Are EMS environmentally effective? The link between environmental management systems and environmental performance in European companies

Based on the analysis of a large dataset on the environmental performance of European companies in five industrial sectors, this paper examines the question of whether the presence of an environmental management system (EMS) has a positive impact on the eco-efficiency of companies. It begins with a review of evidence about the link between EMS and environmental performance in business organisations, finding that, despite much research, there is still little quantitative evidence. The second part of the paper uses three independent statistical methods (simple correlations, Jaggi-Freedman indices and a ‘trend differences’ approach) to assess whether companies and production sites with EMS perform better than those without and whether performance improves after an EMS has been introduced. The paper shows that there is currently no evidence that EMS have a consistent and significant positive impact on environmental performance. Policy action based on the simple assumption that companies with an EMS perform better than those without therefore seems inappropriate.     

Longevity of subitaneous and diapause eggs of Centropages hamatus (Copepoda: Calanoida) from the northern Gulf of Mexico

Copepod resting eggs are abundant in the seabed of many bays and estuaries where they provide a potential source of recruits for growth of planktonic populations. In the northeastern Gulf of Mexico the copepod Centropages hamatus (Lillejeborg) occurs in the water column only during the late fall, winter and early spring. The species produces subitaneous and diapause eggs, and both egg types have been found in the seabed. We determined the longevity of these two egg types to ascertain their potential for contributing to the growth of the planktonic population and for sustaining a persistent egg bank. Eggs were collected from females and incubated in the laboratory under temperature and oxygen conditions chosen to simulate field conditions. The diapause eggs were also exposed to sulfide. The total hatching success of subitaneous eggs in two experiments declined from highs of 78 and 97% to zero after 60 and 90 d of exposure to anoxia. The total hatching success of diapause eggs that were exposed to anoxia for 90 d however was typically greater than 80%. Some diapause eggs hatched after being incubated under anoxia for 437 d. Diapause eggs survived longer at ambient field temperatures when incubated under anoxia (437 d) compared to normoxia (118 d). Exposure to sulfide did not result in greater mortality of diapause eggs compared to anoxia alone. Diapause eggs that were incubated at ambient field temperatures did not hatch when exposed to normoxia until the temperature dropped to <20 °C. The results of this study suggest that C.␣hamatus sustain a short-term reserve of subitaneous eggs in the seabed that provides recruits for the current year's population. The greater longevity of diapause eggs suggests that they sustain the seasonal reappearance of the species year after year in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. However, the contribution of diapause eggs of C. hamatus from the Gulf of Mexico to a persistent egg bank is questionable since hatching ceased after 437 d. Received: 30 July 1997 / Accepted: 18 January 1998     

Effects of three pesticides on the avoidance behavior of earthworms in laboratory tests performed under temperate and tropical conditions

Little research has been performed on the impact of pesticides on earthworms under tropical conditions. Taking into consideration the often-limited resources in tropical countries, simple screening tests are needed. Therefore, it was investigated whether three pesticides relevant for the Brazilian Amazon (benomyl, carbendazim, lambda-cyhalothrin) affect the avoidance behavior of the earthworm Eisenia fetida. The tests were performed for two days according to ISO guideline 17512 but were adapted to tropical conditions (i.e. test substrate, test organism and temperature). The results indicate that this test gives reproducible and reliable results. Toxicity values (NOEC, EC50) are lower than those determined in 14 day-acute mortality tests and are approximately in the same range such as those found in 56 day-chronic reproduction tests with the same earthworm species, which were performed in parallel. Therefore, the use of the earthworm avoidance tests is recommended as a screening tool for the risk assessment of pesticides.     

