EU sustainable development indicators: An overview

The European Union's commitment to sustainable development at the 1992 Earth Summit resulted in an EU‐wide sustainable development strategy, adopted in Gothenburg in 2001. This article presents an overview of the set of sustainable development indicators (SDIs) recently adopted by the European Commission to monitor, assess and revise the strategy. It provides a critical assessment of the current status of the indicator set, and reviews the main policy trends in the areas of the strategy through a brief analysis of headline indicators, placing energy and climate change issues in a broader perspective. Finally, the article compares the energy SDIs to the recent inter‐agency energy indicators for sustainable development (EISD), underlining their similarities as well as their different priorities and objectives. The article concludes that further research is needed to improve the SDI set and further explore the linkages between themes.     

Aggregation pheromone in Hypogastrura viatica (Collembola)

Summary An animal of the collembolan Hypogastrura viatica isolated on a substrate previously contaminated by individuals of the same species behaves as if it were part of an aggregate. The basic activity decreases by an amount equal to the constant of aggregation. This decrease is due to the response to a stimulus caused by a substance that is discharged onto the substrate by aggregating organisms. This substance seems to be an aggregation pheromone.     

Green supply chain management in the chemical industry: structural framework of drivers

ABSTRACT

The main purpose of Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) is to improve the quality of supply chain management strategies and environmental performance. As per current statistics, the chemical industry is growing fast in Bangladesh. In order to compete for global competition, GSCM is essential in this sector. This paper proposes a systematic approach of structural framework whose aim is to enhance the probability of constructive implementation of GSCM in the field chemical industry in Bangladesh. Therefore, this framework evaluates the appropriate interrelationship along with the drivers of GSCM in the chemical industry. In total, eight drivers were finalized from an associated literature review with the help of survey and by taking expert opinions via the Delphi methodology. In addition to MICMAC analysis, the driving and the dependence powers for all the drivers were determined. Moreover, the structural frameworks for the drivers were developed by means of total interpretive structural modeling (TISM) technique. As a result, the findings indicate that the most significant driver was supplier pressure and willingness and the most important barrier was high cost. Finally, the main objective of this research is expected to help industrial managers to evaluate and understand the critical areas where they should emphasize to implement GSCM in the chemical industry.     

Applying Bayesian networks to evaluate small-scale farmers’ perceptions of native reforestation practices in Brazil’s Caatinga biome

In Brazil’s semi-arid Northeast, most rural dwellers derive income from the dry Caatinga forest through livestock farming, fruit collection, and firewood extraction. However, recurring droughts and inadequate land use practices jeopardize farmers’ livelihoods. The drought-resistant, endemic Umbuzeiro tree provides fruit for direct consumption and allows for the creation of transformed products. The planting of this native species can enhance the well-being of the ecosystem and establish future benefits for smallholdings. However, it is crucial that when taking up innovative practices to cope with environmental change, a willingness to apply them should be fostered among local farmers. We used constellation analysis as a transdisciplinary approach to identify elements of current land management which subsequently defined the nodes of a Bayesian network (BN). We developed probabilities of practice uptake that strengthen success, namely the conservation of natural resources while securing the incomes of smallholders. In collaboration with stakeholders and experts, 25 identified nodes for the BN were tested under various scenarios. Adopting all suggested innovative practices secures the final objectives—ecosystem health and farmer benefits (approx. 90%). The analysis quantified the relevance of single issues that may impede farmers to adopt the practices, such as having to cultivate seedlings or avoiding long-term investments. Further crucial actions include the fencing-off of livestock and marketing pathways. Affordable credit, research, and supportive farmers’ institutions can encourage farmers to implement innovative practices. The use of modeled scenarios can provide evidence, which might encourage sustainable land management.     

Characterizing pesticide sorption and degradation in microscale biopurification systems using column displacement experiments

Biopurification systems treating pesticide contaminated water are very efficient, however they operate as a black box. Processes inside the system are not yet characterized. To optimize the performance, knowledge of degradation and retention processes needs to be generated. Therefore, displacement experiments were carried out for four pesticides (isoproturon, bentazone, metalaxyl, linuron) in columns containing different organic mixtures. Bromide, isoproturon and bentazone breakthrough curves (BTCs) were well described using the convection-dispersion equation (CDE) and a first-order degradation kinetic approach. Metalaxyl and linuron BTCs were well described using the CDE model expanded with Monod-type kinetics. Freundlich sorption, first-order degradation and Monod kinetics coefficients were fitted to the BTCs. Fitted values of the distribution coefficient K_f,column were much lower than those determined from batch experiments. Based on mobility, pesticides were ranked as: bentazone > metalaxyl - isoproturon > linuron. Based on degradability, pesticides were ranked as: linuron > metalaxyl - isoproturon > bentazone.     

Sampling procedure for the foliar analysis of deciduous trees

Sampling can be the source of the greatest errors in the overall results of foliar analysis. This paper reviews the variability in heavy metal concentrations in tree crowns, which is a feature that should be known and understood when designing a suitable leaf sampling procedure. The leaf sampling procedures applied in 75 articles were examined. Most of the environmental studies used a closely related form of the UN/ECE-EC leaf sampling procedure, which was developed for the long-term monitoring of forest condition. Studies with objectives outside the UN/ECE-EC field of application should utilize a sampling procedure that is in accordance with the objectives of the study and based on the observed variation in pilot and similar studies. The inherent sources of heavy metal variability inside the stand, i.e. the crown class, stand management, site properties, crown dimensions, infections, seasons, etc. were discussed, but the underlying causes of this variability are rarely understood. The inherent variability in tree crowns is the reason for using leaf sampling as a tool in pollution studies. The objectives of a pollution study determine which sources of variability are utilized by the researcher.     

Biocatalytic dechlorination of lindane by nano-scale particles of Pd(0) deposited on Shewanella oneidensis

A new approach for the removal of the pesticide lindane (gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane or gamma-HCH) makes use of catalytic reduction of HCH to benzene over a metal catalyst, namely Pd(0). Since specific surface area plays an important role in reactivity of catalysts, this study investigated the use of bioPd(0), i.e. nano-scale Pd(0) particles precipitated on the biomass of Shewanella oneidensis, for the removal of lindane. It was demonstrated that bioPd(0) has catalytic activity towards dechlorination of gamma-HCH, with the addition of formate as electron donor, and that dechlorination with bioPd(0) was more efficient than with commercial powdered Pd(0). The biodegradable compound benzene was formed as reaction product and other HCH isomers could also be dechlorinated. Subsequently bioPd(0) was implemented in a membrane reactor technology for the treatment of gamma-HCH polluted water. In a fed-batch process configuration with formate as electron donor, a removal percentage of 98% of gamma-HCH saturated water (10 mg l(-1)) was achieved within 24h. The measured chloride mass balance approached the theoretical value. The results of this work showed that a complete, efficient and fast removal of lindane was achieved by biocatalysis with bioPd(0).