a game changer for North America and it is expected that shale gas will account for over 30% of the natural gas production in North America by 2020. However, the development of this resource has raised several concerns, notably in terms of water use and contamination; more stringent regulations could be implemented in the coming years. The aim of this paper is to present the effect that more stringent regulations would have on gas development in the Marcellus shale, which accounts for 20% of North American shale gas production. Information on hydraulic fracturing and its environmental impacts is provided herein, along with information on the regulatory initiatives underway in the Marcellus shale region. This paper pointed out that novel regulations relating to shale gas development could significantly reduce the growth in shale gas production.

Reducing the environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing through design optimisation of positive displacement pumps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Josifovic, Aleksandar; Roberts, Jennifer J.; Corney, Jonathan; Davies, Bruce; Shipton, Zoe K.

2016-01-01

The current approach to hydraulic fracturing requires large amounts of industrial hardware to be transported, installed and operated in temporary locations. A significant proportion of this equipment is comprised of the fleet of pumps required to provide the high pressures and flows necessary for well stimulation. Studies have shown that over 90% of the emissions of CO_2 and other pollutants that occur during a hydraulic fracturing operation are associated with these pumps. Pollution and transport concerns are of paramount importance for the emerging hydraulic fracturing industry in Europe, and so it is timely to consider these factors when assessing the design of high pressure pumps for the European resources. This paper gives an overview of the industrial plant required to carry out a hydraulic fracturing operation. This is followed by an analysis of the pump's design space that could result in improved pump efficiency. We find that reducing the plunger diameter and running the pump at higher speeds can increase the overall pump efficiency by up to 4.6%. Such changes to the pump's parameters would results in several environmental benefits beyond the obvious economic gains of lower fuel consumption. The paper concludes with a case study that quantifies these benefits. - Highlights: • We develop a parameterized model of hydraulic fracturing pumps. • We explore performance variation to optimise pump efficiency and performance. • New design could increase pump energy efficiency up to 4.6% and improve reliability. • The new design could also reduce environmental and social impacts of pumping. • This illustrates how optimised mechanical design can lower impacts and cost.

Using smartphone technology to reduce health impacts from atmospheric environmental hazards

Science.gov (United States)

Johnston, F. H.; Wheeler, A. J.; Williamson, G. J.; Campbell, S. L.; Jones, P. J.; Koolhof, I. S.; Lucani, C.; Cooling, N. B.; Bowman, D. M. J. S.

2018-04-01

Background: Global environmental change is exacerbating human vulnerability to adverse atmospheric conditions including air pollution, aeroallergens such as pollen, and extreme weather events. Public information and advisories are a central component of responses to mitigate the human impacts of environmental hazards. Digital technologies are emerging as a means of providing personalised, timely and accessible warnings. Method: We describe AirRater, an integrated online platform that combines symptom surveillance, environmental monitoring, and notifications of changing environmental conditions via a free smartphone app. It was developed and launched in Tasmania, Australia (population 510 000), with the aim of reducing health impacts and improving quality of life in people with conditions such as asthma and allergic rhinitis. We present environmental data, user uptake and results from three online evaluation surveys conducted during the first 22 months of operation, from October 2015 through August 2017. Results: There were 3,443 downloads of the app from all regions of Tasmania. Of the 1,959 individuals who registered, 79% reported having either asthma or allergic rhinitis. Downloads increased during adverse environmental conditions and following publicity. Symptom reports per active user were highest during spring (72%), lowest in autumn (37%) and spiked during periods of reduced air quality. In response to online surveys, most users reported that the app was useful and had improved their understanding of how environmental conditions affect their health, and in some cases had prompted action such as the timely use of medication. Conclusion: Active engagement and consistent positive feedback from users demonstrates the potential for considerable individual, clinical and wider public health benefits from integrated and personalised monitoring systems such as AirRater. The perceived health benefits require objective verification, and such systems need to address

Using Motivational Interviewing to reduce threats in conversations about environmental behavior

OpenAIRE

Klonek, Florian E.; G?ntner, Amelie V.; Lehmann-Willenbrock, Nale; Kauffeld, Simone

2015-01-01

Human behavior contributes to a waste of environmental resources and our society is looking for ways to reduce this problem. However, humans may perceive feedback about their environmental behavior as threatening. According to self-determination theory (SDT), threats decrease intrinsic motivation for behavior change. According to self-affirmation theory (SAT), threats can harm individuals’ self-integrity. Therefore, individuals should show self-defensive biases, e.g., in terms of presenting c...

Do Workplace Smoking Bans Reduce Smoking?

OpenAIRE

Matthew C. Farrelly; William N. Evans; Edward Montgomery

1999-01-01

In recent years there has been a heightened public concern over the potentially harmful effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). In response, smoking has been banned on many jobs. Using data from the 1991 and 1993 National Health Interview Survey and smoking supplements to the September 1992 and May 1993 Current Population Survey, we investigate whether these workplace policies reduce smoking prevalence and smoking intensity among workers. Our estimates suggest that workplace bans reduce...

Environmental Behavior and Gender: An Emerging Area of Concern for Environmental Education Research

Science.gov (United States)

Sakellari, Maria; Skanavis, Constantina

2013-01-01

Ecofeminism suggests that women are more active than men regarding environmental issues for a variety of social, cultural, and biological reasons. In support to these arguments, women predominate within the overall grassroots of the Environmental Justice movement. However, claims have been made that environmental education theory and research are…

Environmentally induced epigenetic toxicity: potential public health concerns.

Science.gov (United States)

Marczylo, Emma L; Jacobs, Miriam N; Gant, Timothy W

2016-09-01

Throughout our lives, epigenetic processes shape our development and enable us to adapt to a constantly changing environment. Identifying and understanding environmentally induced epigenetic change(s) that may lead to adverse outcomes is vital for protecting public health. This review, therefore, examines the present understanding of epigenetic mechanisms involved in the mammalian life cycle, evaluates the current evidence for environmentally induced epigenetic toxicity in human cohorts and rodent models and highlights the research considerations and implications of this emerging knowledge for public health and regulatory toxicology. Many hundreds of studies have investigated such toxicity, yet relatively few have demonstrated a mechanistic association among specific environmental exposures, epigenetic changes and adverse health outcomes in human epidemiological cohorts and/or rodent models. While this small body of evidence is largely composed of exploratory in vivo high-dose range studies, it does set a precedent for the existence of environmentally induced epigenetic toxicity. Consequently, there is worldwide recognition of this phenomenon, and discussion on how to both guide further scientific research towards a greater mechanistic understanding of environmentally induced epigenetic toxicity in humans, and translate relevant research outcomes into appropriate regulatory policies for effective public health protection.

Cosmetic Concerns Among Men.

Science.gov (United States)

Handler, Marc Zachary; Goldberg, David J

2018-01-01

Men are interested in reducing signs of aging, while maintaining a masculine appearance. A chief concern among men is maintenance of scalp hair. Men are also concerned with reducing under eye bags and dark circles. The concern of feminization is of significant importance. Neuromodulators remain the most common cosmetic procedure performed in men. Men often prefer a reduction in facial rhytids, as opposed to elimination of the lines. Softening facial lines in men is meant to maintain an appearance of wisdom, without appearing fragile. Men also wish to maintain a taut jawline and a slim waist and reduce breast tissue. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Influence of Green Restaurant Decision Formation Using the VAB Model: The Effect of Environmental Concerns upon Intent to Visit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi-Man Teng

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The study investigates consumers’ intent to patron green restaurants by application of the Value-Attitude-Behavior model. The present study examines the interrelationships among consumers’ values, attitudes, and environmental concerns, and explores how they relate to their intentions to visit green restaurants in Taiwan. Data were gathered by face-to-face surveys, conducted by trained interviewers in a variety of locations, including at train stations, supermarkets, department stores, shopping malls, and adult education classes to obtain data from a representative demographic profile. The findings of this study suggest that the personal values and general attitudes positively affect consumers’ intentions to visit a green restaurant. Additionally, the results found personal values and environmental concern have significant influence on the attitude toward green restaurants. Managerial implications and future directions of these findings were also discussed.

“Friday off”: Reducing Working Hours in Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jack Rossiter

2013-04-01

Full Text Available This article explores the pros and cons for reducing working hours in Europe. To arrive to an informed judgment we review critically the theoretical and empirical literature, mostly from economics, concerning the relation between working hours on the one hand, and productivity, employment, quality of life, and the environment, on the other. We adopt a binary economics distinction between capital and labor productiveness, and are concerned with how working hours may be reduced without harming the earning capacity of workers. There are reasons to believe that reducing working hours may absorb some unemployment, especially in the short-run, even if less than what is advocated by proponents of the proposal. Further, there may well be strong benefits for the quality of peoples’ lives. Environmental benefits are likely but depend crucially on complementary policies or social conditions that will ensure that the time liberated will not be directed to resource-intensive or environmentally harmful consumption. It is questionable whether reduced working hours are sustainable in the long-term given resource limits and climate change. We conclude that while the results of reducing working hours are uncertain, this may be a risk worth taking, especially as an interim measure that may relieve unemployment while other necessary structural changes are instituted.

Comparing Cars--Environmental and Cost Concerns

Science.gov (United States)

Lazaros, Edward J.

2012-01-01

Most high school students are at an age when they are learning to drive. They often want to offer input when their parents decide on what vehicle to purchase, so the activity described in this article should have direct personal interest for them. It allows students to use technology and mathematics to determine the environmental impacts of…

Reducing Environmental Risks by Information Disclosure: Evidence in Residential Lead Paint Disclosure Rule

Science.gov (United States)

Bae, Hyunhoe

2012-01-01

Recently, there has been a surge in environmental regulations that require information disclosure. However, existing empirical evidence is limited to certain applications and has yet to generalize the effectiveness of this approach as a policy strategy to reduce environmental risks. This study evaluates the disclosure rule of the residential lead…

Environmental performance data in environmental report 2012

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, Yurina; Tatebe, Kazuaki; Ohtake, Masaki; Shirato, Seiichi

2013-03-01

In September, 2012 Japan Atomic Energy Agency published the Environmental Report 2012 concerning the activities of FY 2011 under 'Law Concerning the Promotion of Business Activities with Environmental Consideration by Specified Corporations, etc, by Facilitating Access to Environmental Information, and Other Measures'. This report has been edited to show detailed environmental performance data in FY 2011 as the base of the Environmental Report 2012. This report would not only ensure traceability of the data in order to enhance the reliability of the environmental report, but also make useful measures for promoting activities of environmental considerations in JAEA. (author)

Environmental performance data in environmental report 2015

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, Yurina; Kanai, Katsuta; Sato, Sadayuki; Tatebe, Kazuaki

2016-03-01

In September, 2015 Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) published the Environmental Report 2015 concerning the activities of FY 2014 under 'Law Concerning the Promotion of Business Activities with Environmental Consideration by Specified Corporations, etc., by Facilitating Access to Environmental Information, and Other Measures'. This report has been edited to show detailed environmental performance data in FY 2014 as the base of the Environmental Report 2015. This report would not only ensure traceability of the data in order to enhance the reliability of the environmental report, but also make useful measures for promoting activities of environmental considerations in JAEA. (author)

Environmental performance data in environmental report 2009

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Yoshinori; Noritake, Kazumitsu; Kawasaki, Takanori; Suzuki, Yurina; Nemoto, Asako

2010-02-01

In July, 2009 Japan Atomic Energy Agency published the Environmental Report 2009 concerning the activities of FY 2008 under 'Law Concerning the Promotion of Business Activities with Environmental Consideration by Specified Corporations, etc, by Facilitating Access to Environmental Information, and Other Measures'. This report has been edited to show detailed environmental performance data in FY 2008 as the base of the Environmental Report 2009. This report would not only ensure traceability of the data in order to enhance the reliability of the environmental report, but also make useful measures for promoting activities of environmental considerations in JAEA. (author)

Environmental performance data in environmental report 2013

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, Yurina; Ohtake, Masaki; Shirato, Seiichi; Tatebe, Kazuaki

2014-03-01

In September, 2013 Japan Atomic Energy Agency published the Environmental Report 2013 concerning the activities of FY 2012 under 'Law Concerning the Promotion of Business Activities with Environmental Consideration by Specified Corporations, etc, by Facilitating Access to Environmental Information, and Other Measures'. This report has been edited to show detailed environmental performance data in FY 2012 as the base of the Environmental Report 2013. This report would not only ensure traceability of the data in order to enhance the reliability of the environmental report, but also make useful measures for promoting activities of environmental considerations in JAEA. (author)

Risk perception and environmental health concerns in conditions of social security threat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolarova, D.

1998-01-01

Full text of publication follows: this study explores the connection between the perception of different societal risk, health concerns and behavioral attitudes of people in condition of social security threat. Two small and two big industrial towns were chosen in order to observe the social and psychological price of the structural changes in the industry such as unemployment and its reflection on the households and the individuals' social attitudes. Key stakeholders were interviewed and questionnaire survey was carried out. The results showed high level of risk sensitivity and health concerns when people felt threatened by lack of social and economic security. The pollution was found to be important problem when it caused direct and obvious risk to human health and the environment. In the same time reverse environmental behavior like insensitiveness and neglectful attitude was observed in cases when the health consequences of the pollution were perceived to be unclear and with delayed effect. In situation of a great socio-economic threat noninvolvement helped the individuals to adapt. The research proved the influence of several risk characteristics on risk perception. It was found a connection between the risk perception and risk controllability, voluntariness of exposure and cost/benefits distribution. In the study areas respondents' judgments on these characteristics reflected directly their social status and material state. The study presented here is in progress - it i's supported by research grant from Open Society Foundation. (author)

Reducing threats in conversations about environmental behavior change: The positive impact of Motivational Interviewing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Klonek, F.E.; Güntner, A.V.; Lehmann-Willenbrock, N.K.; Kauffeld, S.

2015-01-01

Human behavior contributes to a waste of environmental resources and our society is looking for ways to reduce this problem. However, humans may perceive feedback about their environmental behavior as threatening. According to self-determination theory (SDT), threats decrease intrinsic motivation

Chemicals of emerging concern in the Great Lakes Basin: an analysis of environmental exposures.

Science.gov (United States)

Klecka, Gary; Persoon, Carolyn; Currie, Rebecca

2010-01-01

This review and statistical analysis was conducted to better understand the nature and significance of environmental exposures in the Great Lakes Basin and watershed to a variety of environmental contaminants. These contaminants of interest included current-use pesticides, pharmaceuticals, organic wastewater contaminants, alkylphenol ethoxylates, perfluorinated surfactants, flame retardants, and chlorinated paraffins. The available literature was critically reviewed and used to develop a database containing 19,611 residue values for 326 substances. In many papers, sampling locations were characterized as being downstream from municipal wastewater discharges, receiving waters for industrial facilities, areas susceptible to agricultural or urban contamination, or harbors and ports. To develop an initial assessment of their potential ecological significance, the contamination levels found were compared with currently available regulatory standards, guidelines, or criteria. This review was prepared for the IJC multi-board work group, and served as background material for an expert consultation, held in March, 2009, in which the significance of the contaminants found was discussed. Moreover, the consultation attempted to identify and assess opportunities for strengthening future actions that will protect the Great Lakes. Based on the findings and conclusions of the expert consultation, it is apparent that a wide variety of chemicals of emerging concern have been detected in environmental media (air, water, sediment, biota) from the Great Lakes Basin, although many are present at only trace levels. Although the presence of these contaminants raises concerns in the public and among the scientific community, the findings must be placed in context. Significant scientific interpretation is required to understand the extent to which these chemicals may pose a threat to the ecosystem and to human health. The ability to detect chemicals in environmental media greatly surpasses

Environmentally related taxes in OECD countries: issues and strategies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2002-07-01

Economic instruments, including environmentally related taxes, play an increasing role in the environmental policies of developed countries. This publication addresses the use of environmental taxes and their effectiveness in reducing environmental damage. It finds these taxes are a powerful tool for implementing environmental strategy. It also describes obstacles to increased use of such taxes (e.g. concerns about competitiveness and distributional effects) and suggests ways to overcome such barriers. Particular attention is given to issues and options related to taxes on greenhouse gases. 18 figs., 13 tabs.

Environmental Concerns of Deforestation in Myanmar 2001–2010

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chuyuan Wang

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Deforestation in Myanmar has recently attracted much attention worldwide. This study examined spatio-temporal patterns of deforestation and forest carbon flux in Myanmar from 2001 to 2010 and environmental impacts at the regional scale using land products of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS. The results suggest that the total deforestation area in Myanmar was 21,178.8 km2, with an annual deforestation rate of 0.81%, and that the total forest carbon release was 20.06 million tons, with an annual rate of 0.37%. Mangrove forests had the highest deforestation and carbon release rates, and deciduous forests had both the largest deforestation area and largest amount of carbon release. During the study period, the south and southwestern regions of Myanmar, especially Ayeyarwady and Rakhine, were deforestation hotspots (i.e., the highest deforestation and carbon release rates occurred in these regions. Deforestation caused significant carbon release, reduced evapotranspiration (ET, and increased land surface temperatures (LSTs in deforested areas in Myanmar during the study period. Constructive policy recommendations are put forward based on these research results.

A study of changes in genetic and environmental influences on weight and shape concern across adolescence.

Science.gov (United States)

Wade, Tracey D; Hansell, Narelle K; Crosby, Ross D; Bryant-Waugh, Rachel; Treasure, Janet; Nixon, Reginald; Byrne, Susan; Martin, Nicholas G

2013-02-01

The goal of the current study was to examine whether genetic and environmental influences on an important risk factor for disordered eating, weight and shape concern, remained stable over adolescence. This stability was assessed in 2 ways: whether new sources of latent variance were introduced over development and whether the magnitude of variance contributing to the risk factor changed. We examined an 8-item WSC subscale derived from the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) using telephone interviews with female adolescents. From 3 waves of data collected from female-female same-sex twin pairs from the Australian Twin Registry, a subset of the data (which included 351 pairs at Wave 1) was used to examine 3 age cohorts: 12 to 13, 13 to 15, and 14 to 16 years. The best-fitting model contained genetic and environmental influences, both shared and nonshared. Biometric model fitting indicated that nonshared environmental influences were largely specific to each age cohort, and results suggested that latent shared environmental and genetic influences that were influential at 12 to 13 years continued to contribute to subsequent age cohorts, with independent sources of both emerging at ages 13 to 15. The magnitude of all 3 latent influences could be constrained to be the same across adolescence. Ages 13 to 15 were indicated as a time of risk for the development of high levels of WSC, given that most specific environmental risk factors were significant at this time (e.g., peer teasing about weight, adverse life events), and indications of the emergence of new sources of latent genetic and environmental variance over this period. 2013 APA, all rights reserved

Alternative techniques for environmental project management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reeves, S.

1994-01-01

Beginning in the late 1970s and early 1980s, increased regulation and recognition of ground water as an important natural resource led industry to address subsurface contamination at many sites. This caused the industry's dependence on environmental consultants to increase drastically. Initially, the accepted practice for addressing environmental concerns was to rely upon consultants to determine appropriate work scope, budgets, procedures and regulatory interaction. While significant advances have been made in technology and consulting services, improvement in project management and cost containment have been limited. In order to effectively manage environmental projects, it is imperative that business risks and standardized project management practices be factored into environmental solutions. A standardized environmental project management program was developed and applied to projects at petroleum marketing facilities throughout the United States. Following development and implementation, detailed studies were conducted to measure the value of standardization in reducing costs and enhancing efficiencies. The results indicate significant improvement in both reducing project costs and in enhancing the efficiency of consultants

Environmental controls

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, S.

1996-01-01

Members of the public are exposed to environmental radiations from a variety of sources. In terms of average dose received the major component is from natural sources of radiation for which there is little or no scope to reduce exposure. Where such opportunities do exist, in those homes with high radon concentrations, the householders tend to ignore the risks despite the availability of comparatively straightforward and inexpensive remediation measures. By comparison there is significant public concern about radioactive waste management and the disposal and discharge of radioactivity to the environment despite strict environmental controls. This paper describes the controls and the wider policy context for radioactive waste management following a major review of policy last year. (author)

Incorporating lean thinking and life cycle assessment to reduce environmental impacts of plastic injection moulded products

OpenAIRE

Cheung, Wai Ming; Leong, Jun; Vichare, Parag

2017-01-01

In the last decades, environmental footprint of the product manufacture has emerged as an important public concern, causing manufacturers to re-assess their product’s environmental impacts. Responding to global outcry on global warming, world leaders have agreed to limit global temperature rise to less than 2°C above the temperature in pre-industrial times. As a result, governments and industrial leaders around the world have proposed a roadmap for 80% emissions reduction by 2050. The aim of ...

Economic and environmental performance of alternative policy measures to reduce nutrient surpluses in Finnish agriculture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. LEHTONEN

2008-12-01

Full Text Available This paper provides an economic sector level analysis of the effectiveness of different policy measures in decreasing nitrogen (N and phosphorus (P surpluses from agriculture in order to reduce nutrient runoff from agricultural fields to watercourses and to improve water quality of surface waters. Assuming no changes in the EU level policies after CAP reform 2003 we focus on national level policy measures such as full or partial de-coupling of national support from production, payments for reduced nutrient surpluses of N and P, and N fertiliser tax. None of the analysed policy measures is superior one with respect to environmental performance, since full decoupling of national support would be the most effective in reducing P surpluses while payment for reduced nutrient surplus performed best with respect to N surpluses. Economic performance (farmers’ compliance cost per %-reduction of N or P surplus of full and partial de-coupling of national support is clearly better than that of specialised agri-environmental policy instruments, because both decoupling scenarios result in the increase of farmers’ income in comparison to base scenario, and thus compliance costs are in fact negative in these two cases. Our analysis confirms the fact that the overall policy package matters a lot for the effectiveness of agrienvironmental policy measures. Environmental performance of agri-environmental policy measures may be significantly reduced, if they are implemented jointly with production coupled income support policies. Thus, in order to increase the effectiveness of agri-environmental policy measures agricultural income support policies should be decoupled from production and this alone would bring substantial reduction in nutrient surpluses.;

Environmental issues facing the oil industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skea, Jim

1992-01-01

Environmental policies and regulations are having profound effects on the oil industry. The industry is affected by controls on both its production and processing activities and on the use of its own products. The environmental impacts of upstream activities, epitomized by the Exxon Valdez accident, are leading to more expensive tanker designs. Oil markets can be changed by sulphur controls driven by concern about acid rain and new requirements in the USA to change gasoline specifications in order to reduce urban smog. The problem of climate change and CO 2 emissions poses even more fundamental challenges to the oil industry, with the prospect of reduced markets in the longer term. (author)

'Green' on the ground but not in the air: Pro-environmental attitudes are related to household behaviours but not discretionary air travel.

Science.gov (United States)

Alcock, Ian; White, Mathew P; Taylor, Tim; Coldwell, Deborah F; Gribble, Matthew O; Evans, Karl L; Corner, Adam; Vardoulakis, Sotiris; Fleming, Lora E

2017-01-01

The rise in greenhouse gas emissions from air travel could be reduced by individuals voluntarily abstaining from, or reducing, flights for leisure and recreational purposes. In theory, we might expect that people with pro-environmental value orientations and concerns about the risks of climate change, and those who engage in more pro-environmental household behaviours, would also be more likely to abstain from such voluntary air travel, or at least to fly less far. Analysis of two large datasets from the United Kingdom, weighted to be representative of the whole population, tested these associations. Using zero-inflated Poisson regression models, we found that, after accounting for potential confounders, there was no association between individuals' environmental attitudes, concern over climate change, or their routine pro-environmental household behaviours, and either their propensity to take non-work related flights, or the distances flown by those who do so. These findings contrasted with those for pro-environmental household behaviours, where associations with environmental attitudes and concern were observed. Our results offer little encouragement for policies aiming to reduce discretionary air travel through pro-environmental advocacy, or through 'spill-over' from interventions to improve environmental impacts of household routines.

Genetic and environmental influences on self-reported reduced hearing in the old and oldest old

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Kaare; Frederiksen, H; Hoffman, H J

2001-01-01

effects. Structural-equation analyses revealed a substantial heritability for self-reported reduced hearing of 40% (95% CI = 19-53%). The remaining variation could be attributed to individuals' nonfamilial environments. CONCLUSION: We found that genetic factors play an important role in self......-reported reduced hearing in both men and women age 70 and older. Because self-reports of reduced hearing involve misclassification, this estimate of the genetic influence on hearing disabilities is probably conservative. Hence, genetic and environmental factors play a substantial role in reduced hearing among......OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present twin study was to estimate the relative importance of genetic and environmental factors in variation in self-reported reduced hearing among the old and the oldest old. DESIGN: Self-reported hearing abilities of older twins assessed at intake interview...

Moral concerns on tradable pollution permits in international environmental agreements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eyckmans, Johan [Hogeschool-Universiteit Brussel - HUB, Stormstraat 2, B-1000 Brussels (Belgium); Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Centrum voor Economische Studien Naamsestraat 69, 3000 Leuven (Belgium); Kverndokk, Snorre [Ragnar Frisch Centre for Economic Research, Gaustadalleen 21, 0349 Oslo (Norway)

2010-07-15

We investigate how moral concerns about permit trading affect an endogenous pollution permit trading equilibrium, where governments choose non-cooperatively the amount of permits they allocate to domestic industries. Politicians may feel reluctant to allow permit trading and/or may prefer that abatement is undertaken domestically because of moral concerns. This will have an effect on the initial permit allocations, and, therefore, on global emissions. The impact on global emissions depends on the precise formulation of the moral concerns, but under reasonable assumptions, we show that global emissions may increase. Thus, doing what is perceived as good does not always yield the desired outcome. However, this can be offset by restrictions on permit trading when governments have moral concerns about this trade. (author)

Moral concerns on tradable pollution permits in international environmental agreements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eyckmans, Johan; Kverndokk, Snorre

2010-01-01

We investigate how moral concerns about permit trading affect an endogenous pollution permit trading equilibrium, where governments choose non-cooperatively the amount of permits they allocate to domestic industries. Politicians may feel reluctant to allow permit trading and/or may prefer that abatement is undertaken domestically because of moral concerns. This will have an effect on the initial permit allocations, and, therefore, on global emissions. The impact on global emissions depends on the precise formulation of the moral concerns, but under reasonable assumptions, we show that global emissions may increase. Thus, doing what is perceived as good does not always yield the desired outcome. However, this can be offset by restrictions on permit trading when governments have moral concerns about this trade. (author)

‘Green’ on the ground but not in the air: Pro-environmental attitudes are related to household behaviours but not discretionary air travel

Science.gov (United States)

White, Mathew P.; Taylor, Tim; Coldwell, Deborah F.; Gribble, Matthew O.; Evans, Karl L.; Corner, Adam; Vardoulakis, Sotiris; Fleming, Lora E.

2017-01-01

The rise in greenhouse gas emissions from air travel could be reduced by individuals voluntarily abstaining from, or reducing, flights for leisure and recreational purposes. In theory, we might expect that people with pro-environmental value orientations and concerns about the risks of climate change, and those who engage in more pro-environmental household behaviours, would also be more likely to abstain from such voluntary air travel, or at least to fly less far. Analysis of two large datasets from the United Kingdom, weighted to be representative of the whole population, tested these associations. Using zero-inflated Poisson regression models, we found that, after accounting for potential confounders, there was no association between individuals' environmental attitudes, concern over climate change, or their routine pro-environmental household behaviours, and either their propensity to take non-work related flights, or the distances flown by those who do so. These findings contrasted with those for pro-environmental household behaviours, where associations with environmental attitudes and concern were observed. Our results offer little encouragement for policies aiming to reduce discretionary air travel through pro-environmental advocacy, or through ‘spill-over’ from interventions to improve environmental impacts of household routines. PMID:28367001

Why the CDM can reduce carbon leakage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kallbekken, S.

2006-04-01

Carbon leakage is an important concern because it can reduce the environmental effectiveness of the Kyoto Protocol. The Clean Development Mechanism, one of the flexibility mechanisms allowed under the protocol, has the potential to reduce carbon leakage significantly because it reduces the relative competitive disadvantage to Annex B countries of restricting greenhouse gas emissions. The economic intuition behind this mechanism is explored in a theoretical analysis. It is then analyzed numerically using a CGE model. The results indicate that, assuming appropriate accounting for leakage and under realistic assumptions on CDM activity, the CDM has the potential to reduce the magnitude of carbon leakage by around three fifths

Geothermal environmental impact

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Armannsson, H.; Kristmannsdottir, H.

1992-01-01

Geothermal utilization can cause surface disturbances, physical effects due to fluid withdrawal noise, thermal effects and emission of chemicals as well as affect the communities concerned socially and economically. The environmental impact can be minimized by multiple use of the energy source and the reinjection of spent fluids. The emission of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere can be substantially reduced by substituting geothermal energy for fossil fuels as an industrial energy source wherever possible

Report: investigation concerning environmental improvement expenditures (1974 survey commissioned by Environmental Agency)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1975-08-01

Environmental improvement expenditures were calculated from a pilot model for environmental conservation. An average cost for pollution elimination was postulated, and expenditures for lowering a pollution factor by one unit were calculated for construction, amortization, and operation. The pilot model consists of two sectors: economic activities sector (macromodel of Japanese economy, including factors based on industrial production, energy expenditures, and fuel consumption) and pollution factor sector, consisting of 5 pollution factors (sulfur oxides; nitrogen oxides; biological oxygen demand; general wastes; industrial wastes), their causes, treatment, amounts of emission, and target standards. External factors such as population changes and automobile usage are also included. Industries were divided into 20 groups for purposes of setting up a matrix for environmental improvement expenditures. Based on 1972 data, operational costs for desulfurization were calculated to be $410/S ton (direct desulfurization), and $760/S ton (indirect desulfurization), with the weighted averaged value being $609/S ton. Average construction costs for direct and indirect processes were calculated to be $5100/S Kg/hour. Average amortization costs were calculated to be $118/S ton.

Nonradiological chemical pathway analysis and identification of chemicals of concern for environmental monitoring at the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blanton, M.L.; Cooper, A.T.; Castleton, K.J.

1995-11-01

Pacific Northwest's Surface Environmental Surveillance Project (SESP) is an ongoing effort tot design, review, and conducted monitoring on and off the Hanford site. Chemicals of concern that were selected are listed. Using modeled exposure pathways, the offsite cancer incidence and hazard quotient were calculated and a retrospective pathway analysis performed to estimate what onsite concentrations would be required in the soil for each chemical of concern and other detected chemicals that would be required to obtain an estimated offsite human-health risk of 1.0E-06 cancer incidence or 1.0 hazard quotient. This analysis indicates that current nonradiological chemical contamination occurring on the site does not pose a significant offsite human-health risk; the highest cancer incidence to the offsite maximally exposed individual was from arsenic (1.76E-10); the highest hazard quotient was chromium(VI) (1.48E-04). The most sensitive pathways of exposure were surfacewater and aquatic food consumption. Combined total offsite excess cancer incidence was 2.09E-10 and estimated hazard quotient was 2.40E-04. Of the 17 identified chemicals of concern, the SESP does not currently (routinely) monitor arsenic, benzo(a)pyrene, bis(2- ethylhexyl)phthalate (BEHP), and chrysene. Only 3 of the chemicals of concern (arsenic, BEHP, chloroform) could actually occur in onsite soil at concern high enough to cause a 1.0E-06 excess cancer incidence or a 1.0 hazard index for a given offsite exposure pathway. During the retrospective analysis, 20 other chemicals were also evaluated; only vinyl chloride and thallium could reach targeted offsite risk values

IEA-SHC Task 27: Environmental performance assessment of glazing and windows - context, overview, main concerns

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chevalier, J.L. [Centre Scientifique et Technique du Batiment, Sustainable Development Dept., Saint-Martin D' Heres (France); Krogh, H. [Danish Building and Urban Research, Energy and Indoor Climate Div., Hoersholm (Denmark); Tarantini, Mario [The Italian National Agency for New Technology, Energy and the Environment, Bologna (Italy)

2006-07-01

While all industrial sectors are integrating the environment concern into their culture and strategy, actors of the construction field seem to be torn between motivation and suspicion in front of this new topic. In most countries, the economic situation of the passed years for building was not suitable for investing in new long-term approaches, and the strong particularities of the building world appear as many complicating elements for introducing new concepts easily. But now the awareness for a sustainable development of all human activities is also growing in our sector, and it is time to take benefit of some favourable habits like the use of multi-criteria analysis: beyond performances, suitability for use, and durability, environmental quality criteria will just widen the actual scope of the technical assessment of building products. The first question is a double one : Who will use environmental criteria related to the building products, and for which purpose? Because actors in the field are many, we will have several distinct answers, which may call for different tools. In other industrial sectors, two approaches have been experimented: the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and the environmental labelling. Between LCA and green labels, several relevant tools are in development for the building products, each of them adapted to specific users and objectives, and most often of limited use in other contexts. A short review of the studies already performed on the environmental quality of glazing and windows revealed quite a small amount of available matter, and justifies the work undertaken within the programme of IEA/SHCP/Task 27, which will be presented in the third part of this paper. (au)

Environmental Concerns in the Geography Curriculum: Perceptions ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In this paper, I use the qualitative data generated from my PhD study to show how three of the geography teachers grapple with the meaning of environmental education, sustainable development and education for sustainable development. The data reveals that the three teachers have conceptual difficulties regarding ...

