A comparison of sampling techniques and summary indices for assessment of water quality in the Yamaska River,Québec,based on benthic macroinvertebrates

The Yamaska River drainage basin in Quebec, Canada, is intensively farmed and heavily polluted with poorly treated domestic and industrial wastes. We investigated the responses of the resident and colonizing components of the benthic macroinvertebrate community to municipal/industrial versus agricultural pollution in the basin, and evaluated the performances of seven diversity and biotic indices for assessing water quality. Samples of riffle-dwelling, infaunal and colonizing invertebrates were collected from 13 stations representing a wide range of types and degrees of pollution using Surber, scoop and artificial substrate samplers. The data were summarized using the indices S (number of taxa), N (number of individuals), H (Shannon-Wiener's diversity index), D (Simpson's diversity index), BBI (Belgian Biotic Index), TBI (a modification of Hilsenhoff's Biotic Index), % CHIR (percentage of arthropods consisting of Chironomidae) and %OLIGO (percentage of total organisms consisting of Oligochaeta). Different components of the community generated somewhat different assessments and were, therefore, complementary. Community composition, expressed as the percentage of individuals contributed by major taxonomic groups, reflected the kinds of stresses at a station more consistently than did any of the indices. S and TBI came closest to ranking control, agricultural and municipal/industrial sites in accordance with our a priori classification, both between months and among sampling methods. %OLIGO usually separated municipal/industrial sites from control sites. Other indices were found to be less sensitive, accurate or temporally stable, or were otherwise inappropriate for use with certain sampling methods or for certain types of pollution. With most of our samples, all of the summary indices suggested that the impact of agricultural practices on stream ecosystems may be as severe as the impacts of municipal and industrial wastes.     

How should environmental exposure risk be assessed? A comparison of four methods for exposure assessment of air pollutions

Methods commonly used to assess the environmental exposure risk at a location (e.g., proximity models) are usually based on different assumptions, leading to conflicting results and recommendations in epidemiological studies. In this case study, a comparative evaluation of the accuracy levels associated with four commonly used exposure risk estimate models [i.e., traditional proximity model (TPM), emission weighted proximity model (EWPM), the American Meteorological Society/EPA regulatory model (AERMOD), and ordinary kriging interpolation (OKI)] were conducted. Results show that at the annual and the monthly scales, the normalized exposure risk values simulated by AERMOD and EWPM have higher accuracy levels than the simulations from the TPM and OKI methods. However, AERMOD has higher accuracy than that of the EWPM, and this was attributed to the differences of input data. EWPM provided the most accurate simulations when analysts have access to only point emission source data. The results also indicate that the accuracies of the exposure risks simulated by AERMOD and EWPM can be influenced by factors such as the modeling extent, the distance settings, and so forth.     

A methodology for rapid assessment of the environmental status of the shallow aquifer of ��Tavoliere di Puglia�� (Southern Italy)

Anticipating the European Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC), the Italian Government issued Legislative Decree n.152/99 which sets out rules for classifying the environmental status of national water bodies in order to achieve specific qualitative objectives by 2016. The most recent European Groundwater Directive (2006/118/EC), which was only recognized by Italy in early 2009 (Legislative Decree 30/09), requires such resources to be characterized from a qualitative standpoint and the risk of their being polluted by individual pollutants or groups of pollutants to be evaluated. This paper reports a simple methodology, based on easy-to-apply rules, for the rapid classification of groundwater, and the results of its application to the shallow aquifer of the plain of Tavoliere delle Puglie located in south Italy. Data collected during well-water monitoring campaigns carried out from 2002 to 2003 made it possible to assess the environmental status of the Tavoliere which, unfortunately, was found to be characterized by ??significant anthropic pressures on quality and/or quantity of groundwater and necessitating specific improvement actions??.     

What matters in the distributions of clean development mechanism projects? A panel data approach

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) suggests that both developed and developing countries can take actions to mitigate global climate change. Carbon reduction and sustainable development are the goals of the CDM. However, the uneven distribution of the CDM projects in developing countries may jeopardize the fulfilment of these goals. This paper uses panel data from 107 host countries to explore the influencing factors of the CDM using a negative binomial regression. The club convergence model is used to divide the host countries into different sub-groups according to their numbers of operating CDM projects in a year. The results show that affluence, the sophisticated international trading experience, and the growing demands for energy of the host countries have a positive impact on the successful registrations of the CDM projects, while the cost of carbon emission abatement hinders the registration. But for countries with fewer CDM projects, the industrial level and national carbon emission have no significant impacts on the distribution of CDM projects. In the end, target policy implications were made based on the results.     

