Carbon footprint: current methods of estimation

Increasing greenhouse gaseous concentration in the atmosphere is perturbing the environment to cause grievous global warming and associated consequences. Following the rule that only measurable is manageable, mensuration of greenhouse gas intensiveness of different products, bodies, and processes is going on worldwide, expressed as their carbon footprints. The methodologies for carbon footprint calculations are still evolving and it is emerging as an important tool for greenhouse gas management. The concept of carbon footprinting has permeated and is being commercialized in all the areas of life and economy, but there is little coherence in definitions and calculations of carbon footprints among the studies. There are disagreements in the selection of gases, and the order of emissions to be covered in footprint calculations. Standards of greenhouse gas accounting are the common resources used in footprint calculations, although there is no mandatory provision of footprint verification. Carbon footprinting is intended to be a tool to guide the relevant emission cuts and verifications, its standardization at international level are therefore necessary. Present review describes the prevailing carbon footprinting methods and raises the related issues.     

Recent trends in microbial nanoparticle synthesis and potential application in environmental technology: a comprehensive review

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Microbial technology comprising environment in various aspects of pollution monitoring, treatment of pollutants, and energy generation has been put...     

Assessing the Impacts of E. coli Laden Streambed Sediment on E. coli Loads over a Range of Flows and Sediment Characteristics

Understanding sediment Escherichia coli levels (i.e., pathogen indicators) and their contribution to the water column during resuspension is critical for predicting in‐stream E. coli levels and the potential risk to human health. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's current water quality testing strategies, however, rely on water borne E. coli concentrations to assess stream E. coli levels and identify impaired waters. In this work, we conducted a scenario analysis using a range of flows, sediment/water bacteria fractions, and particle sizes to which E. coli attach to assess the impact of E. coli in streambed sediments on water column E. coli levels. We used simple sediment transport theory to calculate the potential total E. coli concentrations in a stream with and without the resuspension process. Results clearly indicate that inclusion of resuspending sediment attached E. coli is necessary for watershed assessments and data on sediment attached E. coli concentrations is much needed. When neglecting the streambed sediment E. coli concentrations, the model predicted average E. coli loads of 10⁷ Colony Forming Units (CFU)/s; however, when streambed sediment E. coli concentrations were included in the model, the predictions ranged from 10¹⁰ to 10¹⁴ CFU/s. To evaluate the predictions, E. coli data in the streambed sediment and the water column were monitored in Squaw Creek, Iowa. Comparisons between measured and predicted E. coli loads yielded an R²‐value of 0.85.     

Unravelling the molecular mechanism of mutagenic factors impacting human health

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Environmental mutagens are chemical and physical substances in the environment that has a potential to induce a wide range of mutations and generate...     

Nexus between indigenous ecological knowledge and ecosystem services: a socio-ecological analysis for sustainable ecosystem management

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The well-being of the human society cannot be ensured and sustainable unless the flow of Ecosystem Services (ESs) would be matching with their...     

Utilization of agricultural and industrial waste as replacement of cement in pavement quality concrete: a review

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Over the years, supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) have been successfully utilized in concrete buildings, but they have been rarely exploited...     

Antecedents and consequences of adopting CLTS among tribal communities to become open defecation free: case study on Indian Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The Swachh Bharat Mission undertaken by the Government of India (GoI) has been successful in accomplishing this objective within a short period...