Flexible and robust strategies for waste management in Sweden

Treatment of solid waste continues to be on the political agenda. Waste disposal issues are often viewed from an environmental perspective, but economic and social aspects also need to be considered when deciding on waste strategies and policy instruments. The aim of this paper is to suggest flexible and robust strategies for waste management in Sweden, and to discuss different policy instruments. Emphasis is on environmental aspects, but social and economic aspects are also considered. The results show that most waste treatment methods have a role to play in a robust and flexible integrated waste management system, and that the waste hierarchy is valid as a rule of thumb from an environmental perspective. A review of social aspects shows that there is a general willingness among people to source separate wastes. A package of policy instruments can include landfill tax, an incineration tax which is differentiated with respect to the content of fossil fuels and a weight based incineration tax, as well as support to the use of biogas and recycled materials.     

Effects of anoxia on the viability of subitaneous eggs of planktonic copepods

The effect of anoxia on the viability (as evidenced by hatching) of newly spawned and fully developed subitaneous eggs of three species of copepods, Acartia tonsa (Dana), Centropages hamatus (Lilljeborg), and Labidocera aestiva (Wheeler) was determined for eggs produced in the laboratory by adults collected from inshore waters of the northeastern Gulf of Mexico between January and August 1992. Hatching success decreased to 50% or less when eggs were exposed to oxygen concentrations <0.06 mll^-1 for more than 12 d, except for newly spawned eggs of L. aestiva, which still showed 50% survival after 32 d of exposure to anoxia. For all three species, newly spawned eggs survived exposure to anoxia longer than fully developed eggs. The results indicate that the increasing occurrence of anoxia in estuarine and coastal waters could have a major impact on the population growth of these important food web organisms.     

Light-dependent magnetoreception in birds: interaction of at least two different receptors

Passerine migrants require light from the blue-green part of the spectrum for magnetic compass orientation; under yellow light, they are disoriented. European robins tested under a combination of yellow light and blue or green light showed a change in behavior, no longer preferring their seasonally appropriate migratory direction: in spring as well as in autumn, they preferred southerly headings under blue-and-yellow and northerly headings under green-and-yellow light. This clearly shows that yellow light is not neutral and suggests the involvement of at least two types of receptors in obtaining magnetic compass information, with the specific interaction of these receptors being rather complex.     

Interstitial deletions without phenotypic effect: Prenatal diagnosis of a new family and brief review

A 39-year-old woman (G4P1SAB2) was referred for amniocentesis for advanced maternal age. An interstitial deletion of the G-dark band 11 pi 2 was found in the fetus. Blood from the mother and her previous son was cultured and the same deletion was found in both. The absence of phenotypic effect in this family further confirms that G-dark euchromatic deletions are compatible with a normal phenotype, and underlines the importance of checking familial karyotypes even when apparently unbalanced structural rearrangements are found at prenatal diagnosis.     

Primary productivity and sizes of pools of organic carbon in the mixed layer of the ocean

We estimated primary productivity and distributions of carbon in the phytoplankton, micro-zooplankton, and suspended and dissolved matter in various areas of the World Ocean to increase our information about the organic carbon cycle in the surface layer of the sea. Primary productivity ranged from about 0.1 gC m^–2 day^–1 in the Gulf of Mexico to 9 gC m^–2 day^–1 in nutrient-rich water off Peru. Phytoplankton carbon ranged from less than 10 g/l in the former to 750 g/l in the latter and in nutrient-rich water off southwest Africa. Micro-zooplankton carbon usually was less than 50 g/l in all waters, and was dominated by ciliates, copepodids, and copepod nauplii in all areas. Concentrations of particulate carbon ranged from 12 g/l off the east coast of South America to 850 g/l off southwest Africa. Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon varied between 0.5 and 1.5 mg/l in all areas except off Peru, where maximum values of 4.5 mg/l were observed. Turnover rates of carbon by small standing crops of micro-flagellates (1 to 5 longest dimension) and dinoflagellates in nutrient-poor waters were lower than those by large standing crops of diatoms and micro-flagellates in nutrient-rich waters. Concentrations of phytoplankton usually accounted for 20 to 55% and micro-zooplankton for 2 to 30% of the particulate carbon in the surface layer of the sea. Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon were not related to concentrations of particulate carbon in most waters except off Peru, where they appear to be directly related.