A game theory perspective on environmental assessment: What games are played and what does this tell us about decision making rationality and legitimacy?

Game theory provides a useful theoretical framework to examine the decision process operating in the context of environmental assessment, and to examine the rationality and legitimacy of decision-making subject to Environmental Assessment (EA). The research uses a case study of the Environmental Impact Assessment and Sustainability Appraisal processes undertaken in England. To these are applied an analytical framework, based on the concept of decision windows to identify the decisions to be assessed. The conditions for legitimacy are defined, based on game theory, in relation to the timing of decision information, the behaviour type (competitive, reciprocal, equity) exhibited by the decision maker, and the level of public engagement; as, together, these control the type of rationality which can be brought to bear on the decision. Instrumental rationality is based on self-interest of individuals, whereas deliberative rationality seeks broader consensus and is more likely to underpin legitimate decisions. The results indicate that the Sustainability Appraisal process, conducted at plan level, is better than EIA, conducted at project level, but still fails to provide conditions that facilitate legitimacy. Game theory also suggests that Sustainability Appraisal is likely to deliver ‘least worst’ outcomes rather than best outcomes when the goals of the assessment process are considered; this may explain the propensity of such ‘least worst’ decisions in practise. On the basis of what can be learned from applying this game theory perspective, it is suggested that environmental assessment processes need to be redesigned and better integrated into decision making in order to guarantee the legitimacy of the decisions made.     

What is the influence of FDI and international people flows on environment and growth in OECD countries? A panel study

Recent years have witnessed an international increase of capital and human flows, this being accelerated by globalization. Several studies show that this phenomenon positively influences growth whilst being detrimental for the environment. This article aims to shed a light on the relationship between environment, growth and international capitalism and human flows. By making use of yearly data in a panel constructed around 36 OECD countries over the timespan 2000–2017, we run Pooled Ordinary Least Squares, Fixed Effects and Random Effects regressions with Driscoll-Kraay standard error correction, as well as the Generalized Method of Moments and the Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares, to obtain both short and long-run relationship. The main results provide evidence supporting the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis in the short-run, while offering some variation in the long-run. The FDI bolster the economic growth by means of no green technologies. The international touristic demand just impacts on the growth, while the migration flows improve the environmental performance both in the short and long-run, implying that international human flows generate positive spill-over in terms of environmental behaviours and growth.     

The needs of nomadic-pastoral land users with respect to EIA theory,methods and effectiveness: What are they and does EIA address them?

The aim of this article is to examine the needs of nomadic-pastoral land users with respect to EIA theory, methods and effectiveness based on literature review by applying Retief (2010)’s framework. The article intends to identify these needs and analyse whether EIA addresses them sufficiently and appropriately. Retief (2010)’s framework defines theory, methods (quality) and effectiveness as three main interrelated themes of environmental assessment. Our review was guided by these three themes and moreover, using nomadic pastoralism as a test case, we attempted to expand this broad framework into a four-step approach that can be used to systematically examine EIA literature. The approach first adopts the Retief (2010)’s framework and secondly, identifies issues of nomadic-pastoral land use which matter the most with respect to Retief (2010)’s themes. The next step selected 156 articles for literature review considering the issues identified previously and the fourth step examined the selected articles using a concept-centric review and a content analysis. Nomadic-pastoral land users need EIA theory to incorporate irrational logic and complex and unpredictable socio-ecological features of nomadic-pastoral land use. Decisions made based on the rational decision-making model in EIA cannot sufficiently incorporate the needs of nomadic-pastoral land use due to uncertainties associated with rational decision-making and different power, values and interests of stakeholders in pasture land resources. Furthermore, the needs of nomadic-pastoral land users with respect to EIA methods are related to impact pathways and dynamic character of land use. EIA methods systematically address impact pathways. However, the current EIA methods primarily focus on static land use, and do not address sufficiently and appropriately dynamic nature of land use. For nomadic-pastoral land users, maintaining land quality in nomadic pastoralism and participation in EIA are the most important issues with respect to effectiveness of EIA. However, empirical data are needed to examine whether these needs are addressed in EIA. Nevertheless, the current frameworks for evaluation of effectiveness of EIA are sufficient for assessment of EIA's capacity for addressing the needs of nomadic-pastoral land users. Further studies should aim at incorporating the nature of socio-ecological interaction and dynamics into EIA theories and developing suitable models on herding mobility and strategy for impact prediction in EIA.