Survival and sustainability. Environmental concerns in the 21st century

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goekcekus, Hueseyin; Tuerker, Umut [Near East Univ., Nicosia, North Cyprus (Turkey). Dept. of Civil Engineering; LaMoreaux, James W. (eds.) [P.E. LaMoreaux and Associates, Tuscaloosa, AL (United States)

2011-07-01

The International Conference on Environment: Survival and Sustainability, held at the Near East University, Nicosia, Northern Cyprus 19-24 February 2007, dealt with environmental threats and proposed solutions at all scales. The 21 themes addressed by the conference fell into four broad categories; Threats to Survival and Sustainability; Technological Advances towards Survival and Sustainability; Activities and Tools for Social Change; Defining Goals for Sustainable Societies. Activities and tools that move the society towards greater sustainability were emphasized at the conference. These included environmental law and ethics, environmental knowledge, technology and information systems, media, environmental awareness, education and lifelong learning, the use of literature for environmental awareness, the green factor in politics, international relations and environmental organizations. The breadth of the issues addressed at the conference made clear the need for greatly increased interdisciplinary and international collaboration the survival and sustainability concept. The exchanges at the conference represent a step in this direction. (orig.)

Environmental concerns regarding a materials test reactor fuel fabrication facility at the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute - IPEN; Atomos para el desarrollo de Mexico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santos, G. R. T.; Durazzo, M.; Carvalho, E. F. U. [IPEN, CNEN-SP, P.O. Box 11049, CEP 05422-970, Sao Paulo (Brazil); Riella, H. G. [Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Departamento de Engenharia Quimica, Campus Universitario, Florianopolis, CEP 88040-900 (Brazil)]. e-mail: grsantos@ipen.br

2008-07-01

The aim of the industrial activities success, front to a more and more informed and demanding society and to a more and more competitive market demands an environmental administration policy which doesn't limit itself to assist the legislation but anticipate and prevent, in a responsible way, possible damages to the environment. One of the maim programs of the Institute of Energetic and Nuclear Research of the national Commission of Nuclear Energy located in Brazil, through the Center of Nuclear Fuel - CCN - is to manufacture MTR-type fuel elements using low-enrichment uranium (20 wt% {sup 2}35U), to supply its IEA-RI research reactor. Integrated in this program, this work aims at well developing and assuring a methodology to implant an environment, health and safety policy, foreseeing its management with the use of detailed data reports and through the adoption of new tools for improving the management, in order to fulfil the applicable legislation and accomplish all the environmental, operational and works aspects. The applied methodology for the effluents management comprises different aspects, including the specific environmental legislation of a country, main available effluents treatment techniques, process flow analyses from raw materials and intakes to products, generated effluents, residuals and emissions. Data collections were accomplished for points gathering and tests characterization, classification and compatibility of the generated effluents and their eventual environmental impacts. This study aims to implant the Sustainable Concept in order to guarantee access to financial resources, allowing cost reduction, maximizing long-term profits, preventing and reducing environmental accident risks and stimulating both the attraction and the keeping of a motivated manpower. Work on this project has already started and, even though many technical actions have not still ended, the results have being extremely valuable. These results can already give to

Community Concern on Environmental Conservation

Science.gov (United States)

Nugraha, Fajar Adie; Maryono

2018-02-01

Research on the relationship between humans and the environment is always very interesting to be studied. This paper is one of the studies of sustainable development in its implementation with the empowerment of society that comes from the community itself. So far, community studies related to development occasionally target the growth of the economic side only. Community study on the environment becomes an alternative choice, compared with human relationships with humans themselves, or humans with human needs themselves. The study of community development by looking at the environment can be a wise choice, where all activities of fulfilling human needs are always inseparable from the element of interaction with the environment. Community development that is based on the environment itself, will give a better impact, just solely. Various methods of learning human relationships. A community-based environmental assessment study can be an alternative choice to support a sustainable development mission, which is development that has a positive impact on the present and the future.

Strategies for achieving environmental policy integration at the landscape level. A framework illustrated with an analysis of landscape governance in Rwanda

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Oosten, van Cora; Uzamukunda, Assumpta; Runhaar, Hens

2018-01-01

Environmental Policy Integration (EPI) refers to the incorporation of environmental concerns into sectoral policies in order to reduce policy incoherence and achieve synergies to more effectively address environmental problems such as environmental degradation. Landscape governance can be considered

Environmental priority action programme for Leningrad, Leningrad Region, Karelia and Estonia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

The Finnish Government has drawn up a plan of action concerning co-operation in the near future with Eastern European countries. Go-operation in the field of environmental protection occupies a central position in the plan. In connection with the plan, an Environmental Review and Priority Action Programme for Leningrad, Leningrad region, Karelia and Estonia has been made to determine the main environmental problems and the main measures to reduce them

Sustainable solutions for Dutch housing. Reducing the Environmental Impacts of New and Existing Houses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klunder, G.

2005-04-12

Sustainable housing construction and management has, to date, been primarily based on an intuitive approach. Numerous measures have been formulated to promote sustainable construction and to reduce the environmental impacts of the built environment. However, little is yet known about the extent of the environmental benefits thereof. Moreover, methods and tools are mainly directed to new construction. This thesis makes clear that short-term environmental benefits in sustainable housing construction are rather limited. Renewal of the post-war housing stock offers excellent changes for improvement of the environmental performance of housing. With a newly developed method it is proven that renovation causes less environmental impacts than demolition followed by new construction. However, at the same time the usefulness of Life Cycle Assessment for buildings is doubted.

Infrastructure and automobile shifts: positioning transit to reduce life-cycle environmental impacts for urban sustainability goals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chester, Mikhail; Pincetl, Stephanie; Elizabeth, Zoe; Eisenstein, William; Matute, Juan

2013-01-01

Public transportation systems are often part of strategies to reduce urban environmental impacts from passenger transportation, yet comprehensive energy and environmental life-cycle measures, including upfront infrastructure effects and indirect and supply chain processes, are rarely considered. Using the new bus rapid transit and light rail lines in Los Angeles, near-term and long-term life-cycle impact assessments are developed, including consideration of reduced automobile travel. Energy consumption and emissions of greenhouse gases and criteria pollutants are assessed, as well the potential for smog and respiratory impacts. Results show that life-cycle infrastructure, vehicle, and energy production components significantly increase the footprint of each mode (by 48–100% for energy and greenhouse gases, and up to 6200% for environmental impacts), and emerging technologies and renewable electricity standards will significantly reduce impacts. Life-cycle results are identified as either local (in Los Angeles) or remote, and show how the decision to build and operate a transit system in a city produces environmental impacts far outside of geopolitical boundaries. Ensuring shifts of between 20–30% of transit riders from automobiles will result in passenger transportation greenhouse gas reductions for the city, and the larger the shift, the quicker the payback, which should be considered for time-specific environmental goals. (letter)

Infrastructure and automobile shifts: positioning transit to reduce life-cycle environmental impacts for urban sustainability goals

Science.gov (United States)

Chester, Mikhail; Pincetl, Stephanie; Elizabeth, Zoe; Eisenstein, William; Matute, Juan

2013-03-01

Public transportation systems are often part of strategies to reduce urban environmental impacts from passenger transportation, yet comprehensive energy and environmental life-cycle measures, including upfront infrastructure effects and indirect and supply chain processes, are rarely considered. Using the new bus rapid transit and light rail lines in Los Angeles, near-term and long-term life-cycle impact assessments are developed, including consideration of reduced automobile travel. Energy consumption and emissions of greenhouse gases and criteria pollutants are assessed, as well the potential for smog and respiratory impacts. Results show that life-cycle infrastructure, vehicle, and energy production components significantly increase the footprint of each mode (by 48-100% for energy and greenhouse gases, and up to 6200% for environmental impacts), and emerging technologies and renewable electricity standards will significantly reduce impacts. Life-cycle results are identified as either local (in Los Angeles) or remote, and show how the decision to build and operate a transit system in a city produces environmental impacts far outside of geopolitical boundaries. Ensuring shifts of between 20-30% of transit riders from automobiles will result in passenger transportation greenhouse gas reductions for the city, and the larger the shift, the quicker the payback, which should be considered for time-specific environmental goals.

Urbanization Reduces Transfer of Diverse Environmental Microbiota Indoors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anirudra Parajuli

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Expanding urbanization is a major factor behind rapidly declining biodiversity. It has been proposed that in urbanized societies, the rarity of contact with diverse environmental microbiota negatively impacts immune function and ultimately increases the risk for allergies and other immune-mediated disorders. Surprisingly, the basic assumption that urbanization reduces exposure to environmental microbiota and its transfer indoors has rarely been examined. We investigated if the land use type around Finnish homes affects the diversity, richness, and abundance of bacterial communities indoors. Debris deposited on standardized doormats was collected in 30 rural and 26 urban households in and near the city of Lahti, Finland, in August 2015. Debris was weighed, bacterial community composition determined by high throughput sequencing of bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA gene on the Illumina MiSeq platform, and the percentage of four different land use types (i.e., built area, forest, transitional, and open area within 200 m and 2000 m radiuses from each household was characterized. The quantity of doormat debris was inversely correlated with coverage of built area. The diversity of total bacterial, Proteobacterial, Actinobacterial, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes communities decreased as the percentage of built area increased. Their richness followed the same pattern except for Firmicutes for which no association was observed. The relative abundance of Proteobacteria and particularly Gammaproteobacteria increased, whereas that of Actinobacteria decreased with increasing built area. Neither Phylum Firmicutes nor Bacteroidetes varied with coverage of built area. Additionally, the relative abundance of potentially pathogenic bacterial families and genera increased as the percentage of built area increased. Interestingly, having domestic animals (including pets only altered the association between the richness of Gammaproteobacteria and diversity of

Nitrogen Nutrition of Fruit Trees to Reconcile Productivity and Environmental Concerns.

Science.gov (United States)

Carranca, Corina; Brunetto, Gustavo; Tagliavini, Massimo

2018-01-10

Although perennial fruit crops represent 1% of global agricultural land, they are of a great economic importance in world trade and in the economy of many regions. The perennial woody nature of fruit trees, their physiological stages of growth, the root distribution pattern, and the presence of herbaceous vegetation in alleys make orchard systems efficient in the use and recycling of nitrogen (N). The present paper intends to review the existing literature on N nutrition of young and mature deciduous and evergreen fruit trees with special emphasis to temperate and Mediterranean climates. There are two major sources of N contributing to vegetative tree growth and reproduction: root N uptake and internal N cycling. Optimisation of the use of external and internal N sources is important for a sustainable fruit production, as N use efficiency by young and mature fruit trees is generally lower than 55% and losses of fertilizer N may occur with the consequent economic and environmental concern. Organic alternatives to mineral N fertilizer like the application of manure, compost, mulching, and cover crops are scarcely used in perennial fruit trees, in spite of the fact that society's expectations call for more sustainable production techniques and the demand for organic fruits is increasing.

Measuring the Efficacy of an Energy and Environmental Awareness Campaign to Effectively Reduce Water Consumption

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Laura Little

2010-01-01

Increased energy costs and a move toward environmental stewardship are driving many organizations, including universities, to engage in awareness efforts to reduce both energy consumption and their carbon footprint. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether organizational programs aimed at energy and environmental awareness have a…

Environmental Report Utah State Prison Geothermal Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1980-03-01

This environmental report assesses the potential impact of developing a geothermal resource for space heating at the Utah State Prison. Wells will be drilled on prison property for production and for injection to minimize reservoir depletion and provide for convenient disposal of cooled fluid. The most significant environmental concerns are the proper handling of drilling muds during well drilling and the disposal of produced water during well testing. These problems will be handled by following currently accepted practices to reduce the potential risks.

Nuclear energy: biological effects and environmental impact

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boonefaes, M.

1987-01-01

This thesis is concerned with the large development of nuclear power plants and the recent nuclear catastrophe which has made clear how the hazards resulting from radioactivity affect public health and the environment. Environmental effects of nuclear power plants operating in normal conditions are small, but to obtain nuclear power plants of reduced radioactivity, optimization of their design, construction, operation and waste processing plays a decisive role. Biological effects of ionizing radiations and environmental impacts of Nuclear Power plants are developed [fr

Including environmental concerns in energy policies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Potier, Michel

2014-05-01

In this article, the author comments the different impacts on the environment and risks related to energy, provided that all energies have an impact on the environment (renewable energies are generally cleaner than fossil energies) and these impacts can be on human health, ecosystems, buildings, crops, landscapes, and climate change. He comments the efforts made in the search for a higher energetic efficiency, and proposes an overview of the various available tools implemented by environmental policies in the energy sector: regulatory instruments, economic instruments, negotiated agreements, and informational instruments. He comments the implementation of an energetic taxing aimed at developing a greater respect of the environment

Environmental microbiology

Science.gov (United States)

Briški, Felicita; Vuković Domanovac, Marija

2017-10-01

For most people, microorganisms are out of sight and therefore out of mind but they are large, extremely diverse group of organisms, they are everywhere and are the dominant form of life on planet Earth. Almost every surface is colonized by microorganisms, including our skin; however most of them are harmless to humans. Some microorganisms can live in boiling hot springs, whereas others form microbial communities in frozen sea ice. Among their many roles, microorganisms are necessary for biogeochemical cycling, soil fertility, decomposition of dead plants and animals and biodegradation of many complex organic compounds present in the environment. Environmental microbiology is concerned with the study of microorganisms in the soil, water and air and their application in bioremediation to reduce environmental pollution through the biological degradation of pollutants into non-toxic or less toxic substances. Field of environmental microbiology also covers the topics such as microbially induced biocorrosion, biodeterioration of constructing materials and microbiological quality of outdoor and indoor air.

Ranking of concern, based on environmental indexes, for pharmaceutical and personal care products: an application to the Spanish case.

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz de García, Sheyla; Pinto, Gilberto Pinto; García-Encina, Pedro A; Irusta Mata, Rubén I

2013-11-15

A wide range of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) are present in the environment, and many of their adverse effects are unknown. The emergence of new compounds or changes in regulations have led to dynamical studies of occurrence, impact and treatment, which consider geographical areas and trends in consumption and innovation in the pharmaceutical industry. A Quantitative study of Structure-Activity Relationship ((Q)SAR) was performed to assess the possible adverse effects of ninety six PPCPs and metabolites with negligible experimental data and establish a ranking of concern, which was supported by the EPA EPI Suite™ interface. The environmental and toxicological indexes, the persistence (P), the bioaccumulation (B), the toxicity (T) (extensive) and the occurrence in Spanish aquatic environments (O) (intensive) were evaluated. The most hazardous characteristics in the largest number of compounds were generated by the P index, followed by the T and B indexes. A high number of metabolites has a concern score equal to or greater than their parent compounds. Three PBT and OPBT rankings of concern were proposed using the total and partial ranking method (supported by a Hasse diagram) by the Decision Analysis by Ranking Techniques (DART) tool, which was recently recommended by the European Commission. An analysis of the sensibility of the relative weights of these indexes has been conducted. Hormones, antidepressants (and their metabolites), blood lipid regulators and all of the personal care products considered in this study were at the highest levels of risk according to the PBT and OPBT total rankings. Furthermore, when the OPBT partial ranking was performed, X-ray contrast media, H2 blockers and some antibiotics were included at the highest level of concern. It is important to improve and incorporate useful indexes for the predicted environmental impact of PPCPs and metabolites and thus focus experimental analysis on the compounds that require

Reducing threats in conversations about environmental behavior change: The positive impact of Motivational Interviewing

OpenAIRE

Klonek, F.E.; Güntner, A.V.; Lehmann-Willenbrock, N.K.; Kauffeld, S.

2015-01-01

Human behavior contributes to a waste of environmental resources and our society is looking for ways to reduce this problem. However, humans may perceive feedback about their environmental behavior as threatening. According to self-determination theory (SDT), threats decrease intrinsic motivation for behavior change. According to self-affirmation theory (SAT), threats can harm individuals’ self-integrity. Therefore, individuals should show self-defensive biases, e.g., in terms of presenting c...

Environmental management in Framatome nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thiebaut, B.; Ferre, A.

1999-01-01

Environmental preservation is both a national regulatory requirement and a condition for economic and social development. The various industrial sites belonging to the Framatome Nuclear Fuel Organisation, whose activities range from the processing and transformation of Zirconium alloy products to the fabrication of fuel assemblies, have always demonstrated that protection of the environment was their prime concern by implementing low pollution level processes and reducing and/or recycling industrial waste and effluents. As early as January 1996, a directive issued by the Framatome Group defined its environmental policy and responsibilities in the matter. Within the Framatome Nuclear Fuel Organization, this directive has been applied by implementation of: low level pollution processes; better performance of recycling of effluents, by-products and waste; environmental information policy. In all its plants, the Framatome Nuclear Fuel Organization has decided to pursue and to step up its environmental protection policy by: officializing its action through compliance with ISO standard 14001 and certification of all its industrial sites by 2001 at the latest; launching new actions and extra investment programs. In this context, FBFC has applied for a modification of the decrees concerning the dumping of liquid and gas effluents at the Romans factory. (authors)

Environmental Health and Aging: Activity, Exposure and Biological Models to Improve Risk Assessment and Health Promotion

Science.gov (United States)

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other public health agencies are concerned that the environmental health of America’s growing population of older adults has not been taken into consideration in current approaches to risk assessment. The reduced capacity to respo...

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) - main concerns and regulatory developments in Europe from an environmental point of view

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vierke, Lena [Federal Environment Agency, Dessau-Rosslau (Germany); Leuphana University of Lueneburg, Lueneburg (Germany); Staude, Claudia; Biegel-Engler, Annegret; Drost, Wiebke; Schulte, Christoph [Federal Environment Agency, Dessau-Rosslau (Germany)

2012-12-15

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) are the most investigated substances of the group of per- and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs). Whereas for PFOS regulatory measures are already in force on international level (inclusion in Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants) such activities are missing for PFOA. The environmental concerns of PFOA, which are summarized in the present study, underline the necessity of regulatory measures on an international level for PFOA. Since it seems more likely to agree on a regulation within the European Union first, a regulatory strategy based on the European chemicals regulation REACH (EC No. 1907/2006), is discussed in the present study. PFOA is persistent in the environment, ubiquitous present in surface waters, and subject to long-range transport. It accumulates in biota, especially in top predators. PFOA is increasingly analyzed in food items, and in drinking water. PFOA's intrinsic properties such as its persistency (P), its potential for bioaccumulation (B) and its toxicity (T) suggest that PFOA is a promising candidate for being identified as a Substance of Very High Concern (SVHC) under REACH. Because of the dispersive occurrence of PFOA in the environment, the presence in imported products, and the use of PFCs, which can degrade to PFOA in various consumer products, a restriction under REACH seems to be the most effective regulatory measure to minimize human and environmental exposure to PFOA in the European Union. Due to its intrinsic properties, PFOA fulfills the REACH PBT-criteria. The next regulatory step will be the identification of PFOA and its ammonium salt (APFO) as SVHC according to REACH and the addition to the REACH Candidate List. As a second step, a restriction proposal will be prepared to include both substances and precursors into REACH Annex XVII. (orig.)

Environmental Application, Fate, Effects, and Concerns of Ionic Liquids: A Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Amde, Meseret; Liu, Jing-Fu; Pang, Long

2015-11-03

Ionic liquids (ILs) comprise mostly of organic salts with negligible vapor pressure and low flammability that are proposed as replacements for volatile solvents. ILs have been promoted as "green" solvents and widely investigated for their various applications. Although the utility of these chemicals is unquestionable, their toxic effects have attracted great attention. In order to manage their potential hazards and design environmentally benign ILs, understanding their environmental behavior, fate and effects is important. In this review, environmentally relevant issues of ILs, including their environmental application, environmental behavior and toxicity are addressed. In addition, also presented are the influence of ILs on the environmental fate and toxicity of other coexisting contaminants, important routes for designing nontoxic ILs and the techniques that might be adopted for the removal of ILs.

Geochemical Characteristics of Shallow Groundwater in Jiaoshiba Shale Gas Production Area: Implications for Environmental Concerns

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yiman Li

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The geochemical characteristics of shallow groundwater are essential for environmental impact studies in the shale gas production area. Jiaoshiba in the Sichuan basin is the first commercial-scale shale gas production area in China. This paper studied the geochemical and isotopic characteristics of the shallow groundwater of the area for future environmental concerns. Results show that the average pH of the shallow groundwater is 7.5 and the total dissolved solids (TDS vary from 150 mg/L to 350 mg/L. The main water types are HCO3-Ca and HCO3-Ca·Mg due to the carbonates dissolution equilibrium in karst aquifers. The concentrations of major ions and typical toxic elements including Mn, Cr, Cu, Zn, Ba, and Pb are below the drinking water standard of China and are safe for use as drinking water. The high nitrate content is inferred to be caused by agricultural pollution. The shallow groundwater is recharged by local precipitation and flows in the vertical circulation zone. Evidences from low TDS, water isotopes, and high 3H and 14C indicate that the circulation rate of shallow groundwater is rapid, and the lateral groundwater has strong renewability. Once groundwater pollution from deep shale gas production occurs, it will be recovered soon by enough precipitation.

Assessing the environmental impact of palm oil produced in Thailand

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Saswattecha, K.; Kroeze, C.; Jawjit, W.; Hein, L.G.

2015-01-01

There are several concerns related to the increasing production of palm oil in Southeast Asia, including pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and land conversion. The RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) certification standard provides an incentive for reducing environmental impacts of palm oil

Part of the green plan : suppliers are helping the coal and oil sands industries to address environmental concerns

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sabourin, M.

2009-09-15

The Canadian coal and oil sands industries operate in one of the most stringent environmental regulatory frameworks found in the world. The purpose of the strict regulations is to ensure that Canadian energy resources are developed safely, responsibly and efficiently. Their primary objectives involve the protection of water supplies and aquatic life. This article discussed how suppliers are helping the coal and oil sands industries address environmental concerns. Several examples were provided. In terms of water protection and management, EBA Engineering Consultants has helped mining companies comply with strict environmental regulations and has assisted them in obtaining the necessary permits and establishing monitoring programs. In terms of containment, the Layfield Group's silt and sediment control products has helped prevent fine soil particles from running off into and clouding local water courses. In terms of land reclamation and remediation, IW Kuhn Environmental Ltd., has provided soil remediation services, including re-vegetation using hydroseeding which involves the sowing of seeds with a hosed jet of water. This article also discussed the many green technology products that have been developed and commercialized by EarthRenew for application in coal and oil sands projects. Their patented waste renew facilities can process and cook manures, biosolids or green wastes into organic fertilizers that could be used in land repair applications. 5 figs.

41 CFR 102-80.30 - What are Federal agencies' responsibilities concerning lead?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... agencies' responsibilities concerning lead? 102-80.30 Section 102-80.30 Public Contracts and Property... PROPERTY 80-SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT Safety and Environmental Management Lead § 102-80.30 What are Federal agencies' responsibilities concerning lead? Federal agencies have the following...

Pro-environmental analysis of farmers' concerns and behaviors towards soil conservation in central district of Sari County, Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masoud Bijani

2017-03-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to pro-environmentally analyze farmers' concerns and behaviors towards soil conservation. This research was a descriptive, causal, and correlational and conducted through a survey technique. The study population consisted of all farmers at the central district of Sari county, Iran (N=9621. Based on the Cochran's formula, 120 farmers were selected using stratified random sampling. The instrument employed in this study was a questionnaire with its validity being confirmed by a number of academic experts and agriculture specialists and its reliability being proved using Cronbach's alpha coefficients in a pilot study (outside the scope of the current study. (0.66≤α≤0.90. The results of the analysis regarding the effects of independent variables on the variables "soil conservation behavior" and "soil conservation concern" indicated that, among the variables affecting these two variables, the variable "attitude towards soil conservation "was the most powerful predictor of "soil conservation concerns" and the variable "social pressures on soil conservation" predicted farmers' "soil conservation behaviors" better. Furthermore, the independent variables used in this research could predict 42% of the variance in terms of soil conservation concern and 21% of the variance in terms of soil conservation behavior. These findings can be practical and appropriate for executive officials since, instead of making efforts to direct change the behavior, they can first focus on conceptual changes and persuasive changes like changing attitudes towards soil conservation.

Comparing the effectiveness of monetary versus moral motives in environmental campaigning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bolderdijk, Jan Willem; Steg, L.; Geller, E. S.; Lehman, P. K.; Postmes, T.

Environmental campaigns often promote energy conservation by appealing to economic (for example, lower electricity bills) rather than biospheric concerns (for example, reduced carbon emissions), assuming that people are primarily motivated by economic self-interest. However, people also care about

Confirming the Environmental Concerns of Community Members Utilizing Participatory-Based Research in the Houston Neighborhood of Manchester.

Science.gov (United States)

Sansom, Garett; Berke, Philip; McDonald, Thomas; Shipp, Eva; Horney, Jennifer

2016-08-23

In the last few decades, there has been an increase in community-based participatory research being conducted within the United States. Recent research has demonstrated that working with local community organizations, interest groups, and individuals can assist in the creation of, and sustainability in, health initiatives, adoption of emergency protocols, and potentially improve health outcomes for at-risk populations. However little research has assessed if communal concerns over environmental contaminants would be confirmed through environmental research. This cross-sectional study collected survey data and performed surface water analysis for heavy metals in a small neighborhood in Houston, TX, which is characterized by industrial sites, unimproved infrastructure, nuisance flooding, and poor air quality. Surveys were completed with 109 residents of the Manchester neighborhood. Water samples were taken from thirty zones within the neighborhood and assessed for arsenic (As), barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), selenium (Se), silver (Ag), and mercury (Hg). Survey results showed that the vast majority of all respondents were concerned over proximity to industry and waste facilities, as well as exposure to standing surface water. Barium was discovered in every sample and many of the zones showed alarming levels of certain metals. For example, one zone, two blocks from a public park, showed levels of arsenic at 180 (μg/L), barium at 3296 (μg/L), chromium at 363 (μg/L), lead at 1448 (μg/L), and mercury at 10 (μg/L). These findings support the hypothesis that neighborhood members are aware of the issues affecting their community and can offer researchers valuable assistance in every stage of study design and execution.

Confirming the Environmental Concerns of Community Members Utilizing Participatory-Based Research in the Houston Neighborhood of Manchester

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Garett Sansom

2016-08-01

Full Text Available In the last few decades, there has been an increase in community-based participatory research being conducted within the United States. Recent research has demonstrated that working with local community organizations, interest groups, and individuals can assist in the creation of, and sustainability in, health initiatives, adoption of emergency protocols, and potentially improve health outcomes for at-risk populations. However little research has assessed if communal concerns over environmental contaminants would be confirmed through environmental research. This cross-sectional study collected survey data and performed surface water analysis for heavy metals in a small neighborhood in Houston, TX, which is characterized by industrial sites, unimproved infrastructure, nuisance flooding, and poor air quality. Surveys were completed with 109 residents of the Manchester neighborhood. Water samples were taken from thirty zones within the neighborhood and assessed for arsenic (As, barium (Ba, cadmium (Cd, chromium (Cr, lead (Pb, selenium (Se, silver (Ag, and mercury (Hg. Survey results showed that the vast majority of all respondents were concerned over proximity to industry and waste facilities, as well as exposure to standing surface water. Barium was discovered in every sample and many of the zones showed alarming levels of certain metals. For example, one zone, two blocks from a public park, showed levels of arsenic at 180 (μg/L, barium at 3296 (μg/L, chromium at 363 (μg/L, lead at 1448 (μg/L, and mercury at 10 (μg/L. These findings support the hypothesis that neighborhood members are aware of the issues affecting their community and can offer researchers valuable assistance in every stage of study design and execution.

Reducing DUI among US college students: results of an environmental prevention trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Clapp, John D; Johnson, Mark; Voas, Robert B; Lange, James E; Shillington, Audrey; Russell, Cristel

2005-03-01

Driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol is among the most common and serious alcohol-related problems experienced by US college students. Community-based prevention trials using environmental approaches to DUI prevention have been effective in reducing DUI. Such interventions remain untested in college settings. This study is the first to test the efficacy of an environmental prevention campaign to reduce DUI among college students. We used a quasi-experimental non-equivalent comparison group design to test the efficacy of the DUI prevention intervention. Students at the experimental university were exposed to a DUI prevention intervention that included a social marketing campaign, a media advocacy campaign and increased law enforcement (DUI checkpoints and roving DUI patrols). Students from two large public universities located along the US/Mexico border participated in the seven-semester study. In total, 4832 college students took part. Using telephone interviews of randomly selected students, we took pre- and postintervention measures of self-reported DUI. Self-reported DUI (past year) decreased significantly from pre-test to post-test (odds ratio = 0.55) at the intervention school, whereas rates at the comparison campus remained stable. The campus-intervention interaction was statistically significant (P < 0.05), suggesting that the campaign led to the observed change in DUI. Environmental DUI campaigns similar to those validated in community prevention trials can be effective in college settings. Further research, however, is needed to determine the robustness of the changes associated with such campaigns.

Dialogue and information dissemination process concerning the health and environmental aspects of hydrofracking; Informations- und Dialogprozess zur Sicherheit und Umweltvertraeglichkeit der Fracking-Technologie. Ergebnisse der Risikostudie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Borchardt, Dietrich; Richter, Sandra [Helmholtz-Zentrum fuer Umweltforschung GmbH - UFZ, Magdeburg (Germany). Dept. Aquatische Oekosystemanalyse und Management (ASAM); Ewen, Christoph [team ewen, Darmstadt (Germany); Hammerbacher, Ruth [hammerbacher gmbh - beratung und projekte, Osnabrueck (Germany)

2013-02-15

In Germany, several gas companies are currently prospecting for so-called unconventional natural gas reservoirs (shale gas and coal bed methane) in many parts of the country using the fracking technology (hydraulic fracturing). Therefore, a mixture of water, chemicals and sand is forced in the reservoir rock under high pressure in order to mobilize the enclosed gas. To address the sometimes massive public concerns about the safety and the environmental compatibility of the fracking technology the 'Dialogue and information dissemination process concerning the health and environmental aspects of hydrofracking' has been initiated. During the process recommendations have been developed by a panel of experts to promote a thoughtful, realistic and fact-based debate on the vices and virtues of hydrofracking. (orig.)

Managing Reputational Risk through Environmental Management and Reporting: An Options Theory Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Pineiro-Chousa

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Reputation is a complex and multidimensional concept that may be organized in downside and upside reputational risk. In this article, we present a formal modelling for the management capabilities of environmental management and reporting over reputational risk, considering that reputational risk is becoming increasingly important for organizations and it directly depends on the information available about companies’ environmental performances. As long as the effectiveness of communication and disclosure plays a key role in the process, the usefulness of environmental management and reporting as a hedging instrument for reputational risk is addressed through different levels of information transparency. When considering a scenario of voluntary reporting, we show that environmentally concerned companies can reduce the cost of environmental management as a reputational risk strategy, as well as reducing the potential loss of reputational value from reputational threats and increasing the potential profit from reputational opportunities. In the context of mandatory reporting, we highlight the role of assurance companies as bearers of the risk of bad reputations for non-concerned companies. As a result, this novel approach applies theoretical oriented research from options theory to reputational risk management literature, so that it benefits from the option’s well known theory, robustness, and conclusions.

Environmental Education Center.

Science.gov (United States)

Holmes (Warren) Co. and Black (Kenneth) Associate, Architects, Lansing, MI.

Public awareness and concern for our natural environment have rapidly increased. With new demands for knowledge and action concerning all aspects of environmental quality, schools have begun to incorporate into their curriculums new programs emphasizing environmental awareness and appreciation at all age levels. To bring students into further…

Environmental concerns drive project planning and design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamilton, G.M.

1994-01-01

This paper describes the measures used to retrofit and requalify a Northwest Pipeline Corp., pipeline near Seattle, Washington. The pipeline is a 26 inch transmission line which has lost operating pressure because of the growth in Seattle's population. The pipeline was redesigned to requalify to a maximum pressure of 809 pounds per square inch. The paper describes the environmental issues faced during the construction and reconstruction efforts to protect wetlands and dispose of pipeline wastes. It describes the methods for cleaning the inside of the pipelines using various chemicals and cleaning tools

Synthesis of Glycerol Based Fuel Additives to Reduce NOx Emissions from Diesel Engines Operated on Diesel and Biodiesel fuels by SNCR

OpenAIRE

Tanugula, Shravan Kumar

2010-01-01

The demand for energy around the world is dramatically increasing due to the constant growth in industry and the transportation of the industrially produced goods. In view of growing energy demand without irreparably damaging the environment is of the most primary concern. With the rising fuel prices and environmental concern and the new laws imposed by the government to reduce emissions, alternative fuels could fill in the gap of satisfying the need of renewable energy with low environmental...

From Environmental Awareness to Environmental Responsibility: Towards a Stewardship Curriculum

Science.gov (United States)

Omoogun, Ajayi C.; Egbonyi, Etuki E.; Onnoghen, Usang N.

2016-01-01

The period of environmentalism heightened environmental concern and subsequently the emergence of Environmental Education (EE) that is anchored on awareness. It is thought that an increase in environmental awareness will reverse the misuse of the environment and its resources. Four decades after the international call for Environmental Education,…

Health and fracking: should the medical profession be concerned?

Science.gov (United States)

Mash, Rachel; Minnaar, Jolynn; Mash, Bob

2014-02-26

The use of natural gas that is obtained from high-volume hydraulic fracturing (fracking) may reduce carbon emissions relative to the use of coal and have substantial economic benefits for South Africa. However, concerns have been raised regarding the health and environmental impacts. The drilling and fracking processes use hundreds of chemicals as well as silica sand. Additional elements are either released from or formed in the shale during drilling. These substances can enter the environment in various ways: through failures in the well casing; via alternative underground pathways; as wastewater, spills and leaks on the wellpad; through transportation accidents; and as air pollution. Although many of these chemicals and elements have known adverse health effects, there is little evidence available on the health impacts of fracking. These health concerns have not yet been fully addressed in policy making, and the authors recommend that the voice of health professionals should be part of the public debate on fracking and that a full health impact assessment be required before companies are given the go-ahead to drill. 

Genomic selection using indicator traits to reduce the environmental impact of milk production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen Axelsson, H; Fikse, W F; Kargo, Morten

2013-01-01

The aim of this simulation study was to test the hypothesis that phenotype information of specific indicator traits of environmental importance recorded on a small-scale can be implemented in breeding schemes with genomic selection to reduce the environmental impact of milk production. A stochastic...... was, however, best in the scenarios where the genetic correlation between IT and EI was ≥0.30 and the accuracy of direct genomic value was ≥0.40. The genetic gain in EI was 26 to 34% higher when indicator traits such as greenhouse gases in the breath of the cow and methane recorded in respiration...... of direct genomic values will be reasonably high...

What makes environmental performance differ between firms? Empirical evidence from the Spanish tile industry

OpenAIRE

Andrés J Picazo-Tadeo; Andrés García-Reche

2007-01-01

Environmental performance is a matter of major concern both for policy makers and for firm managers. In this paper we interpret firms’ environmental performance as their ability to reduce polluting wastes while maintaining observed levels of inputs and desirable outputs. Making use of data envelopment analysis techniques, we compute waste-specific environmental efficiency measures for a sample of ceramic-tile producers located in the eastern Spanish region of Valencia. Our results show that t...

Measuring Values in Environmental Research: A Test of an Environmental Portrait Value Questionnaire

Science.gov (United States)

Bouman, Thijs; Steg, Linda; Kiers, Henk A. L.

2018-01-01

Four human values are considered to underlie individuals’ environmental beliefs and behaviors: biospheric (i.e., concern for environment), altruistic (i.e., concern for others), egoistic (i.e., concern for personal resources) and hedonic values (i.e., concern for pleasure and comfort). These values are typically measured with an adapted and shortened version of the Schwartz Value Survey (SVS), to which we refer as the Environmental-SVS (E-SVS). Despite being well-validated, recent research has indicated some concerns about the SVS methodology (e.g., comprehensibility, self-presentation biases) and suggested an alternative method of measuring human values: The Portrait Value Questionnaire (PVQ). However, the PVQ has not yet been adapted and applied to measure values most relevant to understand environmental beliefs and behaviors. Therefore, we tested the Environmental-PVQ (E-PVQ) – a PVQ variant of E-SVS –and compared it with the E-SVS in two studies. Our findings provide strong support for the validity and reliability of both the E-SVS and E-PVQ. In addition, we find that respondents slightly preferred the E-PVQ over the E-SVS (Study 1). In general, both scales correlate similarly to environmental self-identity (Study 1), energy behaviors (Studies 1 and 2), pro-environmental personal norms, climate change beliefs and policy support (Study 2). Accordingly, both methodologies show highly similar results and seem well-suited for measuring human values underlying environmental behaviors and beliefs. PMID:29743874

Bio-Kil, a nano-based disinfectant, reduces environmental bacterial burden and multidrug-resistant organisms in intensive care units

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wen-Sen Lee

2017-10-01

Conclusion: Application of Bio-Kil reduced the environmental bacterial burden and MDROs in ICUs. Further studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy of this nanotechnology-based disinfectant in reducing HAIs.

Environmental impact of offshore operation reduced using innovative engineering solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ritchie, C.J.; Wensel, E.A.; Edelblum, L.S.; Beal, D.

1994-01-01

The North Dauphin Island Tract 73 platform is located in eleven feet (3.4 m) of water and one mile (1.6 km) from shore in Mobile Bay, Alabama. The platform is designed to dehydrate and compress up to 70 MMSCFD (1.98 x 10 6 SM 3 ) from five remote gas production wells. Located near the city of Mobile, Alabama, the surrounding metropolitan and coastal areas has multiple uses including manufacturing, tourism, commercial and sport fishing, and wetlands and wildlife conservation. The multiple and interdependent economic uses of the area required that the platform be designed to minimize any adverse environmental impact. A cost-effective environmental engineering solution was desired at the design phase of the project. A water catchment, containment and disposal system was designed to meet the zero discharge requirement. Pollution from air emissions was reduced by the installation of lean burning engines. A floatover installation process was used to prevent dredging of the bay, thus protecting the bay water quality. An aesthetically concealing paint and lighting scheme was chosen and applied to the entire structure. These cost-effective engineering solutions during the design phase of the project saved time and money over the life of the project. All regulatory permits were obtained in a timely manner, with little or no opposition. The operator of the North Dauphin Island Development won several environmental awards due to the implementation of innovative solutions and their commitment to conservation of the natural environment

Of Fish and Fishermen: Shifting Societal Baselines to Reduce Environmental Harm in Fisheries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mimi E. Lam

2012-12-01

Full Text Available If reasonable fishery harvests and environmental harms are specified in new regulations, policies, and laws governing the exploitation of fish for food and livelihoods, then societal baselines can shift to achieve sustainable fisheries and marine conservation. Fisheries regulations can limit the environmental and social costs or harms caused by fishing by requiring the fishing industry to pay for the privilege to fish, via access fees for the opportunity to catch fish and extraction fees for fish caught; both fees can be combined with a progressive environmental tax to discourage overcapitalization and overfishing. Fisheries policies can be sustainable if predicated on an instrumental and ethical harm principle to reduce fishing harm. To protect the public trust in fisheries, environmental laws can identify the unsustainable depletion of fishery resources as ecological damage and a public nuisance to bind private fishing enterprises to a harm principle. Collaborative governance can foster sustainable fisheries if decision-making rights and responsibilities of marine stewardship are shared among government, the fishing industry, and civil society. As global food security and human welfare are threatened by accelerating human population growth and environmental impacts, decisions of how to use and protect the environment will involve collective choices in which all citizens have a stake - and a right.

Can foraging behavior of Criollo cattle help increase agricultural production and reduce environmental impacts in the arid Southwest?

Science.gov (United States)

The Longterm Agroecosystem Research Network (LTAR) was formed to help the nation’s agricultural systems simultaneously increase production and reduce environmental impacts. Eighteen networked sites are conducting a Common Experiment to understand the environmental and economic problems associated wi...

Strategies to increase nitrogen use efficiency and reduce nitrate leaching in vegetable production in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ruijter, de F.J.; Berge, ten H.F.M.; Smit, A.L.

2010-01-01

Environmental concern and legislation of fertilization requires strategies to increase nitrogen use efficiency and reduce nitrate leaching. Strategies can be fertilizer choice, timing of N availability and fertilizer placement. Rainfall in the experimental year 2007 was moderate and different

Popular epidemiology and "fracking": citizens' concerns regarding the economic, environmental, health and social impacts of unconventional natural gas drilling operations.

Science.gov (United States)

Powers, Martha; Saberi, Poune; Pepino, Richard; Strupp, Emily; Bugos, Eva; Cannuscio, Carolyn C

2015-06-01

Pennsylvania sits atop the Marcellus Shale, a reservoir of natural gas that was untapped until the 2004 introduction of unconventional natural gas drilling operations (UNGDO) in the state. Colloquially known as fracking, UNGDO is a controversial process that employs large volumes of water to fracture the shale and capture gas; it has become a multi-billion dollar industry in Pennsylvania. We analyzed letters to the editor of the most widely circulated local newspaper in the most heavily drilled county in Pennsylvania (Bradford County) in order to characterize residents' concerns and their involvement in popular epidemiology--the process by which citizens investigate risks associated with a perceived environmental threat. We reviewed 215 letters to the editor that referenced natural gas operations and were published by The Daily Review between January 1, 2008 and June 8, 2013. We used NVivo 10 to code and analyze letters and identify major themes. Nvivo is qualitative data analysis software (http://www.qsrinternational.com/products_nvivo.aspx) that allows researchers to code and analyze "unstructured" data, including text files of any type (e.g., interview transcripts, news articles, letters, archival materials) as well as photographs and videos. Nvivo can be used to classify, sort, query, comment on, and share data across a research group. Letters demonstrated citizen engagement in beginning and intermediate stages of lay epidemiology, as well as discord and stress regarding four main issues: socio-economic impacts, perceived threats to water, population growth and implications, and changes to the rural landscape. Residents called for stronger scientific evidence and a balance of economic development and health and environmental protections. Citizens' distress regarding UNGDO appeared to be exacerbated by a dearth of information to guide economic growth and health, environmental, and social concerns. This analysis proposes locally informed questions to guide future

Benefits from reducing risk of death

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krupnick, A

1994-07-01

Of the categories of benefits to individuals, reductions in the risk of premature mortality are of central. concern to the public and environmental policy makers. These benefits can include those from reductions in own- risk, for example, an individual's valuation of reducing his or her own mortality risks; reductions in risk to an individual's family, friends, or co-workers (i.e., of people known to the individual); and reductions in risks to unknown individuals. The last type would be an example of altruistic value. The overall goal is to measure the welfare change from a change in the current and/or future probability of dying. The willingness to pay (WTP) reflects the amount of income taken from a person that would leave him or her indifferent to a decrease in risk, whenever it occurs. When this value is divided by the risk change, the resulting value is called the 'value of a statistical life'. Another relevant measure appearing in the literature is the value of life-years saved. A final issue concerns the type of premature mortality risks one is valuing when environmental pollution is at issue. While most effort has gone into estimating the welfare effects of a change in current probability of death of healthy workers on the job, this is more relevant for characterizing the benefits of reducing accidental death risks than death from environmental causes. Exposure to pollutants raises risks of developing cancer, chronic heart, respiratory, and other diseases that raise mortality risks in the future. Such exposure also may raise current death risks for the very old and the sick. But, surely the pollution effect that is analogous to occupational health risks-pollution exposures high enough to raise current risks of death for the healthy, prime-age person-is insignificant in the United States.

Benefits from reducing risk of death

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krupnick, A.

1994-01-01

Of the categories of benefits to individuals, reductions in the risk of premature mortality are of central. concern to the public and environmental policy makers. These benefits can include those from reductions in own- risk, for example, an individual's valuation of reducing his or her own mortality risks; reductions in risk to an individual's family, friends, or co-workers (i.e., of people known to the individual); and reductions in risks to unknown individuals. The last type would be an example of altruistic value. The overall goal is to measure the welfare change from a change in the current and/or future probability of dying. The willingness to pay (WTP) reflects the amount of income taken from a person that would leave him or her indifferent to a decrease in risk, whenever it occurs. When this value is divided by the risk change, the resulting value is called the 'value of a statistical life'. Another relevant measure appearing in the literature is the value of life-years saved. A final issue concerns the type of premature mortality risks one is valuing when environmental pollution is at issue. While most effort has gone into estimating the welfare effects of a change in current probability of death of healthy workers on the job, this is more relevant for characterizing the benefits of reducing accidental death risks than death from environmental causes. Exposure to pollutants raises risks of developing cancer, chronic heart, respiratory, and other diseases that raise mortality risks in the future. Such exposure also may raise current death risks for the very old and the sick. But, surely the pollution effect that is analogous to occupational health risks-pollution exposures high enough to raise current risks of death for the healthy, prime-age person-is insignificant in the United States

Cohort change and the diffusion of environmental concern: A cross-national analysis

OpenAIRE

Nawrotzki, Raphael J.; Pampel, Fred C.

2012-01-01

This study explores value change across cohorts for a multinational population sample. Employing a diffusion-of-innovations approach, we combine competing theories predicting the relationship between socio-economic status (SES) and environmentalism: post-materialism and affluence theories, and global environmentalism theory. The diffusion argument suggests that high-SES groups first adopt pro-environmental views, but as time passes by, environmentalism diffuses to lower-SES groups. We test th...

Is renewable energy 100% environmentally safe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nasr, Ali Ahmed

2006-01-01

Renewable energy (RE) concerned are usually optimistic in introducing RE as environmentally safe resource. This might be reasonably acceptable when compared with conventional energy resources, there should be some side effects however. Those effects, and critics, when considered and possibly avoided, RE sources will be environmentally more acceptable and as a result will be appreciated by consumers. In this paper we try to investigate and point out some of these critics, and negative impacts by examining examples of some RE systems and how different solutions were tackled and partially managed. Through Re resources have advantages over other resources, when environmental issues are considered, there still exists, however, some negative impacts on the environment caused by RE resources. Present study showed that the above mentioned impacts can be reduced to some reasonable level.(Author)

Positional Concerns and Institutions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Landes, Xavier

2013-01-01

that invoking envy or subjective well-being is not fully satisfying for regulating positional concerns. More compelling reasons seem, in complement with efficiency, to be related to considerations for equality. In other words, if institutions could have strong reasons to pay attention to and regulate positional...... their implications for economics, positional concerns imply important normative dimensions. There have been presumed to be a symptom of envy, reduce people’s happiness, and create problems of social interaction or economic inefficiencies. Individuals are, for instance, prone to pick states of the world that improve...... concerns, it would be in virtue of their impact on the social product and individuals’ conditions of living....

Environmental report 1993-94

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

This environmental report for 1993-1994, sets out Nuclear Electric plc's environmental policy relating to its nuclear-powered power stations in England and Wales, and to its various other sites. The report looks at the environmental benefits of nuclear power in a world increasingly concerned about global warming as well as addressing areas of public concern relating to radioactive waste management, reactor decommissioning and environmental contamination. Nuclear Electric claims high safety standards and a commitment to open and honest reporting of failures and successes relating to these standards. The report also documents continuing improvements to the company's environmental protection performance. (UK)

Advertising energy saving programs: The potential environmental cost of emphasizing monetary savings.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwartz, Daniel; Bruine de Bruin, Wändi; Fischhoff, Baruch; Lave, Lester

2015-06-01

Many consumers have monetary or environmental motivations for saving energy. Indeed, saving energy produces both monetary benefits, by reducing energy bills, and environmental benefits, by reducing carbon footprints. We examined how consumers' willingness and reasons to enroll in energy-savings programs are affected by whether advertisements emphasize monetary benefits, environmental benefits, or both. From a normative perspective, having 2 noteworthy kinds of benefit should not decrease a program's attractiveness. In contrast, psychological research suggests that adding external incentives to an intrinsically motivating task may backfire. To date, however, it remains unclear whether this is the case when both extrinsic and intrinsic motivations are inherent to the task, as with energy savings, and whether removing explicit mention of extrinsic motivation will reduce its importance. We found that emphasizing a program's monetary benefits reduced participants' willingness to enroll. In addition, participants' explanations about enrollment revealed less attention to environmental concerns when programs emphasized monetary savings, even when environmental savings were also emphasized. We found equal attention to monetary motivations in all conditions, revealing an asymmetric attention to monetary and environmental motives. These results also provide practical guidance regarding the positioning of energy-saving programs: emphasize intrinsic benefits; the extrinsic ones may speak for themselves. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Concern About Petrochemical Health Risk Before and After a Refinery Explosion

Science.gov (United States)

Cutchin, Malcolm P.; Martin, Kathryn Remmes; Owen, Steven V.; Goodwin, James S.

2014-01-01

On March 23, 2005, a large explosion at an oil refinery in Texas City, Texas caused 15 deaths and approximately 170 injuries. Little is known about how such an industrial accident influences concern about environmental health risks. We used measures of environmental health concern about nearby petrochemical production with a sample of Texas City residents to understand patterns of concern and change in concern after an industrial accident, as well as individual and contextual factors associated with those patterns. Survey interviews with residents of Texas City, Texas (N =315) both pre- and postexplosion using a brief Concern About Petrochemical Health Risk Scale (CAPHRS) and other questions were used to collect pertinent predictor information. CAPHRS baseline, postexplosion, and change scores were compared and modeled using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and a mixed model. Higher preexplosion CAPHRS scores were predicted by younger adults, foreign-born Hispanics, non-Hispanic blacks, lower- and middle-income groups, and those who live with someone who has worked at the petrochemical plants. Higher CAPHRS change scores are predicted by the same variables (except income), as well as proximity to, or perception of, the explosion, and reports of neighborhood damage. Findings suggest these groups’ concern scores could indicate a greater vulnerability to psychological and physical harm generated by concern and stress arising from local petrochemical activities. A clearer understanding of concern about actual environmental health risks in exposed populations may enhance the evolving theory of stress and coping and eventually enable public health professionals to develop appropriate mitigation strategies. PMID:18643817

Environmental development plan for transportation programs: FY80 update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saricks, C.L.; Singh, M.K.; Bernard, M.J. III; Bevilacqua, O.M.

1980-09-01

This is the second annual update of the environmental development plan (EDP) for transportation programs. It has been prepared as a cooperative effort of the Assistant Secretaries for Conservation and Solar Energy (ASCS) Office of Transportation Programs (CS/TP) and the Environment (ASEV) Office of Environmental Assessments. EDPs identify the ecosystem, resource, physical environment, health, safety, socioeconomic, and environmental control concerns associated with DOE programs. The programs include the research, development, demonstration, and assessment (RDD and A) of 14 transportation technologies and several strategy implementation projects. This EDP update presents a research and assessment plan for resolving any potentially adverse environmental concerns arising from these programs. The EDP process provides a framework for: incorporating environmental concerns into CS/TP planning and decision processes early to ensure they are assigned the same importance as technological, fiscal, and institutional concerns in decision making; resolving environmental concerns concurrently with energy technology and strategy development; and providing a research schedule that mitigates adverse environmental effects through sound technological design or policy analysis. This EDP also describes the status of each environmental concern and the plan for its resolution. Much of ongoing DOE reseirch and technology development is aimed at resolving concerns identified in this EDP. Each EDP is intended to be so comprehensive that no concerns escape notice. Care is taken to include any CS/TP action that may eventually require an Environmental Impact Statement. Because technology demonstration and commercialization tend to raise more environmental concerns than other portions of the transportation program, most of this EDP addresses these concerns.

Carbonated miscanthus mineralized aggregates for reducing environmental impact of lightweight concrete blocks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Courard Luc

2017-01-01

Full Text Available At a time when the cement industry is largely responsible for the production of CO2 in the construction sector, it is useful to make this production a reverse phenomenon: that is CO2 capture. The CO2 absorption process called carbonation, improves specific properties of the concrete during the conversion of carbon dioxide CO2 into calcium carbonate CaCO3. Current environmental concerns motivate the study of carbonation in order to maximize the absorption of carbon dioxide. Moreover, lightweight concrete with bio-based products knows an interesting development in the construction field, especially as thermal insulation panels for walls in buildings. Before identifying and quantifying the basic physical characteristics of concrete made from miscanthus, it is necessary to optimize the composition of the product. The long-term stability as well as the reinforcement may be obtained by means of a mineralization process of the natural product: a preparation with a lime and/or cement-based material is necessary to reinforce the cohesion of the bio-based product. Mineralization process is described as well as the way of producing blocks for CO2 capture by means of accelerated carbonation. Finally, concrete blocks produced with miscanthus mineralized aggregates offer interesting mechanical properties and minimal environmental impact.

"I Want, Therefore I Am" - Anticipated Upward Mobility Reduces Ingroup Concern.

Science.gov (United States)

Chipeaux, Marion; Kulich, Clara; Iacoviello, Vincenzo; Lorenzi-Cioldi, Fabio

2017-01-01

Empirical findings suggest that members of socially disadvantaged groups who join a better-valued group through individual achievement tend to express low concern for their disadvantaged ingroup (e.g., denial of collective discrimination, low intent to initiate collective action). In the present research, we investigated whether this tendency occurs solely for individuals who have already engaged in social mobility, or also for individuals who psychologically prepare themselves, that is 'anticipate', social mobility. Moreover, we examined the role of group identification in this process. In two studies, we looked at the case of 'frontier workers', that is people who cross a national border every day to work in another country where the salaries are higher thereby achieving a better socio-economic status than in their home-country. Study 1 ( N = 176) examined attitudes of French nationals (both the socially mobile and the non-mobile) and of Swiss nationals toward the non-mobile group. As expected, results showed that the mobile French had more negative attitudes than their non-mobile counterparts, but less negative attitudes than the Swiss. In Study 2 ( N = 216), we examined ingroup concern at different stages of the social mobility process by comparing the attitudes of French people who worked in Switzerland (mobile individuals), with those who envisioned (anticipators), or not (non-anticipators), to work in Switzerland. The findings revealed that anticipators' motivation to get personally involved in collective action for their French ingroup was lower than the non-anticipators', but higher than the mobile individuals'. Moreover, we found that the decrease in ingroup concern across the different stages of social mobility was accounted for by a lower identification with the inherited ingroup. These findings corroborate the deleterious impact of social mobility on attitudes toward a low-status ingroup, and show that the decrease in ingroup concern already occurs

Listed installations for environmental protection in hospitals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mullot, J.U.; Chaulet, J.F.; Thual, A.; Lafon, M.

1999-01-01

This work deals with the implications of different French rules and regulations concerning the environmental protection in hospitals. A special place is given to listed installations for environmental protection, because of their importance. A summary of important regulatory texts is presented concerning these installations, and also an inventory of installations or activities concerned, and the definition of the necessary procedures. Some ideas are also given about the much needed creation of an 'environmental network' inside hospitals, in order to cope with these concerns. Then, we briefly deal with more recent developments concerning the environmental protection, which will, no doubt, extend to hospitals, such as the French water law, air law, and procedures for the management of medical waste. Finally, the stakes of environmental decisions in hospitals and the chemist's place in these decisions are debated. (authors)

Environmental program with operational cases to reduce risk to the marine environment significantly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cline, J.T.; Forde, R.

1991-01-01

In this paper Amoco Norway Oil Company's environmental program is detailed, followed by example operational programs and achievements aimed to minimize environmental risks to the marine environment at Valhall platform. With a corporate goal to be a leader in protecting the environment, the appropriate strategies and policies that form the basis of the environmental management system are incorporated in the quality assurance programs. Also, included in the program are necessary organizational structures, responsibilities of environmental affairs and line organization personnel, compliance procedures and a waste task force obliged to implement operations improvements. An internal environmental audit system has been initiated, in addition to corporate level audits, which, when communicated to the line organization closes the environmental management loop through experience feed back. Environmental projects underway are significantly decreasing the extent and/or risk of pollution from offshore activities. The cradle to grave responsibility is assumed with waste separated offshore and onshore followed by disposal in audited sites. A $5 MM program is underway to control produced oily solids and reduce oil in produced water aiming to less than 20 ppm. When oil-based mud is used in deeper hole sections, drill solids disposed at sea average less than 60 g oil/kg dry cuttings using appropriate shaker screens, and a washing/centrifuge system to remove fines. Certain oily liquid wastes are being injected down hole whereas previously they were burned using a mud burner. Finally, a program is underway with a goal to eliminate sea discharge of oil on cuttings through injection disposal of oily wastes, drilling with alternative muds such as a cationic water base mud, and/or proper onshore disposal of oily wastes

Environmental concern-based site screening of carbon dioxide geological storage in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Bofeng; Li, Qi; Liu, Guizhen; Liu, Lancui; Jin, Taotao; Shi, Hui

2017-08-08

Environmental impacts and risks related to carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) capture and storage (CCS) projects may have direct effects on the decision-making process during CCS site selection. This paper proposes a novel method of environmental optimization for CCS site selection using China's ecological red line approach. Moreover, this paper established a GIS based spatial analysis model of environmental optimization during CCS site selection by a large database. The comprehensive data coverage of environmental elements and fine 1 km spatial resolution were used in the database. The quartile method was used for value assignment for specific indicators including the prohibited index and restricted index. The screening results show that areas classified as having high environmental suitability (classes III and IV) in China account for 620,800 km 2 and 156,600 km 2 , respectively, and are mainly distributed in Inner Mongolia, Qinghai and Xinjiang. The environmental suitability class IV areas of Bayingol Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, Hotan Prefecture, Aksu Prefecture, Hulunbuir, Xilingol League and other prefecture-level regions not only cover large land areas, but also form a continuous area in the three provincial-level administrative units. This study may benefit the national macro-strategic deployment and implementation of CCS spatial layout and environmental management in China.

Preconcentration of a low-grade uranium ore yielding tailings of greatly reduced environmental concerns. Part V

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raicevic, D.; Raicevic, M.

1980-11-01

The low-grade ore sample used for this investigation contained 0.057 percent uranium with uranothorite as the major uranium-bearing mineral and a small amount of brannerite, occurring in the quartz-sericite matrix of a conglomerate. The preconcentration procedures, consisting of pyrite flotation with or without flotation of radioactive minerals, followed by high intensity wet magnetic treatment of the sized flotation tailings, produced pyrite and radioactive concentrates of acceptable uranium grades ranging from 0.1 to 0.135 percent uranium. The combined concentrates comprised 37 to 49 percent of the ore by weight with the following combined recoveries: 95.6 to 97.9 percent of the uranium; 94.7 to 96.3 percent of the radium; 97.8 to 99.3 percent of the thorium over 98 percent of the pyrite. The preconcentration tailings produced comprised between 51 and 63 percent of the ore by weight and contained from: 0.0022 to 0.0037 percent U; 12 to 17 pCi/g Ra; 0.002 to 0.004 percent Th less than 0.03 percent S. Because these tailings are practically pyrite-free, they should not generate acidic conditions. Due to their low radium content, their radionuclide hazards are greatly reduced. These preconcentration tailings therefore, could be suitable for surface disposal, mine backfill, revegetation or other uses

Lead toxicity: current concerns.

OpenAIRE

Goyer, R A

1993-01-01

Over the 20-year period since the first issue of Environmental Health Perspectives was published, there has been considerable progress in the understanding of the potential toxicity of exposure to lead. Many of these advances have been reviewed in published symposia, conferences, and review papers in EHP. This brief review identifies major advances as well as a number of current concerns that present opportunities for prevention and intervention strategies. The major scientific advance has be...

A concern-based method to prioritize spill response activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lamarche, A.; Bart, H.

2002-01-01

The Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Team (SCAT) of the Emergencies Division of Environment Canada in the Ontario Region developed a computerized method to help rank segments of shoreline according to levels of concern in the event of an oil spill. The original SCAT approach was designed to allow survey teams to acquire information about the state of shoreline spills so that assessments of oilings would be comparable in time and space. The SCAT method, which allows several decision makers to obtain an unbiased evaluation of the oiling situation, has been recognized in both Canada and the United States as a method that ensures the consistency of data gathering and processing for prioritization purposes. The concern-based prioritization system was integrated within the computerized response tools used by the SCAT team using tools such as the Great Lakes Electronic Environmental Sensitivities Atlas (GLEESA), a geographic information system (GIS) of environmental data, and Shore Assess, a GIS based computerized system used to provide support during a response phase of a spill. It was noted that this method is considered to be a practical response tool designed around the principles of performance support and cybernetics to help decision makers set priorities. It is not designed for pre-impact assessment. Instead, it ensures that existing knowledge of the spill characteristics and environmental conditions are used in a consistent and logical method to prioritize contingency plans. The factors used to evaluate concern for oiling, shoreline type and land use were described. Factors for concern assessment of biological organisms include the status of organisms as being either endangered, threatened, vulnerable, special concern, or not at risk. Characteristics of the species, potential effect of the pollutant and potential effect from response activities are other factors for concern. The method evaluates the concern for every category using a simple algorithm which is

Including environmental concerns in management strategies for depleted uranium hexafluoride

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldberg, M.; Avci, H.I.; Bradley, C.E.

1995-01-01

One of the major programs within the Office of Nuclear Energy, Science, and Technology of the US Department of Energy (DOE) is the depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUF 6 ) management program. The program is intended to find a long-term management strategy for the DUF 6 that is currently stored in approximately 46,400 cylinders at Paducah, KY; Portsmouth, OH; and Oak Ridge, TN, USA. The program has four major components: technology assessment, engineering analysis, cost analysis, and the environmental impact statement (EIS). From the beginning of the program, the DOE has incorporated the environmental considerations into the process of strategy selection. Currently, the DOE has no preferred alternative. The results of the environmental impacts assessment from the EIS, as well as the results from the other components of the program, will be factored into the strategy selection process. In addition to the DOE's current management plan, other alternatives continued storage, reuse, or disposal of depleted uranium, will be considered in the EIS. The EIS is expected to be completed and issued in its final form in the fall of 1997

Reducing the environmental footprint of French people consumption in 2030. Towards a deep evolution of production and consumption modes. Synthesis report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-11-01

The objective of this prospective study is to propose an ambitious and realistic vision by 2030 of the evolution of production and consumption modes of French people while achieving a reduction of the environmental footprint of the French household consumption, according to the 'reduced environmental footprint' scenario. This study is based on the use of the two main analysis methods which are generally used to assess environmental impacts of consumption products or categories: life cycle analysis and input-output analysis. After having discussed the limitations of this analysis and difficulties this study has faced, context and challenges are presented and discussed: the consumption has been tripling since 1960, environmental impacts are contrasted and are related to imports, and heavy trends and weak signals can be identified. A scenario for 2030 is presented for mobility, housing, food, consumption of products off food, leisure and culture, health and education. For each of them, popular beliefs, context, and guidelines and hypotheses for a reduced environmental footprint are discussed. Results of the 2030 scenario are discussed, and some lessons learned from the 'reduced environmental footprint' are identified

Obesogenic environments: environmental approaches to obesity prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Lipek, Tobias; Igel, Ulrike; Gausche, Ruth; Kiess, Wieland; Grande, Gesine

2015-05-01

Childhood obesity is a major concern for public health. There are multiple factors (e.g., genetic, social, and environmental) that contribute to unhealthy weight gain. Drawing from findings on "obesogenic environments" and core principles of preventive strategies to reduce health inequalities, this paper gives an overview of recent childhood prevention programs that target aspects of the physical environment ("environmental changes"). Out of the ten reviews we screened (including more than 300 studies), we identified very few that addressed aspects of the environment. We focus here on 14 programs that follow different approaches to environmental changes (e.g., access to/quality of playgrounds, changes in school cafeterias). Altering the environment offers opportunities for healthier behaviors and seems to be an effective strategy to prevent childhood obesity. However, the evaluation of those (mostly) multidimensional interventions does not allow drawing firm conclusions about the single effect of environmental changes. We conclude that obesity prevention programs should combine person-based and environmental approaches.

Emerging Contaminants and Federal Facility Contaminants of Concern

Science.gov (United States)

This page links to fact sheets summarizing contaminants of concern and emerging contaminants that present unique issues and challenges to the environmental community in general and to FFRRO in particular.

Environmental research and environmental protection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1975-01-01

At the request of the Ministry for Research and Technology, the 'Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Grossforschungseinrichtungen' (AGF) presented in 1972 an information brochure called 'Activities in the field of environmental research and environmental protection', closely associated with the environmental programme of the Federal government (1971). The information brochure reports on those activities of the working group's members which are closely, or less closely, connected with questions concerning environmental research and protection, however, investments for the protection of the individual facilities in internal operation are excluded. The AGF programme 'Environmental research and environmental protection' comprises contributions, brought up to date, of member companies. From the 'AGF programme survey 1974' it contains 'Environmental research' as well as aspects of nuclear development with environmental relevance. Technologies not harmful to the environment developed by the research facilities are only mentioned very briefly. (orig.) [de

Technical efficiency under alternative environmental regulatory regimes: The case of Dutch horticulture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van der Vlist, Arno J.; Withagen, Cees; Folmer, Henk

2007-01-01

We consider the performance of small and medium sized enterprises in Dutch horticulture under different environmental policy regimes across time. We address the question whether technical performance differs under these alternative regulatory regimes to test Porter's hypothesis that stricter environmental regulation reduces technical inefficiency. For this purpose, we use a stochastic production frontier framework allowing for inclusion of policy variables to measure the effect of alternative environmental policy regimes on firms' performance. The main result is that stricter environmental policy regimes have indeed reduced technical inefficiencies in Dutch horticulture. The estimation results indicate amongst others that the 1997 agreement on energy, nutrient and pesticides use enhances technical efficiency. Firms under the strict environmental policy regime are found to be more technically efficient than those under a lax regime, thereby supporting the claims by Porter and Van der Linde (Porter, M., Van der Linde, C., 1995. Green and Competitive: Ending the stalemate. Harvard Business Review 73, pp. 120-137) concerning Dutch horticulture. (author)

Environmental health and health planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1975-07-01

Areas of environmental concern are identified and recommendations for improving environmental health are proposed by the Environmental Health Task Force of the Western Massachusetts Health Planning Council. Environmental health concerns in Western Massachusetts are in the areas of: air pollution; dental health and the specific problem of water flouridation; housing; injury control, including accidental death and disability; land use, and the specific problem of critical receptors; noise pollution; occupational hazards, specifically occupational accidents; pesticides; radiological exposure, particularly medical X-ray exposure and nuclear exposure; rural health care; sanitation; solid waste; and water quality including private and public water supplies, road salting, and rural sewerages. Each area of concern and specific problem are broken down into sections: background information; comments which incorporate recommendations for general problem-solving activities; and resources, including lists of key organization, individuals, laws and regulations, and publications relevant to the area of concern. Recommendations are presented based on long-term and short-term environmental goals. An inventory of environmental health organizations in Western Massachusetts is included. Appendices contain the charge to the Task Force, a definition of environmental health, sources of drinking water, the sanitation and sanitary codes, and housing and sanitation standards. Portions of this document are not fully legible

Emissions of volatile organic compounds during the ship-loading of petroleum products: Dispersion modelling and environmental concerns.

Science.gov (United States)

Milazzo, Maria Francesca; Ancione, Giuseppa; Lisi, Roberto

2017-12-15

Emissions due to ship-loading of hydrocarbons are currently not addressed neither by the Directive on the integrated pollution prevention or by other environmental regulations. The scope of this study is to point towards the environmental and safety concerns associated with such emissions, even if proper attention has not been given to this issue until now. In order to achieve this goal, the modelling of the emission volatile organic compounds (VOC), due to ship-load operations at refineries has been made by means of the definition of a simulation procedure which includes a proper treatment of the hours of calm. Afterwards, a quantitative analysis of VOC dispersion for an Italian case-study is presented with the primary aims: (i) to develop and verify the validity of the approach for the modelling of the emission sources and of the diffusion of these contaminants into the atmosphere by a proper treatment of the hours of calm and (ii) to identify their contribution to the total VOC emitted in a typical refinery. The calculated iso-concentration contours have also been drawn on a map and allowed the identification of critical areas for people protecting by the adoption of abatement solutions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On worries, concerns and dangers among spanish population: a qualitative analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinez, R.; Cebrian, A.L.; Menard, M.; Sola, R.; Prades, A.

1998-01-01

This paper presents qualitative findings on the principal worries, concerns and dangers surrounding risk perception extracted from the Cross-cultural Survey carried out within RISKPERCOM' research project (Risk Perception and Communication). A questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of the Spanish population allowing a study of amplification/attenuation with regard to the tenth anniversary as well as investigating management and communication issues related to radiological matters. The questionnaires were mailed to the adult population from 18 to 75 years of age, where 48.9% males and 51.1 % females. The number of questionnaires obtained for each wave were 490. The response rate was around 69%. At this paper we present the principal concerns, worries and dangers perceived by the Spanish population as identified through three open questions. The items were grouped in different categories; national political situation, economical concern, personal/social concerns, environmental concerns, global concerns... These categories are associated through correspondence analysis to socio-demographical variables as sex, age, education, political orientation an environmental attitude. (authors)

Heat from renewable energy. Comparison of heating systems and fuels concerning environmental aspects; Waerme aus regenerativen Energien. Heizungssysteme und Brennstoffe im oekologischen Vergleich

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weinberg, Jana; Stegelmeier, Marina; Kaltschmitt, Martin [TU Hamburg-Harburg (Germany). Inst. fuer Umwelttechnik und Energiewirtschaft

2013-02-01

So far, residential buildings in Germany are mainly heated with fossil fuels like heating oil and natural gas. Those fuels are burned in more or less efficient conversion plants and in doing so produce besides noteworthy amounts of greenhouse gas emissions also nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. Those emissions are not being tolerated any longer with society growing more and more environmentally-conscious. Consequently more environmentally friendly alternatives of supplying heat for residential buildings are in public discussion. For instance this is true for the use of geothermal energy, renewable fuels like biogas or wood and solar energy. Further improvement in the standard on thermal insulation of buildings to lower the absolute heating demand is discussed in parallel. To be able to evaluate these different possibilities concerning selected environmental impacts, the following work focuses on such heating options by means of life-cycle analysis. (orig.)

Implementation strategy to reduce environmental impact of energy related activities in Zimbabwe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-01-01

In 1992 UNEP-Collaborating Centre on Energy and Environment (UNEP-CCEE), Denmark and Southern Centre for Energy and Environment (SCEE), Zimbabwe, prepared a country report for Zimbabwe on Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Abatement Costing. Abatement technologies for both supply and demand side were identified in order to reduce GHG emission. The present study addresses environmental impacts of the entire energy cycle focusing on coal use in industry and power generation. Zimbabwe has proven coal reserves of more than 700 million tonnes, and the potential of geological coal resources is estimated beyond 30 billion tonnes. The conventional applications of coal include electricity generation, steam traction in railway transport, industrial boilers, tobacco curing and coking. As coal is the major source of energy for Zimbabwe, the present study aims at identification of environmental impacts of the entire coal cycle from mining to end-users of electrical energy. (EG)

Environmental biotechnology for waste treatment, environmental science research, Volume 41

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saylor, G.S.; Fox, R.; Blackburn, J.W.

1991-01-01

This book contains the proceedings of the symposium entitled [open quotes]Environmental Biotechnology: Moving from the Flask to the Field[close quotes] held in October 17th through 19th, 1990, in Knoxville, Tennessee. Environmental biotechnology involves the use of microorganisms and their processes for the clean-up of environmental contamination, specific examples of which include ground-water treatment, treatment of leachates, and clean-up of contaminated soils, sludges, and sediments. In comparison with other technologies, environmental biotechnology (or bioremediation) has the advantages of affecting mineralization of toxic compounds to innocuous end-products, being energy-effective with processes able to take place at a moderate temperature and pressure, safety, and economy and is, therefore, perceived to hold great potential for environmental clean-up. Bioremediation treatment technologies for contaminated soils and groundwater can take the form of: (1) solid-phase biotreatment; (2) slurry-phase treatment; (3) in situ treatment; and (4) combination biological and physical/chemical treatment. The goal of the symposium was to pressure technical accomplishments at the laboratory and field-scale levels, future technical directions and economic, public and regulatory concerns in environmental biotechnology. The book is divided into five major sections on Current Perceptions, Field-Scale Studies, Technical Issues and Concerns in Implementation, Nontechnical Issues and Concerns in Implementation, International Activities, and ends with a critical review of the symposium.

Pump it out : the environmental costs of BC's upstream oil and gas industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-05-01

West Coast Environmental Law published this web-based guide to provide information to concerned citizens interested in knowing more about the environmental consequences of upstream oil and gas activity in British Columbia. The report looked at global consequences such as greenhouse gas emissions, and local consequences such as seismic lines, roads, and processing facilities. At present, the government of British Columbia is implementing policies aimed at doubling oil and gas production in five years, de-regulate the oil and gas industry, and cut oversight and enforcement staff. The guide was designed to assist citizens and communities in making informed choices about energy options. The specific topics dealt with in this report were: the consequences to the environment; what laws are applicable, and their enforcement; changes required to reduce or eliminate environmental damage; and, actions that a concerned citizen can take. refs

Environmental Control and Life Support Systems for Mars Exploration: Issues and Concerns for Planetary Protection and the Protection of Science

Science.gov (United States)

Barta, Daniel J.; Lange, Kevin; Anderson, Molly; Vonau, Walter

2016-07-01

Planetary protection represents an additional set of requirements that generally have not been considered by developers of technologies for Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS). Forward contamination concerns will affect release of gases and discharge of liquids and solids, including what may be left behind after planetary vehicles are abandoned upon return to Earth. A crew of four using a state of the art ECLSS could generate as much as 4.3 metric tons of gaseous, liquid and solid wastes and trash during a 500-day surface stay. These may present issues and concerns for both planetary protection and planetary science. Certainly, further closure of ECLSS systems will be of benefit by greater reuse of consumable products and reduced generation of waste products. It can be presumed that planetary protection will affect technology development by constraining how technologies can operate: limiting or prohibiting certain kinds of operations or processes (e.g. venting); necessitating that other kinds of operations be performed (e.g. sterilization; filtration of vent lines); prohibiting what can be brought on a mission (e.g. extremophiles); creating needs for new capabilities/ technologies (e.g. containment). Although any planned venting could include filtration to eliminate micro-organisms from inadvertently exiting the spacecraft, it may be impossible to eliminate or filter habitat structural leakage. Filtration will add pressure drops impacting size of lines and ducts, affect fan size and energy requirements, and add consumable mass. Technologies that may be employed to remove biomarkers and microbial contamination from liquid and solid wastes prior to storage or release may include mineralization technologies such as incineration, super critical wet oxidation and pyrolysis. These technologies, however, come with significant penalties for mass, power and consumables. This paper will estimate the nature and amounts of materials generated during Mars

Asset retirement obligations: a reporting concern for healthcare facilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Berg, Gary G; Bayes, Paul E; Morgan, Robert G

2008-11-01

FASB statements and SEC guidelines give direction as to how healthcare organizations should account for their asset retirement obligations (AROs) where environmental issues are concerned. A key consideration is that current costs associated with environmental problems, such as encapsulating asbestos, are to be accounted for as part of an asset's cost and depreciated over the asset's remaining life.

Environmental change challenges decision-making during post-market environmental monitoring of transgenic crops.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanvido, Olivier; Romeis, Jörg; Bigler, Franz

2011-12-01

The ability to decide what kind of environmental changes observed during post-market environmental monitoring of genetically modified (GM) crops represent environmental harm is an essential part of most legal frameworks regulating the commercial release of GM crops into the environment. Among others, such decisions are necessary to initiate remedial measures or to sustain claims of redress linked to environmental liability. Given that consensus on criteria to evaluate 'environmental harm' has not yet been found, there are a number of challenges for risk managers when interpreting GM crop monitoring data for environmental decision-making. In the present paper, we argue that the challenges in decision-making have four main causes. The first three causes relate to scientific data collection and analysis, which have methodological limits. The forth cause concerns scientific data evaluation, which is controversial among the different stakeholders involved in the debate on potential impacts of GM crops on the environment. This results in controversy how the effects of GM crops should be valued and what constitutes environmental harm. This controversy may influence decision-making about triggering corrective actions by regulators. We analyse all four challenges and propose potential strategies for addressing them. We conclude that environmental monitoring has its limits in reducing uncertainties remaining from the environmental risk assessment prior to market approval. We argue that remaining uncertainties related to adverse environmental effects of GM crops would probably be assessed in a more efficient and rigorous way during pre-market risk assessment. Risk managers should acknowledge the limits of environmental monitoring programmes as a tool for decision-making.

Performance-Based Acquisition: A tool to reduce costs and improve performance at US Army environmental remediation sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kosko, Nancy; Gilman, Janet; White, Debbie

2007-01-01

The US Army, like most US federal and state environmental organizations, is faced with limited resources to conduct environmental work, an increasing workload, and challenges in achieving closeout of its environmental cleanup programs. In 2001, in an effort to incorporate proven private sector tools into federal cleanup programs, the Department of Defense (DoD) Business Initiative Council (BIC), initiated the use of Performance-Based Acquisition (PBA) for environmental cleanup. Since fiscal year 2000, the US Army Environmental Command (USAEC) has successfully awarded more than 55 performance-based contracts for environmental remediation. These contracts range in size from $500,000 to $52.4 million, and include closing properties (Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC)) and some of the US Army's most complex active installations. The contracts address a range of activities including investigation through monitoring and site completion, as well as various technical challenges including dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPL) in ground water, karst systems, munitions and explosives of concern, and biological agents. The contracts are most often firm-fixed price, and 50 percent of the contracts required contractors to purchase environmental insurance in the form of remediation stop loss insurance (also known as cleanup cost cap insurance). The USAEC has conducted continuous process improvement since inception of the initiative. This paper presents results of two studies that were conducted in 2005-2006 to determine what lessons learned can be applied to future activities and to measure performance of contractors currently executing work under the performance based contracts. (authors)

Markets for Collective Concerns

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frankel, Christian; Ossandón, José; Pallesen, Trine

Despite the recent fall-out of finance, confidence in the market does not seem to be diminishing, but, on the contrary, market mechanisms are becoming key instruments to deal with core contemporary collective concerns, including global warming, education, environmental pollution, supply of energy......, quality of education, poverty and health care (Mirowski 2013). Recent research within STS has started to focus on such kind of arrangements and in this presentation we will critically engage with this literature. Our main results are twofold. On the one hand, we recognize there are important conceptual...... tools already available - such as 'matters of public concern' (Marres 2007) and 'hybrid forums' (Callon et al. 2001; Callon 2009)- that help in framing the particularity of these arrangements. On the other hand, previous STS-market research notions developed mostly in the field of finance studies cannot...

Extinction of fish-shaped marine reptiles associated with reduced evolutionary rates and global environmental volatility.

Science.gov (United States)

Fischer, Valentin; Bardet, Nathalie; Benson, Roger B J; Arkhangelsky, Maxim S; Friedman, Matt

2016-03-08

Despite their profound adaptations to the aquatic realm and their apparent success throughout the Triassic and the Jurassic, ichthyosaurs became extinct roughly 30 million years before the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. Current hypotheses for this early demise involve relatively minor biotic events, but are at odds with recent understanding of the ichthyosaur fossil record. Here, we show that ichthyosaurs maintained high but diminishing richness and disparity throughout the Early Cretaceous. The last ichthyosaurs are characterized by reduced rates of origination and phenotypic evolution and their elevated extinction rates correlate with increased environmental volatility. In addition, we find that ichthyosaurs suffered from a profound Early Cenomanian extinction that reduced their ecological diversity, likely contributing to their final extinction at the end of the Cenomanian. Our results support a growing body of evidence revealing that global environmental change resulted in a major, temporally staggered turnover event that profoundly reorganized marine ecosystems during the Cenomanian.

Environmental impacts of Jatropha curcas biodiesel in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Gmünder, Simon; Singh, Reena; Pfister, Stephan; Adheloya, Alok; Zah, Rainer

2012-01-01

In the context of energy security, rural development and climate change, India actively promotes the cultivation of Jatropha curcas, a biodiesel feedstock which has been identified as suitable for achieving the Indian target of 20% biofuel blending by 2017. In this paper, we present results concerning the range of environmental impacts of different Jatropha curcas cultivation systems. Moreover, nine agronomic trials in Andhra Pradesh are analysed, in which the yield was measured as a function of different inputs such as water, fertilizer, pesticides, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Further, the environmental impact of the whole Jatropha curcas biodiesel value chain is benchmarked with fossil diesel, following the ISO 14040/44 life cycle assessment procedure. Overall, this study shows that the use of Jatropha curcas biodiesel generally reduces the global warming potential and the nonrenewable energy demand as compared to fossil diesel. On the other hand, the environmental impacts on acidification, ecotoxicity, eutrophication, and water depletion all showed increases. Key for reducing the environmental impact of Jatropha curcas biodiesel is the resource efficiency during crop cultivation (especially mineral fertilizer application) and the optimal site selection of the Jatropha curcas plantations.

OPEC production: Capital limitations, environmental movements may interfere with expansion plans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ismail, I.A.H.

1994-01-01

Obtaining capital is a critical element in the production expansion plans of OPEC member countries. Another issue that may impact the plans is the environmental taxes that may reduce the call on OPEC oil by 5 million b/d in 2000 and about 16 million b/d in the year 2010. This concluding part of a two-part series discusses the expansion possibilities of non-Middle East OPEC members, OPEC's capital requirements, and environmental concerns. Non-Middle East OPEC includes Algeria, Gabon, Indonesia, Libya, Nigeria, and Venezuela

Environmental Implications of Eco-Labeling for Rice Farming Systems

OpenAIRE

Solhee Kim; Taegon Kim; Timothy M. Smith; Kyo Suh

2018-01-01

Concerns about climate change have forced countries to strengthen regulations, standards, and certifications related to greenhouse gas emissions. Various policies targeting farm products, such as carbon labeling and the Environmentally-Friendly Agricultural Product Certification (EFAPC) for agricultural products, have been implemented in South Korea to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the agricultural sector. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the implications of the various certific...

Review of the White Rose Development Project : environmental impact statement with emphasis on concerns regarding marine birds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, M.

2001-07-01

The Canadian Nature Federal (CNF) works in partnership with other environmental organizations, governments and industry to promote the development of ecologically sound solutions to conservation problems. This paper was prepared by the Important Bird Areas Program within the CNF and submitted to the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board to make them aware of the threats that offshore oil and gas activity pose to marine birds. In particular, the CNF has taken the opportunity offered by the Public Review of Husky Oil's proposed White Rose Development Application. This submission is not intended as a comprehensive review of the development application, but rather to identify specific concerns regarding the impact the project will have on marine birds. Of the 43 coastal important bird areas that have been identified in Newfoundland, 6 are located within the White Rose Study Area. All of the bird species spend their time on the water and forage by diving into the water column. This makes them particularly vulnerable to oil or any other water pollution. The CNF is concerned about the effects that flaring operations, drill cuttings, and oil spills will have on the birds. Since there is no way to mitigate the effects of oil on seabirds, prevention is the only realistic approach to minimizing the effects on marine birds from offshore oil activity. 1 append

An Educational Tool for Outdoor Education and Environmental Concern

Science.gov (United States)

Sandell, Klas; Ohman, Johan

2013-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to suggest an outdoor education model that respects the need to critically discuss the general belief in a causal relationship between experiences of nature, environmentally-friendly attitudes and behavioural change, but that at the same time respects the legitimate claims on the part of outdoor education practice for…

A Study on Alternative Approaches to Instill Environmental Concerns in the Domain of Production Management of Industrial Firms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ronaldo Manzan

2013-10-01

Full Text Available This article presents a comparative analysis of alternative models of production with environmental concerns that may lead to higher effectiveness in initiatives undertaken by industrial firms towards the development of more sustainable operations. The objective is to organize the knowledge on the subject of such models and provide guidelines that may help managers in selecting the most fitting approach for their business, according to the strategy and conditions of the firm. Among the presented models, the Cleaner Production model stands out for promoting the approach of nurturing the concurrent strengthening of quality, productivity, and sustainability in the existing manufacturing processes by dealing more comprehensively with factors internal to the firm that may be directly controlled by the managers.

Basic environmental questions concerning lawsuits of neighboring power plant dwellers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berger, U.G.

1982-01-01

In conjunction with the constellation of lawsuits within the administrative court system, and based on modern environmental protection laws, emission control laws, and foremost, the atomic energy laws, we are confronted with a variety of constitutional and administrative problems. However, the fundamental questions of individual rights within the potentially incriminating environmental utilization or exploitation by individuals could be relatively clearly answered by observing the basic principles of our legal order. It is to be expected that the administrative courts will arrive at acceptable decisions reflecting the full protection of the law and the basic constitutional principles, and that these - once made - may serve as orientation in superior court actions. (orig./HSCH) [de

Life cycle assessment in green chemistry: overview of key parameters and methodological concerns

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tufvesson, Linda M.; Tufvesson, Pär; Woodley, John

2013-01-01

assessment (LCA) is a valuable methodology. However, on the planning stage, a full-scale LCA is considered to be too time consuming and complicated. Two reasons for this have been recognised, the method is too comprehensive and it is hard to find inventory data. In this review, key parameters are presented...... with the purpose to reduce the time-consuming steps in LCA.In this review, several LCAs of so-called ‘green chemicals’ are analysed and key parameters and methodological concerns are identified. Further, some conclusions on the environmental performance of chemicals were drawn.For fossil-based platform chemicals...... chemicals was identified. The environmental performance of bulk chemicals are closely connected to the production of the raw material and thereby different land use aspects. Here, a lot can be learnt from biofuel LCAs. In many of the reviewed articles focusing on bulk chemicals a comparison regarding fossil...

Environmental contaminants of emerging concern in seafood - European database on contaminant levels

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vandermeersch, Griet; Lourenço, Helena Maria; Alvarez-Muñoz, Diana

2015-01-01

Marine pollution gives rise to concern not only about the environment itself but also about the impact on food safety and consequently on public health. European authorities and consumers have therefore become increasingly worried about the transfer of contaminants from the marine environment...... to seafood.So-called "contaminants of emerging concern" are chemical substances for which no maximum levels have been laid down in EU legislation, or substances for which maximum levels have been provided but which require revision. Adequate information on their presence in seafood is often lacking and thus...... potential risks cannot be excluded. Assessment of food safety issues related to these contaminants has thus become urgent and imperative. A database (www.ecsafeseafooddbase.eu), containing available information on the levels of contaminants of emerging concern in seafood and providing the most recent data...

Prioritizing environmental issues around the world: opinions from an international Central and Eastern European environmental health conference.

Science.gov (United States)

Craft, Elena S; Donnelly, Kirby C; Neamtiu, Iulia; McCarty, Kathleen M; Bruce, Erica; Surkova, Irina; Kim, David; Uhnakova, Iveta; Gyorffy, Erika; Tesarova, Eva; Anderson, Beth

2006-12-01

As the next generation of scientists enters the field of environmental health, it is imperative that they view their contributions in the context of global environmental stewardship. In this commentary, a group of international graduate students facilitated by three experienced environmental health scientists present their views on what they consider to be the global environmental health concerns of today. This group convened initially in October 2004 at an international health conference in Prague, Czech Republic. In this report we identify perceived environmental health concerns that exist around the world, with a focus on Central and Eastern Europe. Additionally, we address these perceived problems and offers some potential solutions. At the meeting, students were invited to participate in two panel discussions. One group of young international scientists identified several significant global environmental health concerns, including air pollution, occupational hazards, and risk factors that may exacerbate current environmental health issues. The second panel determined that communication, education, and regulation were the mechanisms for addressing current environmental challenges. In this commentary we expand on the views presented at the meeting and represent the concerns of young investigators from nine different countries. We provide ideas about and support the exchange of information between developed and developing countries on how to handle the environmental health challenges that face the world today.

Community-Based Research as a Mechanism to Reduce Environmental Health Disparities in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cynthia Agumanu McOliver

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Racial and ethnic minority communities, including American Indian and Alaska Natives, have been disproportionately impacted by environmental pollution and contamination. This includes siting and location of point sources of pollution, legacies of contamination of drinking and recreational water, and mining, military and agricultural impacts. As a result, both quantity and quality of culturally important subsistence resources are diminished, contributing to poor nutrition and obesity, and overall reductions in quality of life and life expectancy. Climate change is adding to these impacts on Native American communities, variably causing drought, increased flooding and forced relocation affecting tribal water resources, traditional foods, forests and forest resources, and tribal health. This article will highlight several extramural research projects supported by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR tribal environmental research grants as a mechanism to address the environmental health inequities and disparities faced by tribal communities. The tribal research portfolio has focused on addressing tribal environmental health risks through community based participatory research. Specifically, the STAR research program was developed under the premise that tribal populations may be at an increased risk for environmentally-induced diseases as a result of unique subsistence and traditional practices of the tribes and Alaska Native villages, community activities, occupations and customs, and/or environmental releases that significantly and disproportionately impact tribal lands. Through a series of case studies, this article will demonstrate how grantees—tribal community leaders and members and academic collaborators—have been addressing these complex environmental concerns by developing capacity, expertise and tools through community-engaged research.

Community-Based Research as a Mechanism to Reduce Environmental Health Disparities in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities

Science.gov (United States)

McOliver, Cynthia Agumanu; Camper, Anne K.; Doyle, John T.; Eggers, Margaret J.; Ford, Tim E.; Lila, Mary Ann; Berner, James; Campbell, Larry; Donatuto, Jamie

2015-01-01

Racial and ethnic minority communities, including American Indian and Alaska Natives, have been disproportionately impacted by environmental pollution and contamination. This includes siting and location of point sources of pollution, legacies of contamination of drinking and recreational water, and mining, military and agricultural impacts. As a result, both quantity and quality of culturally important subsistence resources are diminished, contributing to poor nutrition and obesity, and overall reductions in quality of life and life expectancy. Climate change is adding to these impacts on Native American communities, variably causing drought, increased flooding and forced relocation affecting tribal water resources, traditional foods, forests and forest resources, and tribal health. This article will highlight several extramural research projects supported by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Science to Achieve Results (STAR) tribal environmental research grants as a mechanism to address the environmental health inequities and disparities faced by tribal communities. The tribal research portfolio has focused on addressing tribal environmental health risks through community based participatory research. Specifically, the STAR research program was developed under the premise that tribal populations may be at an increased risk for environmentally-induced diseases as a result of unique subsistence and traditional practices of the tribes and Alaska Native villages, community activities, occupations and customs, and/or environmental releases that significantly and disproportionately impact tribal lands. Through a series of case studies, this article will demonstrate how grantees—tribal community leaders and members and academic collaborators—have been addressing these complex environmental concerns by developing capacity, expertise and tools through community-engaged research. PMID:25872019

The projects of reducing environmental pollution at the collieries belonging to Petrosani Autonomous Bituminous Coal Administration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arad, V.; Arad, S.; Costinas, B.; Marchis, G.

1997-01-01

The economic development in the Jiu Valley, as practised in the mining and processing of bituminous coal, has had a dynamic character without taking into account, however, the harmful impact on the environment. The most severe problem of environmental pollution in the Jiu Valley is that of the pollution of the Jiu River due to the discharge of waste water from the technological processes of mining and processing coal. This paper presents some solutions for reducing this environmental pollution, especially the Jiu water pollution. 1 ref

Carbon Emission Reduction with Regard to Retailer’s Fairness Concern and Subsidies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Linghong Zhang

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This paper considers the impact of consumer environmental awareness (CEA, retailer’s fairness concern, and government subsidies on the two echelon supply chain with one manufacturer and one retailer. The manufacturer produces green products with carbon emission reduction. The government provides two types of alternative subsidies: a fixed subsidy (referred to as an F-type subsidy or a discount subsidy (referred to as a D-type subsidy to encourage the manufacturer to produce a product with a high carbon emission reduction rate. We aim to provide optimal solutions to the manufacturer and the retailer with regard to the retailer’s fairness concern and government subsidies; thus we discuss four decision scenarios: the benchmark model without the fairness concern and subsidy, the model with the retailer’s fairness concern, the model with fairness concern and the F-type subsidy, and the model with fairness concern and the D-type subsidy. We provide explicit solutions and numerical examples of the optimal carbon emission reduction rate, wholesale price, and retail price. Our study has four main findings: firstly, high consumer environmental awareness will benefit both the manufacturer and the retailer in the above four scenarios; secondly, the fairness concern and subsidy have a counter effect on the optimal strategies (the subsidy could alleviate the negative influence caused by retailer’s fairness concern; thirdly, the government could subsidize the retailer when there is unfairness in the supply chain so that the manufacturer could produce a product with lower carbon emission; finally, using the subsidy related to the environmental quality will be more helpful for improving environment quality, especially when the government has a budget constraint.

Environmental ethics: An African understanding

African Journals Online (AJOL)

user

environmental ethical theories, that is, normative environmental ethics, sentientist ethics, ... environmental ethics is challenging those life-threatening concerns, critical explorations of ..... such negligence, every business organization must be.

In vitro and environmental toxicity of reduced graphene oxide as an additive in automotive lubricants.

Science.gov (United States)

Esquivel-Gaon, Margarita; Nguyen, Nhung H A; Sgroi, Mauro F; Pullini, Daniele; Gili, Flavia; Mangherini, Davide; Pruna, Alina Iuliana; Rosicka, Petra; Sevcu, Alena; Castagnola, Valentina

2018-04-05

Despite the ground-breaking potential of nanomaterials, their safe and sustainable incorporation into an array of industrial markets prompts a deep and clear understanding of their potential toxicity for both humans and the environment. Among the many materials with great potential, graphene has shown promise in a variety of applications; however, the impact of graphene based products on living systems remains poorly understood. In this paper, we illustrate that via exploiting the tribological properties of graphene nanosheets, we can successfully improve both the frictional behaviour and the anti-wear capacity of lubricant oil for mechanical transmission. By virtue of reducing friction and enhancing lubricant lifetimes, we can forecast a reduction in friction based energy loss, in addition to a decrease in the carbon footprint of vehicles. The aforementioned positive environmental impact is further strengthened considering the lack of acute toxicity found in our extensive in vitro investigation, in which both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells were tested. Collectively, our body of work suggests that by the use of safe nanoadditives we could contribute to reducing the environmental impact of transportation and therein take a positive step towards a more sustainable automotive sector. The workflow proposed here for the evaluation of human and environmental toxicity will allow for the study of nanosized bare graphene material and can be broadly applied to the translation of graphene-based nanomaterials into the market.

Dust Storms: Why Are Dust Storms a Concern?

Science.gov (United States)

... Skip to main content ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS AND TOXIC CHEMICALS WHERE YOU LIVE, WORK, AND PLAY Search:  Home ... Tree Farm and Logging Uranium Tailings Urban and Industrial Runoff Urban ... Acetone Ammonia Arsenic Asbestos Benzene Bisphenol A (BPA) ...

Opportunities for reducing environmental emissions from forage-based dairy farms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tom Misselbrook

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Modern dairy production is inevitably associated with impacts to the environment and the challenge for the industry today is to increase production to meet growing global demand while minimising emissions to the environment. Negative environmental impacts include gaseous emissions to the atmosphere, of ammonia from livestock manure and fertiliser use, of methane from enteric fermentation and manure management, and of nitrous oxide from nitrogen applications to soils and from manure management. Emissions to water include nitrate, ammonium, phosphorus, sediment, pathogens and organic matter, deriving from nutrient applications to forage crops and/or the management of grazing livestock. This paper reviews the sources and impacts of such emissions in the context of a forage-based dairy farm and considers a number of potential mitigation strategies, giving some examples using the farm-scale model SIMSDAIRY. Most of the mitigation measures discussed are associated with systemic improvements in the efficiency of production in dairy systems. Important examples of mitigations include: improvements to dairy herd fertility, that can reduce methane and ammonia emissions by up to 24 and 17%, respectively; diet modification such as the use of high sugar grasses for grazing, which are associated with reductions in cattle N excretion of up to 20% (and therefore lower N losses to the environment and potentially lower methane emissions, or reducing the crude protein content of the dairy cow diet through use of maize silage to reduce N excretion and methane emissions; the use of nitrification inhibitors with fertiliser and slurry applications to reduce nitrous oxide emissions and nitrate leaching by up to 50%. Much can also be achieved through attention to the quantity, timing and method of application of nutrients to forage crops and utilising advances made through genetic improvements.

Guidance for Incorporating Environmental Justice Concerns in EPA's National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Compliance Analyses

Science.gov (United States)

The document defines the approaches by which EPA will ensure that disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects on minority communities and low-income communities are identified and addressed.

Evaluation of individual and combined management practices to reduce the off-site transport of pesticides from golf course turf

Science.gov (United States)

The detection of pesticides, associated with turfgrass management, in storm runoff and surface waters of urban watersheds has raised concerns regarding their source, potential environmental effects and a need for strategies to reduce their inputs. In previous research we discovered that hollow tine ...

The use of bio-based materials to reduce the environmental impact of construction

OpenAIRE

Lawrence, Michael

2014-01-01

In the UK, the construction industry is responsible for over 50 % of total carbon emissions. 20% of these carbon emissions are embodied within the construction and materials of buildings and the balance is expended in environmental control (heating, lighting, air conditioning) and other ‘in use’ aspects of occupation of buildings. This is replicated in other countries to a similar extent. This lecture identifies ways in which the use of bio-based construction materials can significantly reduc...

Environmental law

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ketteler, G.; Kippels, K.

1988-01-01

In section I 'Basic principles' the following topics are considered: Constitutional-legal aspects of environmental protection, e.g. nuclear hazards and the remaining risk; European environmental law; international environmental law; administrative law, private law and criminal law relating to the environment; basic principles of environmental law, the instruments of public environmental law. Section II 'Special areas of law' is concerned with the law on water and waste, prevention of air pollution, nature conservation and care of the countryside. Legal decisions and literature up to June 1988 have been taken into consideration. (orig./RST) [de

Rio conference global environmental protection Agenda 21

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pinchera, G. (ENEA, Rome (Italy). Area Energia, Ambiente e Salute)

1992-10-01

In reviewing the work packages included in the Rio Earth's Summit Agenda 21, intended as an activities guideline for international cooperation to ensure environmental protection with sustainable growth for all nations, this paper points out the areas which present the greatest obstacles in the establishment of common accords and discusses the directions being taken to surmount these obstacles. A major obstacle concerns uncertaindes in specifying limits on carbon dioxide emissions and their effects on world climate. Another concerns suitable methods to help finance effective technology transfer to developing countries. With regard to the former problem, a 'no regret' approach has been proposed to limit current C02 reduction interventions to those levels which, in all certainty, would not incur any future regrets once scientific knowledge has advanced enough to allow more accurate assessments of greenhouse gas/climate change inter-relationships. With regard to the latter problem, attempts are being made to reduce possible negative impacts on the petroleum industry due to energy surcharges suggested as a source of funding for technology transfer/environmental protection programs.

Chinese Teenagers' Concerns about the Future: A Cross-National Comparison.

Science.gov (United States)

Dodds, Josiah; Chong-de, Lin

1992-01-01

Chinese teenagers (n=1,861) rated overpopulation and environmental pollution as their greatest concerns about the future; these were usually rated quite low by teenagers in other countries. Although still of concern to Chinese teenagers, nuclear war seemed more remote to them than it did to U.S. and former Soviet teenagers in earlier studies.…

Environmental protection and petroleum business

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1986-03-01

This report is a summary of panel discussion concerning environmental protection and petroleum business. Summarized here are country presentations from Iraq, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela, comments by two Japanese panelists from petroleum companies, questions, answers, and discussions, and summary by the session moderator. The country presentation centered on pollution problems and environmental protection policies in each country, national policy regarding environmental problems, and comprehensive planning for environmental protection in specific industrial areas. The panelists' reports mainly concerned the legal framework for environmental protection in Japan and the importance of investment for environmental protection. Questions and answers clarified the problems. The moderator, when summarizing the panel discussion, stressed that environmental problems should be addressed on a global level and that early preventive measures should be taken, and also emphasized the polluter pays principle.

A note on attitudes and knowledge concerning environmental issues in Sweden.

Science.gov (United States)

Boman, Mattias; Mattsson, Leif

2008-02-01

As part of a larger research effort, the empirical basis for this note is responses to four out of many questions in a mailed survey, which primarily focused on national environmental objectives in Sweden. The results show that out of eight broad areas for use of tax money, five-including environment-are rated as important by over 90% of the respondents. Respondents appear to be less willing to discriminate between different issues covered by national environmental objectives, as all of these are rated as important by more than 80% of the respondents. The function of the ozone layer is an example of an environmental issue where the knowledge among people is relatively high, while this is not the case when it comes to the amount of pesticides used in agriculture. The results also show less support for actions at the individual level to improve the environment, as compared to support for actions taken by society at large through, e.g., technological improvement or policy intervention.

Occurrence, control and fate of contaminants of emerging concern in environmental compartments in Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Starling, Maria Clara V M; Amorim, Camila C; Leão, Mônica Maria D

2018-04-22

This is the first review to present data obtained in Brazil over the years regarding contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) and to contrast it with contamination in other countries. Data gathered indicated that caffeine, paracetamol, atenolol, ibuprofen, cephalexin and bisphenol A occur in the μg L -1 range in streams near urban areas. While endocrine disruptors are frequently detected in surface waters, highest concentrations account for 17α-ethynylestradiol and 17β-estradiol. Organochlorine pesticides are the most frequently found and persistent in sediments in agricultural regions. Moreover, in tropical agricultural fields, pesticide volatilization and its implications to ecosystem protection must be better investigated. The reality represented here for Brazil may be transposed to other developing countries due to similarities related to primitive basic sanitation infrastructure and economic and social contexts, which contribute to continuous environmental contamination by CEC. Municipal wastewater treatment facilities in Brazil, treat up to the secondary stage and lead to limited CEC removal. This is also true for other nations in Latin America, such as Argentina, Colombia and Mexico. Therefore, it is an urgent priority to improve sanitation infrastructure and, then, the implementation of tertiary treatment shall be imposed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Exploring Additional Determinants of Environmentally Responsible Behavior: The Influence of Environmental Literature and Environmental Attitudes

Science.gov (United States)

Mobley, Catherine; Vagias, Wade M.; DeWard, Sarah L.

2010-01-01

It is often assumed that individuals who are knowledgeable and concerned about the environment will engage in environmentally responsible behavior (ERB). We use data from a large scale Web survey hosted on National Geographic's Web site in 2001-2002 to investigate this premise. We examine whether reading three classic environmental books…

Legislation Concerning the Soil and Subsoil Protection in România

OpenAIRE

BRASOVEAN I.; Laura PAULETTE; C. IEDERAN; P. BURDUHOS

2010-01-01

Appeared on the European agenda in the early 1970s, environmental concern becomes one with the distinctsignal from the Club of Rome, on diminishing natural resources and deterioration of water quality, air and soil. CreatingCommunity environmental policy was made two years later (1972), developing as one of the most importantCommunity policies. Its importance stems from the fact that environmental policy has become horizontal EU policy,environmental issues are considered binding on other EU p...

Environmentalism and natural aggregate mining

Science.gov (United States)

Drew, L.J.; Langer, W.H.; Sachs, J.S.

2002-01-01

Sustaining a developed economy and expanding a developing one require the use of large volumes of natural aggregate. Almost all human activity (commercial, recreational, or leisure) is transacted in or on facilities constructed from natural aggregate. In our urban and suburban worlds, we are almost totally dependent on supplies of water collected behind dams and transported through aqueducts made from concrete. Natural aggregate is essential to the facilities that produce energy-hydroelectric dams and coal-fired powerplants. Ironically, the utility created for mankind by the use of natural aggregate is rarely compared favorably with the environmental impacts of mining it. Instead, the empty quarries and pits are seen as large negative environmental consequences. At the root of this disassociation is the philosophy of environmentalism, which flavors our perceptions of the excavation, processing, and distribution of natural aggregate. The two end-member ideas in this philosophy are ecocentrism and anthropocentrism. Ecocentrism takes the position that the natural world is a organism whose arteries are the rivers-their flow must not be altered. The soil is another vital organ and must not be covered with concrete and asphalt. The motto of the ecocentrist is "man must live more lightly on the land." The anthropocentrist wants clean water and air and an uncluttered landscape for human use. Mining is allowed and even encouraged, but dust and noise from quarry and pit operations must be minimized. The large volume of truck traffic is viewed as a real menace to human life and should be regulated and isolated. The environmental problems that the producers of natural aggregate (crushed stone and sand and gravel) face today are mostly difficult social and political concerns associated with the large holes dug in the ground and the large volume of heavy truck traffic associated with quarry and pit operations. These concerns have increased in recent years as society's demand for

Environmental contaminants of emerging concern in seafood--European database on contaminant levels.

Science.gov (United States)

Vandermeersch, Griet; Lourenço, Helena Maria; Alvarez-Muñoz, Diana; Cunha, Sara; Diogène, Jorge; Cano-Sancho, German; Sloth, Jens J; Kwadijk, Christiaan; Barcelo, Damia; Allegaert, Wim; Bekaert, Karen; Fernandes, José Oliveira; Marques, Antonio; Robbens, Johan

2015-11-01

Marine pollution gives rise to concern not only about the environment itself but also about the impact on food safety and consequently on public health. European authorities and consumers have therefore become increasingly worried about the transfer of contaminants from the marine environment to seafood. So-called "contaminants of emerging concern" are chemical substances for which no maximum levels have been laid down in EU legislation, or substances for which maximum levels have been provided but which require revision. Adequate information on their presence in seafood is often lacking and thus potential risks cannot be excluded. Assessment of food safety issues related to these contaminants has thus become urgent and imperative. A database (www.ecsafeseafooddbase.eu), containing available information on the levels of contaminants of emerging concern in seafood and providing the most recent data to scientists and regulatory authorities, was developed. The present paper reviews a selection of contaminants of emerging concern in seafood including toxic elements, endocrine disruptors, brominated flame retardants, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and derivatives, microplastics and marine toxins. Current status on the knowledge of human exposure, toxicity and legislation are briefly presented and the outcome from scientific publications reporting on the levels of these compounds in seafood is presented and discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Maritime environmental penal law. International and German legislation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eller, Jan Frederik

2017-01-01

The book on maritime environmental penal law discusses the following issues: part I: introduction into the importance of oceanic environment and its thread, requirement of protective measures,; part II: focus of the study and terminology: oceanic pollution, maritime environmental legislation, international legislation; part 3: international legislative regulations concerning the protection of maritime environment: avoidance of environmental pollution, maritime legislative agreements, existing protective institutions; part 4: state penal power concerning maritime environmental protection; part 5: statutory offense according to German legislation; perspectives for regulations concerning criminal acts on sea.

Stakeholder Participation in Freshwater Monitoring and Evaluation Programs: Applying Thresholds of Potential Concern within Environmental Flows

Science.gov (United States)

Conallin, John; McLoughlin, Craig A.; Campbell, Josh; Knight, Roger; Bright, Troy; Fisher, Ian

2018-03-01

The complex nature of freshwater systems provides challenges for incorporating evidence-based techniques into management. This paper investigates the potential of participatory evidence-based techniques to involve local stakeholders and make decisions based on different "knowledge" sources within adaptive management programs. It focuses on the application of thresholds of potential concern (TPC) within strategic adaptive management (SAM) for facilitating inclusive decision-making. The study is based on the case of the Edward-Wakool (E-W) "Fish and Flows" SAM project in the Murray-Darling River Basin, Australia. We demonstrate the application of TPCs for improving collaborative decision-making within the E-W, associated with environmental watering requirements, and other natural resource management programs such as fish stocking. The development of TPCs in the E-W fish and flows SAM project helped improve stakeholder involvement and understanding of the system, and also the effectiveness of the implemented management interventions. TPCs ultimately helped inform environmental flow management activities. The TPC process complemented monitoring that was already occurring in the system and provided a mechanism for linking formal and informal knowledge to form explicit and measurable endpoints from objectives. The TPC process faced challenges due to the perceived reduction in scientific rigor within initial TPC development and use. However, TPCs must remain tangible to managers and other stakeholders, in order to aid in the implementation of adaptive management. Once accepted by stakeholders, over time TPCs should be reviewed and refined in order to increase their scientific rigor, as new information is generated.

Reducing the environmental impact of dietary choice: perspectives from a behavioural and social change approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Joyce, Andrew; Dixon, Sarah; Comfort, Jude; Hallett, Jonathan

2012-01-01

Climate change is recognised as a significant public health issue that will impact on food security. One of the major contributors to global warming is the livestock industry, and, relative to plant-based agriculture, meat production has a much higher environmental impact in relation to freshwater use, amount of land required, and waste products generated. Promoting increased consumption of plant-based foods is a recommended strategy to reduce human impact on the environment and is also now recognised as a potential strategy to reduce the high rates of some chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. Currently there is a scant evidence base for policies and programs aiming to increase consumption of plant-based diets and little research on the necessary conditions for that change to occur and the processes involved in such a change. This paper reviews some of the environmental and health consequences of current dietary practices, reviews literature on the determinants of consuming a plant-based diet, and provides recommendations for further research in this area.

Reducing the Environmental Impact of Dietary Choice: Perspectives from a Behavioural and Social Change Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew Joyce

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Climate change is recognised as a significant public health issue that will impact on food security. One of the major contributors to global warming is the livestock industry, and, relative to plant-based agriculture, meat production has a much higher environmental impact in relation to freshwater use, amount of land required, and waste products generated. Promoting increased consumption of plant-based foods is a recommended strategy to reduce human impact on the environment and is also now recognised as a potential strategy to reduce the high rates of some chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. Currently there is a scant evidence base for policies and programs aiming to increase consumption of plant-based diets and little research on the necessary conditions for that change to occur and the processes involved in such a change. This paper reviews some of the environmental and health consequences of current dietary practices, reviews literature on the determinants of consuming a plant-based diet, and provides recommendations for further research in this area.

Effective information channels for reducing costs of environmentally- friendly technologies: evidence from residential PV markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rai, Varun; Robinson, Scott A

2013-01-01

Realizing the environmental benefits of solar photovoltaics (PV) will require reducing costs associated with perception, informational gaps and technological uncertainties. To identify opportunities to decrease costs associated with residential PV adoption, in this letter we use multivariate regression models to analyze a unique, household-level dataset of PV adopters in Texas (USA) to systematically quantify the effect of different information channels on aspiring PV adopters’ decision-making. We find that the length of the decision period depends on the business model, such as whether the system was bought or leased, and on special opportunities to learn, such as the influence of other PV owners in the neighborhood. This influence accrues passively through merely witnessing PV systems in the neighborhood, increasing confidence and motivation, as well as actively through peer-to-peer communications. Using these insights we propose a new framework to provide public information on PV that could drastically reduce barriers to PV adoption, thereby accelerating its market penetration and environmental benefits. This framework could also serve as a model for other distributed generation technologies. (letter)

Effective information channels for reducing costs of environmentally- friendly technologies: evidence from residential PV markets

Science.gov (United States)

Rai, Varun; Robinson, Scott A.

2013-03-01

Realizing the environmental benefits of solar photovoltaics (PV) will require reducing costs associated with perception, informational gaps and technological uncertainties. To identify opportunities to decrease costs associated with residential PV adoption, in this letter we use multivariate regression models to analyze a unique, household-level dataset of PV adopters in Texas (USA) to systematically quantify the effect of different information channels on aspiring PV adopters’ decision-making. We find that the length of the decision period depends on the business model, such as whether the system was bought or leased, and on special opportunities to learn, such as the influence of other PV owners in the neighborhood. This influence accrues passively through merely witnessing PV systems in the neighborhood, increasing confidence and motivation, as well as actively through peer-to-peer communications. Using these insights we propose a new framework to provide public information on PV that could drastically reduce barriers to PV adoption, thereby accelerating its market penetration and environmental benefits. This framework could also serve as a model for other distributed generation technologies.

Are consumers concerned about plastic water bottles environmental impact?

OpenAIRE

Caroline Orset; Nicolas Barret; Aurélien Lemaire

2015-01-01

Although plastic induces environmental damages, almost all water bottles are made from plastic. However, these damages are more or less significant according to the plastic used. This study evaluates the consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for different plastics used for water packaging. Successive messages emphasizing the characteristics of plastic are delivered to participants allowing explaining information influence on the consumers' WTP. We find that information has a significant effect ...

Does financial development reduce environmental degradation? Evidence from a panel study of 129 countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Mulali, Usama; Tang, Chor Foon; Ozturk, Ilhan

2015-10-01

The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of financial development on CO2 emission in 129 countries classified by the income level. A panel CO2 emission model using urbanisation, GDP growth, trade openness, petroleum consumption and financial development variables that are major determinants of CO2 emission was constructed for the 1980-2011 period. The results revealed that the variables are cointegrated based on the Pedroni cointegration test. The dynamic ordinary least squares (OLS) and the Granger causality test results also show that financial development can improve environmental quality in the short run and long run due to its negative effect on CO2 emission. The rest of the determinants, especially petroleum consumption, are determined to be the major source of environmental damage in most of the income group countries. Based on the results obtained, the investigated countries should provide banking loans to projects and investments that can promote energy savings, energy efficiency and renewable energy to help these countries reduce environmental damage in both the short and long run.

Individual-motivational factors in the acceptability of demand-side and supply-side measures to reduce carbon emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poortinga, Wouter; Spence, Alexa; Demski, Christina; Pidgeon, Nick F.

2012-01-01

As more than a third of all carbon dioxide emissions in the UK are generated by the domestic sector, individuals need to make drastic changes to their current lifestyle in order to play their part in climate change mitigation. Not only do they need to change their personal behaviour, they also have to accept new low-carbon technologies in order to decarbonise the energy they are using. This study uses an adapted version of the Value–Belief-Norm (VBN) model () to examine individual-motivational factors in the acceptability of demand-side and supply-side strategies to reduce carbon emissions. The study found that environmental identity, climate change concern, and personal norms are all significantly associated with the acceptability of both demand-side measures and supply-side technologies. While personal values were also important, their associations were mediated by more specific factors. Overall, the adapted VBN model was better able to explain the acceptability of low-carbon behaviours than of low-carbon energy-supply technologies. Concern about energy security appeared to be of limited importance. It was negatively associated with the willingness to engage in low-carbon behaviours, suggesting that a shift in focus towards energy security issues may not necessarily help a transition to a low-carbon society. - Highlights: ► An adapted VBN model is proposed to study environmentally significant behaviour.► Environmental identity is important for both demand-side and supply-side measures.► Energy security concern is of limited importance to support for supply-side measures.► Energy security concern reduces the willingness to engage in low-carbon behaviours.

Concepts Concerning 'Disease\\' Causation, Control, and the current ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

There is an ethical necessity that doctors understand the complex social, political, environmental and economic dynamics involved in infectious disease outbreaks. This article discusses some important concepts concerning 'disease' causation and control with specific reference to the current cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe ...

Strategies to reduce the environmental impact of an aluminium pressure die casting plant: A scenario analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Neto, B.; Kroeze, C.; Hordijk, L.; Costa, C.; Pulles, M.P.J.

2009-01-01

This study explores a model (MIKADO) to analyse scenarios for the reduction of the environmental impact of an aluminium die casting plant. Our model calculates the potential to reduce emissions, and the costs associated with implementation of reduction options. In an earlier paper [Neto, B., Kroeze,

Materials, processes, and environmental engineering network

Science.gov (United States)

White, Margo M.

1993-01-01

The Materials, Processes, and Environmental Engineering Network (MPEEN) was developed as a central holding facility for materials testing information generated by the Materials and Processes Laboratory. It contains information from other NASA centers and outside agencies, and also includes the NASA Environmental Information System (NEIS) and Failure Analysis Information System (FAIS) data. Environmental replacement materials information is a newly developed focus of MPEEN. This database is the NASA Environmental Information System, NEIS, which is accessible through MPEEN. Environmental concerns are addressed regarding materials identified by the NASA Operational Environment Team, NOET, to be hazardous to the environment. An environmental replacement technology database is contained within NEIS. Environmental concerns about materials are identified by NOET, and control or replacement strategies are formed. This database also contains the usage and performance characteristics of these hazardous materials. In addition to addressing environmental concerns, MPEEN contains one of the largest materials databases in the world. Over 600 users access this network on a daily basis. There is information available on failure analysis, metals and nonmetals testing, materials properties, standard and commercial parts, foreign alloy cross-reference, Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) data, and Materials and Processes Selection List data.

Willingness to pay for environmental quality: evidence from survey data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Polinard, J L; Wrinkle, R D

1980-01-01

The environmental movement evidenced a period of extremely rapid growth during the 1960's and early 1970's. Some recent studies have indicated a decline in general public concern with environmental problems. In this paper we attempt to provide some new evidence which might be of assistance in ascertaining the relative status of concern for the economy, concern for the environment, and willingness to pay for environmental quality. The study focuses upon a major city in a large energy producing state with a large ethnic (Mexican-American) minority. Our data indicate that concern for the environment is not a highly salient issue for our respondents. Economic concerns far outweigh environmental issues. Additionally, willingness to pay for environmental quality is not a unidimensional trait. Perception of who is responsible for pollution rather than perception of a deteriorating environment is a significant indicator of willingness to pay for environmental quality.

Environmental monitoring and research at the John F. Kennedy Space Center

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, C. R.; Hinkle, C. R.; Knott, W. M.; Summerfield, B. R.

1992-01-01

The Biomedical Operations and Research Office at the NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center has been supporting environmental monitoring and research since the mid-1970s. Program elements include monitoring of baseline conditions to document natural variability in the ecosystem, assessments of operations and construction of new facilities, and ecological research focusing on wildlife habitat associations. Information management is centered around development of a computerized geographic information system that incorporates remote sensing and digital image processing technologies along with traditional relational data base management capabilities. The proactive program is one in which the initiative is to anticipate potential environmental concerns before they occur and, by utilizing in-house expertise, develop impact minimization or mitigation strategies to reduce environmental risk.

Reducing environmental risks in water management in British Columbia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brownlow, H.

1998-01-01

The issue of water management regarding hydroelectric generating facilities in British Columbia was discussed. BC Hydro has adopted the following three processes to address water management risks: (1) the Electric System Operating Review, (2) Water Use Plans, and (3) an Environmental Management System. The greatest concern regarding water management are the potential impacts to fish and fish habitat. More than 90 per cent of BC Hydro's installed capacity is hydroelectric, with the balance produced by natural gas and diesel. All facilities are licensed under the provincial Water Act which has been in effect for the past century and is currently way out of date. Among its inadequacies is the fact that it does not provide for the protection of fish. The B.C. Fish Protection Act suggests that effective immediately, there should be no new dams on the Fraser and other significant rivers. BC Hydro facilities impact 16 of the 2,576 streams in British Columbia that support anadromous (migrating) salmon stocks. BC Hydro has 25 dams and diversions located on these 16 rivers. It was concluded that BC Hydro's impact on fish and fish habitat, although relatively small compared to the total fish resource in the province, is significant. The technology now used by BC Hydro is claimed to have the capacity to allow for easy documentation, rapid communication and the development of a comprehensive database for use in identifying and managing the impact of the Utility's operations on the fish population. 10 refs., 12 figs

Parents' concern about their children's weight.

Science.gov (United States)

Lampard, Amy M; Byrne, Susan M; Zubrick, Stephen R; Davis, Elizabeth A

2008-01-01

Firstly, to investigate the degree of concern parents feel about their children's weight (parental concern). Secondly, to identify factors that influence this concern, and to test a model of parental concern using structural equation modeling. A total of 347 non-overweight, overweight, and obese children (aged 6-13; Mean = 9.5, SD = 1.8) and their parents. Children and their parents attended an assessment session during which they were weighed and measured. Parents were administered a structured interview, which included the Eating Disorder Examination, and completed the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (parent proxy), and the Children's Body Image Scale. Eighty-two percent of parents of overweight children, and 18% of parents of obese children reported little parental concern. Higher parental concern was associated with higher child Body Mass Index, less parental underestimation of child body size, and lower child health-related quality of life. Interventions targeting childhood obesity should aim to optimise parental concern by reducing parents' underestimation of child body size and increasing their awareness of the effects of overweight and obesity on children's health and quality of life.

Proceedings of the 2005 spring conference on environmental and occupational noise : for whom the decibel tolls : reducing the impact of noise. CD ed.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2005-07-01

This conference provided a forum to discuss innovations in noise control and noise management technologies in order to raise awareness about expanding noise issues. Advancements in research, technology and software were presented along with case studies that highlighted current issues associated with noise management, including occupational noise identification, noise measurement, regulations and noise control. The plenary and technical sessions focused on environmental and occupational noise control, industrial noise control and innovative technology. The objective was to promote responsible industrial development and to identify and promote strategies for reducing workplace noise exposure and promote responsible management of human noise exposure. A special session on noise associated with wind turbines was included with particular reference to wind turbine sound and public concerns. Newly developed sound modeling software that can predict sound energy from turbines was also presented. The conference featured 58 presentations, of which 20 have been catalogued separately for inclusion in this database. refs., tabs., figs.

Proceedings of the 2005 spring conference on environmental and occupational noise : for whom the decibel tolls : reducing the impact of noise. CD ed.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

Abstract This conference provided a forum to discuss innovations in noise control and noise management technologies in order to raise awareness about expanding noise issues. Advancements in research, technology and software were presented along with case studies that highlighted current issues associated with noise management, including occupational noise identification, noise measurement, regulations and noise control. The plenary and technical sessions focused on environmental and occupational noise control, industrial noise control and innovative technology. The objective was to promote responsible industrial development and to identify and promote strategies for reducing workplace noise exposure and promote responsible management of human noise exposure. A special session on noise associated with wind turbines was included with particular reference to wind turbine sound and public concerns. Newly developed sound modeling software that can predict sound energy from turbines was also presented. The conference featured 58 presentations, of which 20 have been catalogued separately for inclusion in this database. refs., tabs., figs

Recreational system optimization to reduce conflict on public lands.

Science.gov (United States)

Shilling, Fraser; Boggs, Jennifer; Reed, Sarah

2012-09-01

In response to federal administrative rule, the Tahoe National Forest (TNF), California, USA engaged in trail-route prioritization for motorized recreation (e.g., off-highway-vehicles) and other recreation types. The prioritization was intended to identify routes that were suitable and ill-suited for maintenance in a transportation system. A recreational user survey was conducted online (n = 813) for user preferences for trail system characteristics, recreational use patterns, and demographics. Motorized trail users and non-motorized users displayed very clear and contrasting preferences for the same system. As has been found by previous investigators, non-motorized users expressed antagonism to motorized use on the same recreational travel system, whereas motorized users either supported multiple-use routes or dismissed non-motorized recreationists' concerns. To help the TNF plan for reduced conflict, a geographic information system (GIS) based modeling approach was used to identify recreational opportunities and potential environmental impacts of all travel routes. This GIS-based approach was based on an expert-derived rule set. The rules addressed particular environmental and recreation concerns in the TNF. Route segments were identified that could be incorporated into minimal-impact networks to support various types of recreation. The combination of potential impacts and user-benefits supported an optimization approach for an appropriate recreational travel network to minimize environmental impacts and user-conflicts in a multi-purpose system.

Recreational System Optimization to Reduce Conflict on Public Lands

Science.gov (United States)

Shilling, Fraser; Boggs, Jennifer; Reed, Sarah

2012-09-01

In response to federal administrative rule, the Tahoe National Forest (TNF), California, USA engaged in trail-route prioritization for motorized recreation (e.g., off-highway-vehicles) and other recreation types. The prioritization was intended to identify routes that were suitable and ill-suited for maintenance in a transportation system. A recreational user survey was conducted online ( n = 813) for user preferences for trail system characteristics, recreational use patterns, and demographics. Motorized trail users and non-motorized users displayed very clear and contrasting preferences for the same system. As has been found by previous investigators, non-motorized users expressed antagonism to motorized use on the same recreational travel system, whereas motorized users either supported multiple-use routes or dismissed non-motorized recreationists' concerns. To help the TNF plan for reduced conflict, a geographic information system (GIS) based modeling approach was used to identify recreational opportunities and potential environmental impacts of all travel routes. This GIS-based approach was based on an expert-derived rule set. The rules addressed particular environmental and recreation concerns in the TNF. Route segments were identified that could be incorporated into minimal-impact networks to support various types of recreation. The combination of potential impacts and user-benefits supported an optimization approach for an appropriate recreational travel network to minimize environmental impacts and user-conflicts in a multi-purpose system.

Environmental standard review plans for the environmental review of construction permit applications for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-05-01

Information is presented concerning environmental descriptions; plant description; environmental impacts of construction; environmental impacts of station operation; environmental measurements and monitoring programs; environmental impacts of postulated accidents involving radioactive materials; the need for the plant; alternatives to the project; and evaluation of the proposed action

Environmental issue identification for the Basalt Waste Isolation Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carrell, D.J.; Jones, K.A.

1980-04-01

A preliminary evaluation of environmental issues is provided in this report. It contains summary of the thought process that was used during the area characterization studies for a geological repository for high-level radioactive wastes. Environmental issues are discussed separately for construction, operation, and long term isolation aspects of a repository in basalt. During construction the primary environmental concerns are public perception and water resources; intermediate concerns are air quality, ecosystems, physical resources, and cultural and social resources. During operation, the primary environmental issues concern the transport of radioactive materials and physical resources. Long term environmental issues envolve water resources and borehole plugging

Reducing the Environmental Impact of Clinical Laboratories.

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez, Joseph B; Jackson, David; Gammie, Alistair; Badrick, Tony

2017-02-01

Healthcare is a significant contributor to environmental impact but this has received little attention. The typical laboratory uses far more energy and water per unit area than the typical office building. There is a need to sensitise laboratories to the importance of adopting good environmental practices. Since this comes at an initial cost, it is vital to obtain senior management support. Convincing management of the various tangible and intangible benefits that can accrue in the long run should help achieve this support. Many good environmental practices do not have a cost but will require a change in the culture and mind-set of the organisation. Continuing education and training are important keys to successful implementation of good practices. There is a need to undertake a rigorous cost-benefit analysis of every change that is introduced in going green. The adoption of good practices can eventually lead to ISO certification if this is desired. This paper provides suggestions that will allow a laboratory to start going green. It will allow the industry to enhance its corporate citizenship whilst improving its competitive advantage for long-term.

Environmental groups in politics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lowe, P.; Goyder, J.

1983-01-01

The subject is covered in chapters, entitled: introduction; (Part I) the environmental movement (environmental groups and the attentive public; the episodic development of the environmental movement; the underlying values of environmentalism; the roots of environmental concern; the social limits to growth; elite manipulation of values); the organisation of environmental groups; environmental groups in national politics; environmental groups in local politics; (Part II) the Henley Society; Friends of the Earth; the National Trust; the Royal Society for Nature Conservation; the European Environmental Bureau. (U.K.)

Azolla planting reduces methane emission and nitrogen fertilizer application in double rice cropping system in southern China

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xu, Heshui; Zhu, Bo; Liu, Jingna

2017-01-01

Rice paddies are a major source of methane. How to reduce the methane emission in the paddy field without decreasing the yield has become a major concern of scientists, environmental groups, and agricultural policymakers worldwide. Azolla, used as a dual crop in rice cultivation, has multiple agr...

Environmental Concerns of Deforestation in Myanmar 2001–2010

OpenAIRE

Chuyuan Wang; Soe W. Myint

2016-01-01

Deforestation in Myanmar has recently attracted much attention worldwide. This study examined spatio-temporal patterns of deforestation and forest carbon flux in Myanmar from 2001 to 2010 and environmental impacts at the regional scale using land products of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The results suggest that the total deforestation area in Myanmar was 21,178.8 km2, with an annual deforestation rate of 0.81%, and that the total forest carbon release was 20.06 m...

Environmental contaminants of emerging concern in seafood – European database on contaminant levels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vandermeersch, Griet; Lourenço, Helena Maria; Alvarez-Muñoz, Diana; Cunha, Sara; Diogène, Jorge; Cano-Sancho, German; Sloth, Jens J.; Kwadijk, Christiaan; Barcelo, Damia; Allegaert, Wim; Bekaert, Karen; Fernandes, José Oliveira; Marques, Antonio

2015-01-01

Marine pollution gives rise to concern not only about the environment itself but also about the impact on food safety and consequently on public health. European authorities and consumers have therefore become increasingly worried about the transfer of contaminants from the marine environment to seafood. So-called “contaminants of emerging concern” are chemical substances for which no maximum levels have been laid down in EU legislation, or substances for which maximum levels have been provided but which require revision. Adequate information on their presence in seafood is often lacking and thus potential risks cannot be excluded. Assessment of food safety issues related to these contaminants has thus become urgent and imperative. A database ( (www.ecsafeseafooddbase.eu)), containing available information on the levels of contaminants of emerging concern in seafood and providing the most recent data to scientists and regulatory authorities, was developed. The present paper reviews a selection of contaminants of emerging concern in seafood including toxic elements, endocrine disruptors, brominated flame retardants, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and derivatives, microplastics and marine toxins. Current status on the knowledge of human exposure, toxicity and legislation are briefly presented and the outcome from scientific publications reporting on the levels of these compounds in seafood is presented and discussed. - Highlights: • Development of a European database regarding contaminants of emerging concern. • Current status on knowledge of human exposure, toxicity and legislation. • Review on the occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern in seafood.

Environmental contaminants of emerging concern in seafood – European database on contaminant levels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vandermeersch, Griet, E-mail: griet.vandermeersch@ilvo.vlaanderen.be [Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Animal Sciences Unit – Fisheries, Ankerstraat 1, 8400 Oostende (Belgium); Lourenço, Helena Maria [Division of Aquaculture and Upgrading (DivAV), Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), Lisboa (Portugal); Alvarez-Muñoz, Diana [Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Girona (Spain); Cunha, Sara [LAQV-REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Bromatology and Hydrology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto (Portugal); Diogène, Jorge [Institute of Research and Technology in Food and Agriculture (IRTA), Sant Carles de la Ràpita (Spain); Cano-Sancho, German [Laboratory of Toxicology and Environmental Health, School of Medicine, Rovirai Virgili University (URV), Reus (Spain); Sloth, Jens J. [National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark (DTU Food), Søborg (Denmark); Kwadijk, Christiaan [Institute for Marine Resources and Ecosystem Studies (IMARES), Wageningen University and Research Center, Ijmuiden (Netherlands); Barcelo, Damia [Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Girona (Spain); Water and Soil Quality Research Group, Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, Barcelona (Spain); Allegaert, Wim; Bekaert, Karen [Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Animal Sciences Unit – Fisheries, Ankerstraat 1, 8400 Oostende (Belgium); Fernandes, José Oliveira [LAQV-REQUIMTE, Laboratory of Bromatology and Hydrology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge de Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313 Porto (Portugal); Marques, Antonio [Division of Aquaculture and Upgrading (DivAV), Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), Lisboa (Portugal); and others

2015-11-15

Marine pollution gives rise to concern not only about the environment itself but also about the impact on food safety and consequently on public health. European authorities and consumers have therefore become increasingly worried about the transfer of contaminants from the marine environment to seafood. So-called “contaminants of emerging concern” are chemical substances for which no maximum levels have been laid down in EU legislation, or substances for which maximum levels have been provided but which require revision. Adequate information on their presence in seafood is often lacking and thus potential risks cannot be excluded. Assessment of food safety issues related to these contaminants has thus become urgent and imperative. A database ( (www.ecsafeseafooddbase.eu)), containing available information on the levels of contaminants of emerging concern in seafood and providing the most recent data to scientists and regulatory authorities, was developed. The present paper reviews a selection of contaminants of emerging concern in seafood including toxic elements, endocrine disruptors, brominated flame retardants, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and derivatives, microplastics and marine toxins. Current status on the knowledge of human exposure, toxicity and legislation are briefly presented and the outcome from scientific publications reporting on the levels of these compounds in seafood is presented and discussed. - Highlights: • Development of a European database regarding contaminants of emerging concern. • Current status on knowledge of human exposure, toxicity and legislation. • Review on the occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern in seafood.

Modeling Environmental Literacy of University Students

Science.gov (United States)

Teksoz, Gaye; Sahin, Elvan; Tekkaya-Oztekin, Ceren

2012-01-01

The present study proposed an Environmental Literacy Components Model to explain how environmental attitudes, environmental responsibility, environmental concern, and environmental knowledge as well as outdoor activities related to each other. A total of 1,345 university students responded to an environmental literacy survey (Kaplowitz and Levine…

Chinese teenagers' concerns about the future: a cross-national comparison

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dodds, J.; Lin, C.D.

1992-01-01

Teenagers in the U.S., U.S.S.R., Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and New Zealand have consistently rated death of a parent and nuclear war as their greatest concerns about the future. In the present study, however, Chinese teenagers rated overpopulation and environmental pollution as their greatest concerns; these were usually rated quite low by teenagers in other countries. While still of concern to Chinese teenagers, nuclear war seemed more remote to them than it did to U.S. and U.S.S.R. teenagers and therefore more survivable. Speculation is offered as to how teenagers' concerns reflect those of a country's general population

Environmental risk of mesothelioma in the United States: An emerging concern-epidemiological issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Baumann, Francine; Carbone, Michele

2016-01-01

Despite predictions of decline in mesothelioma following the ban of asbestos in most industrial countries, the incidence is still increasing globally, particularly in women. Because occupational exposure to asbestos is the main cause of mesothelioma, it occurs four- to eightfold more frequently in men than women, at a median age of 74 years. When mesothelioma is due to an environmental exposure, the M:F sex ratio is 1:1 and the median age at diagnosis is ~60 years. Studying environmental risk of mesothelioma is challenging because of the long latency period and small numbers, and because this type of exposure is involuntary and unknown. Individual-based methods cannot be used, and new approaches need to be found. To better understand the most recent trends of mesothelioma in the United States, all mesothelioma deaths reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during 1999-2010 were analyzed. Among all mesothelioma deaths in the United States, the 1920s birth cohort significantly predominated, and the proportion of younger cohorts constantly decreased with time, suggesting a decline in occupational exposure in these cohorts. The M:F mesothelioma sex ratio fell with time, suggesting an increased proportion of environmental cases. Environmental exposures occur in specific geographic areas. At the large scale of a state, mesotheliomas related to environmental exposure are diluted among occupational cases. The spatial analysis at a smaller scale, such as county, enables detection of areas with higher proportions of female and young mesothelioma cases, thus indicating possible environmental exposure, where geological and environmental investigations need to be carried out.

Can environmental purchasing reduce mercury in U.S. health care?

Science.gov (United States)

Eagan, Patrick D; Kaiser, Barb

2002-01-01

Environmental purchasing represents an innovative approach to mercury control for the health care sector in the United States. The U.S. health care sector creates significant environmental impacts, including the release of toxic substances such as mercury. Our goal in this study was to provide the health care industry with a method of identifying the environmental impacts associated with the products they use. The Health Care Environmental Purchasing Tool (HCEPT) was developed and tested at nine health care facilities in the Great Lakes region of the United States. As a result, more than 1 kg of mercury was removed from four facilities. The complexity of the supply chain inhibits a direct environmental information exchange between health-care decision makers and suppliers. However, a dialogue is starting within the health care supply chain to address environmental issues. The HCEPT has been shown to assist health care facilities with that dialogue by identifying products that have environmental consequences. This promising tool is now available for further experimentation and modification, to facilitate overall environmental improvement, and to provide a systematic method for environmental assessment of health care products. PMID:12204816

Energy technologies and the environment: Environmental information handbook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1988-10-01

This revision of Energy Technologies and the Environment reflects the changes in energy supply and demand, focus of environmental concern, and emphasis of energy research and development that have occurred since publication of the earlier edition in 1980. The increase in availability of oil and natural gas, at least for the near term, is responsible in part for a reduced emphasis on development of replacement fuels and technologies. Trends in energy development also have been influenced by an increased reliance on private industry initiatives, and a correspondingly reduced government involvement, in demonstrating more developed technologies. Environmental concerns related to acid rain and waste management continue to increase the demand for development of innovative energy systems. The basic criteria for including a technology in this report are that (1) the technology is a major current or potential future energy supply and (2) significant changes in employing or understanding the technology have occurred since publication of the 1980 edition. Coal is seen to be a continuing major source of energy supply, and thus chapters pertaining to the principal coal technologies have been revised from the 1980 edition (those on coal mining and preparation, conventional coal-fired power plants, fluidized-bed combustion, coal gasification, and coal liquefaction) or added as necessary to include emerging technologies (those on oil shale, combined-cycle power plants, coal-liquid mixtures, and fuel cells).

Field Testing of Environmentally Friendly Drilling System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

David Burnett

2009-05-31

The Environmentally Friendly Drilling (EFD) program addresses new low-impact technology that reduces the footprint of drilling activities, integrates light weight drilling rigs with reduced emission engine packages, addresses on-site waste management, optimizes the systems to fit the needs of a specific development sites and provides stewardship of the environment. In addition, the program includes industry, the public, environmental organizations, and elected officials in a collaboration that addresses concerns on development of unconventional natural gas resources in environmentally sensitive areas. The EFD program provides the fundamentals to result in greater access, reasonable regulatory controls, lower development cost and reduction of the environmental footprint associated with operations for unconventional natural gas. Industry Sponsors have supported the program with significant financial and technical support. This final report compendium is organized into segments corresponding directly with the DOE approved scope of work for the term 2005-2009 (10 Sections). Each specific project is defined by (a) its goals, (b) its deliverable, and (c) its future direction. A web site has been established that contains all of these detailed engineering reports produced with their efforts. The goals of the project are to (1) identify critical enabling technologies for a prototype low-impact drilling system, (2) test the prototype systems in field laboratories, and (3) demonstrate the advanced technology to show how these practices would benefit the environment.

Some basic properties of environmentally adapted oils

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoeglund, E. [Div. of Machine Elements, Luleaa University of Technology (Sweden)

1998-11-01

Environmental concern has led to a development of lubricants that are less harmful to the environmental than traditional mineral based oils. Biodegradability and non-toxicity are desired properties together with a competitive price and if possible they should also be derived from renewable raw materials. In order to have a major breakthrough for the new, environmentally adapted lubricating oils they must perform well in mechanical and hydraulic systems. They must reduce wear, increase efficiency and reduce maintenance costs equally well, or preferably better than mineral based oils. This paper presents primary results from an investigation where four environmentally adapted oils (rape seed, pine tree, diester and TMP-ester) are compared to a conventional naphthenic mineral oil. Viscosity and viscosity-pressure coefficients, limiting shear stress, friction properties and film forming ability have been evaluated under elastohydrodynamic conditions. It was found that the mineral oil had the highest values of pressure-viscosity coefficient, limiting shear stress and coefficient of friction. Rape seed oil had the second highest pressure-viscosity coefficient but the lowest limiting shear stress and coefficient of friction. Pine tree oil, diester and TMP-ester formed an intermediate group with rather similar results. The Hamrock-Dowson equation for central film thickness was found to overestimate film thickness by about 10-20 per cent with the least discrepancy for the mineral oil. (orig.) 8 refs.

Environmental implications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, K.

1997-01-01

The environmental concerns typical of the Canadian Arctic and the Beaufort Sea, which impacted on oil and gas exploration were discussed. Environmental regulations and legislation in existence were explained. Most regulations required submission of permit applications that among other things, described the type of equipment to be used and the time and duration of the use. Companies also had to demonstrate that they had the capability to deal with oil spill scenarios. If an oil spill had a significant effect on the numbers of animals, the Inuit would have to be compensated. According to members of the native population, much damage was done initially to wildlife habitats and population, although this improved somewhat later as regulations concerning seismic and explosive activities were strengthened and technology improved, producing fewer harmful environmental impacts. All in all, activity in the Beaufort Sea did not result in any major environmental disasters, but there were many disturbances in the seafloor, permafrost and ice dynamics, as well as an increase in ambient noise levels which resulted in behavioural changes in the organisms close to the drilling activities. 19 figs

The Impact of Values Concerning Nature on Practice and Knowledge in Organic Farming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kaltoft, Pernille

1997-01-01

that the view of nature influence practise: The focus of the organic farmers on environmental concerns, product quality concerns, earth-fertility concerns, utilitarian ethics or bioethics means different practical choices. Four paradigms of knowledge related to organic farming has further more been identified...... impact on the development of the organic farming and on the conceptualising of environmental issues in society and thereby the initiatives taken: Priority is given to the more conventional ways of understanding: obtaining sustainability by not using poison, treating manure as a question of optimising...... nitrogen and the other nutrients. On the other hand learning processes take place in and around the organic farms extending the farmers concepts of sustainability....

Fernald Environmental Management Project 1995 site environmental report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-06-01

The Fernald site continues to examine the air and liquid pathways as possible routes through which pollutants from past operations and current remedial activities may leave the site. This 1995 Site Environmental Report provides the general public as well as scientists and engineers with the results from the site's ongoing Environmental Monitoring Program. Also included in this report is information concerning the site's progress toward achieving full compliance with requirements set forth by DOE, US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and Ohio EPA

An "EAR" on environmental surveillance and monitoring: A case study on the use of exposure-activity ratios (EARS) to prioritize sites, chemicals, and bioactivities of concern in Great Lakes waters

Science.gov (United States)

Current environmental monitoring approaches focus primarily on chemical occurrence. However, based on chemical concentration alone, it can be difficult to identify which compounds may be of toxicological concern for prioritization for further monitoring or management. This can be...

Environmental Accounting as a Tool for Environmental Management ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Environmental Accounting as a Tool for Environmental Management System. ... This paper reviews about the relationship of environmental accounting and environmental ... to legal and regulation requirement, to reduce cost from customer

Social Media-Related Geographic Information in the Context of Strategic Environmental Assessment of Municipal Masterplans: A Case Study Concerning Sardinia (Italy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roberta Floris

2015-08-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a discussion concerning the use of social media-related geographic information in the context of the strategic environmental assessment (SEA of Sardinian Municipal masterplans (MMPs. We show that this kind of information improves, substantially, the SEA process since it provides planners, evaluators, and the local communities with information retrieved from social media that would have not been available otherwise. This information integrates authoritative data collection, which comes from official sources, and enlightens tastes and preferences of the users of services and infrastructure, and their expectations concerning their spatial organization. A methodological approach related to the collection of social media-related geographic information is implemented and discussed with reference to the urban context of the city of Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy. The results are very effective in terms of provision of information, which may possibly increase the spatial knowledge available for planning policy definition and implementation. In this perspective, this kind of information discloses opportunities for building analytical scenarios related to urban and regional planning and it offers useful suggestions for sustainable development based on tourism strategies.

Underlying concerns in land-use conflicts--the role of place-identity in risk perception

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wester-Herber, Misse

2004-01-01

In the last few years, debates over proposed usage of land for high-risk ventures have caused some debate, both in the affected communities as well as among policy makers. It has been recognized by industry and government agencies that the opinion and concerns of the local population has to be considered in order to mediate or reduce conflicts. Usually these concerns tend to focus on issues of health and safety in relation to the risk presented by different projects. It is suggested in this paper that the discussion needs to be expanded, especially if the proposed project can alter the esthetic appearance of the landscape. It is argued in this paper that the local attachment to a specific geographical place, also referred to as place-identity, needs to be included in discussions concerning industrial risks. Research in environmental psychology has suggested that place-identity is vital to a person's identity and that this can be seen through four principles. In this paper, suggestions are made on how these four aspects of identity can be affected in a negative way if changes are made to a landscape by the introduction of a high-risk and stigmatized industrial venture

Can perspective-taking reduce crime? Examining a pathway through empathic-concern and guilt-proneness.

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez, Andres G; Stuewig, Jeffrey; Tangney, June P

2014-12-01

We describe and appraise a theoretical model in which individual differences in perspective-taking eventuate in crime reduction. Specifically, it is hypothesized that perspective-taking propensities influence the tendency to feel empathic-concern, thereby heightening proneness for guilt, which ultimately inhibits criminal behavior (perspective-taking → empathic-concern → guilt-proneness → crime desistance). Data from two sources were analyzed: (a) a cross-sectional college sample and (b) a longitudinal sample of jail inmates. Overall, results lend credence to this theoretical model: Perspective-taking propensities ultimately "put the brakes" on criminal behavior-via an emotional pathway of empathic-concern and then guilt-proneness. Discussion focuses on the nature of perspective-taking, its generative role for moral emotion and behavior, as well as potential applications for crime reduction. © 2014 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Evaluation of the Monkey-Persimmon Environmental Education Program for Reducing Human-Wildlife Conflicts in Nagano, Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Sakurai, Ryo; Jacobson, Susan K.

2011-01-01

Co-existing with wildlife and maintaining rural livelihoods are common challenges in remote villages in Japan. The authors assess the effects of the Monkey-Persimmon Environmental Education Program developed to reduce wildlife conflicts and to revitalize a community in Nagano Prefecture. Development of a logic model helped guide interviews with…

Toxicological benchmarks for screening contaminants of potential concern for effects on sediment-associated biota: 1994 Revision. Environmental Restoration Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hull, R.N.; Suter, G.W. II

1994-06-01

Because a hazardous waste site may contain hundreds of chemicals, it is important to screen contaminants of potential concern for the ecological risk assessment. Often this screening is done as part of a Screening Assessment, the purpose of which is to evaluate the available data, identify data gaps, and screen contaminants of potential concern. Screening may be accomplished by using a set of toxicological benchmarks. These benchmarks are helpful in determining whether contaminants warrant further assessment or are at a level that requires no further attention. If a chemical concentration or the reported detection limit exceeds a proposed lower benchmark, more analysis is needed to determine the hazards posed by that chemical. If, however, the chemical concentration falls below the lower benchmark value, the chemical may be eliminated from further study. This report briefly describes three categories of approaches to the development of sediment quality benchmarks. These approaches are based on analytical chemistry, toxicity test and field survey data. A fourth integrative approach incorporates all three types of data. The equilibrium partitioning approach is recommended for screening nonpolar organic contaminants of concern in sediments. For inorganics, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has developed benchmarks that may be used for screening. There are supplemental benchmarks from the province of Ontario, the state of Wisconsin, and US Environmental Protection Agency Region V. Pore water analysis is recommended for polar organic compounds; comparisons are then made against water quality benchmarks. This report is an update of a prior report. It contains revised ER-L and ER-M values, the five EPA proposed sediment quality criteria, and benchmarks calculated for several nonionic organic chemicals using equilibrium partitioning

A tale of trade-offs: the impact of macroeconomic factors on environmental concern.

Science.gov (United States)

Conroy, Stephen J; Emerson, Tisha L N

2014-12-01

We test whether macroeconomic conditions affect individuals' willingness to pay for environmental quality improvements. Improvements in environmental quality, like everything, come at a cost. Individuals facing difficult economic times may be less willing to make trade-offs required for improvements in environmental quality. Using somewhat different methodologies and shorter time frames, prior investigations have generally found a direct relationship between willingness to pay for environmental improvements and macroeconomic conditions. We use a nearly 40-year span (27 periods) of the General Social Survey (1974-2012) to estimate attitudes toward environmental spending while controlling for U.S. macroeconomic conditions and respondent-specific factors such as age, gender, marital status, number of children, residential location, educational attainment, personal financial condition, political party affiliation and ideology. Macroeconomic conditions include one-year lagged controls for the unemployment rate, the rate of economic growth (percentage change in real GDP), and an indicator for whether the U.S. economy was experiencing a recession. We find that, in general, when economic conditions are unfavorable (i.e., during a recession, or with higher unemployment, or lower GDP growth), respondents are more likely to believe the U.S. is spending too much on "improving and protecting the environment". Interacting lagged macroeconomic controls with respondent's income, we find that these views are at least partially offset by the respondent's own economic condition (i.e., their own real income). Our findings are consistent with the notion that environmental quality is a normal, or procyclical good, i.e., that environmental spending should rise when the economy is expanding and fall during economic contractions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Overview of the EPA quality system for environmental programs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, G.L. [Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States)

1993-12-31

Formalized quality assurance program requirements for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have been established for more than a decade. During this period, the environmental issues and concerns addressed by the EPA have changed. Many issues, such as ozone depletion and global climate warming, have become international concerns among the world environmental community. Other issues, such as hazardous waste cleanup and clean air, remain a focus of national environmental concerns. As the environmental issues of the 1980`s evolved, the traditional quality assurance (QA) program was transformed through the use of quality management principles into a Quality System to help managers meet the needs of the 1990`s and beyond.

Overview of the EPA quality system for environmental programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, G.L.

1993-01-01

Formalized quality assurance program requirements for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have been established for more than a decade. During this period, the environmental issues and concerns addressed by the EPA have changed. Many issues, such as ozone depletion and global climate warming, have become international concerns among the world environmental community. Other issues, such as hazardous waste cleanup and clean air, remain a focus of national environmental concerns. As the environmental issues of the 1980's evolved, the traditional quality assurance (QA) program was transformed through the use of quality management principles into a Quality System to help managers meet the needs of the 1990's and beyond

Environmental spaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Henrik Gutzon

Using the development of intergovernmental environmental cooperation in the Baltic Sea area as a concrete example, the aim of this study is to explore how the 'environment' in situations of environmental interdependence is identified and institutionalised as political-geographical objects....... 'Environmental interdependence' is to this end conceptualised as a tension between 'political spaces' of discrete state territories and 'environmental spaces' of spatially nested ecosystems. This tension between geographies of political separateness and environmental wholeness is the implicit or explicit basis...... for a large and varied literature. But in both its critical and problemsolving manifestations, this literature tends to naturalise the spatiality of environmental concerns: environmental spaces are generally taken for granted. On the suggestion that there is a subtle politics to the specification...

Environmental readiness document advanced isotope separation program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-08-01

Advanced Isotope Separation (AIS) techniques hold the promise of significantly reducing the cost of enriching uranium for use in commercial nuclear power reactors. By reducing uranium enrichment costs, the tails assay of an enrichment plant can be lowered resulting in a decrease in the requirements for natural uranium feed material and a small decrease in the cost of the electricity produced by nuclear power plants. With this increased efficiency of uranium enrichment, there will be an overall reduction in the environmental impacts associated with uranium processing in the front end of the fuel cycle. AIS is characterized by much lower energy requirements compared to diffusion; comparable energy requirements to centrifuge; generally similar offsite environmental and socioeconomic impacts to centrifuge; and substantially fewer secondary impacts than diffusion because of reduced need for power. In the broadest definitions of environmental concerns, the socio-political and security aspects of proliferation and safeguards are the most significant in reducing AIS to practice. The potential exists for exposure of plant workers or offsite personnel to radioactive material or process chemical during normal or accident conditions. Some AIS processes make use of strong magnetic or electromagnetic fields and lasers, and methods are required to monitor the levels of these radiations. The AIS processes will routinely generate chemical and radioactive wastes. Additional wastes may be generated during plant decontamination and decommissioning. All of these wastes must be managed to meet Federal and state requirements. Finally, based on preliminary designs, some of the AIS processes may require significant, relative to US and world supply, quantities of a coating material

Fernald Environmental Management Project 1995 site environmental report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-06-01

The Fernald site continues to examine the air and liquid pathways as possible routes through which pollutants from past operations and current remedial activities may leave the site. This 1995 Site Environmental Report provides the general public as well as scientists and engineers with the results from the site`s ongoing Environmental Monitoring Program. Also included in this report is information concerning the site`s progress toward achieving full compliance with requirements set forth by DOE, US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and Ohio EPA.

Environmental impact analysis (EIA) concerning lodgepole pine forestry in Sweden

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersson, Bengt; Rosvall, Ola; Engelmark, Ola; Sjoeberg, Kjell

1999-01-01

This report presents an analysis of the ecological consequences of forestry with Canadian lodgepole pine introduced into Sweden. The report includes a compilation of present knowledge in the area, research priorities, and proposed measures for dealing with the negative environmental consequences that could arise. The point of departure of the analysis is a description of the properties of lodgepole pine, including species-specific characteristics of the tree, and changes in stand environment and silvicultural management practices that can be expected. The report describes the dispersal capacity of lodgepole pine in its new Swedish environment and the effects of host-parasite interactions. Thereafter, ecological effects on the capacity of the soil for sustainable production and on biological diversity at various scales (tree, stand, landscape) are analysed. Lodgepole pine forestry is also considered in relation to current laws and regulations as well as national and international environmental goals. At the end of the report, a strategy is proposed for handling the inevitable uncertainties associated with the introduction of exotic species 111 refs, 14 figs

Environmental impact analysis (EIA) concerning lodgepole-pine forestry in Sweden

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andersson, Bengt; Rosvall, O. [Forestry Research Inst. of Sweden, Uppsala (Sweden); Engelmark, O. [Umeaa Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Ecological Botany; Sjoeberg, K. [Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences, Umeaa (Sweden). Dept. of Animal Ecology

1999-07-01

This report presents an analysis of the ecological consequences of forestry with Canadian lodgepole pine introduced into Sweden. The report includes a compilation of present knowledge in the area, research priorities, and proposed measures for dealing with the negative environmental consequences that could arise. The point of departure of the analysis is a description of the properties of lodgepole pine, including species-specific characteristics of the tree, and changes in stand environment and silvicultural management practices that can be expected. The report describes the dispersal capacity of lodgepole pine in its new Swedish environment and the effects of host-parasite interactions. Thereafter, ecological effects on the capacity of the soil for sustainable production and on biological diversity at various scales (tree, stand, landscape) are analysed. Lodgepole pine forestry is also considered in relation to current laws and regulations as well as national and international environmental goals. At the end of the report, a strategy is proposed for handling the inevitable uncertainties associated with the introduction of exotic species.

Reducing the energy consumption of an earth–air heat exchanger with a PID control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diaz-Mendez, S.E.; Patiño-Carachure, C.; Herrera-Castillo, J.A.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • The application of control actions to green technologies has been simulated. • Energy consumption of green technologies can be reduced even more. • The efficiency of green technologies can be raised. • Environmental concerns can be diminished. • The sustainability of the planet can be increased. - Abstract: Reducing environmental emissions is one of the challenges that human being has to overcome. It can only be reached with a proper energetic efficiency and management of the processes that exist in the society nowadays. Several academic works have mentioned that raising the efficiency of a process it also increases sustainability and in turn decreases the environmental impact. One process that requires much attention is the cooling and heating of buildings; this process contributes to the major part of the electric bill, in particular, if a conventional and old air conditioning is used as commonly occurs in many countries. In recent years there have been developed new alternatives that are used in few countries, such as the earth–air heat exchanger, where air is passed through a heat exchanger buried a few meters below the ground. The heat exchanger takes advantage of the well-known difference between the temperature of the surrounding air and the temperature of the ground for cooling or heating the air that is subsequently injected into the buildings. This process requires less energy, then in the present work is thought that a PID (Proportional, Integral and Derivative) controller can be applied to an earth–air heat exchanger to reduce even more the energy consumption. Therefore, a simulation of a thermodynamic model of an earth–air heat exchanger was done and used along with a PID controller, to estimate savings in energy consumption. The results show that the energy consumption can be reduced up to 87% with the PID control, hence the efficiency of the process is increased as well as the sustainability of the planet and thus the

Realist review of policy intervention studies aimed at reducing exposures to environmental hazards in the United States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dorie E. Apollonio

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Exposure to pollution is a significant risk to human health. However few studies have attempted to identify the types of policy interventions that can reduce the health risks of pollution exposure in the United States. The study objective was to conduct a realist review of policy interventions conducted or aimed at reducing chemical exposures in humans or the environment where exposure was measured. Methods A systematic literature search identified published articles that assessed policy interventions using exposure data. Two coders independently extracted data from the studies, assessing methods, context, details of interventions, outcomes, and risks of bias. Data were analyzed iteratively and manually to identify the most effective and transferrable types of interventions. The reasons for variability in the success of different interventions were explored. Results The review found that regulatory interventions that eliminate point sources of pollution appeared to reduce exposure to environmental hazards. Regular monitoring to provide environmental and human exposure data helped assess compliance with the regulatory standards. Educational and economic interventions were less successful. Conclusions Although some types of regulatory interventions appear to reduce exposures, our findings are limited by the nature of existing interventions, the weaknesses of the study designs used in the literature, and the lack of details on implementation. Information on contextual factors that influence implementation would assist with future reviews and could help identify effective interventions.

Recommended protocol for standardization in collecting and interpreting radiological environmental data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Denham, D.H.; Kathren, R.L.

1989-02-01

Current reductions in ''allowable'' levels of radiation and radioactive materials in the environment and an increased public awareness of naturally occurring radioactive materials have reinforced the need for consistency in evaluating the radiological environment. A key concern is the identification and interpretation of environmental levels of radiation and radioactive materials resulting from nuclear facility operations. If these levels can be detected and their source(s) identified, then corrective actions can be taken to eliminate or greatly reduce the environmental impacts of the facility operations. In this paper we address the lack of definitive guidance necessary to determine incremental levels of significance (or insignificance), and we propose a series of protocols to achieve more consistent collection and interpretation of radiological environmental data. 8 refs

Environmental remote sensing for the petroleum industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, R.N.

1991-01-01

Remote sensing techniques developed for exploration programs can often be used to address environmental issues facing the petroleum industry. While this industry becomes increasingly more environmentally conscious, budgets remain tight, requiring any technology used in environmental applications to be cost effective, widely available and reliable. In this paper a three-fold analysis of environmental issues facing the petroleum industry concludes: major areas of concern included environmental mapping natural habitats, surface cover, change through time, pollution monitoring (hazardous wastes, oil seeps and spills on and offshore), earth hazards assessment, baseline studies, facilities sitting and crisis response. options matrices were developed plotting current and near future RS technology vs environmental concerns, and each sensor/platform combination subjectively evaluated to determine which combination could best address the problem. While presently available RS technology (both airborne and spaceborne) has significant capability toward environmental mapping, hazards detection and other concerns, the anticipated launches of ERS-1, JERS-1, Landsat-6 and other systems will provide environmentally useful data available today only from relatively expensive and local airborne surveys. Low altitude airborne surveys and ground/sea truth will continue to be critical to any quantitative studies

Food transport refrigeration - Approaches to reduce energy consumption and environmental impacts of road transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tassou, S.A.; De-Lille, G.; Ge, Y.T.

2009-01-01

Food transport refrigeration is a critical link in the food chain not only in terms of maintaining the temperature integrity of the transported products but also its impact on energy consumption and CO 2 emissions. This paper provides a review of (a) current approaches in road food transport refrigeration, (b) estimates of their environmental impacts, and (c) research on the development and application of alternative technologies to vapour compression refrigeration systems that have the potential to reduce the overall energy consumption and environmental impacts. The review and analysis indicate that greenhouse gas emissions from conventional diesel engine driven vapour compression refrigeration systems commonly employed in food transport refrigeration can be as high as 40% of the greenhouse gas emissions from the vehicle's engine. For articulated vehicles over 33 ton, which are responsible for over 80% of refrigerated food transportation in the UK, the reject heat available form the engine is sufficient to drive sorption refrigeration systems and satisfy most of the refrigeration requirements of the vehicle. Other promising technologies that can lead to a reduction in CO 2 emissions are air cycle refrigeration and hybrid systems in which conventional refrigeration technologies are integrated with thermal energy storage. For these systems, however, to effectively compete with diesel driven vapour compression systems, further research and development work is needed to improve their efficiency and reduce their weight

Sustainable energy, environmental and agricultural policies in Turkey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaygusuz, Kamil

2010-01-01

Turkey's demand for energy and electricity is increasing rapidly and heavily dependent on expensive imported energy resources that place a big burden on the economy and air pollution is becoming a great environmental concern in the country. As would be expected, the rapid expansion of energy production and consumption has brought with it a wide range of environmental issues at the local, regional and global levels. With respect to global environmental issues, Turkey's carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions have grown along with its energy-consumption. States have played a leading role in protecting the environment by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). In this regard, renewable energy resources appear to be the one of the most efficient and effective solutions for clean and sustainable energy development in Turkey. Turkey's geographical location has several advantages for extensive use of most of these renewable energy sources.

Reducing environmental burdens of solid-state lighting through end-of-life design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hendrickson, C T; Matthews, D H; Ashe, M; Jaramillo, P; McMichael, F C

2010-01-01

With 20% of US electricity used for lighting, energy efficient solid-state lighting technology could have significant benefits. While energy efficiency in use is important, the life cycle cost, energy and environmental impacts of light-emitting diode (LED) solid-state lighting could be reduced by reusing, remanufacturing or recycling components of the end products. Design decisions at this time for the nascent technology can reduce material and manufacturing burdens by considering the ease of disassembly, potential for remanufacturing, and recovery of parts and materials for reuse and recycling. We use teardowns of three commercial solid-state lighting products designed to fit in conventional Edison light bulb sockets to analyze potential end-of-life reuse strategies for solid-state lighting and recommend strategies for the industry. Current lamp designs would benefit from standardization of part connections to facilitate disassembly and remanufacturing of components, and fewer material types in structural pieces to maximize homogeneous materials recovery. The lighting industry should also start now to develop an effective product take-back system for collecting future end-of-life products.

Reducing environmental burdens of solid-state lighting through end-of-life design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hendrickson, C T; Matthews, D H; Ashe, M; Jaramillo, P; McMichael, F C, E-mail: cth@cmu.ed [Green Design Institute, Carnegie Mellon University (United States)

2010-01-15

With 20% of US electricity used for lighting, energy efficient solid-state lighting technology could have significant benefits. While energy efficiency in use is important, the life cycle cost, energy and environmental impacts of light-emitting diode (LED) solid-state lighting could be reduced by reusing, remanufacturing or recycling components of the end products. Design decisions at this time for the nascent technology can reduce material and manufacturing burdens by considering the ease of disassembly, potential for remanufacturing, and recovery of parts and materials for reuse and recycling. We use teardowns of three commercial solid-state lighting products designed to fit in conventional Edison light bulb sockets to analyze potential end-of-life reuse strategies for solid-state lighting and recommend strategies for the industry. Current lamp designs would benefit from standardization of part connections to facilitate disassembly and remanufacturing of components, and fewer material types in structural pieces to maximize homogeneous materials recovery. The lighting industry should also start now to develop an effective product take-back system for collecting future end-of-life products.

Response planning and environmental risk analysis, state of Alaska

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gundlach, E.R.; Marben, G.M.

1993-01-01

Under the sponsorship of the Alaska Dept. of Environmental Conservation (ADEC), a multitasked study was undertaken to determine the relative risk of noncrude oil transport (including marine and freshwater), the status of spill response capability in the state, and the need and most appropriate locations for siting spill response deposits. The project used multidisciplinary transport and environmental data analyzed in a geographic information system (GIS) to enable various scenarios and data changes to be easily visualized. The evaluation concerned (a) designation of significant environmental risk areas, (b) environmentally sensitive areas and fish and wildlife likely to be affected, (c) the level of response capability appropriate for protecting the environment, (d) the adequacy of current capabilities for noncrude vessels, (e) the feasibility of establishing one or more response cooperatives for use by multiple carriers, and (f) other steps that could be taken to reduce the risk of a spill and facilitate control and cleanup

Student's Environmental Literacy Profile Of Adiwiyata Green School In Surakarta, Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hephi Meilinda

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Environmental literacy refers to the knowledge of the mechanism of how the nature works and the roles of human to preserve the nature sustainably. The dynamic relation between human and environment can be seen from the life interaction along with all the components. One characteristic of society that has environmental literacy is highly concerned with environmental. This research aims to analyze students’ environmental literacy in Adiwiyata Green School in Surakarta. Environmental literacy covers some components including environmental knowledge, attitude, and environmental concern.This research was developed through descriptive qualitative design to obtain data by employing classroom observation and questionnaire based on environmental literacy to the students in Adiwiyata Green School in Surakarta. The research finding shows that (1 students’ environmental literacy in Adiwiyata Green School in Surakarta is categorized as low level. Data obtained from the instrument are 77,38% for environmental knowledge, 59,50% for attitude, 70,12% for environmental concern. The average percentage for all components is 68,97%. Based on the finding, it can be concluded that the environmental literacy is still low. It can be seen from (1 knowledge and concern aspects are higher than attitude aspect, (2 attitude aspect contains two components which are anti anthropocentrism and anti-exemptionalism, so that it is necessarily to increase students’ concern toward the environment.

Domestic hygienic legislation concerning population radiation protection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marej, A.N.

1984-01-01

Problems and principles of domestic sanitary legislation, concerning population radiation protection, are considered. The legislation envisages preventive measures, directed to contamination preventation of the main environmental objects, it regulates their content in the objects, their human intake and ionizing radiation doses, which might affect population. Existing domestic hygienic guides and safety standards for personnel and population are enumerated and characterized

Triggers and Barriers to Innovation in the Danish Textile Sector: the Shaping of Concerns for Environment and Work Environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Michael Søgaard; Forman, Marianne; Hansen, Anne Grethe

2003-01-01

of these mechanisms. The case studies point to the importance of customer demand, regulation and potentially indirect demand for greening activities. The analysis shows the co-construction of environmental concerns and demands, companies’ environmental practices and technological developments, and their stabilisation...... environmental consequences of textile production and consumption hardly addressed by company initiatives or governmental environmental policy.......On the background of ten case studies of greening activities within the textile sector, the mechanisms of emergence and stabilisation of environmental and work environmental concerns and practices are analysed. The role of and the impact on the product chain relations are analysed as part...

Modelling categorical data to identify factors influencing concern for the natural environment in Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Parizanganeh, Abdolhossein; Lakhan, V Chris; Yazdani, Mahmoud; Ahmad, Sajid R

2011-10-01

Loglinear modelling techniques were used to identify the interactions and interrelationships underlying categorical environmental concern data collected from 9062 respondents in Iran. After fitting various loglinear models to the data, the most parsimonious model highlighted that a combination of interacting factors, namely educational attainment, age, gender, and residential location were responsible for influencing personal concern for the environment. Although high educational attainment had a close correspondence with high concern for the environment the loglinear results, when visualized with a geographical information system, demonstrated wide spatial variations in educational attainment and concern for the environment. Nearly two-thirds of the respondents were not highly educated, and were therefore not highly concerned for the environment. The finding that both rural and urban male and female respondents in the 15-24 years age category, with 10-12 years of education, had the strongest interaction with personal concern for the environment could be beneficial for policy planners to utilize education as the primary instrument to enhance environmental governance and prospects for sustainable development. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Entry Facilitation by Environmental Groups

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Made, Allard; Schoonbeek, Lambert

We consider a model of vertical product differentiation where consumers care about the environmental damage their consumption causes. An environmental group is capable of increasing consumers' environmental concern via a costly campaign. We show that the prospect of such a campaign can induce entry

Decision making with environmental indices

Science.gov (United States)

Hoag, Dana L.; Ascough, James C.; Keske-Handley, C.; Koontz, Lynne; Burk, A.R.

2005-01-01

Since Ott's seminal book on environmental indices (1978), the use of indices has expanded into several natural resource disciplines, including ecological studies, environmental policymaking, and agricultural economics. However, despite their increasing use in natural resource disciplines, researchers and public decision makers continue to express concern about validity of these instruments to capture and communicate multidimensional, and sometimes disparate, characteristics of research data and stakeholder interests. Our purpose is to demonstrate how useful indices can be for communicating environmental information to decision makers. We discuss how environmental indices have evolved over four stages: 1) simple; 2) compound multicriteria; 3) the impact matrix and 4) disparate stakeholder management. We provide examples of simple and compound indices that were used by policy decision makers. We then build a framework, called an Impact Matrix (IM), that comprehensively accounts for multiple indices but lets the user decide how to integrate them. The IM was shaped from the concept of a financial risk payoff matrix and applied to ecosystem risk. While the IM offers flexibility, it does not address stakeholder preferences about which index to use. Therefore, the last phase in our evolutionary ladder includes stakeholder indices to specifically address disparate stakeholder preferences. Finally, we assert that an environmental index has the potential to increase resource efficiency, since the number of decision making resources may be reduced, and hence improve upon resource productivity

The Relationship between Environmental Moral Reasoning and Environmental Attitudes of Pre-Service Science Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Tuncay, Busra; Yilmaz-Tuzun, Ozgul; Tuncer-Teksoz, Gaye

2011-01-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between environmental moral reasoning patterns and environmental attitudes of 120 pre-service science teachers. Content analysis was carried out on participants' written statements regarding their concerns about the presented environmental problems and the statements were labeled as…

Reducing the global environmental impacts of rapid infrastructure expansion

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Laurance, William F.; Peletier-Jellema, Anna; Geenen, Bart; Koster, Harko; Verweij, Pita|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/145431843; Van Dijck, Pitou; Lovejoy, Thomas E.; Schleicher, Judith; Van Kuijk, Marijke|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/304834319

2015-01-01

Infrastructures, such as roads, mines, and hydroelectric dams, are proliferating explosively. Often, this has serious direct and indirect environmental impacts. We highlight nine issues that should be considered by project proponents to better evaluate and limit the environmental risks of such

Can environmental purchasing reduce mercury in U.S. health care?

OpenAIRE

Eagan, Patrick D; Kaiser, Barb

2002-01-01

Environmental purchasing represents an innovative approach to mercury control for the health care sector in the United States. The U.S. health care sector creates significant environmental impacts, including the release of toxic substances such as mercury. Our goal in this study was to provide the health care industry with a method of identifying the environmental impacts associated with the products they use. The Health Care Environmental Purchasing Tool (HCEPT) was developed and tested at n...

Use of Remote Technology in the Surface Water Environmental Monitoring Program at SRS Reducing Measurements in the Field - 13336

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eddy, T.; Terry, B.; Meyer, A.; Hall, J.; Allen, P.; Hughey, D.; Hartley, T.

2013-01-01

There are a wide range of sensor and remote technology applications available for use in environmental monitoring programs. Each application has its own set of limitations and can be challenging when attempting to utilize it under diverse environmental field conditions. The Savannah River Site Environmental Monitoring Program has implemented several remote sensing and surface water flow technologies that have increased the quality of the data while reducing the number of field measurements. Implementation of this technology reduced the field time for personnel that commute across the Savannah River Site (SRS) over a span of 310 square miles. The wireless surface water flow technology allows for immediate notification of changing field conditions or equipment failure thus reducing data-loss or erroneous field data and improving data-quality. This wireless flow technology uses the stage-to-flow methodology coupled with implementation of a robust highly accurate Acoustic Doppler Profiler system for measuring discharge under various field conditions. Savings for implementation of the wireless flow application and Flowlink R technology equates to approximately 1175 hours annually for the radiological liquid effluent and surveillance programs. The SonTek River Suveyor and Flowtracker technologies are utilized for calibration of the wireless flow monitoring devices in the site streams and validation of effluent flows at the SRS. Implementation of similar wireless devices is also planned in the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Storm-water Monitoring Program. SRS personnel have been developing a unique flow actuator device. This device activates an ISCO TM automated sampler under flowing conditions at storm-water outfall locations across the site. This technology is unique in that it was designed to be used under field conditions with rapid changes in flow and sedimentation where traditional actuators have been unsuccessful in tripping the automated

A method for reducing environmental pollution by using essential oils in rodent pest management program.

Science.gov (United States)

Jokić, Goran; Blažić, Tanja; Đurović-Pejčev, Rada; Đorđević, Tijana; Đedović, Suzana; Vukša, Marina

2017-08-01

Strong-smelling plant extracts, such as essential oils, have a variety of feeding effects on mammals. Considering current concerns over long-term health issues and environmental effects of chemicals, plant-based products with repellent or antifungal activities may represent good solutions for improvement of rodent pest control programs. The present study was therefore focused on examining the effects of bergamot, lavender, and thyme essential oils as additional bait components on daily intakes of cereal-based baits by wild house mice. Lavender essential oil, containing linalool and linalyl acetate as main components, and thyme essential oil with a prevailing thymol component had no effects on house mice diet. Bergamot essential oil, whose main components were linalool, limonene, and linalyl acetate, showed a repellent effect on house mouse diet.

Environmental justice and environmental inequalities: A European perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laurent, Eloi

2010-03-01

In this paper, I highlight a pressing issue facing current and future social policies in the EU: the articulation between social justice and environmental concerns. European social policies have only recently acknowledged the need to integrate the notions of environmental justice and environmental inequalities, which have been part of the US policy arsenal for almost two decades. Indeed, challenges to equality and fairness in the environmental domain are many and growing in Europe. After having defined environmental justice and environmental inequalities in the light of historical developments and recent literature, I address two dimensions of those challenges for the EU: vulnerability and exposure to environmental risk; social fairness in environmental taxation. I finally offer some thoughts on the importance of the justice approach to environmental issues in order to conceive legitimate 'socio-ecological policies' able to change in the long run not only behaviours but attitudes of citizens towards the environment. (author)

Environmental Education and Small Business Environmental Activity

Science.gov (United States)

Redmond, Janice; Walker, Beth

2011-01-01

Environmental education is seen as a key driver of small business environmental management, yet little is known about the activities small business owner-managers are undertaking to reduce their environmental impact or in what areas they may need education. Therefore, research that can identify environmental management activities being undertaken…

Decree of the President of the Council of Ministers, 10 August 1988, No. 377, providing for the regulation of environmental compatibility in accordance with Section 6 of Act No. 349 of 8 July 1986 concerning the Ministry of the Environment and regulations in the field of environmental damage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-01-01

This Decree concerns the compatibility of industrial installations and equipment - both public and private - with environmental protection. The Decree entered into force on the day following its publication. It specifies the conditions for performing environmental impact assessments and the information to be provided at the planning stage of the installations involved. Those include nuclear power plants and other reactors. The Decree further provides that facilities for the final storage and disposal of radioactive waste also require an environmental impact assessment. (NEA) [fr

“I Want, Therefore I Am” – Anticipated Upward Mobility Reduces Ingroup Concern

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marion Chipeaux

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Empirical findings suggest that members of socially disadvantaged groups who join a better-valued group through individual achievement tend to express low concern for their disadvantaged ingroup (e.g., denial of collective discrimination, low intent to initiate collective action. In the present research, we investigated whether this tendency occurs solely for individuals who have already engaged in social mobility, or also for individuals who psychologically prepare themselves, that is ‘anticipate’, social mobility. Moreover, we examined the role of group identification in this process. In two studies, we looked at the case of ‘frontier workers’, that is people who cross a national border every day to work in another country where the salaries are higher thereby achieving a better socio-economic status than in their home-country. Study 1 (N = 176 examined attitudes of French nationals (both the socially mobile and the non-mobile and of Swiss nationals toward the non-mobile group. As expected, results showed that the mobile French had more negative attitudes than their non-mobile counterparts, but less negative attitudes than the Swiss. In Study 2 (N = 216, we examined ingroup concern at different stages of the social mobility process by comparing the attitudes of French people who worked in Switzerland (mobile individuals, with those who envisioned (anticipators, or not (non-anticipators, to work in Switzerland. The findings revealed that anticipators’ motivation to get personally involved in collective action for their French ingroup was lower than the non-anticipators’, but higher than the mobile individuals’. Moreover, we found that the decrease in ingroup concern across the different stages of social mobility was accounted for by a lower identification with the inherited ingroup. These findings corroborate the deleterious impact of social mobility on attitudes toward a low-status ingroup, and show that the decrease in ingroup

“I Want, Therefore I Am” – Anticipated Upward Mobility Reduces Ingroup Concern

Science.gov (United States)

Chipeaux, Marion; Kulich, Clara; Iacoviello, Vincenzo; Lorenzi-Cioldi, Fabio

2017-01-01

Empirical findings suggest that members of socially disadvantaged groups who join a better-valued group through individual achievement tend to express low concern for their disadvantaged ingroup (e.g., denial of collective discrimination, low intent to initiate collective action). In the present research, we investigated whether this tendency occurs solely for individuals who have already engaged in social mobility, or also for individuals who psychologically prepare themselves, that is ‘anticipate’, social mobility. Moreover, we examined the role of group identification in this process. In two studies, we looked at the case of ‘frontier workers’, that is people who cross a national border every day to work in another country where the salaries are higher thereby achieving a better socio-economic status than in their home-country. Study 1 (N = 176) examined attitudes of French nationals (both the socially mobile and the non-mobile) and of Swiss nationals toward the non-mobile group. As expected, results showed that the mobile French had more negative attitudes than their non-mobile counterparts, but less negative attitudes than the Swiss. In Study 2 (N = 216), we examined ingroup concern at different stages of the social mobility process by comparing the attitudes of French people who worked in Switzerland (mobile individuals), with those who envisioned (anticipators), or not (non-anticipators), to work in Switzerland. The findings revealed that anticipators’ motivation to get personally involved in collective action for their French ingroup was lower than the non-anticipators’, but higher than the mobile individuals’. Moreover, we found that the decrease in ingroup concern across the different stages of social mobility was accounted for by a lower identification with the inherited ingroup. These findings corroborate the deleterious impact of social mobility on attitudes toward a low-status ingroup, and show that the decrease in ingroup concern

High-speed rail with emerging automobiles and aircraft can reduce environmental impacts in California’s future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chester, Mikhail; Horvath, Arpad

2012-01-01

Sustainable mobility policy for long-distance transportation services should consider emerging automobiles and aircraft as well as infrastructure and supply chain life-cycle effects in the assessment of new high-speed rail systems. Using the California corridor, future automobiles, high-speed rail and aircraft long-distance travel are evaluated, considering emerging fuel-efficient vehicles, new train designs and the possibility that the region will meet renewable electricity goals. An attributional per passenger-kilometer-traveled life-cycle inventory is first developed including vehicle, infrastructure and energy production components. A consequential life-cycle impact assessment is then established to evaluate existing infrastructure expansion against the construction of a new high-speed rail system. The results show that when using the life-cycle assessment framework, greenhouse gas footprints increase significantly and human health and environmental damage potentials may be dominated by indirect and supply chain components. The environmental payback is most sensitive to the number of automobile trips shifted to high-speed rail, and for greenhouse gases is likely to occur in 20–30 years. A high-speed rail system that is deployed with state-of-the-art trains, electricity that has met renewable goals, and in a configuration that endorses high ridership will provide significant environmental benefits over existing modes. Opportunities exist for reducing the long-distance transportation footprint by incentivizing large automobile trip shifts, meeting clean electricity goals and reducing material production effects. (letter)

Political, economic and environmental impacts of biofuels: A review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Demirbas, Ayhan [Sila Science, Trabzon (Turkey)

2009-11-15

Current energy policies address environmental issues including environmentally friendly technologies to increase energy supplies and encourage cleaner, more efficient energy use, and address air pollution, greenhouse effect, global warming, and climate change. The biofuel policy aims to promote the use in transport of fuels made from biomass, as well as other renewable fuels. Biofuels provide the prospect of new economic opportunities for people in rural areas in oil importer and developing countries. The central policy of biofuel concerns job creation, greater efficiency in the general business environment, and protection of the environment. Projections are important tools for long-term planning and policy settings. Renewable energy sources that use indigenous resources have the potential to provide energy services with zero or almost zero emissions of both air pollutants and greenhouse gases. Biofuels are expected to reduce dependence on imported petroleum with associated political and economic vulnerability, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants, and revitalize the economy by increasing demand and prices for agricultural products. (author)

Methodologic frontiers in environmental epidemiology.

OpenAIRE

Rothman, K J

1993-01-01

Environmental epidemiology comprises the epidemiologic study of those environmental factors that are outside the immediate control of the individual. Exposures of interest to environmental epidemiologists include air pollution, water pollution, occupational exposure to physical and chemical agents, as well as psychosocial elements of environmental concern. The main methodologic problem in environmental epidemiology is exposure assessment, a problem that extends through all of epidemiologic re...

Empathic concern drives costly altruism

Science.gov (United States)

FeldmanHall, Oriel; Dalgleish, Tim; Evans, Davy; Mobbs, Dean

2015-01-01

Why do we self-sacrifice to help others in distress? Two competing theories have emerged, one suggesting that prosocial behavior is primarily motivated by feelings of empathic other-oriented concern, the other that we help mainly because we are egoistically focused on reducing our own discomfort. Here we explore the relationship between costly altruism and these two sub-processes of empathy, specifically drawing on the caregiving model to test the theory that trait empathic concern (e.g. general tendency to have sympathy for another) and trait personal distress (e.g. predisposition to experiencing aversive arousal states) may differentially drive altruistic behavior. We find that trait empathic concern – and not trait personal distress – motivates costly altruism, and this relationship is supported by activity in the ventral tegmental area, caudate and subgenual anterior cingulate, key regions for promoting social attachment and caregiving. Together, this data helps identify the behavioral and neural mechanisms motivating costly altruism, while demonstrating that individual differences in empathic concern-related brain responses can predict real prosocial choice. PMID:25462694

Challenging environmental mythology: wrestling Zeus

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Dini, J. W; Lehr, Jay H

2003-01-01

.... At a time when the public can be thoroughly confused between fact and fiction regarding our environmental concerns, this book proposes to challenge our concerns in clear, jargon free language that we can...

The measurement of the environmental concern: A critical review of Riley E. Dunlap's work

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jose Antonio Cerrillo Vidal

2010-03-01

Full Text Available After a promising beginning in the 1970s, environmental sociology faces a series of problems, derived mainly from its inability to link people's environmental behavior with the values they express in surveys (the environmental gap. This stagnation is due to inadequate theoretical and methodological reflection in the discipline. Applying the archaeological method, this article analyzes the work of the environmental sociologist Riley E. Dunlap, a prominent figure and a representative of the crisis of the discipline. Methodological individualism, the preference for the use of surveys of the general population, the lack of a strong theoretical frame, or of attention to structural and historical factors - all these are faults in the work of Dunlap and his followers. It is these faults that are arguably the main causes of the impasse in which environmental sociology now finds itself. 

The social drivers of conservation : social capital, environmental concern and transportation.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-01

What kinds of personal ties to organizations, community and family would be most strongly : associated with pro-environmental behavior, especially within the realm of transportation? : What role do participation in community activities and organizati...

A Canadian perspective on environmental issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emmett, B.

1993-01-01

The leading environmental concerns in Canada are acid rain, ozone depletion, toxic substances, climate change, and biodiversity. These concerns have a number of elements in common, including a need for international actions for their solution, a high degree of scientific complexity, long life cycles from a policy point of view, and large differences in priorities between developing and developed countries. Canadians have favorable attitudes toward sustainable development and expect government and industry to be active in protecting the environment. Canadians also demand and expect a secure supply of competitively priced energy. Although industry may be concerned that incorporating environmental considerations into their business may impede competitiveness, this view is shown to be unsound for the following reasons: productivity is closely linked to a healthy environment; pollution prevention is less costly than cleanup; environmental protection can create new business opportunities; and the market is demanding more environmentally friendly industries. In the energy sector, a number of successful initiatives are under way to integrate environmental considerations into their decision making. The challenge is for industries to go beyond individual activities and build a case for sustainable energy development. The role of government includes informing Canadians about environmental risks and government priorities, ensuring that environmental assessment rules are clear and fair, streamlining regulatory processes, and using a balanced mix of legislation and regulation with market-based approaches to environmental protection

Globalization and new policy concerns

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Daugbjerg, Carsten; Swinbank, Alan

2015-01-01

The transfer of some decision-making authority from the domestic to the supranational arena as a result of the establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995 potentially changed domestic policy dynamics. The WTO agreements reflect the trade policy concerns addressed in the Uruguay...... Round in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This article applies and adapts historical institutionalism to explain how international organizations may constrain and facilitate certain domestic policy options. It demonstrates that, while the WTO legal framework has become more receptive of environmental...

Concerns in Marine Renewable Energy Projects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kramer, Sharon; Previsic, Mirko; Nelson, Peter; Woo, Sheri

2010-06-17

To accelerate the adoption of these emerging marine hydrokinetic technologies, navigational and environmental issues and concerns must be identified and addressed. As hydrokinetic projects move forward, various stakeholders will need to be engaged; one of the key issues that project proponents face as they engage stakeholders is that many conflicting uses and environmental issues are not well-understood. Much of this lack of understanding comes from a limited understanding of the technologies themselves. To address this issue, in September 2008, RE Vision consulting, LLC, was selected by the Department of Energy, under their market acceleration program, to apply a scenario-based assessment approach to the emerging hydrokinetic technology sector. The goal was to improve understanding of potential environmental and navigation impacts of these technologies and focus stakeholders on the critical issues. To meet this goal, the study established baseline scenarios for wave and tidal power conversion at potential future deployment sites. The scenarios captured variations in technical approaches and deployment scales and thus grounded the analysis in realistic constraints. The work conducted under this award provides an important foundation to other market acceleration activities carried out by the DOE and other stakeholders in this sector. The scenarios were then evaluated using a framework developed by H.T. Harvey & Associates to identify and characterize key environmental concerns and uncertainties. In collaboration with PCCI and the U.S. Coast Guard, navigation issues were assessed and guidelines developed to assure the safe operation of these systems. Finally, the work highlights “next steps” to take to continue development and adoption of marine hydrokinetic energy. Throughout the project, close collaboration with device developers, project developers and regulatory stakeholders was pursued to ensure that assumptions and constraints are realistic. Results concur

Concern with the rural environment: urban views on the use of agricultural pesticides and chemicals

Science.gov (United States)

Steve Jacob; A. E. Luloff

1995-01-01

This paper explores the dimensions of agricultural chemical and pesticide concern, and its correlates. Concern was found to be broad, and not limited to food safety, environmentalism, or altruism. Social bases were found to be the best predictors of concern, followed by rural beliefs and attitudes, and rural visitation behavior.

Scorched earth: will environmental risks in China overwhelm its opportunities?

Science.gov (United States)

Economy, Elizabeth; Lieberthal, Kenneth

2007-06-01

Of all the risks of doing business in China, the greatest is the threat posed by environmental degradation. And yet it's barely discussed in corporate boardrooms. This is a serious mistake. Multinationals may be more concerned with intellectual property rights violations, corruption, and potential political instability, but the Chinese government, NGOs, and the Chinese press have been focused squarely on the country's energy shortages, soil erosion, lack of water, and pollution problems, which are so severe they might constrain GDP growth. What's more, the Chinese expect the international community to take the lead in environmental protection. If that doesn't happen, multinationals face clear risks to their operations, their workers' health, and their reputations. In factoring environmental issues into their China strategies, foreign firms need to be both defensive, taking steps to reduce harm, and proactive, investing in environmental protection efforts. Coca-Cola, for example, installed state-of-the-art bottling plants in China that operate with no net loss of water resources. Mattel increased the safety of its Barbie-manufacturing process to protect workers' health. With its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, GE is shrinking its environmental footprint in China; more proactively, GE is working closely with the Chinese government and scientists to develop clean coal, water purification, and water reuse technologies. In considering the value of such efforts, companies can not only factor in reduced risk but also increased opportunity, as they use innovations designed for the Chinese market in the rest of the world. The bottom line: How well multinationals address environmental issues in China will affect their fortunes in one of the most important economies in the world.

The Effects of Mothers' Educational Levels on University Students' Environmental Protection Commitments and Environmental Behaviors

Science.gov (United States)

Saraçli, Sinan; Yilmaz, Veysel; Arslan, Talha

2014-01-01

Problem Statement: The damage caused by recent environmental problems has led to increased environmental concerns and the development of environment-friendly consumption behaviours in almost every society. Environment-friendly consumption involves the consideration of environmental benefits by minimizing any damage done to the environment at all…

Licensing and Environmental Issues of Wave Energy Projects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Neumann, Frank; Tedd, James; Prado, Miguel

2006-01-01

a special standing or facilitated access to operating licenses due to their experimental character, the move of wave energy projects towards commercial applications implies complex procedures for obtaining licenses both with respect to the construction and deployment and operation phases, as well......The major non-technical barrier for large-scale wave energy implementation is the wide range of licensing issues and potential environmental concerns, in addition to significant National/regional differences in licensing procedures and permit requirements. Whereas some pilot plants have had...... as concerning ocean space use and environmental concerns. Despite recent efforts to streamline European EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) in general, potential project developers are far from having a clear view of present and future requirements concerning these barriers on a trans-national level...

Performance evaluation on air pollution reducing facilities and mechanism research on the third-party governance on environmental pollution

Science.gov (United States)

Bingsheng, Xu; Ling, Lin; Jin, Huang; Geng, Wang; Jianhua, Chen; Shuo, Yang; Huiting, Guo

2017-11-01

The paper focuses on developing the operational efficiency of air pollution reducing facilities and the treatment effect of the third-party governance on environmental pollution. Comprehensive analysis method and influence factor analysis are employed to build an evaluation index system by means of discussing major pollution control factors derived from the performance of pollution control equipment operation, environmental protection, technological economy, recourse consumption and manufacturing management. Based on the pattern of environmental pollution control offered by the third-party company, the static games model is further established between the government and the pollution emission firm by considering the whole process of the pollution abatement including investment, construction and operation of the treatment project, which focuses on establishing the policy condition and consequence by discussing the cost and benefit in a short and a long time, respectively. The research results can improve the market access requests of the pollution control equipment and normalize the environmental protection service offered by the third-party company. Moreover, the establishment of the evaluation index system for pollution control equipment and the evaluation mechanism for the third-party governance on environmental pollution has guiding significance on leading environmental protection industry and promoting market-oriented development

USGS Environmental health science strategy: providing environmental health science for a changing world: public review release

Science.gov (United States)

Bright, Patricia R.; Buxton, Herbert T.; Balistrieri, Laurie S.; Barber, Larry B.; Chapelle, Francis H.; Cross, Paul C.; Krabbenhoft, David P.; Plumlee, Geoffrey S.; Sleeman, Jonathan M.; Tillitt, Donald E.; Toccalino, Patricia L.; Winton, James R.

2012-01-01

health science is to contribute scientific information to environmental, natural resource, agricultural, and public-health managers, who use that science to support sound decision making. USGS provides the science to: * Goal 1: Identify, prioritize, and detect contaminants and pathogens of emerging environmental concern. * Goal 2: Reduce the impact of contaminants on the environment, fish, wildlife, and people. * Goal 3: Reduce the impact of pathogens on the environment, fish, wildlife, and people. * Goal 4: Discover the complex interactions and combined effects of exposure to contaminants and pathogens. * Goal 5: Prepare for and respond to environmental impacts and related health threats of natural and anthropogenic disasters. Goals 1 through 4 are intended to provide science to address environmental health threats in a logical order, from informing prevention and preparedness, to supporting systematic management response to environmental health issues. Goal 4 addresses the interaction among contaminants and pathogens, an issue of emerging concern in environmental health science. Goal 5 acknowledges the fact that natural and anthropogenic disasters can cause immediate and prolonged adverse environmental health threats. This strategy proposes that USGS take the following strategic science actions to achieve each of the five goals of this strategy: Goal 1: Identify, prioritize, and detect contaminants and pathogens of emerging environmental concern. * Strategic Science Action 1. - Prioritize contaminants and pathogens of emerging concern to guide research, detection, and management activities. * Strategic Science Action 2. - Conduct surveillance and monitoring to provide early warning of emerging health threats. * Strategic Science Action 3. - Develop approaches and tools that identify vulnerable environmental settings, ecosystems, and species. Goal 2: Reduce the impact of contaminants on the environment, fish, wildlife, and people. * Strategic Science Action 1

Changes in Aleut concerns following the stakeholder-driven Amchitka independent science assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Burger, Joanna; Gochfeld, Michael

2009-08-01

There is widespread agreement that stakeholders should be included in the problem-formulation phase of addressing environment problems and, more recently, there have been attempts to include stakeholders in other phases of environmental research. However, there are few studies that evaluate the effects of including stakeholders in all phases of research aimed at solving environmental problems. Three underground nuclear blasts were detonated on Amchitka Island from 1965 to 1971. Considerable controversy developed when the Department of Energy (DOE) decided to "close" Amchitka. Concerns were voiced by subsistence Aleuts living in the region, resource trustees, and the State of Alaska, among others. This article evaluates perceptions of residents of three Aleutian village before (2003) and after (2005) the Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder Participation's (CRESP) Amchitka Independent Science Assessment (AISA). The CRESP AISA provided technical information on radionuclide levels in biota to inform questions of seafood safety and food chain health. CRESP used the questions asked at public meetings in the Aleut communities of Atka, Nikolski, and Unalaska to evaluate attitudes and perceptions before and after the AISA. Major concerns before the AISA were credibility/trust of CRESP and the DOE, and information about biological methodology of the study. Following the AISA, people were most concerned about health effects and risk reduction, and trust issues with CRESP declined while those for the DOE remained stable. People's relative concerns about radionuclides declined, while their concerns about mercury (not addressed in the AISA) increased, and interest in ecological issues (population changes of local species) and the future (continued biomonitoring) increased from 2003 to 2005. These results suggest that questions posed at public meetings can be used to evaluate changes in attitudes and perceptions following environmental research, and the results are

The Relationship between Environmental Moral Reasoning and Environmental Attitudes of Pre-Service Science Teachers

OpenAIRE

TUNCAY, Busra; YILMAZ-TUZUN, Ozgul; TUNCER-TEKSOZ, Gaye

2011-01-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between environmental moral reasoning patterns and environmental attitudes of 120 pre-service science teachers. Content analysis was carried out on participants’ written statements regarding their concerns about the presented environmental problems and the statements were labeled as ecocentric, anthropocentric, and non-environmental according to their meanings. Then, descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted ...

Low levels of empathic concern predict utilitarian moral judgment.

Science.gov (United States)

Gleichgerrcht, Ezequiel; Young, Liane

2013-01-01

Is it permissible to harm one to save many? Classic moral dilemmas are often defined by the conflict between a putatively rational response to maximize aggregate welfare (i.e., the utilitarian judgment) and an emotional aversion to harm (i.e., the non-utilitarian judgment). Here, we address two questions. First, what specific aspect of emotional responding is relevant for these judgments? Second, is this aspect of emotional responding selectively reduced in utilitarians or enhanced in non-utilitarians? The results reveal a key relationship between moral judgment and empathic concern in particular (i.e., feelings of warmth and compassion in response to someone in distress). Utilitarian participants showed significantly reduced empathic concern on an independent empathy measure. These findings therefore reveal diminished empathic concern in utilitarian moral judges.

Fairness concerns and risk aversion on recycle pricing strategies: Implications for environmentally friendly supply chains

OpenAIRE

He, Jianhong; Zhang, Lei; Lu, Binbin; Li, Lin

2018-01-01

This paper studies the pricing strategy in the closed-loop supply chain with Nash bargaining when considering fairness concerns and risk aversion. Mainly, the authors argue that behavioral factors (i.e., fairness concern and risk aversion) should be introduced into pricing process. They consider three different pricing models: the first is that both manufacturer and retailer have fairness concern; the second is both manufacturer and retailer have risk aversion and the final is manufacturer ha...

International environmental legislation; Internationales Umweltrecht

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Proelss, Alexander (ed.) [Trier Univ. (Germany)

2017-07-01

The book on international environmental legislation includes the following contributions: Development, sources and actors concerning the international environmental legislation, cross-national environmental justice, principles of the international environmental legislation, environmental protection by lawsuit, environmental protection and human right, environmental protection and trading, responsibility and liability, peaceful settlement of disputes, climatic change, preservation and sustainable use of the biodiversity, protection of air and space, oceanic protection, protection of inland waters, protection of the Antarctic and Arctic environment, waste and hazardous materials legislation.

Estimating the health benefit of reducing indoor air pollution in a randomized environmental intervention.

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Roger D; Butz, Arlene M; Hackstadt, Amber J; Williams, D'Ann L; Diette, Gregory B; Breysse, Patrick N; Matsui, Elizabeth C

2015-02-01

Recent intervention studies targeted at reducing indoor air pollution have demonstrated both the ability to improve respiratory health outcomes and to reduce particulate matter (PM) levels in the home. However, these studies generally do not address whether it is the reduction of PM levels specifically that improves respiratory health. In this paper we apply the method of principal stratification to data from a randomized air cleaner intervention designed to reduce indoor PM in homes of children with asthma. We estimate the health benefit of the intervention amongst study subjects who would experience a substantial reduction in PM in response to the intervention. For those subjects we find an increase in symptom-free days that is almost three times as large as the overall intention-to-treat effect. We also explore the presence of treatment effects amongst those subjects whose PM levels would not respond to the air cleaner. This analysis demonstrates the usefulness of principal stratification for environmental intervention trials and its potential for much broader application in this area.

Religion and Environmental Education: Building on Common Ground

Science.gov (United States)

Hitzhusen, Gregory E.

2006-01-01

Environmental educators are beginning to consider how to incorporate religious resources into their curricula. Common concerns about religion pose a challenge for integration, but these concerns are manageable. Reflection on the precursors of environmental citizenship behaviour provides a framework for considering some of the ways that religious…

Enriched Housing Reduces Disease Susceptibility to Co-Infection with Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Virus (PRRSV) and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (A. pleuropneumoniae) in Young Pigs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dixhoorn, van I.D.E.; Reimert, I.; Middelkoop, J.A.; Bolhuis, J.E.; Wisselink, H.J.; Groot Koerkamp, P.W.G.; Kemp, B.; Stockhofe, Norbert

2016-01-01

Until today, anti-microbial drugs have been the therapy of choice to combat bacterial diseases. Resistance against antibiotics is of growing concern in man and animals. Stress, caused by demanding environmental conditions, can reduce immune protection in the host, influencing the onset and outcome

Underlying concerns in land-use conflicts--the role of place-identity in risk perception

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wester-Herber, Misse

2004-04-01

In the last few years, debates over proposed usage of land for high-risk ventures have caused some debate, both in the affected communities as well as among policy makers. It has been recognized by industry and government agencies that the opinion and concerns of the local population has to be considered in order to mediate or reduce conflicts. Usually these concerns tend to focus on issues of health and safety in relation to the risk presented by different projects. It is suggested in this paper that the discussion needs to be expanded, especially if the proposed project can alter the esthetic appearance of the landscape. It is argued in this paper that the local attachment to a specific geographical place, also referred to as place-identity, needs to be included in discussions concerning industrial risks. Research in environmental psychology has suggested that place-identity is vital to a person's identity and that this can be seen through four principles. In this paper, suggestions are made on how these four aspects of identity can be affected in a negative way if changes are made to a landscape by the introduction of a high-risk and stigmatized industrial venture.

Reducing domestic exposure to environmental tobacco smoke: a review of attitudes and behaviours.

Science.gov (United States)

Green, E; Courage, C; Rushton, L

2003-03-01

This paper reviews research on attitudes and behaviours towards environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), with a special focus on child health and the indoor environment. Research needs and ways forward to encourage reductions in domestic ETS levels are discussed. Published material was identified through online literature searches (Medline, Toxline, Cancerlit, Biosis, Embase, Enviroline, Sociological Abstracts, Social Science Citation Index, Academic Index and Psychinfo). The literature search strategy employed search terms such as "passive smoking" or "environmental tobacco smoke" with "attitude" or "awareness" and other synonyms. Additional publications were identified by citation chasing and expert advice. Focusing on the UK, studies that provided survey-derived data about attitudes and behaviours in relation to ETS exposure in the indoor environment were selected for review. Published studies from other countries were also included when they provided information pertinent to this review. Most people are aware of the health risks associated with ETS exposure, and there is a high level of support for smoking restrictions in public places to protect non-smokers from ETS. However, although there is concern among both non-smoking and smoking parents about children and second-hand smoke, many people allow children to be exposed to ETS in the home. The review suggests that traditional health promotion campaigns have had only limited success in encouraging ETS risk reduction measures in the home. Because ETS is a public health priority, particularly in relation to child health, the barriers to the uptake of such measures need to be explored in detail to inform the future promotion of reductions in domestic levels of ETS.

The hydrogen economy urgently needs environmentally sustainable hydroelectricity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goodland, R.

1995-01-01

Only two sources of energy were said to have the capacity to bridge the transition to fully sustainable and renewable energy, namely natural gas and hydro. The argument was made that because of this advantage, both forms will have to be promoted fast, since the transition to sustainable energy is urgent. In so far as natural gas supplies are concerned, it was estimated that they will last for perhaps the next 50 years, whereas hydroelectric potential is practically unlimited. Developing nations could vastly accelerate their development, reduce poverty and approach sustainability by exporting hydro to industrial countries. Similarly, industrial nations switching from fossil fuels to hydrogen could move up the environmental ranking, and significantly help alleviating global pollution and climate risks. Environmental ranking of new energy sources, world reservoirs of hydroelectric power, environmental and social ranking of hydro sites, the environmental impacts of hydro projects, and the concept of environmental sustainability in hydro reservoirs, were summarized. Greater acceptance of the need for sustainable development by the hydro industry was urged, along with more care in selecting hydro development sites with sustainability as a prime objective. 23 refs., 6 figs

Global expertise of the ten-year environmental situation of AREVA N.C.1. part: storage of Bellezane and environmental impact at the level of the Ritord catchment basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

The first step of the expertise of the ten-year environmental assessment of Areva Nc was focused on the storage of mine residues of Bellezane and on the environmental impact of mine exploitation at the level of the Ritord watershed, these two aspects being appeared as a priority as regard to the different concerns and topical. The I.R.S.N. analysis consisted in checking that the impacts associated to the presence of residues are correctly controlled. The specificity of the storage system face to the water control rest on the capacity of water collect that have circulated at the residues contact and on their treatment before release. Concerning the exposure by emission in atmosphere, the characteristics of the roofing, particularly its thickness, allow to reduce significantly the residues contribution to the ambient gamma radiation and radon emission. The measured dose rate appear linked to the radiological content of deads themselves and rocks constituting the surrounding landscape. (N.C.)

Environmental benefits of ethanol

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-11-01

The environmental benefits of ethanol blended fuels in helping to reduce harmful emissions into the atmosphere are discussed. The use of oxygenated fuels such as ethanol is one way of addressing air pollution concerns such as ozone formation. The state of California has legislated stringent automobile emissions standards in an effort to reduce emissions that contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone. Several Canadian cities also record similar hazardous exposures to carbon monoxide, particularly in fall and winter. Using oxygenated fuels such as ethanol, is one way of addressing the issue of air pollution. The net effect of ethanol use is an overall decrease in ozone formation. For example, use of a 10 per cent ethanol blend results in a 25-30 per cent reduction in carbon monoxide emissions by promoting a more complete combustion of the fuel. It also results in a 6-10 per cent reduction of carbon dioxide, and a seven per cent overall decrease in exhaust VOCs (volatile organic compounds). The environmental implications of feedstock production associated with the production of ethanol for fuel was also discussed. One of the Canadian government's initiatives to address the climate change challenge is its FleetWise initiative, in which it has agreed to a phased-in acquisition of alternative fuel vehicles by the year 2005. 9 refs

Sustainable environmental practices used in the post-sales sector for small vehicles: A multi-case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pedro Bôlla Viegas

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Currently, concern for the environment leads companies to be globally concerned about their interaction in their area of operations, which brings the need to adapt, using measures to reduce or even eliminate any environmental impacts from their activities. This article aims to analyze the environmental sustainability practices used in the post-sales sector of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul State. We used descriptive and bibliographic research,, opting for multicase studies on a sample of five dealerships that have headquarters or a branch in this city. Among the main results, it is noteworthy that all the dealers analyzed make use of some sort of sustainable practice, applying methods and tools in their activities. Among such practices is the use of separation boxes, soil impermeability, energy saving, waste sorting, etc. It is necessary to highlight that these sustainable environmental initiatives are adopted among the business activities despite high costs and implementation difficulties

Reducing health care-associated infections by implementing separated environmental cleaning management measures by using disposable wipes of four colors.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Swee Siang; Huang, Cheng Hua; Yang, Chiu Chu; Hsieh, Yi Pei; Kuo, Chen Ni; Chen, Yi Ru; Chen, Li Ching

2018-01-01

Environmental cleaning is a fundamental principle of infection control in health care settings. We determined whether implementing separated environmental cleaning management measures in MICU reduced the density of HAI. We performed a 4-month prospective cohort intervention study between August and December 2013, at the MICU of Cathay General hospital. We arranged a training program for all the cleaning staff regarding separated environmental cleaning management measures by using disposable wipes of four colors to clean the patients' bedside areas, areas at a high risk of contamination, paperwork areas, and public areas. Fifteen high-touch surfaces were selected for cleanliness evaluation by using the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence test. Then data regarding HAI densities in the MICU were collected during the baseline, intervention, and late periods. A total of 120 ATP readings were obtained. The total number of clean high-touch surfaces increased from 13% to 53%, whereas that of unclean high-touch surface decreased from 47% to 20%. The densities of HAI were 14.32‰ and 14.90‰ during the baseline and intervention periods, respectively. The HAI density did not decrease after the intervention period, but it decreased to 9.07‰ during the late period. Implementing separated environmental cleaning management measures by using disposable wipes of four colors effectively improves cleanliness in MICU environments. However, no decrease in HAI density was observed within the study period. Considering that achieving high levels of hand-hygiene adherence is difficult, improving environmental cleaning is a crucial adjunctive measure for reducing the incidence of HAIs.

Sustainability and corporate environmental focus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Henning; Sinding, Knud; Ulhøi, John Parm

1997-01-01

has ranged widely, including different aspects of corporate environmental management, dedicated "green accounting" and "green auditing" and consumer behaviour and "green marketing". Furthermore, this growth has taken place against a background of generally increasing environmental awareness. The paper...... environmental perceptions, driving forces, and corporate responses. The final section discusses the possibility that corporate environmental management, and the many people involved in this area, are less deeply concerned with environmental imperatives than is usually expressed....

Commercial development of environmental technologies for the automotive industry towards a new model of technological innovation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Clark, W.W. II [Office of Planning and Research, Sacramento, CA (United States); Paolucci, E. [Politecnico di Torino University (Italy). Production and Economics Dept.

2001-07-01

Economic importance of environmental issues is increasing, and new technologies are expected to reduce pollution derived both from productive processes and products, with costs that are still unknown. Until now there is still little knowledge concerning the process of technological innovation in this field. What does exist, is outdated due to rapid change in technology. In this paper we analyse the development of Zinc Air Fuel Cells (ZAFC) and their transfer from research laboratories to large mass production. ZAFC are a new environmental technology, proved to have a commercial value, that can be used for building Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV). Although ZAFC performances are higher than traditional lead-acid batteries ones, difficulties in funding ZAFC engineering and moving them from laboratories to production caused some years delay in their diffusion. On the bases of this paradigmatic case, we argue that existing economic and organizational literature concerning technological innovation is not able to fully explain steps followed in developing environmental technologies. Existing models mainly consider adoption problems as due to market uncertainty, weak appropriability regime, lack of a dominant design, and difficulties in reconfiguring organizational routines. Additionally, the following aspects play a fundamental role in developing environmental technologies, pointing out how technological trajectories depend both on exogenous market conditions and endogenous firm competencies: 1 regulations concerning introduction of ZEV create market demand and business development for new technologies; they impose constraints that can be met only by segmenting transportation market at each stage of technology development; 2 each stage of technology development requires alternative forms of division and coordination of innovative labour; upstream and downstream industries are involved in new forms of inter-firm relationships, causing a reconfiguration of product architecture

An interim report to the manager of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant from the Paducah Environmental Advisory Committee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jackson, G.D.

1987-01-01

The Paducah Environmental Advisory Committee was formed as: (1) an outgrowth of other Environmental Advisory Committees already in existence at Oak Ridge and other Martin Marietta Energy Systems plants; (2) a result of public concern following significant nuclear incidents at Bhopal and Chernobyl; (3) a result of the new direction and commitment of the management of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant following contract acquisition by Martin Marietta Energy Systems; and (4) a means of reducing and/or preventing local and/or public concern regarding the activities of and potential risks created by PGDP. This report discusses the following issues and concerns of the Committee arrived at through a series of meetings: (1) groundwater monitoring; (2) long-range tails storage; C-404, scrap yrads, and PCB and TCE cleanup; nuclear criticality plan and alarm systems; documentation of historical data regarding hazardous waste burial grounds; dosimeter badges; and asbestos handling and removal

An interim report to the manager of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant from the Paducah Environmental Advisory Committee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jackson, G.D.

1987-10-01

The Paducah Environmental Advisory Committee was formed as: (1) an outgrowth of other Environmental Advisory Committees already in existence at Oak Ridge and other Martin Marietta Energy Systems plants; (2) a result of public concern following significant nuclear incidents at Bhopal and Chernobyl; (3) a result of the new direction and commitment of the management of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant following contract acquisition by Martin Marietta Energy Systems; and (4) a means of reducing and/or preventing local and/or public concern regarding the activities of and potential risks created by PGDP. This report discusses the following issues and concerns of the Committee arrived at through a series of meetings: (1) groundwater monitoring; (2) long-range tails storage; C-404, scrap yrads, and PCB and TCE cleanup; nuclear criticality plan and alarm systems; documentation of historical data regarding hazardous waste burial grounds; dosimeter badges; and asbestos handling and removal

Comprehensive Environmental Management Process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hjeresen, D.L.; Roybal, S.L.

1994-01-01

This report contains information about Los Alamos National Laboratory's Comprehensive Environmental Management Plan. The topics covered include: waste minimization, waste generation, environmental concerns, public relations of the laboratory, and how this plan will help to answer to the demands of the laboratory as their mission changes

The effectiveness of environmental strategies on noise reduction in a pediatric intensive care unit: creation of single-patient bedrooms and reducing noise sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Kol, Emine; Aydın, Perihan; Dursun, Oguz

2015-07-01

Noise is a substantial problem for both patients and healthcare workers in hospitals. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of environmental strategies (creating single-patient rooms and reducing noise sources) in noise reduction in a pediatric intensive care unit. Noise measurement in the unit was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, measurements aimed at determining the unit's present level of noise were performed over 4 weeks in December 2013. During the month following the first measurement phase, the intensive care unit (ICU) was moved to a new location and noise-reducing strategies were implemented. The second phase, in May 2014, measured noise levels in the newly constructed environment. The noise levels before and after environmental changes were statistically significant at 72.6 dB-A and 56 dB-A, respectively (p noise-reducing strategies can be effective in controlling environmental noise in the ICU. © 2015, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The rise and fall of concern about urban sprawl in the United States: an updated analysis

Science.gov (United States)

David P. Fan; David N. Bengston; Robert S. Potts; Edward G. Goetz

2005-01-01

An indicator of public concern about urban sprawl is presented, based on computer content analysis of public discussion in the news media from 1995 through 2004. More than 50,000 news stories about sprawl were analyzed for expressions of concern. Overall concern about sprawl grew rapidly during the latter half of the 1990s. Concern about the environmental impacts of...

The impact of supply management on environmental performance outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

Tate, Wendy L.; Ellram, Lisa M.; Carter, Craig R.

2004-12-01

Environmentally responsible manufacturing is concerned with minimizing the environmental impact of products from development to end-of-life disposal or remanufacture. Environmental pressures from customers, regulation, legislation and competition have made organizations more aware of the impact that products have on the natural environment. This study focuses on environmental concerns during the early stages of product design. We examine these concerns with a specific focus on the involvement of supply management personnel, inter-organizational supplier relationships and a determination of how environmental issues affect supplier selection and supply base management. The literature on environmental supplier and purchasing involvement in product development and environmental supplier selection criteria and codes of conduct is reviewed. Following this, secondary data from the websites of environmentally proactive organizations will be gathered to examine what type of tracking is used for suppliers. Finally, discussions with proactive organizations will be presented during the conference that explore the role of supply management personnel in capturing, measuring, quantifying and reporting on the environmental costs and benefits associated with its suppliers. This research provides insights into how the involvement of supply management can improve the environmental performance outcomes of an organization.

Food biotechnology: benefits and concerns.

Science.gov (United States)

Falk, Michael C; Chassy, Bruce M; Harlander, Susan K; Hoban, Thomas J; McGloughlin, Martina N; Akhlaghi, Amin R

2002-06-01

Recent advances in agricultural biotechnology have highlighted the need for experimental evidence and sound scientific judgment to assess the benefits and risks to society. Nutrition scientists and other animal biologists need a balanced understanding of the issues to participate in this assessment. To date most modifications to crop plants have benefited producers. Crops have been engineered to decrease pesticide and herbicide usage, protect against stressors, enhance yields and extend shelf life. Beyond the environmental benefits of decreased pesticide and herbicide application, consumers stand to benefit by development of food crops with increased nutritional value, medicinal properties, enhanced taste and esthetic appeal. There remains concern that these benefits come with a cost to the environment or increased risk to the consumer. Most U.S. consumers are not aware of the extent that genetically modified foods have entered the marketplace. Consumer awareness of biotechnology seems to have increased over the last decade, yet most consumers remain confused over the science. Concern over the impact on the safety of the food supply remains low in the United States, but is substantially elevated in Europe. Before a genetically engineered crop is introduced into commerce it must pass regulatory scrutiny by as many as four different federal regulatory bodies to ensure a safe food supply and minimize the risk to the environment. Key areas for more research are evaluation of the nutritional benefits of new crops, further investigation of the environmental impact, and development of better techniques to identify and track genetically engineered products.

Low levels of empathic concern predict utilitarian moral judgment.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ezequiel Gleichgerrcht

Full Text Available Is it permissible to harm one to save many? Classic moral dilemmas are often defined by the conflict between a putatively rational response to maximize aggregate welfare (i.e., the utilitarian judgment and an emotional aversion to harm (i.e., the non-utilitarian judgment. Here, we address two questions. First, what specific aspect of emotional responding is relevant for these judgments? Second, is this aspect of emotional responding selectively reduced in utilitarians or enhanced in non-utilitarians? The results reveal a key relationship between moral judgment and empathic concern in particular (i.e., feelings of warmth and compassion in response to someone in distress. Utilitarian participants showed significantly reduced empathic concern on an independent empathy measure. These findings therefore reveal diminished empathic concern in utilitarian moral judges.

The Role of Environmental Education in Increasing the Awareness of Primary School Students and Reducing Environmental Risks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohsen Hesami Arani

2016-06-01

Conclusion: Schools environmental management plays an important role in preparing students for environmental education that the results of this study showed a significant relationship between education and promotion of students' environmental awareness.

Environmental Assessment of Packaging: The Consumer Point of View

Science.gov (United States)

Van Dam YK

1996-09-01

When marketing environmentally responsible packaged products, the producer is confronted with consumer beliefs concerning the environmental friendliness of packaging materials. When making environmentally conscious packaging decisions, these consumer beliefs should be taken into account alongside the technical guidelines. Dutch consumer perceptions of the environmental friendliness of packaged products are reported and compared with the results of a life-cycle analysis assessment. It is shown that consumers judge environmental friendliness mainly from material and returnability. Furthermore, the consumer perception of the environmental friendliness of packaging material is based on the postconsumption waste, whereas the environmental effects of production are ignored. From the consumer beliefs concerning environmental friendliness implications are deduced for packaging policy and for environmental policy.KEY WORDS: Consumer behavior; Environment; Food; Packaging; Perception; Waste

Nonmarket benefits of reducing environmental effects of potential wildfires in beetle-killed trees: A contingent valuation study

Science.gov (United States)

Maryam Tabatabaei; John B. Loomis; Daniel W. McCollum

2015-01-01

We estimated Colorado households’ nonmarket values for two forest management options for reducing intensity of future wildfires and associated nonmarket environmental effects wildfires. The first policy is the traditional harvesting of pine beetle-killed trees and burning of the slash piles of residual materials on-site. The second involves harvesting but moving the...

Evaluating Environmental Chemistry Textbooks.

Science.gov (United States)

Hites, Ronald A.

2001-01-01

A director of the Indiana University Center for Environmental Science Research reviews textbooks on environmental chemistry. Highlights clear writing, intellectual depth, presence of problem sets covering both the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the material, and full coverage of the topics of concern. Discusses the director's own approach…

Earth Observation from Space - The Issue of Environmental Sustainability

Science.gov (United States)

Durrieu, Sylvie; Nelson, Ross F.

2013-01-01

Remote sensing scientists work under assumptions that should not be taken for granted and should, therefore, be challenged. These assumptions include the following: 1. Space, especially Low Earth Orbit (LEO), will always be available to governmental and commercial space entities that launch Earth remote sensing missions. 2. Space launches are benign with respect to environmental impacts. 3. Minimization of Type 1 error, which provides increased confidence in the experimental outcome, is the best way to assess the significance of environmental change. 4. Large-area remote sensing investigations, i.e. national, continental, global studies, are best done from space. 5. National space missions should trump international, cooperative space missions to ensure national control and distribution of the data products. At best, all of these points are arguable, and in some cases, they're wrong. Development of observational space systems that are compatible with sustainability principles should be a primary concern when Earth remote sensing space systems are envisioned, designed, and launched. The discussion is based on the hypothesis that reducing the environmental impacts of thedata acquisition step,which is at the very beginning of the information streamleading to decision and action, will enhance coherence in the information streamand strengthen the capacity of measurement processes to meet their stated functional goal, i.e. sustainable management of Earth resources. We suggest that unconventional points of view should be adopted and when appropriate, remedial measures considered that could help to reduce the environmental footprint of space remote sensing and of Earth observation and monitoring systems in general. This article discusses these five assumptions inthe contextof sustainablemanagementof Earth's resources. Takingeachassumptioninturn,we find the following: (1) Space debris may limit access to Low Earth Orbit over the next decades. (2) Relatively speaking, given

A System Approach to Environmental Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z. Kostova

2007-09-01

Full Text Available A system approach to environmental education (EE is developed. By making use of it the educators will be able to introduce successfully ecological principles and global environmental problems in the educational system for the development of environmental culture, consciousness and behavior. It embraces a long period of thinking, designing, experimenting and rethinking in the light of the new ideas, concerning humanity-nature relationships. The core of the system approach is represented by environmental consciousness, which is the driving force of environmentally responsible behavior. The system approach is concerned with constructing an innovative model of EE, which consists of three elements: didactical, conceptual and technological and six integrating concepts, uniting the studies of the different school subjects under the global movement for sustainable development. EE is regarded to be an essential part of the education for sustainable development (ESD.

Reducing Uncontrolled Radioactive Sources through Tracking and Training: US Environmental Protection Agency Initiatives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kopsick, D.A., E-mail: kopsick.deborah@epa.gov [US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC (United States)

2011-07-15

The international metal processing industries are very concerned about the importation of scrap metal contaminated with radioactive materials. When radioactive sources fall out of regulatory control, improper handling can cause serious injury and death. There is no one way to address this problem and various US governmental and industry entities have developed radiation source control programmes that function within their authorities. The US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) mission is to protect public health and the environment. To ensure this protection, EPA's approach to orphan sources in scrap metal has focused on regaining control of lost sources and preventing future losses. EPA has accomplished this through a number of avenues including training development, product stewardship, identification of non-radiation source alternatives, physical tagging of sources, field testing of innovative radiation detection instrumentation and development of international best practices. In order to achieve its goal of enhanced control on contaminated scrap metal and orphaned radioactive sources, EPA has forged alliances with the metals industry, other Federal agencies, state governments and the IAEA. (author)

Perceptions of the Concerned Reader: An Analysis of the Subscribers of E/The Environmental Magazine.

Science.gov (United States)

Labbe, Colleen P.; Fortner, Rosanne W.

2001-01-01

Describes a study aimed at determining if 'E/The Environmental Magazine' has met two goals: (1) its subscribers' need for environmental information and (2) its publishers' goal of inspiring environmentally responsible behavior. Results indicate that the level of the magazine's influence varied according to the reader's behavior category.…

Humankind Takes up Environmental Ethics

Science.gov (United States)

Huiying, Xu

2004-01-01

Environmental ethics examines the relationship between human beings and nature from the moral perspective. It is also a kind of ethics arising from a concern with an earth which is on the verge of losing balance. Environmental ethics originated at the end of the 1940s. Since the 1970s, great progress has been made in environmental ethics. This…

Land-cover mapping of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and Coyote Springs, Piute-Eldorado Valley, and Mormon Mesa Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, Clark County, Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, J. LaRue; Damar, Nancy A.; Charlet, David A.; Westenburg, Craig L.

2014-01-01

DigitalGlobe’s QuickBird satellite high-resolution multispectral imagery was classified by using Visual Learning Systems’ Feature Analyst feature extraction software to produce land-cover data sets for the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and the Coyote Springs, Piute-Eldorado Valley, and Mormon Mesa Areas of Critical Environmental Concern in Clark County, Nevada. Over 1,000 vegetation field samples were collected at the stand level. The field samples were classified to the National Vegetation Classification Standard, Version 2 hierarchy at the alliance level and above. Feature extraction models were developed for vegetation on the basis of the spectral and spatial characteristics of selected field samples by using the Feature Analyst hierarchical learning process. Individual model results were merged to create one data set for the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and one for each of the Areas of Critical Environmental Concern. Field sample points and photographs were used to validate and update the data set after model results were merged. Non-vegetation data layers, such as roads and disturbed areas, were delineated from the imagery and added to the final data sets. The resulting land-cover data sets are significantly more detailed than previously were available, both in resolution and in vegetation classes.

The 2010 amendments to the environmental emergency regulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dowdall, E.; Ketcheson, K.; Shrives, J.; Hradecky, K.

2009-01-01

This presentation gave notice of amendments to the Environmental Emergency Regulations, pursuant to section 200 of the 1999 Canadian Environmental Protection Act. At the time of publication, the Regulations required the development and implementation of environmental emergency plans for 174 substances with associated thresholds that, if released to the environment, could harm human health or environmental quality. Substances of concern, including CEPA toxic substances are reviewed regularly by the Environmental Emergencies Division of Environment Canada to determine whether they should be added to the Regulations. An evaluation of substances has been completed and, as a result, 33 new substances have been proposed to be added to the Regulations. Thirty are known CEPA toxics and the other 3 are substances of concern, notably acetic acid, ammonium nitrate and styrene. These substances of concern are considered to pose an unacceptable level of risk from their release and would require environmental emergency planning. This paper also identified the substances from the Chemicals Management Plan that have been evaluated using environmental criteria and have been found to be candidates for possible future addition to the Regulations. The process used to determine regulated threshold quantities was also described. 5 refs., 5 tabs.

The Construction of an Agenda Concerning Gender, Socio-Environmental Disasters, and Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosana de Carvalho Martinelli Freitas

2010-09-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this essay is to discuss issues related to development, socioenvironmental disasters, and gender, which, for being important elements of the public debate in Brazil today, should be addressed in research and public policy strategies. The relationship between gender, class, race/ethnicity and socio-environmental disasters is presented, and key concepts about development, the environment, and equality are examined in the context of recent economic policies. The essay reflects on the condition of women found in a subaltern condition in capitalist society who suffer the consequences of socio-environmental disasters. It concludes with suggestions for including a focus on gender in the preparation of research and action strategies.

Convenience food with environmentally-sustainable attributes: A consumer perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Stranieri, Stefanella; Ricci, Elena Claire; Banterle, Alessandro

2017-09-01

The use of chemicals in agriculture poses risks on both human health and the environment. Regulatory measures, both mandatory and voluntary, have been introduced to promote a reduction in the use of pesticides. The proliferation of such standards is related to the gradual shift of consumer preferences towards food with reduced negative health and environmental impacts. Beside consumer demand for sustainable food products, convenience food is also assuming an increasingly important role in developed countries. Among such products, minimally-processed vegetables are showing a growing positive trend, but their production has also negative effects on the environment. The goal of this study is to investigate the interaction between environmentally-friendly and healthy convenience food, and to investigate the determinants behind the purchase of healthy convenience food products with environmentally-sustainable attributes, focusing on minimally-processed vegetables labelled with voluntary standards related to integrated agriculture. To do so, we started from the Theory of Planned Behaviour and tested the efficacy of an extended model by considering also other variables which were found to affect significantly food choices. Data were collected by means of face-to-face interviews with 550 consumers in charge of grocery shopping in the metropolitan area of Milan, in northern Italy. Structural equation modelling was performed to analyse the relative importance of the constructs on consumer behaviour. Results confirm the relations of Ajzen's theory and reveal positive relations with consumer food shopping habits, food-related environmental behaviour, gender, income and knowledge. A negative relation with agricultural practices concern also emerges, highlighting that the most concerned consumers may prefer other more stringent environmental certifications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Priming performance-related concerns induces task-related mind-wandering.

Science.gov (United States)

Jordano, Megan L; Touron, Dayna R

2017-10-01

Two experiments tested the hypothesis that priming of performance-related concerns would (1) increase the frequency of task-related mind-wandering (i.e., task-related interference; TRI) and (2) decrease task performance. In each experiment, sixty female participants completed an operation span task (OSPAN) containing thought content probes. The task was framed as a math task for those in a condition primed for math-related stereotype threat and as a memory task for those in a control condition. In both studies, women whose performance-related concerns were primed via stereotype threat reported more TRI than women in the control. The second experiment used a more challenging OSPAN task and stereotype primed women also had lower math accuracy than controls. These results support the "control failures×current concerns" framework of mind-wandering, which posits that the degree to which the environmental context triggers personal concerns influences both mind-wandering frequency and content. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cost-benefit analysis for design of environmentally conscious manufacturing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matysiak, L.M.

1993-01-01

In recent years, much attention has been focused on reducing the environmental impacts of products and manufacturing processes. Concerned about rising compliance costs and stringent regulatory requirements, companies are carefully evaluating the environmental impacts of their products. In response, designers, engineers, and managers are beginning to use life-cycle analysis, design for environment techniques, and environmentally conscious manufacturing (ECM) as tools to help them to not only do what is best for the environment, but also to do what is best for their company. These tools are also a useful aid in evaluating the trade-offs that may exist between different product and process alternatives. However, how does one choose the optimal solution from these various product and process alternatives? Cost versus benefit analysis is an effective tool that can be used to evaluate various manufacturing alternatives and to choose a solution that is both cost effective and environmentally compatible. Many companies are beginning to use cost benefit analyses as a means to justify product or process modifications that result in a benefit to the environment

The Role of Environmental Factors on Sleep Patterns and School Performance in Adolescents

OpenAIRE

Dimitriou, Dagmara; Le Cornu Knight, Frances; Milton, Patrick

2015-01-01

Background: Modern life, with its many distractions, is seeing sleep quantity and quality decline during adolescence. This is a concern as research persuasively demonstrates the negative impact of reduced sleep on academic achievement, both in terms of learning and behavior. Aims: This study examined the relationship between sleep and school functioning in adolescence, with a focus on environmental factors that might mediate this relationship. Sample and Method: Forty-seven adolescents ...

Environmental Impact Analysis Process. Final Environmental Assessment Construction and Operation of Revised PACBAR III Radar Station Saipan, CNMI

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1987-01-01

...). Many project design features have already incorporated environmental concerns. In addition, discussions with Saipan environmental agencies have resulted in mitigation measures, which have been added to the design...

Environmental and safety issues of the fusion fuel cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crocker, J.G.

1980-01-01

This paper discusses the environmental and safety concerns inherent in the development of fusion energy, and the current Department of Energy programs seeking to: (1) develop safe and reliable techniques for tritium control; (2) reduce the quantity of activation products produced; and (3) provide designs to limit the potential for accidents that could result in release of radioactive materials. Because of the inherent safety features of fusion and the early start that has been made in safety problem recognition and solution, fusion should be among the lower risk technologies for generation of commercial power

An African Understanding of Environmental Ethics | Ojomo | Thought ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Global concerns about the current environmental crisis have culminated in some controversial environmental ethical theories, among which are normative environmental ethics, sentientist ethics, biocentric ethics, ecocentric ethics and eco-feminist ethics. One of the underlying features connecting these environmental ...

Environmental issues and wastes